DF Reunion East

[pygmalion]

All right,. Enough stinkin Reno talk. LOL. We East Coast peole deserve a get together of our own. :wink: Any suggestions for time frames or venues? 8)

[DancePoet]

How about the Yankee Classic this June?

If others feel comfortable with this I'm sure we can come up with an appropriate time and place.

[Larinda McRaven]

that would be great.

[Sagitta]

Yankee Classic? What sort of dances are done there? What are the dates? What is the exact location. I'm at a place where I have limited internet access - reason for all these questions!

By the way I'm already thinking of going to that the salsa "thing" being held late this year in NYC city so am hoping of meeting at least boriken and other NYorkers there.

Then there is the flurry held every March in Saratoga springs. I'm planning on going to that one too as I know people come from all over to that!!

[SDsalsaguy]

the Yankee Classic is a sizable ballroom comp held in Boston. There isn't much socail dancing involved, unfortunaetly, but it is one of the few U.S. based events that atracts a sizable contingent of European competitors.

[pygmalion]

I'm sure, with a little googleing, we could find other dances to supplement that comp. Oohh! Excitement. I'll google. :D

[Larinda McRaven]

At that particular comp there is the Friday and Saturday night after comp party at Ryles, a club downtown Boston, that will knock your socks off.

They are invite only, but I can take care of that for everyone.

[Vince A]

OK, some of you East Coasters put a list together, so we can do a vote like how we arrived at the Reno Dance Sensation.

Remember to keep in mind Swing (WCS and Lindy) and Salsa.

Many of us are already booked for Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend events. Also, because many will compete, keep in mind that quite a few won't go downtown to a club to dance . . . but many may!

[pygmalion]

Personally, I like Cambridge/Boston. A great town for anything cultural, especially if you're free to arrive a few days early or stay a few days late. From what I've seen, there's a pretty busy swing scene there as well. I'll look around for other possible places, though, just to be fair.

Anybody else have suggestions?

[SDsalsaguy]

At that particular comp there is the Friday and Saturday night after comp party at Ryles, a club downtown Boston, that will knock your socks off.

They are invite only, but I can take care of that for everyone.
:doh: I forgot about that... probably because when I was at Yankee a couple of years ago it wasn't actually in Boston.

[Swing Kitten]

How about the Yankee Classic this June?

June? hahaha this sucks! I'm on the east coast for the reno event and on the west coast for the boston event! drat! :lol:

[DancePoet]

The Yankee Classic is scheduled for June 17th to June 20th, 2004.

It is being held at the Boston Marriot in Cambridge, MA.

Christopher Hawkins and Hazel Newberry are being featured on Saturday night. Plenty of catagories and events to enter.

Check it out at www.theyankeeclassic.com.

By the way, if there are other ideas we could certainly set up a vote.

[pygmalion]

Have we already decided, then? I was hoping we could generate a list of choices and some discussion before settling on one choice.

[NeoDevin]

I don't suppose it's possible to postpone it a week or two?

[Larinda McRaven]

I don't suppose it's possible to postpone it a week or two?

the decision or the event?

[NeoDevin]

The event

[pygmalion]

I think it's best to pick an event that's already being planned and arranged by someone else. Otherwise, the logistics get to be a nightmare. So it may be possible to plan something in July, and it may not. I was hoing some DF members would chime in with events they're already planning to attend, but, if not, I'll google around and see if I can find alternative suggestions.

The summer timeframe is tricky, because it's peppered with US and Canadian public holidays, and people's personal vacations. SO the sooner we decide, the better. Give me a day or two to find some alternative suggestions.
8)

[pygmalion]

Oh yeah, and the other considerations are

1. Where are there DF people already?

If we pick a location that already has DF'ers, it maximizes the number of people who will attend, and helps us set up any side events, meeting places or sightseeing. Local people will be able to make suggestions.

2. Minimizing travel costs for everyone.

If we can pick a location that's a popular vacation spot or airline hub or within driving distance for many, the costs will come down considerably, increasing the probability that people will participate.

I'll keep all this stuff in considation, then google. Good luck to me. I'm going to need it. LOL.

[Vince A]

Although, Care and I cannot make this one as we are already booked for another . . . this one is supposed to be good . . .

http://www.usagrandnationals.com/

Although I did not see much in the way of Salsa or Ballroom, but DM is local and he should be able to provide those places to go to . . .

[etchuck]

Although, Care and I cannot make this one as we are already booked for another . . . this one is supposed to be good . . .
http://www.usagrandnationals.com/

That's an event that members of our group (at Duke since we seem to be very pro-club-dance) are looking at.

The other event would be the Southeast Regionals in Atlanta in the fall if you're into ballroom. I would also say Hotlanta Dance Challenge in October.

I'd suggest the Maryland Classic (Father's Day weekend, BWI Marriott), but I'm in DC doing something else that weekend. Virginia Classic is sometime in July.

Look at : http://www.dancesportsuperbowl.com/Region-Pages/region2.html# .

We're also considering Pitt Stop Lindy Hop in October (for those who are Eastern Time but not living on an oceanic-coastal state) though I may not be able to go. Certainly Ohio Star Ball is under consideration, though I may also be in town for the Cleveland Dancesport Challenge. But we'll see.

[Vince A]

etchuck,
We'd really like to attend an Atlanta event, but the one we want is the 'grandnational,' and that is usually the same weekend as one of the very best events held in California -

http://www.fresnodance.com/index.htm

This one is a party from the moment it starts, and you have to go home and back to work to catch up on your rest! It IS without a doubt . . . THE VERY BEST EVENT THAT WE ATTEND . . and we attend an event every month somewhere in the USA. Steve Zener knows how to throw a dance and a party!

[Larinda McRaven]

Some of the east coast ballroom events (sorry I only know the ballroom stuff) that I will already be attending.

June 17-20 Yankee Classic, Boston MA
July 1-4 Manhattan Dancesport NYC
July 8-11 ISTD, Cherry Hill NJ
July 15-18 Virginia State, Reston Virgnia
August 26-29 Capital Danceport, Wahington DC
September 23-25 Constitution State, Stamford CT

[pygmalion]

Thanks, Larinda. I'll pull down the links and post them here. And ballroom is fine. It's going to be difficult to find any event that covers all the bases, so I guess it's up to DF to find a workaround. I'm sure it can be done.

Thanks again. :D

[pygmalion]

Manhattan Dancesport: http://www.manhattandancesport.com/

Virginia State: http://www.dancesportchampionships.com/

I haven't found the ISTD page yet, but I'll google later, when I get home. Enjoy the links. :D

[etchuck]

http://www.fresnodance.com/index.htm

Wow... sounds like a lot of fun. Unfortunately our club isn't good enough to commit to a cross-country trip yet. Oh well.

Of course, if ever any of our local groups gets the funding to take the trip to the Intercontinental in England...

[pygmalion]

Hotlanta and USDSC also crossed my mind.

It seems that we have several pockets of DF members on or near the eastern sea board -- New England, NY/CT Area, Philadelphia, VA, NC, Atlanta and Florida. So those are the areas I'm considering while googling.

Also, there's a pretty even mix of ballroom, salsa, and swing on the east coast. If anything, I think ballroom's in the lead by a little on the east coast. Anyone else have different impressions?

[etchuck]

Also, there's a pretty even mix of ballroom, salsa, and swing on the east coast. If anything, I think ballroom's in the lead by a little on the east coast. Anyone else have different impressions?

I think that's sampling bias. :) I am sure there are probably some "big events" in every sort of dance imaginable during the summer. Our choices seem to reflect our own preferences. For me, it's a question of scheduling and balancing summer lessons that we're holding on campus here. Oh yeah... and work.

[pygmalion]

Sure, etchuck. I agree. 8) I meant, in terms of dancers/members of DF in the east. From what I'm seeing in google, there's a darn good mix of dance styles pretty much throughout the metropolitan areas in the US. It's just a matter of choosing what best fits DF members.

[etchuck]

I meant, in terms of dancers/members of DF in the east. From what I'm seeing in google, there's a darn good mix of dance styles pretty much throughout the metropolitan areas in the US. It's just a matter of choosing what best fits DF members.

I'll credit this group for being so diverse in terms of dance preferences so that the choices are harder than they could be. We could choose just any old lindy exchange (or maybe a very popular one), but it's nice to see that we all enjoy being schizophrenic dancers.

Of course, even the mid-sized metropolitan areas (like the one I'm living in) has an amazing variety of dance styles. I grant I'm not in my college-undergraduate days, but I can foresee us floor-hopping between a swing club and a salsa club on one night, and ballrooming for another. The hours inbetween would probably be spent over at some crash space with people either sleeping or talking or dancing until the next event. It would like a crazy non-stop dancing orgy (similar to the Intercontinental, but condensed into a 48-60-hour period with no sleep).

Come to think of it, I have some space... :)

[Vince A]

I meant, in terms of dancers/members of DF in the east. From what I'm seeing in google, there's a darn good mix of dance styles pretty much throughout the metropolitan areas in the US. It's just a matter of choosing what best fits DF members.

I'll credit this group for being so diverse in terms of dance preferences so that the choices are harder than they could be. We could choose just any old lindy exchange (or maybe a very popular one), but it's nice to see that we all enjoy being schizophrenic dancers.

Of course, even the mid-sized metropolitan areas (like the one I'm living in) has an amazing variety of dance styles. I grant I'm not in my college-undergraduate days, but I can foresee us floor-hopping between a swing club and a salsa club on one night, and ballrooming for another. The hours inbetween would probably be spent over at some crash space with people either sleeping or talking or dancing until the next event. It would like a crazy non-stop dancing orgy (similar to the Intercontinental, but condensed into a 48-60-hour period with no sleep).

Come to think of it, I have some space... :)
I like the party "space" idea!
Although I agree with most of the above responses, I think that it need to be restated - about the diverse differences of dancers . . . maybe the diversity of the different dances . . . period. I have WCS danced with individuals from most states . . . back east, mid west, Hawaii, Alaska, as well as Australians, Asians, and Europeans. Thay ALL dance WCS like I do. I could have a ball with all of them - beginners to advanced!

Now some may not know the funky California style yet, but it's catching on.

[pygmalion]

Yes, Vince. I think WCS might be a better choice than lindy. Most ballroomers do some WCS, I think. At least , the ones I know do. And WCS music gets played at ballroom venues. There's very little overlap with salsa, unfortunately. We have to do something about that.

I've been thinking about the makeup of DF a bit, and, of those whose locations I know that are active posters, here's the breakdown. No names, of course.

New England: 4 -- 2 ballroom, 2 swing
Mid Atlantic: 5 -- 3 salsa, 3 ballroom
Southeast: 8 -- 5 ballroom, 3 salsa

I'll go back through the member list and change my numbers, if I missed anyone. And then, of course, there are the lurkers. 8)

[pygmalion]

eeek! I left out three ballroom people. BAD moderator. :oops: And I left out two swing people. (I arbitrarily counted people with twenty posts or more.)

And what about Ohio people? Two more ballroomers there. Not eastern seaboard, though. And there's one person in Florida who fits in both ballroom and salsa.

Either way, the east coast is a bit ballroom heavy, at least in DF membership. Hmm.

[pygmalion]

Any preferred locations for a DF reunion? I'm still liking Cambridge. The transportation is easy. everything's within a cab ride, a train ride, or a short walk.

[NeoDevin]

How about Ithaca? ;) ;) :D

[pygmalion]

The closest is NYC. In my experience, not the best place for a conference/comp, because it's very expensive, compared to some of the other conference centers around the country, which are just as well equipped. Of course, NYC is easy to get to from virtually anywhere.

[pygmalion]

Oops. Dancergal just reminded me. any country or line dancers interested in DF reunion east?

[Sagitta]

In terms of members there is boriken in NYC, and me in Ithaca, NY who are into latin. Are we considered East Coast? I know dnquark is in my area also...but he is ballroom/swing I think. And ND may be nearby as well depending on when we have the df event.

Saratoga Springs, NY flurry for 2005 will have all the dances...if we cannot fix an event for 2004.

[NeoDevin]

Saggita, you have a car? If so, you want to split the cost of gas to wherever this thing ends up being? (Provided of course, I'm in the area, and able to go at the time)

[pygmalion]

I suspect there will end up being many DF events, spread over time. It's just not possible to pick any one event that will be convenient for everyone. I went through the memberlist and counted every member who has posted at least twenty times (arbitrary, I know) up and down the entire eastern seaboard. Yes, New York counts. LOL. And I came up with a majority of people who are ballroom oriented. However, that doesn't mean ballroom people are the ones who'll actually attend. *shrug* I think we should pick three or four events and vote for our selection, similar to what was done in Reno.

[pygmalion]

Oh yeah, and to be counted, a member would have to give their location in their profile. Hmm. Sorry about that, those of you who prefer privacy.

I suggest we pick a couple events and then vote.

[etchuck]

Not that we'd need MORE suggestions, but I ran across this possibility.

From
http://www.mayihavethisdance.com/events/events.php :
Dancing in the Catskill Mountains!
Join other Chicagoland--and beyond--dance friends in a trip to the Catskills (as in the movie Dirty Dancing) for days and nights of dancing, dancing, dancing! MayIHaveThisDance will be organizing a group to attend a wonderful event at a full-service resort. These are held several times a year. Our next dates will be June 10 - 13 & Sept 9 - 12.
Your bargain fee includes:
-Over 50 dance workshops to choose from, from beginner to advanced
-All gourmet meals--breakfast, lunch, & dinner!
-Lodging
-Entertainment
-Cocktail hours!
-Social dancing during meals, all day, late into the wee hours of the morning!
-Top Latin bands from New York
-Live Argentine Tango band from NY
-Dance it all--Ballroom, Swing, Salsa, Mambo, Hustle, Argentine Tango, West Coast Swing
-Several themed ballrooms & nightclub rooms to choose from!
-Over 1000 people in all age groups to meet and dance with!
-All social dancing, no competition
-Resort facilities also include: health club, pool, golf course, & more..
This is an incredible deal with typical fees (not including airfare) between $200 - $400, depending upon the accomodations you choose. For more info and to reserve your spot before this special package deal is sold out, email info@mayihavethisdance.com. We will mail a brochure to you. This is a must-do trip for anyone who loves social dancing!!

Maybe when we're a bit more organized. Insert Dirty Dancing comments, snide or not here. But at least I like the concept, especially for this group.

[pygmalion]

I'll go through this thread, pull out the suggestions that have been made so far, then set up a poll so people can vote. If it's anything like Reno, we'll end up having a run-off as well. Will do today.

Thanks, etchuck. 8)

[Vince A]

Oh yeah, and to be counted, a member would have to give their location in their profile. Hmm. Sorry about that, those of you who prefer privacy.

I suggest we pick a couple events and then vote.
That's what I was looking for . . someone from back east to come up with the selections to choose from . . . I'm not too up on the East Coast events, other than three events - in Nashville, Atlanta, and New York.

I'm also one for the Country stuff, right along with dancergal! I love to 2 Step! I guarantee, that you ballroomers would have a fit trying to learn that dance and do it correctly! :P

Line dancing, I can also do! :?

Any good UCWDC event will have Country and Swing . . . and with the Swing comes Lindy (as any good Lindy should be able to do their thing to any WCS song), also at UCWDC events, they always have a Swing floor with WCS (Lindy), Hustle, Cha Cha, NC2S, and some Salsa if requested. The music is NOT COUNTRY, but Top-40 and contemporary, Hip Hop, Blues, R&B, etc. :D

On the Country floor, you can do the same dances, including C&W style Waltz (you can do any style on the floor) . . . but of course, they play mostly C&W music. :)

[DancePoet]

Oooh! I like etchuck's idea! Now I will need to make a choice between that one and The Yankee Classic...bummer.

Hmmm...likely The Yankee Classic...closer. ;)

[pygmalion]

Umm. Just for the record, I haven't forgotten to do this. Setting up a poll, looking up events, and getting links is a lot of work, and I'm tired today. I'll do this over the weekend. 8)

[danceguy]

Hmm, since I missed Reno I'd love to come to this...will there be any Salsa? Sounds like its time for those WCS lessons!

SG

[etchuck]

If I'm allowed to bring my laptop with my music on it, I'll have salsa right here. :)

[etchuck]

I'm also one for the Country stuff, right along with dancergal! I love to 2 Step! I guarantee, that you ballroomers would have a fit trying to learn that dance and do it correctly! :P

You can "correct me" :) on my two-step if you allow yourself/ves to be taught quickstep. I think that would be a fair deal. :)

[mamboqueen]

Hey - any decision here? I'll be competing in the Yankee Classic and would love to hook up. Ryles is in Cambridge and about 2-3 train stops away from the comp. Definitely a great place to go if you like to get stepped on - LOL! It can get quite crowded. But, the upside is, the last time I went, I pretty much danced for 3 hours straight because of the excellent amount of available leaders.

And then there's the food...

[DancePoet]

mamboqueen:

There is a thread running on this in the ads and events section of DF. Including a poll being taken.

Is Ryles a dance hall/studio or a club? Is there ballroom, swing, and salsa?

I'm hoping we can find a place for that hosts alittle of each that's near by the competition site. Maybe it's time to google.

[Chris Stratton]

Ryles is a club specializing in the partner dances that are popular and/or don't take up much floorspace.

Most ballroom studio socials mix a bit of everything, but tend to be places where you have the best time if you know of a bunch of people who are going to be there. There's a fair chance one will have an offering the Saturday of Yankee, but I'm not sure the ballroom people could be pulled away from the comp that night even afterwards (Ryles is the only partner dance venue that I'm aware is open much after midnight)

[Vince A]

Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .?

[Vince A]

The reason I'm asking is that like most places, including Reno, you need to book reservations for a room many months in advance . . .

ANy final decisions?

[SDsalsaguy]

It looks like I might actually be back in Boston at Yankee time, so if a DF reunion is in the works...

[salsachinita]

*meanwhile in Southen Hemisphere, SC sitting by the fireplace (picture Cinderella), watching her friends from DF going to various balls (read: Congresses & dance events) :cry: *

[cl5814]

ok, guys and girls, where are we with this reunion ? Why do we have to have just one reunion ? For practicality, let's pick 3 venues and have pre-arranged meeting spots for every venue.

[SwinginBoo]

Before deciding, what kind of dance event are we going to? It sounds like we have a lot of ballroom and latin dancers here. But I'd just like to mention that there is a weeklong, or weekend dance camp happening in RI. It goes on every year and I'm planning on going for the weekend.
It's the Beantown Lindy Hop Summer Camp.

http://www.hoptothebeat.com/camp

From what I understand Pre-registration is 2 weeks away. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

[pygmalion]

That's great, boo. It looks like, reunion or no, there will be a bunch of DFers at the Yankee Classic in MASS in HJune and at the Ballroom Dancesport Championships in FL in September.

I wonder if we could designate a swing event as a meeting place, too. Hmm. :roll: :)