appeldance (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} appeldance) wrote,@ 2006-08-06 22:41:00 |
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Arizona Dance Classic - Phoenix, AZ
The Arizona Dance Classic http://www.shallwedancehouston.com/Arizo
I arrived on Friday at the Phoenix airport. I caught a shuttle and got a two hour tour from our very new driver that got lost. The drive out to the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino was very pretty. The hotel is set back in a canyon and it was a great view of the desert countryside. After finally arriving at the hotel I got to my room and got ready for the evenings competition. There had already been a full day of ballroom competition on Thursday and on Friday evening they had the pro-am competition and Division 1. The competition ran smoothly and my students Becky MacCorkle and Lynn Macy danced very well.
There was no set videographer at the event instead they had video passes available for anyone who wanted to record the competition. The next day started out very early on Saturday morning with the Intermediate-Advanced Division. This is somewhat unusual because typically newcomers dance early most of the time. This is one of the reasons that I am glad I don't have newcomers this year, but damm...here we go at the crack of I Hop time. Dancers as a whole are night creatures. It is hard to get your "funk on" when it is that early in the morning! My advanced student Carolyn Wilburn had a rough outing at this event. This is not normal for her and I didn't helped her on the first dance by changing the Triple-Two choreo on the fly. What was I thinking! But, her other dances came together and we survived the competition. It was just too early...I think my brain arrived by FedEx sometime in the afternoon.
Damon D'Amico and I at the pool party.
Saturday evening was the dinner show and Susan and I performed our showcase swing. I love the way they run the show at this event. It is short and sweet and yet packed with talent. As usual a good performances by everyone involved! After the show the performers had dinner in the restaurant and headed for the pool party. I pool party was different this year and not as well organized. I stayed visited shortly and headed off for private parties. Later that night after the pool I went swimming and the water was awesome.
The Louisiana Crew.
Sunday there was more dancing and competition. Later in the afternoon they had the swing competitions. Here is another area that could have been better. The DJ for the swing competition was ill prepared and not very experienced, so the music was a little lackluster. It was hard to get motivated for the swing when the music was not appropriate.
Sunday evening there was a get together at an Italian restaurant. They had got the owners to open up just for the people still left at the event. The food and company were awesome. Kudos to the Arizona Dance Classic
I have to say that I would not want to live in the desert but it is a beautiful place to visit and the Arizona Dance Classic is a great reason to make the trip!
The Arizona Dance Classic http://www.shallwedancehouston.com/Arizo
I arrived on Friday at the Phoenix airport. I caught a shuttle and got a two hour tour from our very new driver that got lost. The drive out to the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino was very pretty. The hotel is set back in a canyon and it was a great view of the desert countryside. After finally arriving at the hotel I got to my room and got ready for the evenings competition. There had already been a full day of ballroom competition on Thursday and on Friday evening they had the pro-am competition and Division 1. The competition ran smoothly and my students Becky MacCorkle and Lynn Macy danced very well.
There was no set videographer at the event instead they had video passes available for anyone who wanted to record the competition. The next day started out very early on Saturday morning with the Intermediate-Advanced Division. This is somewhat unusual because typically newcomers dance early most of the time. This is one of the reasons that I am glad I don't have newcomers this year, but damm...here we go at the crack of I Hop time. Dancers as a whole are night creatures. It is hard to get your "funk on" when it is that early in the morning! My advanced student Carolyn Wilburn had a rough outing at this event. This is not normal for her and I didn't helped her on the first dance by changing the Triple-Two choreo on the fly. What was I thinking! But, her other dances came together and we survived the competition. It was just too early...I think my brain arrived by FedEx sometime in the afternoon.
Damon D'Amico and I at the pool party.
Saturday evening was the dinner show and Susan and I performed our showcase swing. I love the way they run the show at this event. It is short and sweet and yet packed with talent. As usual a good performances by everyone involved! After the show the performers had dinner in the restaurant and headed for the pool party. I pool party was different this year and not as well organized. I stayed visited shortly and headed off for private parties. Later that night after the pool I went swimming and the water was awesome.
The Louisiana Crew.
Sunday there was more dancing and competition. Later in the afternoon they had the swing competitions. Here is another area that could have been better. The DJ for the swing competition was ill prepared and not very experienced, so the music was a little lackluster. It was hard to get motivated for the swing when the music was not appropriate.
Sunday evening there was a get together at an Italian restaurant. They had got the owners to open up just for the people still left at the event. The food and company were awesome. Kudos to the Arizona Dance Classic
I have to say that I would not want to live in the desert but it is a beautiful place to visit and the Arizona Dance Classic is a great reason to make the trip!
