Tag: 2012

Camp Hollywood 2012

Camp Hollywood was a great event for me. It was great to reteam with my teaching partner, Heather Ballew. Teaching without my regular partner has been difficult for a few reasons, so I was glad to be back in Colorado working and teaching with someone familiar.

We competed in the Open Lindy Strictly, Open Balboa Division, Showcase Division and I competed in the Advanced J&J. The Open Balboa Division went straight to finals and featured a 2 couple chorus battle format.  We placed 5th which was a stunning result in my opinion.

Heather and I made the 5 couple finals in the Open Strictly Division. It was a spotlight format with 12 8’s to each couple. Thanks to someone’s suggestion, we came up with a plank aerial featured in our second outing.

I was very relieved the “1” was already drawn when I selected for Showcase placement. I drew the “2” instead. We had room to breathe and then time to watch everybody else. My pre-routine routine consists of not watching anyone else perform, so I was happy to watch everyone afterward.

I did not place in the Advanced Jack & Jill, but it was a heavily stacked competition with many great dancers. I did better this year than I did last  year. And by that, I mean I showed up instead of jamming at the Tempest Freerunning Academy. I did get a nice compliment afterwards from Mr. Camp Hollywood himself, Joel Plys.

Overall, Camp Hollywood was a great event. It was really good to feel involved again at a national, or rather international, competition. I saw a lot of old friends. It reminded me of how long I’ve been away from the competition circuit. Jonathan Stout’s various arrangements all kicked ass. Tise planked a bit – thank you. I participated in another underground competition. The things I do for Nick Peterson and vintage bathing suit fans. Sheesh!

Beantown Dance Camp – what I learned

I was very happy to be at Beantown Dance Camp for the first time this year. Heather Ballew was asked to teach with her partner of choice and she asked me. I happily said yes for a couple reasons – it was a great opportunity and I could cut my Europe trip short. I’m slightly disappointed I could not attend Herrang this year, but I don’t regret attending Beantown and being back in the US.

Here’s what I discovered thanks to Beantown

  1. Week long camps give me enough time to meet people and get to know them better than weekend events
  2. Wear thin socks if you run 4 miles early in the morning with Javier. Otherwise, you’ll get a large blister
  3. Falcons are badass predators
  4. If the word “crossfit” appears anywhere in an Outdoor Fitness description, people will not show up because they’re intimidated
  5. Do not kick immovable objects. But if you do, kick them early in the week so you can recover
  6. William is great to juggle a soccer ball with
  7. Tony and Aurelie run a great event
  8. Engaged students who ask great questions are the best
  9. Spot It is addictive
  10. Jonathan Stout makes great drinks
  11. Dancing to so much live music spoils you.
  12. Heather’s a great partner

Edinburgh Blues

Where should I begin? Michelle Davies at EdinBop is great to work with. Don’t call Scotch “Scotch” when in Scotland. Refer to it as Whisky. Stone buildings are awesome.

Scotland has always been a dream destination of mine. There’s something about the Scottish character portrayed in novels and their archaeological remnants. Day 1 greeted me with lots of rain. Through the haze you could see hills backdropping the city. The day brightened through food pursuits, most notably haggis.

Day 2 started slowly, but finished with a walking tour through the Royal Mile and the National Museum of Scotland. Go there if you can.  Later that day, I planned classes with Michelle, trying to get a better grasp of what I should present to the Edinburgh dancers.

Day 3 was Saturday, workshop day! Dancers came from Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and a few other spots. They were quite enthusiastic and asked many good questions, a skill sometimes lacking. Not only are they enthusiastic about taking class, they’re enthusiastic for the visiting instructor to sample as many Scottish beers and whiskys as possible (9+4=13). Well done, good sir.