FROM: MIKE COHEN-MIDDLETOWN, N.J.
Hi Dancers, well, WOW 2007 has been written into line dance history. Judy Chen and her staff can be very proud of the excellent program they put together for all of us to enjoy. I discovered that I was the second person to sign up for WOW back in February and I waited a long time for this weekend. All my expectations were fully realized.
I cannot say enough about the staff of instructors - The very beautiful & talented Rachael McEnaney, Scott Blevins, the unbelievable Guyton Mundy (what talent), the very personable Steve Lescarbeau, Mr.Dangerous, John Robinson, Joey Warren, Brian McWherter, Max Perry & Kathy Hunyadi, the always fun Joanne Brady, the team of Doug & Jackie Miranda, and the multi-talented Barry & Dari Ann Amato.
These are some of the dance highlights and dances whose lessons I took this weekend:
La Charanga (Rachael McEnaney) - Certainly one of the most played & requested dances. Music is La Charanga by Cubaila-32 Ct-4 wall with 1 restart - You'll love it!
Give It Back (Rachael McEnaney) - Music is Give It Back by Gaelle-32 Ct-4 Walls-played constantly.
Fool In Love (Barry Amato) - Music is Fool In Love by Tina Turner from the soundtrack to the movie "What's Love Got To Do with It". (Barry recommends this version only) 32 Ct with 16 Ct Tag
Swing Bella Bella (Max Perry-Music) - Bei Mir Bist Du Schon by Janice Seigel on the "Swing Kids" Soundtrack-A beginner "novelty" dance 4-wall, 64 count.
NIMBY (John Robinson) - Maggie Gallagher - very popular. Called as a split-floor dance with "Jukebox". NIMBY is a 64 Ct, 4 -wall dance.
World On A String (Brian McWherter) - Patrick Fleming, Music is I've Got TheWorld on A String by Michael Buble. The dance is 32 Ct, 2-walls and heartily recommended.
Tell Me Bout It (Rachael McEnaney) - Music is Tell Me Bout It by Joss Stone and is 32 Ct, 2-walls. This was also played constantly and highly recommended.
Creek (Creeque) Alley, taught & written by Steve Lescarbeau, was recently taught at our Pt. Pleasant Elks Club of N.J. and it was great to do it with Steve right there with us. Great teach, Steve! Music is Creeque Alley by The Mamas & The Papas. 80 Cts and 2-walls. All easy patterns and no syncopations makes this a great intermediate dance and is classified as intermediate only because of the 80 counts otherwise it would be a high beginner dance, as Steve explained.
Cha Cha Ruleta - Scott Blevins-Scott wrote this in 2000 and taught this as preparation for a dance event in Carifornia. It's a challenge as most of Scott's dances are, at least for me. Those who took the lesson seemed to like it. Music is Ruleta Rusa by Enrique Iglesias. 32 Ct, 4-Wall.
American Thighs - Another Rachael McEnaney winner. Music is You shook Me all Night by AC/DC. 64 Ct, 2-Wallls and highly recommended.
Other dances I took were: Fanilow Eyes to Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You By B.Manilow.This is a phrased dance that fits the song perfectly. (Yes Jackie & Doug are Barry Manilow Fans-Get It?), an easy beginner dance called Wake Up Little Suzie by Diana Dawson 48 Ct, 4-walls & no syncopations. I also took a great dance that was revived by Kathy Hunyadi called Majik Touch by Kathy Hunyadi & Jamie Marshall hence MaJiK Touch-Get it? Music is Rub You The Right Way by Johnny Gill and dates back to 2000. As Kathy said "It's funky without being Hip-Hop") The dance is 64 Cts and 2-walls.
Well that's just about it. So many dances, so little time but just a great event. Hope you try some of these dances yourself. Enjoy!
From: Barbara, NJ
Even better than last year - Judy Chen and family and staff - THANKS !
The most important thing - the dancefloors were rented and the BEST ever! We had three workshop rooms and three difficult choices to make each hour. The instructors were ALL superb and Louie kept the party going and going and Ellen Kiernan helped out with a second open dancing room on Sat nite. We had some additions to last year's lineup - Rachel (who was fantastic) and Steve Lescarbeau (who did a late nite teach) the energy level was up, up, up!
I was lucky enough to win a pass to the Spring Break in Myrtle Beach next April. The show was "Inside the Toy Store" after hours hosted by Doug Miranda who was awesome! All our favorite instructors were dressed like toys and each did a little performance - one was better than the next - the acrobatics were amazing!
I only hope we can get more dancers interested in this event so it can be held next year. The numbers were nothing like they should have been with such a wonderful cast of instructors. The workshops started on Fri morning til Sunday at 2 PM. Try to plan ahead and let Judy Chen know that you may be interested for next year and try to support this terrific event!
I have to unpack now - I'm exhausted but feel terrific! What a fabulous weekend!
From: Bev in Southern California
What a lovely event Judy and her staff pulled off. Mike and Barbara, both of New Jersey, comprehensively covered the awesome lineup of choreographers, dances etc. in yesterday's newsletter so I won't go into details about that. I'll just vigorously nod my head in agreement.
What I'll add is that in spite of the event's small size, it was a very classy effort on Judy's part. The hotel was super and conveniently located right at the aiport. The beds were comfy - down comforters and tons of pillows. Saturday night's buffet was truly top-notch, and we were even treated to a complementary light buffet on Thursday night. Hey, food and sleep are really important when you're dancng your feet off :-) WOW is only two years old and not yet getting enough recognition but, hopefully, word will get around and next year it will get a large turnout. It certainly deserves it.
FROM: John Korman
This was my first time at the New Jersey event and I hope for a WOW! 2008, even with Judy organizing a cruise in April 2008. I purposely took classes from choreographers/instructors not at other events I have attended and each 50-minute workshop was fun, and sometimes a workout! While Louie St. George was planted in the main ballroom, two smaller rooms had workshops running simultaneously so there were 3 to choose from each hour (9:30-5:30 Fri & Sat; 10-2 Sun).
Fortunately I attended FL Masters so many of the dances taught were the same. I was glad for this and eager for a second teach on several of them. Dances I took:
COME A LITTLE CLOSER (warren) -; hot music, great dance, advanced for the 3 tags on different walls, many turns, and speed of dance; well choreographed. It helped taking this a 2nd time, but come open dancing at night, my memory needed to be closer to my feet.
USED TO BE A TIME (brady, babinec) -; overlooked this one locally, but glad to have experienced another Joanne class. Just like all the other classes I have taken from her, she made this dance what it is, plain 'ole fun! The song is growing on me which makes me enjoy the dance more, even with the turns that can easily be taken out for those who do not like to spin. Good for beginners who want a challenge. Recommend this for those who can only dance country or if you have a small floor in a bar.
GIVE IT BACK (mcenaney) -; best song of the weekend and the dance I was going to walk away from knowing (thanks to Paul as well for getting me through the 5&6, 7 after the sailor step). Taught quite fast, but tricky moves need time spent at the add'l walls and corners. A well choreographed dance that I highly recommend.
CHARANGA & FADED (mcenaney) -; read a lot about Charanga from Big Dave and its popularity overseas and I am glad to have learned it this weekend. The music puts you in the mood of being in the Caribbean and the dance is fun; some syncopations and one easy restart. Can be done on a small floor if you have space limitations.
Apparently Faded truly did fade out of the scene after it's one and only teach by Rachael in CA several years ago, but the music is from the boy-band SoulDecision which I recognized from radio play. Learn the steps and add your own funk! Great song.
CT GIRL (gallagher) -; can't go wrong with Maggie's dances nor with John Robinson teaching it. I remember the song and music from FL Masters, but lost the steps leaving FL. John brought them right back to me and taught it well (after learning the dance in his room the morning of). Thankfully, Louie was there with the stepbook to cue him to the next pattern at times. The song is another great one from the group Infernal and the steps go well to the music, including an easy tag/restart. Well choreographed with the ending leads right into the beginning.
COME ON AND DANCE (mundy) - great song and well choreographed. Recommend this one to challenge yourself. I hope Guyton continues to promote this one for my second teach before year's end.
DERIVITIVE (amatos) - never learned this "classic" dance from years ago, but this is my favorite dance of the weekend. After seeing it demo'd on Friday night, this was a must learn, especially having not attended a class from Barry or Dari Ann before. Taught well, spent 15 mins just on the first 8-cts because of arm movements (don't need Mundy arms for this one) with feet. Dancing this in a group, it looks hot and the new song by Elliott Yamin makes it cool. Definitely recommend *new stepsheet forthcoming to their website.
BRING IT ON DOWN (mundy) - he definitely did with this dance. Leaned locally in PA from Miss Pam, Guyton's instruction just tightened the steps and movements more for me. Great dance. Floor filler each time played and the sequence fits the music perfectly. Well choreographed.
WORLD ON A STRING (fleming) - Bryan did a great teach of this to another fabulous Michael Buble track off his new album. No tricky steps, but the order is different and can be a challenge.
IMAGINE (mcwherter) - never learned thi" dance, but glad Bryan brought it back. Come open dancing at night, I imagined I knew the steps, but I'll practice it so I won't have to in the future.
SUPERMODELZ (hunyadi, murphy) - the song makes the dance, and it is so well-choreographed the dance hits the lyrics in all the right places. When dancing just think ABBA/tag.but you get so caught up in the music, you may lose your place (doh!). So, put on your best pair of heels (guys and gals) and strut your hips down the runway.turn to the left, turn to the right.sasahy stante [no more to say!]
MAJIK TOUCH (hunyahi, marshall) - My magic tricks did not hold up well, learning this for the first time during a review after Supermodelz, but I hope to work on it to join Kathy and Jaime on the floor at Windy City. Then I'll show them my own magic trick-touches. Goes to a classic song by Johnny Gill, especially when you can rub yourself (or someone else) the right way.
AMERICAN THIGHS (mcenaney) - good review for me from FL. Taught quite fast for a 2-wall dance, but no tricky steps to a classic AC/DC song.
FOOLISH (morgan) - learned this from John R two weeks ago, but it waltzed right out of my memory. Max Perry did a great teach in 9 mins. The crowd had it with no fools on the floor, just dancers tik-tok'ing.
BUTTER BEANS (petre)
BUT I DO (stott) - both taught by Joanne Brady. Good for beginner dancers and those who are restricted to country. For those that can dance anything, good dances to rest your mind in comparison to a slew of tricky ones out there now. No intricate steps. Well done to Christopher and Patricia for the choreography.
HOW COME THE WORLD WON'T STOP (mcenaney) - another re-teach for me from FL, but apparently the world did stop because I could not remember it other than the semi-circle weave around. This was my second favorite song of the weekend, and thankfully it was taught on Sunday morning when it was chill time. Hearing the background of the song from Rachael makes your own heart stop, but the world kept on turning for all the dancers during open dancing.
SOME PEOPLE (lescarbeau) - good song by LeAnn Rimes. This waltz dance flows nicely and has some unusual sequencing among the steps. The 2 1/4 turn can be taken out, but it gets me working on spotting the walls. Well choreographed to the music and listen closely for restarts 1 & 3, #2 is more pronounced.
ADAPTABLE (trace) - Steve L did a great job teaching this in 5 mins and picking a song that was.adapatable.to the dance. I wish this were taught earlier in the weekend as I could have danced this several times in open dance on the sidelines.
HOW KUD U (mundy) - well I did! Although it's my 3rd lesson on it, the music is my favorite out of all of Guyton's recent dances. Slowing it down the first time we danced it, I actually understood what the lyrics were. Well done on the choreography and the workshop teach was very good as Guyton offered pointers and broke down the last 8-cts several times so everyone danced it at full speed.
I especially like this - event since several choreographers brought back dances from years ago, that us newbies never learned. I hope event organizers do this in the future. Popular at open dancing - BURNING, YA KNOW, FUEGO, DON'T FEEL LIKE DANCING, PUCKER UP, HICK CHICKS, NIMBY/JUKEBOX (don't forget about YOUR BACKYARD to the same song), NACHO DADDY, CRY TO ME, A GIGOLO, LAST MINUTE, ARABIAN NIGHTS, ROCK THIS PARTY, BRING IT ON DOWN, HAVE FUN GO MAD, STILL DIRRTY, POETY IN MOTION, BRIDGE OVER TROUBLE WATER, WIKKIDEST TING.
FROM: Joan
Thanks to a group of four couples called the "Inner Circle" who love to dance, particularly newer and challenging dances to a variety of music. With a lot of "leg work" (pardon the pun) they have managed to establish, supply, and maintain two venues where we can gather to enjoy the dances we love. In a friendly, informal atmosphere we practice and help each other with all request dances weekly , and then more or less monthly attend an open dance with a preset schedule of dances plus a teach and review. (If we arrive early we get to do some request /review dancing ). The format allows us to register our preferences from month to month and it feels responsive.
My second thank you goes out to Judy Chen and the wonderful, longer than most, weekend at the WOW. What a class act!!! It ranks with the best of weekends and even included Thursday night in it's weekend package. It was a treat to study with and later dance with so many talented teachers/dancers during the open dancing. The instructors all seemed to be having a great time playing off Louie, the DJ extaordinaire, as well as dancing with us and particularly each other in the evening. Sometimes I didn't know if it was more fun and entertaining to watch them or join them. I do know I stayed up much later than usual and still felt energized. Part of that must be attributed to the excellent dance floors, and the easily accessible dance rooms the WOW provided. Some of us danced till the last drop on Sunday 4 PM with Louie, who hung in there talking us through the steps of the newer dances we were still trying to recall.
There were a variety of dance styles and instructors reknown for these dance styles teaching so hopefully the many there will be a bundle of good stuff to bring home to regional venues. I cant wait to practice in mine! Thanks to all.
FROM: Linda from NJ
What a great dance event.a real class act. I had a terrific time. The choreographers were super, the floors were wonderful, the food was good and the hotel was conveniently located with comfortable beds. Hoping for WOW 2008.
FROM: Patty from NJ
I just wanted to say what a terrific time I had at Wow #2 this past weekend. We all got to meet allot of new people and catch up with old friends. It's great to know that you can look forward each year to meeting up with your Family Dance Friends. (what a great reunion it was) We all really look forward to it. A lot of laughs & good times. Cheers to Betsy who really was a trooper in her temp wheelchair. I will not forget the great laughs we had at dinner Sat night (you all know who you are). I was especially glad to get a chance to meet Rachel and Joey for the first time. How great are they. GI Joe rocked. Hey Joe, Do you have any bones in that body? The show was terrific and they all were really amazing dancers and entertainers. The group of instructors kept the momentum upbeat and moving the whole time. Thank you again for a great weekend, I look forward to 2008 dance reunion #3.
FROM: Steve Lescarbeau
I wanted to thank Judy for inviting me to instruct at this year's WOW event at the very accommodating Marriott Newark Airport Hotel from August 16 - 19. To be in the company of such greats as Max Perry, Kathy Hunyadi, John Robinson, JoAnn Brady, Barry and Dari Ann Amato, Doug and Jacki Miranda, Racheal McEneany, Guyton Mundy, Scott Blevins, Joey Warren, and Bryan McWherter, was such an honor! A huge thank you goes out to all of you who took my classes and requested them in open dance. SOME PEOPLE was such a big hit I had to teach it twice. My new beginner dance ONE OF THE BOYS was taught after CREEK ALLEY, but we used a much more fun song than on the step sheet. Please try ONE OF THE BOYS to Brad Paisley's ONLINE. We had a lot of fun doing it and even those who didn't take the class were on the floor in open dancing quickly picking it up. Great bar/club dance to teach. It was nice to put faces with some of the regional instructors names like Mike Cohen and Ellen Keirnan. There were several more instructors I met, but I apologize for not being able to remember everyone's names. I love to chat with everyone, especially instructors to see how their classes are and what they are teaching. These dance events are fun because of the people who go to them. As an event director myself I understand how hard it is to make everyone happy and pull off a successful event. I can say that Judy did a great job in putting together this event. I hope she does do it again so I can come back, even if it's as a paying guest!
No one has really mentioned the show on Saturday night. ORDER THE VIDEO! Mark my words this video will be a CLASSIC for years to come. The story is about a nighttime janitor (Doug Miranda) names Wally who invites you into his toy store after hours to witness majic as some toys to come to life at night. The toys were:
MAX PERRY & KATHY HUNYADI - Ragedy Andy and Ragedy Ann
GUYTON MUNDY - Spiderman
RACHAEL MCENEANY - Cat Woman
BARRY AND DARIANN AMATO - Ken and Barbie
JACKIE MIRANDA - Tinkerbell
JOANN BRADY - Teddy Bear
JOEY WARREN - GI Joey
BRYAN MCWHERTER - Sponge Bob Square Pants
JOHN ROBINSON - Mr. Potato Head
You will laugh for hours watching this show which lasted almost an hour!
Thanks again for your support.
FROM: Jane Blum
Just had to send KUDOS to Judy and her crew for a fabulous (hey) line dance event. It was a CLASS ACT!! All has been described - but here's hoping we will be afforded this kind of opportunity next year. Thanks, Judy.
FROM: Judy Romanenkov
THE OPENING: Went down late Thursday afternoon to the ballrooms to check out the floors and the vendors - not a vendor was stirring and only the carpets stared back at me. Did I get my dates wrong? Went down again later and there was Judy Chen, the event director, confirming what I can clearly see that the floors haven't arrived yet but later at six the food will be out here for the opening party. When at six the food wasn't there I went into the restaurant for dinner. When I came out, there it was - a splendid spread of sushi, lox and all the trimmings, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, etc. looking so temptingly good even to someone with a full stomach. Compared to other event's opening party where you get dancing but no food or if there is, junk food - this was a veritable feast. When I came back later, the floor was laid and the dancing had begun.
DANCES AND PEOPLE: The demos were held during the evening dance and the Friday demo turned into an impromptu comedy show what with the comic talent of Joanne Brady and John Robinson. Every once in a while you see a demo that blows away all those thoughts such as: I think I'll take this; no, the other one is better; oh wait this one looks good too, because you instantly know without a doubt that you want to take it. One such was FOOLISH, demoed by Max Perry. A beautiful 48-count waltz choreographed by Nancy Morgan that flows so well with Johnny Mathis' song of the same title. Other outstanding workshops I've taken: GIVE IT BACK by Rachel McEnaney; CT GIRL taught by John Robinsone, a 64-count 2 wall dance by Maggie Gallagher; DANCE THE BLUES and DREAMIN both by the Amatos. Bryan McWherter was scheduled to teach BURNING on Friday afternoon but taught instead his own dance WTF? (What The Funk) because he hasn't learned BURNING yet. Then Sunday afternoon instead of the scheduled review of dances, it was announced that he would now teach BURNING. He came into the room asking if anybody has the stepsheet as he really doesn't know it yet. It's the kind of dance that everybody knows and everybody doesn't know, judging from the crowded dance floor and the crowded workshop. This was a first for me - an instructor scheduled to teach a dance he doesn't know - and yet judging by the attitude of the group - it wasn't like "How can you teach something you don't know?" but rather "Don't worry Bryan, you'll do a great job, we'll learn this together". There was goodwill and camaraderie all around! What a great group of people! Then someone came in who "really knows" the dance and immediately became the assistant instructor. In the end, after a hundred "whews" from Bryan, he whewed after every 8 counts, both teacher and students learned the dance, the appreciative students giving the relieved instructor a rousing applause. Only the charms of baby-faced Bryan could pull that off.
THE DINNER: If the food at the opening party was any indication of the kind of dinner we were going to get, this exceeded expectations. The buffet presented a wonderful array of main dishes and desserts. There was a great choice even for a non-meat-eater like me. Show Ming who was seated next to me said that this was the best dinner she has ever had in all the events she has attended (and she goes to all of them) and everybody at the table agreed. Judy Chen certainly knows how to feed her attendees and I've heard, also her instructors, providing them with breakfast and lunch.
THE SHOW: The show that followed was in the same class as the dinner. The brainchild of the sweethearts of line dancing, Barry and Dari Anne Amato. The scene was a toy store after hours and we were welcomed by the night janitor dressed in white with the name Wally embroided on his pocket. Doug Miranda played it with the voice and manner of speaking reminiscent of Willy Wonka. The toys were: A big cuddly teddy bear (Joanne), Tinkerbell (Jackie), GI Joey (guess who?), Spiderman (Guyton), Catwoman (I think that's what she was suppossed to be, Rachel), Raggedy Ann and Andy (Kathy and Max); Mr. Potato Head (John) and Sponge Bob (Bryan) and Ken and Barbie (who else?). There they all were, immobile and frozen, Barry and Dari Anne exactly like dolls, their blank unblinking eyes and smile glazed on their faces. And when Wally Wonka called on each one of them, they came to life and started dancing. Rachel in a one-piece leather outfit showing off her incredibly sculpted body did splits, somersaults, back flips with the finesse and nochalance of a cat; Mr. Potato Head, being what he was, threw french fries and bags of potato chips at the audience, which later became part of the act of Mr. Wally Wonka. The best of all was the mannequin dance of Barry and Dari Anne - despite of or because of it - the limited movements of a mannequin made their dance routine a wonderfully unique and enjoyable spectacle sending me to my feet for a furious standing ovation.
THE ENDING: Now come the best part for me in any event, the open dancing on the last day - when the room is bright as day, uncrowded and you can shout out your dance request and the DJ would play it. Louie did so not only beautifully and dutifully but went beyond schedule, ending at 4:20 instead of 4:00PM. What started shakily ended solidly with DJ Louie. And the floors that waltzed in at the last minute proved to be beautiful dancing floors.
FROM: Betsy Cousins-Coleman, NJ
There have been many great reviews of the WOW so far - all deservedly so. I have been meaning to send in my own review since I had a totally different perspective of the weekend.
A week and a half before the WOW I tore my achilles tendon, but being the die-hard linedancer I am, I refused to miss this event, as I had gone last year and had a great time. Since I was told I couldn't put any weight at all on my foot (well, I tried my best), I made sure that the hotel would have a wheelchair for me, and they did, right at the curb. Although I didn't request a handicapped room, the rooms were beautiful, spacious and access was easy.
I arrived early Thursday afternoon with friends (hubby Gordon arrived later to take over wheelchair duty) and was pleased with the kindness and courtesy of everyone who I encountered. There wasn't a person, friend, stranger or hotel employee, who wasn't willing to offer a hand or a push. The hotel is beautiful, the ballrooms arranged conveniently right next to each other. The floors were the best quality. The food was excellent that Judy put out both Thursday night and Saturday night. Because we tried to stay close since traveling with the wheelchair was cumbersome, we ate in the hotel Italian restaurant several times, once each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We weren't disappointed. There was also a bar with food, and a steakhouse, enough choices for everyone.
I took as many lessons as I could, sitting up by Louie or whoever was dj'ing, and even though I couldn't get up, my feet were never still. (I did make an exception for Bring it On Down - which is actually the culprit that had made the final tear in my tendon - because it's just impossible to sit that one out once you've learned it.) Some of my favorites were Come On and Dance (Guyton), Bring it Back (Rachel), Foolish (Nancy Morgan taught by Max), Dreamin' (the Amatos), Come a Little Closer (Joey Warren), Clothes Off (Will Craig taught by Joey), Burning (taught by Bryan, don't know the choreographer), Cha Cha Ruletta (Scott), Imagine (Bryan), and Walk the Dinosaur (an old one Rachel brought back). I'm so glad that I'd already learned Octogoto, Nacho Daddy, Pucker Up, Bring It On Down, Hick Chicks and Love Stoned or it would REALLY be tough coming off this weekend and wondering what to take back to our local venues! As it is, I had written down a possible 19 dances to bring back to our Inner Circle dances in Wayne, Towaco and Midland Park, NJ. Our group of eight has its work cut out for us in the next couple weeks.
I can't forget to mention the great job Louie did dj'ing. He did a super job of getting all the dances that were taught played early enough, and, as always, it's fun to stay up late and watch the "show" put on by all the great dancers who attend the weekends. For a change, my feet weren't hurting and I wasn't tired at all each morning! I'll be busy in the next 6 to 7 weeks, when I'm off my foot, watching the videos and trying to learn without actually doing all the turns!
If anyone in the NY metro area has not been to one of the Inner Circle ETC dances and would like to get a great review of a bunch of the dances from the WOW, we are having a dance this Saturday the 25th in Towaco (near Parsippany) and it will be a terrific time to review and dance the newest favorites, as well as current alternative dances. Contact barblovestodance@aol.com if you need more info.
Once again, I'd like to thank Judy Chen for a wonderful, first-class event. I only hope more people let her know they'll be coming for 2008. It would be a shame not to experience the WOW again!
I attended my first WOW event last weekend and had a great time. The dances taught were for all levels. The floors were great in all 3 rooms, and I am glad the event director, Judy, moved some classes from the smaller rooms to the main ballroom because of the high number of students and/or space limitations. The Saturday show was riot, taking me back to my days at Toys-R-Us (are they still around?) and now Kay-Bee. "Wally" had very cute lines with all his toys, especially his Tinker Bell, and with Barbie and Ken, positioning them as if they were action figures. Open dancing was fun with the classics (had to really pull out of the archives at times - "dizzy") as well as those released since JG2 that are still popular today.
Requests were solicited each night and it was primarily followed until 10-11pm, when the music changed leading to "funk-hours." I hope DJs understand that not all of us primarily dance hip-hop as dancers are taught what is popular in their hometown. It is greatly appreciated that DJs continue taking requests rather than shoveling them to the side for 2+ hours in order to humor a certain group of dancers. As a paying attendee, who in turn is paying the DJ, it's unfortunate not dancing for 2 hours when requests were submitted on a list, yet overlooked. The mix of dances should be incorporated throughout the night and just because a collective group of dancers known to the DJ is awake on the floor, others continue to sit back and watch, and wait. While others may choose to turn in early, others stay up late hoping to dance what they enjoy. As we all enjoy different styles of line dancing, please be mindful of those who submit requests and/or are sitting for a while and not on the floor.