New dance to look at - Cha Cha Romo

I'm liking this song/dance combo the more I listen to/watch it. The dance is called Cha Cha Romo and was choreographed by Gordon Timms and Alison Johnstone. This dance fits well with the song, and the song has a good beat for dancing. These are requirements of mine for trying a dance. Take a look for yourself!

No dancing this Wednesday in Havelock

The dance for August 31 has been cancelled. See you next week!

Line Dance Party in New Bern - Sept 10

BC Beach is hosting a line dance party at the Rivertowne Ballroom in New Bern on September 10 from 7-10pm. The evening will begin with a Pot-Luck social from 6-7PM, followed by the dance party from 7-10PM. A variety of music will be played and the level of dancing will range from beginner to advanced. Requests will be taken. Admission is just $7 per person.

Rivertowne Ballroom
305 Pollock Street
New Bern, NC


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Carol Craven's Top Ten line dances for the week ending 8/28/11

From Carol Craven's World Line Dance Newsletter:

WORLD LINE DANCE NEWSLETTER WEEK ENDING
AUGUST 28, 2011

And the Winner Is

ROLLING IN THE DEEP BY MAGGIE GALLAGHER AND
I'M NO GOOD BY RACHAEL MCENANEY WITH 38 VOTES

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS, AND THANKS, EVERYONE, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO VOTE!!

38 - Rolling in the Deep/Maggie Gallagher/intermediate
38 - I'm No Good/Rachael McEneney/Int
37 - Talkin'To The Moon/Joey Warren/intermediate
30 - Bittersweet Memory/Ria Vos/Intermediate
29 - I Love That Thing, HmmGytalHigh B
27 - A Little Bit Of Lovin'/Gytal/Highbeg
26 - Good One/Nikky Lynne & Candy B/B
26 - Lady Luck/Niels Poulsen/Inttermediate/Advanced
24 - Burlesque/Norman Gifford/Intermediate
24 - Party Freak/Sala/Intermediate
24 - Somewhere With You/Wills & Schrank/Intermediate

The Bongo Song line dance

I like this dance! It's called The Bongo Song and is a 64 count intermediate level line dance choreographed by Amy Christian-Sohn. Amy's put together a fun dance that uses both (*gasp*) arms and legs to a song with a little different sound to it. Try it out!

Hurricane Irene

To all my friends in North Carolina... PREPARE!

IRENE INFORMATION, MAPS, ETC

- Weather Underground
- National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Irene is going to be on our doorstep soon and folks need to be ready!

1. First, get important papers and special photos in order and secured in plastic. Identification is difficult and time-consuming to replace: so be sure to include social security cards, birth certificates, high school diplomas or GED certificates, titles or deeds to property, as well as your hurricane insurance policy. Photos of special occasions or loved ones cannot be replaced, so including these is important as well.
   
   
2. Think ahead and take video or photos of your property before you leave. This will help later on with any insurance checklist claims for damage that may need to be filed.
   
   
3. If staying with relatives is not an option, consider booking a room in a hotel or motel in another nearby town or state. Make sure to get directions and put them in the car ahead of time. It is easy to forget that piece of paper in the rush out the door. A cheaper route might be to find temporary hurricane shelters. Usually nearby towns not in the direct path of the hurricane will provide these for people in need.
   
   
4. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that your pet will have a place in a motel or hotel. Keep this in mind, and try to find alternate housing like pet-friendly hotels and motels or dog boarding kennels in areas out of the path of the storm until it is safe to return home.
   
   
5. Designate a spot, in the hall closet, to keep a bag of clothes for each person in the household. Make sure to include sleeping gear if you plan on going to a temporary shelter.
   
   
6. Along with overnight clothes, consider stocking your Hurricane Kit with the following: extra cash, generator, batteries, flash lights, battery operated radio/television, bottled water, toilet paper, non-perishable foods such as cereal or crackers, canned goods, a can opener, a small cooler, candles, prescription medicines and any over-the-counter remedies you use regularly; and if you have small children - diapers, baby wipes, formula, baby food.
   
   
7. Count on the power being out for at least a day or two. Remember that ATM's will be non-operating, so have at least some hard cash in your Hurricane Kit (see no. 6, above) to see you through the storm.
   
   When TV and computer games no longer operate, board games or a deck of cards come in handy! Arts and crafts, crayons and downloadable coloring pages are always great distractions for the kids - so make sure you've stored some of these supplies in a tote bag or in the car trunk.
   
   
8. If you decide to tough out the storm, stay downwind in your home. This means if the wind is hitting the living room windows, go to the room opposite the living room.
   
   
9. Plywood is a 'hot' commodity for those of who decide to stay. Boarding up windows that will take the brunt of the wind and rain is a wise decision. If board is not available, protect your windows from the wind by criss-crossing them with layers of duct or packing tape. This will be enough protection for light-to-medium winds, but learning how to build and install plywood hurricane shutters is your safest bet. If you can afford it, have them installed by a professional.
   
   
10. Finally, STAY INSIDE. However tempting it may be to videotape or take photos of the storm, be sure to shoot from indoors - where it's safe, and dry!

Hurricanes are serious business. Weather forecasters can only predict so much. Educate yourself and stay on top of hurricane updates in your area. There is no harm in being overly cautious. In most cases where a hurricane is concerned, it truly is better to be safe than sorry.

Tips are from Chiff.com

Carol Craven's Top Ten line dances for the week ending 8/21/11

From Carol Craven's WORLD LINE DANCE NEWSLETTER:

SURVEY FOR WEEK ENDING 8/21/11

AND THE WINNER IS I’M NO GOOD BY RACHAEL MCENANEY

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER AND THANKS, EVERYONE, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO VOTE.

41 - I'm No Good/Rachael McEnaney/Intermediate
37 - Rolling In The Deep / Maggie Gallagher / Intermediate
36 - Bittersweet Memory/Ria Voss/Intermediate
36 - Talkin'To The Moon/Joey Warren/intermediate
26 - A Little Bit Of Lovin'/GYTAL/High Beg
24 - I Love That Thing/GYTAL/High Beginner
24 - Lady Luck/Poulsen/int
22 - Alabama Slammin, Rachael McEnaney/Intermediate
22 - Good One/Nikky Lynne/B
22 - Somewhere With You/Wills & Schrank/Intermediate

Down South Shuffle's Line Dance Workshop and Party - Sept 23 and 24

Juanita Collins let me in on a little bit of news I think you'll be interested in. Thank you Juanita!

From Juanita:

Down South Shuffle is sponsoring the 2011 Dance! Dance! Dance! Line Dance Workshop and Party. It will be on Friday, September 23, 2011 and Saturday September 24, 2011 in Chapel Hill, NC.

We are honored to have featured Guest Instructor Lorenzo "goLo" Evans join us. Lorenzo has received INTERNATIONAL recognition and success for his "Soul Food" line dance to Fantasia's Collard Greens & Cornbread song. (Video links: here and here) Lorenzo was also asked to join the stage with Fantasia during a concert to perform his "Soul Food" line dance.

Down South Shuffle has invited local, as well as out of town, line dance instructors to present line dance workshops for all levels of dancers.

D2BD ~ DaRe 2B DifFeRenT line dance instructors Ra'Chel Fowler, Stefhon Cave, and Malinda Evans; Leigh Williams of Line Dance and Zumba Fitness; Shawn Jeter, Certified Fitness Trainer and Durham YMCA instructor; Rhonda Washington of Fayetteville, NC; James Phelps of Wilson, NC, and Tonya Foreman of Greenville, NC as well as your very own Down South Shuffle Master Instructor Juanita Collins will be bringing different flavors of line dance sophistication to the dance floor during this two-day event. THIS IS ONE PARTY YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS.

Our host hotel is the Hampton Inn on Fordham, Chapel Hill. The room rate is $79.00 per night. (If you would like a document that details the hotel options, email me and I will forward the document to you. The document includes other hotels close to the venue in the event that you or your group members can secure a better rate - Jim

As an added bonus we are offering a youth and teen workshop on Saturday afternoon. Children of paid workshop attendees can participate in this workshop free of charge.

Workshops will be presented for all levels (Ultra Beginners, Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced). The dates for this two-day event are Friday, September 23rd and Saturday, September 24th.

Passes:

• VIP Pass: Entrance to all activities including: Friday Afternoon Workshops, Friday Evening Dance, Saturday Workshops & Saturday Evening Dance - $40.00 before 09/01/11 $50.00 after 09/01/11
  
• Friday Pass: Friday Afternoon Workshops, Friday Evening Dance - $25.00 before 09/01/11, $35.00 after 09/01/11
  
• Saturday Pass: Saturday Workshops, Saturday Evening Dance - $30.00 before 09/01/11 $40.00 after 09/01/11
  
• Friday Evening Pass: Friday Evening - Line Dance Party Only - $10.00 before 09/01/11, $15.00 after 09/01/11
  
• Saturday Evening Pass: Saturday Evening - Line Dance Party Only - $10.00 before 09/01/11, $15.00 after 09/01/11

Special group rate of $30.00 per participate for groups of ten or more. Contact event organizer for details.

YOU CAN REGISTER ONLINE AT www.northcarolinaldparty.eventbrite.com.

Thanks for your support! Eat. Sleep. Line dance.

Havelock line dance playlist for Aug 24

Thanks for the info Nan!



(click on the image to enlarge)

New Dance - Rock Your Body

A nice intermediate level dance mixed with a song that has a strong beat = fun! Try out Francien Sittrop's Rock Your Body! I'm enjoying listening to the song; next it's time to learn the steps.

New Dance - Hip Swingin' Blues

Hip Swingin' Blues is a new WCS style line dance out by Jean Cain. Congrats Jean! The dance is fun to dance, and the song Hip Swing'in Blues by Diedra Hurdle has a nice easy feel to it.

New Dance - Chicken Pluckin’

Check this new dance out: Chicken Pluckin'! Roy Verdonk, Wil Bos, and José Bellonique VaneIt's dance goes to the high energy song Chicken Pluckin’ by Jason Allen. Take a look at the video below and check the dance out. It's a cute little dance!

Line Dance Party in New Bern - Aug 20

BC Beach is hosting a line dance party at the Rivertowne Ballroom in New Bern on Aug 20 from 7-10pm. Come join BC and have a great time!

Rivertowne Ballroom
305 Pollock Street
New Bern, NC


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Kickit's Top Ten dance lists

I thought these lists were interesting to look at, so here they are:

Most Known
1. Come Dance With Me by Jo Thompson
   
2. Tush Push by Jim Ferrazzano & Kenneth Engel
   
3. Cruisin' by Neil Hale
   
4. Electric Slide by Unknown
   
5. Wave On Wave by Alan G. Birchall
   
6. Watermelon Crawl by Sue Lipscomb
   
7. Chill Factor by Daniel Whittaker & Hayley Westhead
   
8. Bosa Nova by Phil Dennington
   
9. Dizzy by Jo Thompson
   
10. Waltz Across Texas by Lois & John Nielson

Most Danced
1. Something In The Water by Niels B. Poulsen
   
2. I'm No Good by Rachael McEnaney
   
3. (TIE) Blue Night Cha by Kim Ray
   
4. (TIE) Country As Can Be by Suzanne Wilson
   
5. (tie) Alabama Slammin by Rachael McEnaney
   
6. (tie) Inspiration by Robbie McGowan Hickie
   
7. (TIE) Broken Stones by Dee Musk
   
8. (TIE) Burlesque by Norman Gifford
   
9. (TIE) Calypso Mexico by Ria Vos
   
10. (TIE) Chica Boom Boom by Vikki Morris
    
11. (TIE) Come Dance With Me by Jo Thompson
    
12. (TIE) Country Walkin' by Teree Desarro
    
13. (TIE) Cruisin' by Neil Hale
    
14. (TIE) Jailhouse Creole by Double Trouble
    
15. (TIE) Little Red Book by Dee Musk
    
16. (TIE) Louisiana Swing by Kate Sala & Robbie McGowan Hickie
    
17. (TIE) Love Letter Waltz by Frank Trace
    
18. (TIE) Shake It For Me by Larry Bass
    
19. (TIE) Tush Push by Jim Ferrazzano & Kenneth Engel

Favorite
1. Bosa Nova by Phil Dennington
   
2. 2 Chill Factor by Daniel Whittaker & Hayley Westhead
   
3. 3 Come Dance With Me by Jo Thompson
   
4. 4 Zjozzys Funk by Petra Van de Velde
   
5. (TIE) Dizzy by Jo Thompson
   
6. (TIE) Toes by Rachael McEnaney
   
7. (tie) Bomshel Stomp by Jamie Marshall & Karen Hedges
   
8. (tie) Rio by Diana Lowery
   
9. (TIE) Caught In The Act by Ann Wood
   
10. (TIE) Islands In The Stream by Karen Jones

Most Taught
1. Something In The Water by Niels B. Poulsen
   
2. I'm No Good by Rachael McEnaney
   
3. Shake It For Me by Larry Bass
   
4. Alabama Slammin by Rachael McEnaney
   
5. Country Girl Shake by Michele Adlam & Maria Hennings Hunt
   
6. (TIE)6 (tie) Calypso Mexico by Ria Vos
   
7. (TIE) Inspiration by Robbie McGowan Hickie
   
8. (tie) Blue Night Cha by Kim Ray
   
9. (tie) Love Letter Waltz by Frank Trace
   
10. (tie) Love, JoAnn by Marie Sørensen

Free DJ software for your PC or Mac!

Many instructors stick to their iPod/iPhone/iPads to DJ, or if they use a PC they usually use either iTunes or the default media player to play music in their classes.

Well, Virtual DJ Home is now available for FREE! Virtual DJ is a very nice piece of software that will give you lots more control over what is played and how it is played. Kudos to the company for offering this program for free.

You can read more about the program and its features (and download it!) here.

Entire Kickit step sheet collection on iPad

Who would have thought you could take the entire step sheet collection on Kickit and put it on an iPad? 50,000+ line dances, ready to go! It's neat to be able to have all of the step sheets in one place and in a searchable condition. It's also great to have the Youtube videos of the dances I'm currently teaching or have taught recently ready to go so I can review faster and show the students the dance whenever they want to see it. My iPad 2 is truly a useful tool!

If you have an iPad and want to know how I did this, email me!

Havelock playlist - Aug 17

From Nan

Here is the playlist for Wed. Aug. 17. 2011. Look forward to seeing everyone then. $2 each. Request list for next week will be on front table. Take care.


(Click image for larger version)

Videos and music

When you find a dance you like, chances are you now go to Youtube.com to see if a video of it has been posted. Usually you'll find a video of the dance and in the video the music that goes with the dance will be played.

It's times like these that sites like Keepvid become quite useful.

World Line Dance Newsletter Weekly Survey Top 10 - Aug 14

From Carol Craven's newsletter:

38 I'm No Good/Rachael McEnaney/Intermediate
38 Talkin To The Moon/Joey Warren/Intermediate Phrased
35 Rolling in the Deep/Maggie Gallangher/intermediate
29 Bittersweet Memory/Ria Vos/Intermediate
26 Lady Luck/Niels Poulsen/Inttermediate/Advanced
24 Alabama Slammin’/Rachael McEnaney/Intermediate
22 Somewhere With You/Wills & Schrank/Int
20 Burlesque/Norman Gifford/Intermediate
19 A little Bit Of Lovin;/GYTAL/Beginner
19 Still Got the Blues/Poulsen/int-adv.

Regional Line Dance Workshop - August 27

(Thanks to Susan Webb for the notice!)

N.C. REGIONAL WORKSHOP

AUGUST 27, 2011

EPWORTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH FELLOWSHIP HALL
3002 Hope Valley Road
Durham, NC 27707

1:00 to 6:00 p.m.

DANCE & REVIEW

Immediately following workshop

Special Beginners-Only Workshop

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Please bring a snack to share if coming to the afternoon regional. Ice and ice water in pitchers provided. Bring anything else you want to drink.

COST: $5 DONATION TO CHURCH

NON-SMOKING FACILITY. SMOKING PERMITTED OUTSIDE.

NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED ON PREMISES.

Call: 919-471-8602 or e-mail linedancequeen@nc.rr.com if you have any questions or need more specifics.

Line Dancing Venues in Eastern NC

HAVELOCK
Nan Rackley
Wednesday night, 7-9pm (Dancing)

Make It Personally Yours
322 E. Main Street
Havelock, NC
Nan says "It is just past the Hess Station in Havelock and across the street from the Jet that is on display."


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JACKSONVILLE
Jim Hart
Thursday night, 6-9pm (Teach and Dancing)

Senior Center
Jacksonville Commons Recreation Dept.
100 Recreation Lane, Jacksonville, NC


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NEW BERN
BC Beach
Monday, 10am-12noon (Teach and Dancing)

Rivertowne Ballroom
305 Pollock Street
New Bern, NC


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And now, a sweet slow song...

Wow, Imelda May certainly has a beautiful voice. Too bad she isn't more popular as we would all be able to hear her more on the airwaves. "Who is Imelda May?" you say. She's the lady who sings the song Johnny Got a Boom Boom that we've all danced the line dance of the same name to. Ms. May isn't a one hit wonder, as a perusal of her songs will attest.

It's time to sit back, turn the lights down low, and snuggle up with the one you love...

Tattoo by Kate Sala

Tattoo (steps) by Kate Sala has a mid 90s country line dance feel and has one tag and one restart in it.

Line dancing in Myrtle Beach

Thank you to Judy, Jackie, Kathy, and all of the other wonderful ladies at the line dance class I attended! Each and every one of you were kind and gracious to me. Enjoyed the teaches (yay Chicken Walk Jive!) and had a great time dancing afterwards.

If anyone is planning to be in the Myrtle Beach area, check out Judy's blog at http://surfsidesteppers.blogspot.com/. If you can attend any of their classes, I encourage you to do so!

Weekly line dance in Havelock - August 10

Everyone come join in the fun Wednesday night in Havelock! Dancing starts at 7pm. Nan mentioned this to everyone: "If you have a request for a dance you would like me to add for next week, please write down the title and music (if you know it) on the request sheet I will TRY to remember to put it on front table each week."


(Click image for a larger version)

NC Regional Line Dance Workshop Review

(Here is Susan Webb's review. Take is away Susan!)

A North Carolina Regional Line Dance Workshop was held on National Dance Day, Saturday, July 30 in New Bern at Rivertowne Ballroom hosted by BC Beach.

The beginner session started at 11:00 with Sharon Starks teaching Triple Play (video) by Sue Ann Ehmann, a 32 count 4 wall dance danced to the music DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love by Usher ft. Pitbull. Bonnie Matthews taught Almost Perfect (video) by Bonnie to the music, F****** Perfect by Pink, a 32 count 4 wall dance. BC Beach taught Everybody Dance! (video) by Mary Murphy, a 64 count 1 wall dance which Mary choreographed for National Dance Day. Karla Stith taught Shake It For Me (video) by Guyton Mundy and Khyrstyna Cusimano, a 32 count 4 wall low intermediate danced to Country Girl by Luke Bryan.

The Intermediate/Advanced session started at 1:00 with Bonnie Matthews teaching My Hero (video) by Niels Poulsen, a 32 count Nightclub2 dance with 2 tags and a restart danced to the music Hero by Enrique Iglesias. Renita Vega taught Rolling In The Deep (video) by Maggie Gallagher, a 64 count 2 wall easy Intermediate dance with no tags or restarts danced to the music Rolling In The Deep by Adele. Brenda Smith taught Lady Luck! (video) by Niels Poulsen, a 64 count 2 wall Intermediate/Advanced West Coast swing dance with 1 tag danced to the music Lady Luck by Jamie Woon. Jim Hart taught Mr. Mysterious (video) by Rachel McEnaney, a 64 count 2 wall easy intermediate dance with a tag done twice danced to the music Mr. Mysterious by Vanessa Amorosi. Susan Webb taught Fangbanger's Cha by Scott Blevins, a 48 count 4 wall high intermediate fast cha cha with no tags or restarts danced to the music Beyond Here Lies Nothin' by Bob Dylan.

Thanks to all the teachers who taught fabulous dances throughout the day, for all the people who brought wonderful food for us to snack on, and all the people attending who made it a great day of dancing.

Havelock line dancing playlist for August 3

From Nan:
Triple Play, Rolling in the Deep and Shake It For Me were introduced at the Workshop Sat. and since most everyone was at the workshop, we will only do a quick walkthru if needed so let me know if you want a walkthru before we get started (email or let me know Wed).

I will add other dances introduced at workshop--a couple at a time in the coming weeks as requested so let me know what you liked. The number dancing on floor will determine keepers!

Mambo Tequilla and 2Nite have been taught at Rivertowne for the past few weeks.


(Click on the schedule to get a larger version)