I went to Danvers Ma for some of the New Years 4 day Dance event thrown by Dance Pros at The Fercroft Sheraton. Although I could only stay 2 days due to other commitments, I was very happy with the set up.
The general dancing was great, and there were three rooms to do it in , all of which had ample space. There were workshops in West Coast Swing Hustle, Lindy and more. The ones I attended were well worth the $10 charge- John Lindos WCS class gets special props as he makes complicated figures seem to flow. The competitions were also very good .
Especially worth a shout was the Champions West Coast Swing Jack And Jill Contest. The competing professionals were absolutely phenomenal. Its important to note that in a Jack And Jill its ALL improv , lead , and follow, yet in my opinion many of the randomly paired off dancers were more riveting in freestyle than 99% of choreographed routines Ive Seen over the years . I did not stay for the event winners but I would NOT want to be a judge based on the above and diversity of ways the pros made each dance look interesting. Whoever wins ,wins ,but they all placed in this writers mind.
The Hotel -The Sheraton Ferncroft Resort- itself was quite good also, having an indoor pool, large gym, and excellent restaurant. It was conveniently located as well, as shooping centers were less than a mile away if any needs arose that te hotel could not accomodate.
Anyway , Once again I had a great time. I reccommend Dance Pros Events highly, as they are well run , and very entertaining. Its important to note that for those that dont wish to watch comps, there is always open dancing available , an option that many ballroom comps could learn from. Special thanks To the organizers Bill Cameron and Blake Hobby et al.

Hi Bob. I left you a note on another thread, about this same event.

[ 02-27-2002, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: Crystal ]

Hi Chrystal, I did not see the other thread, Where was it?
No I dont think I caught the Pro AM. Ive seen Pro Am WCS bfore though. Bill Cameron , and several other Instructors were at DiSco America doing WCS Pro Am with their students. I recall one event where Ken Roesel had around 10 students doing Pro Am WCS. Inso far as the ratio, The WCS Pro ams Ive seen are usually a bit more pro Men and Am Ladies, but not many more.
See Ya.

Oh and the level of dancing was quite good. WCS dancers are excellent lead and follow dancers. It is my next "get down" dance.

Wtf Bob. Come back to the General Board.

Estrogen overload there.

Heh.

ThreeStep
(Lonely)

Lol Threestep, "Estrogen overload ".. Ive been super busy. My son is having an excellent season in wrestling. He is undefeated to date. The times I usually post on forums seems to cooincide with the times i am spending training him. I prefer the latter so I have to be picky about where I surf and read this time of year. Those tournaments are testosterone overload evnts though lol. What aggravates me is the fact that the parents who never wrestled dont understand the sport and cause their kids to feel bad. Wrestling Tournaments are like dance comps.
Not like Basketball, Football, soccer or
baseball where lots of people win and lose. In basketball, 10 guys will step out on the court and 5 guys will walk away winners. In a westling tournament or high level dance comp, only one in ten will walk away a winner. Maybe the reason my kid is undefeated is because he is told to go out and do the best he can but not to feel bad if he loses. Trainhard, and the rest will come.

Although I must say I was ROBBED at the Disco America comp. I should have placed there. Everyone but the judges seemed to agree. Oh well.

[ 01-25-2002: Message edited by: Bob B ]