LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL .....
again and again!!!!
Probably one of the most pleasurable aspects of LTGTR for Fred, Eddie and me is the opportunity to "catch-up" with dancing friends from all over Ontario. We have been blessed over the last eight years with the number of dancers who have consistently supported us at this event and we really appreciate them. Plus the newbies who are willing to try us out!! Couldn't run an event without the dancers and they bring such good humour with them that it lights up the room. And also, of course, our volunteers who put up the decorations, fill the water jugs, greet people at the door and help out with the myriad of tasks involved. In addition there is Dale who makes such wonderful baskets for our Auction. Many, many thanks to you all.
Despite problems with parking (a section of the main local street was being resurfaced) everyone came into the hall with smiling faces. The Baron Byng Beaches Legion is now our home Hall for our events. It is bright and airy with a good wooden floor and high stage so everyone can see. The focus of teaching at our Fall Workshop is on beginner+/Intermediate dances. We want to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to dance. Emily Woo was the first instructor on the stage. She got us stretching which is an excellent routine to get into before dancing. Them Emily taught us her own 'Thinkin' Drinkin' .... lots of hilarity as we gurgled our beer and waved our lassos above our head; you had to be there!! Then she taught ''A Rockin' Good Way" by Linda Burgess (Australia), thoroughly enjoyed by the dancers who sang along. Emily and her dancers demoed 'Nobody But You' for us. The video of this dance has had over 130,000 hits on YouTube and there are around 70 videos of the dance made all over the world. Congratulations Emily!
Fred and I hit the stage next, starting with our beginner 'Blue Cha', to a smooth country track by European group, Major Dundee. Then the premier of the dance we wrote for the event 'Quanto Amore' to 'Quanto Amore Sei' by Eros Ramazzotti. It's an intermediate dance with a twist; it's 64/60 counts with 2 walls, 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock. We were delighted that everyone seemed to pick it up fairly easily and gave us some high fives! I followed with a new waltz 'Distant Shore' to a Celtic singer, Orla Fallon. Then it was show time! Line dancers all over the world have been joining in with the 'Flash Mob Experience' of SBS (Shuffle Boogie Soul) written by Ira Weisburd and danced to "Honky Tonk" by Preston Shannon. So it was our turn! A quick teach, a bit of practise with the music and also at being nonchalant and SBS was performed LTGTR style!! Check the video on YouTube!!
Next we were delighted to present Marthe Thibeault, all the way from Sudbury. Marthe is a talented choreographer who won the choreography competition one year at the Vegas Dance Explosion and taught there as well, so we were thrilled that she wrote a dance especially for our workshop. Called 'Stereo Love' it went down a treat with the dancers. Interesting footwork and great piece of music that fit perfectly together. With a little bit of time to spare she also taught 'Gleehab' by Gary Lafferty from Scotland; some fun movements with this dance. Of course to finish off the afternoon session we have our regular 'Blast From the Past' and Margo Cameron dusted off her binders to find the step sheet and bring us 'Brush Off'. Margo is a relaxed fun lovin' instructor and dancer and it was a real pleasure to have her teach on our stage.
A quick break and it was time for dinner brought to us by the Legion Ladies. As an experiment, those who fancied some wine with dinner had ordered a bottle for their table ahead of time. This seemed to work out well so check your registration form for next year's event as there will be space to order wine if you want it at the time of registering. During this period we also drew the tickets for the 17 attractive Gift Baskets that Dale had created. There were some very happy winners! $480 was raised and will be divided between The Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and the Canadian Cancer Society in the name of Eric McNeil. Eddie ran the 50/50 in her usual capable manner and the winner went home with $130 in her pocket. The other $130 will sponsor two young dancers to attend the Dance Program at Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre in East Toronto.
Fred then took over as DJ for the Evening Dance and, as always, did an excellent job of playing something for everyone and keeping us on our toes with some classics. We took a break to present certificates to our guest instructors. Many many thanks to Emily, Marthe and Margo for a really excellent job. We are most fortunate in the calibre of instructors that we have here in Ontario.
Thanks again to everyone who came to join in the fun. Hope to see you again next year!
Toronto, Ontario, October 2010
