DANCE NEWS AND REVIEWS
ISSUE 11 SEPT 2016
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH WIL BOS
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Dear Readers Welcome to Love 2 Line. Here's our family tree. PUBLISHER - Suzi Beau
WRITERS
Elvie
Hayley
PARTNER DANCE WRITERS
Alan & Sonia
TECHNICAL TEAM Ryan
Jason
Here at Love2Line we have put together a large issue jam packed full of interesting articles, stories and club news. We are sure there is something for everyone. This month Hayley Wheatley puts the spotlight on an up and coming choreographer Alexis Strong. We also read about what Hayley has been up to in Blackburn as she took part in the LDF charity day which raised over ÂŁ700 along with choreographers Suzi Beau, Alan Birchall & Jacqui Jax, Val O'Connor and Andrew & Sheila Palmer. We have our regular features so you can sit back and relax with a cup of tea and biscuits and read our Coffee Break Fiction. Digest our Fascinating Facts to increase your knowledge and have a giggle at our 'secret diary of a line dancer' who once again finds herself in an embarrassing position. We have lots of step sheets this month with a variety of styles and levels so I'm sure you can find something that suits your taste. For the first time this month we have a choreography competition just for fun. We have selected 3 pieces of music to get your creative juices going. Please read the rules carefully. We can't wait for your entries. Wow there is so much in our Love2Line magazine. We hope you enjoy it and don't forget, we would love to hear from you.
You can contact us with your stories, ideas and club news on love2line@hotmail.com
Teresa & Vera Weekend Request List Ain't misbehaving Diamonds and dust Shanias moment Wow Tokyo The bite Pot of gold/coasting Hit the base Strip it down Cake by the ocean/islands in the stream Uptown funk The queen Save the day Jai de boogie From the ground up Gypsy queen Your loving arms Woman up And get it on/until the dawn One step forward Deeply completely Dear friend Manjaro/true love easy Evergreen So just dance/so just dance dance dance Lay low Girls like Funky cha/ county line Tough love Quando The bomp It's up to you Diamond heart About feelings Telepathy Once upon a December Is it desire Some girls will Locklins bar Gypsy We are who we are Somebody like you Extreme love Quicksand Tell the world All week long Linger Paradise city/I hope you find it Just for grins Have fun go mad Better when I'm dancing Single moment in time All day long Darling hold my hand
Kiss the sky Quarter after one Harden up princess Frozen heart We're alive The good life Playing tricks Won't tell a soul East to west Your place or mine His only need Feels so real Pieces Poetry in motion. Walk the line Mack the knife Up Ain't wot u do/islands in the stream Just a kiss Walk alone Caught in the act Just a memory Girls like/precious time Galway girls Young blood Water under the bridge No mans land Keep it burning Angeleno Sinatra and chardonnay Fireball Big blue tree Beautiful in my eyes Triple mix Your loving arms Coochie bang bang/black coffee Ritmo/smoky places Slam goes the door Razor sharp Shackattack Thinking country Raggle taggle gypsy o Soul fire Walk with me Heartbreak express Elliot's dream Corn don't grow Solo amore I just wanna dance Ticket to the blues Intrigue Hit tomales Jessie James
Swamp thang The boat to Liverpool Still thinking about you Dangerously Wonder train Throw away the key
LOVE2LINE CHORE
Here at Love2line we like to highlight budding choreographers as well as supporting well known choreographers. We have decided to run a choreography competiton just for fun, The music has been selected by the team and we look forward to receiving your entries. Thank you to those who have already expressed an interest. Please make sure you don't miss the deadline. Winner will have a choreographer profile interview and have their dance published in the magazine. Good luck! Here are your music choices.
EOGRAPHY COMPETITON
ENTRY 1. Entry forms must be completed and emailed to love2line@hotmail.com. Entries must be received by 14th November 2016. Late Entries will not be accepted. 2. The competition is only open to line dance choreography. 3. Competitors can only make a single Solo entry ior each piece of music. 4. An individual can enter as a duo or group. 5. The choreography should be for the full length of the track 6. The choreography can be phrased, repeating with tag bridge or restart. 7. The choreography must be entered in either of the following categories: Absolute Beginner, Beginner, Improver, Intermediate, Advanced. 8. Entrants may submit a demo video along with their written step sheet. 9.Entrants entry must be in step sheet format identifying sections/counts/ phrasing etc All judges decisions are final
Love2Line meets Wil Bos Wil was born in the Netherlands in Veldhoven where he lived until he was around 20 years old when he got married and moved out to the City, but now lives in the city of Eindhoven famous for football and Philips. Wil was a musician for many years, and didnt start dancing until he was 38. He was a drummer in a cover band called Reflex. The band played large corporate events and weddings, but he hung up his drumsticks and replaced them with his dance shoes.
Love2Line Meets International Choreographer Wil Bos from The Netherlands
His Sister in law was teaching line dancing and invited wil to come along with his wife. Wil was completely addicted to line dancing right from the start, he wanted to learn everything and couldn't get enough of it and enjoyed practicing at home. He studied and took his teaching qualifications and became a professional teacher. The more he developed his knowledge and style the more he moved away from the easy country dances and started enjoying more difficult technical choreography to modern music. He started covering his Sister in Law's class when she went on holiday and after a couple of years ,due to the relocation of his sister in law to Spain, he finally took over the reins and started running the class. It was around 2 years into his teaching that he started choreographing with his first dance being a hit. It was called Spirit in the sky, music of the same name by Gareth Gates.
Pleased with his success he continued by writing a couple more which didn't have any success at all and he almost gave up but he tried one more time and won a choreography competiton with oo ee baby and it was also published, this was a great achievement for him.
Wil has very much been inspired in his career by choreographers such as Roy Verdonk, Raymond Sarlemijn, Robbie McGowan Hickie, Maggie Gallagher and Kate Sala but admits he has developed his own choreography style.
His biggest success was when he teamed up with his friend and well known choreographer Roy Verdonk and wrote Rebel Amore. This dance was a huge hit and launched his international choreographer career. From this he started being asked to teach at workshops all over the world.
Wil is still very busy teaching all over the world at large line dance events. He is grateful to the dancers and organisers for his successes and said that he lives, sleeps and breathes line dancing. When he is happy he goes dancing, when he's sad he goes dancing! There isnt a time in his life that he doesn't dance. He runs his own dance club and teaches 5 classes a week. He is also a popular line dance DJ and has even been a DJ at The Crystal Boot Awards in the UK.
In his spare time to keep fit and active apart from dancing he 'skeelers' which is in-line skating or rollerblading. He also has 2 dogs and a cockatiel. Heart throb Wil is married but he still gets fan mail from lots of women which he is overwhelmed by as he is a grounded down to earth guy and is modest about his success. Wil would like to share his latest choreography a waltz named Isn't Enough.
BENIDORM BONANZA Dance weekends are becoming increasingly popular. There are weekends to cater for every line dancers needs, whether you like a rest, a seaside break and slow paced evening with a few golden oldies and easy dances or if you want to party all night with people from all over Europe dancing the latest chart hits and newline dances. If you fancy some fun in the sun you can always combine your holidays with a line dance event. This month we catch up with Julie Lockton from Line Dance International who runs events in the UK and Europe. Her Benidorm Bonanza 2016 was a big his with 141 dancers packed to the rafters in the Hotel Deloix. Special guests included Michelle Risley, Richard Palmer, Natalie Thurlow and Rob Fowler. She kicked off the 3 day weekend with an additonal Golden Oldies Social folowed by 3 days Stars and Stripes theme weekend. She tells us the most requested dances of the weekend were: Girls Like Gypsy Queen Save the day Pieces Blue aint your colour She even tells us Love2Line's very own Suzi Beau's dance All in my head was also requested over the weekend. NEW dances taught were: Kick a little dirt around (Rob and Heather) Shake that thing (Julie and Jamie) Summer of Love (Michelle) The Circus (Richard and Lorna) Mud on the tires (Michelle) This is it (Michelle) Little Pretty one (Rob) A Simple wish (Julie) Like that (Rob) Nobody but me (Rob) Drift away (Rob) I feel good (Rob)
WELL I NEVER Once again Love2Line brings you line dancers some interesting and quirky facts to amaze you. So whether you are in a pub quiz or just enjoy soaking up new information we hope you find these facts interesting.
1. The only rock that floats on water is pumice. (I bet you will all try this in your bath) 2. Christopher Columbus was the first person to write about the Bermuda Triangle. He recorded that his ship's compass stopped working and he saw a fireball in the sky. (I think that is where some of my socks end up) 3. A 340g jar of peanut butter contains about 548 peanuts (and I wonder how many calories) 4. Mageirocophobia is the fear of cooking. ( I bet sufferers from that will never watch the Great British Bake Off)
5. The name Easter originates from Eastre, Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, light and fertility, symbolised by the hare and the egg. (And of course we can't forget the lovely chocolate Easter eggs) 6. In Swedish mythology, ravens are the ghosts of murdered people. (No wonder they hang around the Tower of London!!!!) 7. John Wayne had his cars customised with a higher roof so he could wear his cowboy hat. (I know a few line dancers who could do with a car like that) 8. The lower jaw is the strongest bone in the human skull. (and of course us ladies need strong jaws for all the chatting we do)
We hope you enjoyed these fascinating facts. Now you can go out and amaze your friends with your fountain of knowledge. There will be more to astound you next month.
IOne of my most favourite places in the UK is East Sussex. I guess I am biased because it is where my grandparents retired to from London and I spent many happy holidays down there. If you are interested in history then East Sussex has it in bucket loads. Lewes is the county town of East Sussex and boasts a castle which was built during the time of the Saxons. For those who enjoy the grisly side of history then Lewes has its fair share. In 1264 there was the Battle of Lewes between the forces of Henry III and Simon de Montfort in which de Montfort was the victor. In the 16th century, 17 Protestant martyrs were burned at the stake in Lewes and a monument was erected to them in 1901. Whilst in Lewes why not visit the ruins of the priory founded about 1081 and which was sadly destroyed by Henry VIII in the 16th century. Lewes is famous for its Bonfire Society and every November 5 really goes to town with its bonfire celebrations. Not only does the event signify the discovery of the gunpowder plot but it also commemorates the tragic death of the 17 protestant martyrs
Lewes boasts the largest and most famous bonfire celebrations in the country so if you are in the area around November 5 pop down and have a look at this spectacular celebration. If you love the sea then visit Brighton, a vibrant, bustling seaside town. Whilst in Brighton it is very worthwhile taking time out to visit and enjoy the wonderful architecture of the Royal Pavilion, built for the Prince of Wales, who later became George IV. This beautiful building designed by Architect John Nash, began its construction in 1787 and completed in 1823. It is definitely worth viewing for its lovely Indian influence. East Sussex is famous for the beautiful South Downs, where walkers can enjoy the beautiful scenery. Worth a visit are the Seven Sisters, a series of chalk cliffs which form part of the South Downs situated between Seaford and Eastbourne. There are so many quaint and interesting towns and villages to visit, far too many to mention.
One such village is Pevensey a village that has existed since Roman times and on the beach at nearby Pevensey Bay, in 1066 William the Conqueror began his invasion. Apparently the beach was not being protected and so the Norman invaders managed to sneak in and, like they say, the rest is history. As a child I used to be fascinated by the Long Man of Wilmington. This is a hill figure on the slopes of Windover Hill, Nr Wilmington, 6 miles from Eastbourne. There has been much debate over the age of the Long Man. Some have said it dates from the iron age or Neolithic period whereas others have stated it may have been cut in the early modern era, 16th or 17th century. Whoever and whenever it was created, it is still fascinating to see and it used to intrigue me as a child.
There is so much to see and enjoy in this beautiful county and if you have never visited then I urge you to put it on your list of places to see. If you are lucky to stay there and fancy taking part in some line dancing then why not visit the Lone Star Liners in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Ros is a qualified line dance instructor and offers daytime classes plus occasional Saturday socials at Willingdon Memorial Hall. If you are interested then check Ros’s website on www.lonestarliners.co.uk/
LDF EVENT BLACKBURN LANCASHIRE RAISES OVER £ 700 One the most amazing and lovely things about line dancing is how it is such a unique community. You can travel anywhere in the U.K, or the world for that matter, and meet up with people you know. It is no surprise then that the line dance community has set up a charity, the LDF, which is designed to help teachers, or anyone, involved in line dance classes, who need help when their lives and livelihoods are adversely affected. Linedancer Magazine has been instrumental in setting up the LDF and its very own Betty Drummond is the founder with several trustees who work really hard over the years to achieve the charitable status they have successfully achieved today. As we were getting our magazine ready for distribution, we heard the sad news that the decision has been made to cancel the digital Linedancer Magazine, which, for so many of us dancers, has been our line dancing Bible for so many years. I am sure we all wish Betty, Laurent, Steve Healey and all the team, the best for the future and of course, they will still be involved with the LDF, Crystal Boots and Linedancer web resource etc. Here at Love2Line, our own Suzi Beau heard about two members of the line dancing community who had been going through some very hard times and she wanted to try and help in some way. After contacting Betty Drummond from Linedancer Magazine, Suzi obtained a nomination form and went ahead organising an LDF fund raising day on 10 September 2016 at the Beechwood Club in Blackburn Lancashire.
What a wonderful day it was. Even the weather seemed to join in the fun as we had wall-to-wall sunshine all day. In true line dance spirit Suzi was able to enlist the help of choreographers, Hayley Wheatley, Val O’Connor, Alan Birchall and Jacqui Jax, and Andrew and Sheila Palmer who had kindly volunteered their time and who had travelled long distances to be there. We also had Dave Morgan who very kindly offered his services as D.J. and who was kept very busy the whole time. The event kicked off at 12 noon and continued until midnight. During the afternoon there were workshops followed with an evening social where we were able to go over the workshop dances again. First up, and ice breaker, was Hayley Wheatley who taught us a fantastic little dance called Sweet Soul Legacy, a 64 count, 2-wall improver level line dance, written to the music ‘Sweet Soul Legacy’ by Paul Carrack. What a great dance. The funky steps fit so well with the funky music and I noticed that even some of our beginner class picked it up and were enjoying it. This dance certainly went down well.
Our own Suzi Beau was the next choreographer and taught us her new dance Hell Yeah, a 64 count, 4 wall, intermediate level dance choreographed to ‘Hell Yeah’ by Midnight Red. Another great dance to music that makes you want to get out there on the dance floor. Two restarts and one tag that you soon pick up on once you know the music. Our next choreographer was Andrew Palmer who taught us a dance choreographed by himself, his wife Sheila and Gaye Teather which was called Gimme Some Of That, a 32 count, 4 wall improver dance written to a country track, ‘Cowboy Hat’ by Jon Pardi. It was lovely to dance to a country track and the choreography certainly fit well with the music. Looking around there were plenty of smiles on people’s faces as they danced to this. Val O’Connor was up next with her dance This One’s For You, a 64 count, 2 wall intermediate level dance choreographed to ‘This One’s For You’ by David Guetta ft Zara Larsson. Again another lovely funky piece of music with some steps that fit the feel of the song. Once more the floor was full with people strutting their stuff.
Last, but in no way least, was Alan Birchall who taught us a dance choreographed by himself and Jacqui Jax called Rhythm, an 84 count, 4 wall, phrased advanced level dance to the music ‘Rhythm’ by CC Smugglers. I think all of us panicked a bit when we heard 84 count and phrased. Alan and Jacqui did us proud. Although it was phrased everyone did very well and although the music is fast, it is so good and catchy. By the end of the dance, everyone felt very proud of themselves. In between the workshops, D.J. Dave Morgan kept us all on the dance floor and we also had a stand up Bingo session organised by Paul O’Connor. Apart from teaching us her dance, Val O’Connor also multi tasked and was in charge of tickets at the door and she also went round selling raffle tickets. What I loved about all the dances from the workshops was how they were all so very, very different. I must admit I loved all of them and thoroughly enjoyed dancing them.
After Alan and Jacqui’s dance we all went our various ways at 5.30 pm to get some refreshment and have a little rest ready for the coming evening’s shenanigans. The evening social began at 7.30 p.m. with DJ Dave getting the dancers on the floor. I must complement Dave on his stamina, he kept going the whole day and night without flagging once. More dancers came for the evening social and there were about 70 people in total. The choreographers quickly went through their dances again, which gave us all an opportunity to dance them again. During the night we had an LDF dance off suggested by DJ Dave to the dance Easy Love. Young Blaire Morgan is a dab hand at this dance and her wonderful dancing and enthusiasm managed to raise over an amazing £47 so very well done to Blaire. People had been so generous and there were loads of raffle prizes. It was overwhelming so the raffle was done over the evening otherwise we wouldn’t have managed to get any dancing in. It was lovely to see dancers who had travelled from all over, Steve and Claire Rutter who travelled all the way from Manchester, very kindly helped out and took some amazing photos of the event. It was an absolutely wonderful day from start to finish. The generosity of the choreographers and DJ Dave, giving up their time plus the enthusiasm and generosity of all the dancers enabled the first Blackburn LDF to be a huge success and at the end of the evening it was announced that a total of £702.11 had been raised. So Love2Line want to thank everyone who
About the LDF Where it all began The Line Dance Foundation (LDF) was founded in 2007 by Betty Drummond of Linedancer Magazine with the aim of establishing a charity to support those people involved the Line dance business who found themselves in difficult circumstances through illness, accident or other distressing circumstances which affected their ability to work and earn a living. Who benefits? We help anyone who is involved in Line dance on a profession basis be that part-time or full time, anywhere in the world and in any capacity be it Choreographer, Instructor, Performer, DJ or Event Organiser. Details of the donations we make to beneficiaries are kept completely confidentiality. However, sometimes beneficiaries are happy to let it be known they have needed and received help but disclosure will never come from the LDF. How to nominate If you know someone you think needs our help then making an application is easy. Simply CLICK HERE to get a Grant Application underway.
Our UK bank details If you would like to make a donation direct to our UK bank, here are our details: Account name: Line Dance Foundation Sort Code: 20 - 80 - 33 Account: 03 993 086 For international transfers: IBAN: GB86 BARC 2080 3303 9930 86 SWIFTBIC CODE: BARCGB22 Registered charity no. 1164708 consent of the Charity Commission.
Here is another Coffee Break short story for you which has been influenced by a line dance title. This month the story is called Gypsy Queen. As Halloween will soon be here I though it would be nice to have a tale with a Halloween flavour to it. Sit down make a brew and have a biscuit. Find out about Maria, who is she? What is she? There is also another line dance mentioned in the story. Maria’s cat is named after it. Read on and find out which line dance it is.
GYPSY QUEEN Looking out of my window, Maria is struggling up the steep hill lugging her battered old shopping trolley behind her. Judging by how heavy it looks, I assume that she has been scavaging down by the tip again. Heaven only knows what she does with all the junk she collects. A group of youths are behind her and I don’t need to hear them to know what they are calling out. ‘Witch’, ‘old hag’, ‘gypo,’ ‘cast us a spell witch,’ are just a few of the insults frequently hurled at her. She never seems to mind.
The estate where I have the misfortune to live is going downhill fast. Many people are unemployed, Gangs of feral youths parade round the area, vandalizing property and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Even the police seem to have stopped patrolling round the estate now. Maria lives in the house opposite me and is frequently targeted by the youths. I feel sorry for Maria; she lives alone and doesn’t seem to have any family or friends. Certainly in all the time I have known her I have never seen any visitors. I pop over for a chat sometimes, and she always makes a cup of herbal tea and offers me a piece of her homemade cake. I don’t really enjoy it but it would be rude to refuse. I try to ignore her long pointed fingernails and the cat hairs that stick to the cake. Maria is certainly a character. She is a tiny, slight woman with waist length jetblack hair, which she wears loose. I am not sure whether it is natural or due to hair dye. It is very difficult to guess how old she is but judging from the deep wrinkles on her face I would put her at being well into her 60’s. It is her eyes that are her most remarkable feature, they are an unusual shade of green and when she looks at you it is as if she can read your innermost thoughts. Quite unnerving really. Maria never gives much away about her past but she did let it slip once that she had been brought up in the gypsy community. An old black and white photo on her mantelpiece showing a little girl, with a gap-toothed smile standing in front of a caravan, would seem to back this up. I’m not sure where Maria comes from but listening to her heavy accent I would say she is from Eastern Europe.
I can certainly understand why people would think she is a witch, especially as she keeps cats. There are five in all but the one who stands out is the one she calls Alvaro. I know it sounds crazy but Maria and Alvaro look alike. He has jetblack fur, piercing green eyes and moves with the grace of a ballet dancer. Alvaro freaks me out a bit because whenever there is a full moon, he sits on the fence and howls at it. I guess I watch too many horror films. I had never been a superstitious person and did not believe in witches, ghouls or ghosties. Even though Maria might have looked like a stereotypical witch, I just thought of her as being eccentric. However, something that happened a few months earlier made me wonder. It had been a dreadful year for me. I was made redundant from my job and to make things even worse, my boyfriend, who I had been with for five years, decided to go off with a younger woman. My self-esteem plummeted. I had a job interview coming up, the first one for quite a while and got myself worked up about it. This was my dream job and I wanted it so much. However, I was so scared that I was jinxed in some way and that I would make a total mess of the interview. One day, I was sitting at Maria’s kitchen table, sipping herbal tea, pulling cat hairs out of my cake and I burst out crying. She sat down opposite me, took hold of my hands and asked me what was wrong. The floodgates opened and I told her all my problems and how I was so scared about losing the chance of a job I wanted so much. Maria gazed at me and I felt almost hypnotized by those piercing green eyes.
Then she unpinned a brooch from her jumper, pressing it into my hand. She always wore this brooch, it was made out of a cheap metal in the shape of a cat. It had green stones for eyes, the sort of brooch you would get from a Christmas cracker. ‘Why have you given me this?’ I asked, puzzled. ‘This will bring you your hearts desire. Wear it at all times and luck will come your way.’ I had to bite my lip to stop myself giggling because she sounded like the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. I almost expected a golden coach and Prince Charming to arrive at the door. Composing myself I pinned the brooch on to my jacket. Where was the harm in it? I needed all the luck I could get.
The night before my interview found me tossing and turning. Sleep was impossible. A full moon hung in the sky shining through a crack in the curtain. I got more and more anxious. The last thing I wanted was to turn up to my interview with dark circles under my eyes. Things got from bad to worse when Alvaro began his usual howling at the moon. He sounded really close and so I jumped out of bed to look out of the window. I was shocked to see him sitting on my window ledge. He stared right at me, his green eyes glistening in the moonlight. A shiver ran down my spine. Then he turned round and faced the moon. A sudden movement from Maria’s garden caught my eye and I gasped as she seemed to rise up from the ground, on what looked like a broomstick. She soared up to the sky and was silhouetted against the moon, swirling round and round as if she was on a roller coaster.
I thought I must be hallucinating from lack of sleep so decided I really needed to get some rest. As I turned round to get back into bed I looked at my jacket noticing that the green eyes on the cat brooch were flashing wildly. Feeling really spooked I jumped back into bed finally falling asleep. The interview went really well and the job was mine. At last my life was picking up. Sitting at Maria’s kitchen table, pulling cat hairs out of her lemon sponge cake, I told her about all my hopes and dreams. I didn’t mention that I thought I had seen her on a broomstick that night. I must have had a nightmare, eaten some cheese for supper that upset my stomach or something. Maria never mentioned anything and I would have felt foolish bringing it up. However, I still wear the cat brooch. Well, I wouldn’t want to tempt fate would I? Under the table Alvaro rubbed against my legs leaving cat hairs on my smart new suit especially purchased for my new job. He still howls at the moon. Ellvie Wood
MOVIN' ON UP Spotlight On Rising Choreographers With Hay
Hi, I’m Hayley and this month I meet with the bubbly Alexis Strong. I recently taught her dance “Mom The Bomb!” that she co-choreographed with the esteemed Niels Poulsen. The dance is as sparkly and fun as Alexis herself. Following a challenging year Alexis has come up trumps, showing that she is strong not only in name. Here she tells us about her love of linedance and what everyone’s support has meant to her: 1: what was the first song that you choreographed to and what was it about the song that inspired you? The first song I choreographed to was a track by Marcus Collins. It was called ‘Seven Nation Army’ and I liked that it was a very funky fast track with a good beat. I called the dance “A Soldier Boy” and it went down really well. 2. Which choreographers inspire you? Simon Ward, Peter and Alison, Maggie Gallagher and Ria Vos are all very inspirational to me.
3. Lately you've been through some difficult times. Have you had much support from your classes and dance friends? I’ve been through a difficult time over the last nine weeks as I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and I've had complex surgery to have it removed. My classes have been phenomenal! I'm overwhelmed by the support they’ve given. I'm grateful to have been overrun with cards and gifts. All of this support has actually been what has kept me going. I'm extremely thankful. Now, I’m just taking one step forward at a time and I'm pleased to be making a speedy recovery. 4. Do you feel these experiences have made you stronger in what you can bring to your choreography? Choreography is what I love. I feel determined to continue to try and succeed at it. I've really missed doing it the last few months and I’m now ready to get a new dance out there. 5. What do your friends and family think of your line dance hobby? My friends and family have always supported me with my line dancing as they know it's my passion. There's never been a time when I've thought “I don't want to do this anymore. My classes always enjoy the dances I choose and what makes me happy is seeing my class members enjoy themselves. I don't have serious classes and I can tell them to do anything <laughs>. If I say “ Do a clap and whoo”, they will do it because that's how much of a laugh we have. 6. What advice would you give to someone wanting to try their hand at choreography? I would say just follow your heart and go for it, never give up and try your hardest to get your dance out there.
yley Wheatley
Julie Lockton takes us on a trip down memory lane as she included a Golden Oldies Social as part of her Benidorm Bonanza Weekend. Here is her playlist for the event.
Amame Before the devil Black Coffee Blue Rose is Bosa Nova California Blue Caught in the act Chill Factor Closer Crazy foot mambo Deeply Completely Doctor Doctor Drip Dropping Evergreen Feet dont fail me now Fly like a bird Forever and a day (Angel) Have fun go mad Half passed nothing High class lady (My new life) Hooked on country Human Dancer Intrigue Irish stew Islands in the stream Its up to you Ja du boogie Jamaica Mistaka Just a memory
Knee deep Lamtara rumba Loose boots Mamma Maria Midnight waltz Mr Mom Patient heart People are crazy Peaches and cream Pot of gold Shakatak Shania´s moment Somebody like you Something in the water Stop it Swamp thang Syncopated Rhythm The Real world Vertical Expression
Dance Reviews DEAR FRIEND
SUITE 16
56 Count 4 Wall Intermediate
48 Count 4 Wall Intermediate
Music: "Carry You Home" by Ward Thomas
Music, Anna - Lee by Suite 16
Choreographed by Kate Sala
Choreographer:Rachael Karl Harry Winson
This 56 Count intermediate dance by Kate has nothing too tricky. The track is really upbeat and catchy and it is one that you will find yourself singing along to once you have mastered the steps. I like the combination of steps and it was a relitively easy teach although some struggled with all the turns, rolling vine to the right followed by 1/4 tun then two pivot turns and the rock recover full turn. If possible I would persevere with the turns as the dance loses something if you replace them and you just feel like you are walking up and down. The tag, whilst we made a joke out of it putting hand on heart shouting love you, I think Kate could have been a little more creative. The step back and drag over 3 counts is nothing to get excited about and I just ended up counting this section. If you can get past this it is a happy upbeat dance
This dance has been somewhat of a Marmite dance at out classes. Some love it some hate it, and I have also seen this at local socials. I'm not sure why because I love it. The steps are straight forward, don't be put off by the bridge or the easy tag, the bridge Karl has made easy and fun where you can shout sing along with the music. The tag is just a repetition of the last 16 counts. The music is lively and being 48 counts it gets a thumbs up from me.
Send us your reviews love2line@writeme.com
HELL YEAH 64 Count 4 Wall Intermediate Music Hell Yeah by Midnight Red
Choreographer: Suzi Beau
This dance was one of the Blackburn LDF dances and it seems to be very popular with quite a lot of classes teaching it. Hell Yeah is a combination of great music matched with interesting choreography. I particularly love the knee pops with modified Âź monteray with left sweep into a samba, cross hold, cross heel hold. It fits so well with the music. There are two restarts and one tag but these are easy to pick on once you know the music. I defy anyone not to want to get up and dance to this music. This is definitely going to be a winner.
KISS THE SKY 64 Count Funky Intermediate Music: Kiss the Sky Jason Derulo,
Choreographers: Nev & julie
This 64 count funky intermediate dance is by Nev & Julie. They seem to be able to seamlessly apply their talents from a flowing nightclub across to a funky mainstream intermedate level dance. Kiss the sky have a great combination of steps, there is nothing in there that I don't like. I love the kick and slide touch twist twist section and the box step into the sailor 1/4, pivot 1/2 pencil 3/4. I love the flow of the dance and the class feel very accomplished when they have done it and there was a huge round of applause after the teach, not sure if that was for the dance or because they managed to achieve it. The music was popular with the class too. I'm sure this will stick around for some time!
SECRET DIARY OF A LINE DANCER
Well, summer has left us and autumn has made itself known. Already the nights are starting to get darker and there is a sharp nip in the air. Schools and universities have re-opened after the summer break and local colleges have been offering a wide range of courses tempting people to take up new hobbies and interests to pass the dark winter nights. Maybe some of you dancers have decided to enroll on a course, although I realise that line dancing doesn’t leave much time for other hobbies. Now I am one of those people who absolutely love to learn new skills and when September came around, couldn’t wait to toddle down to my local college to enroll on a course. French, British Sign Language, Archaeology, Biology, Sociology are just a few of the courses I have been on. However, one night class stands out amongst the others and that was a pottery course. To be honest it wasn’t my choice of hobby as I have never been particularly good at crafts but my mother was keen to enroll and persuaded me to go along to keep her company.
On the first night the class filled up with eager, noisy, chattering students, all of them ladies and, lo and behold, the tutor was very pleasing to the eye. If you have ever seen the country singer Alan Jackson, then that’s whom my tutor looked like, except that he had dark hair. Tall, dark and very handsome. I thought maybe that this pottery class was going to be fun after all. The first thing we had to do was make a little trinket box. As I stared at the lump of clay in front of me I thought that maybe I could turn out some masterpiece. After all I used to love playing with plasticine as a child, it should be easy. How wrong I was. I gazed round the room at the other students who were turning out some exquisite pieces, which would not have looked out of place in a gift shop. Mine on the other hand did not turn out how I wanted. To say it was lopsided would be an understatement. My trinket box looked a bit like the Titanic just before it went down. Even after my box had been fired in the kiln and painted with bright psychedelic colours by my own fair hands, the look on my tutor’s face spoke volumes. Not being one to be defeated, I was ready for my next challenge. We could choose to make a model of our choice. My mother decided to replicate a charming figure of an Edwardian lady from a photograph she had, whereas I decided to make a model of a duck. Yes you read correctly, a duck. I tried really hard, honestly, but the end result looked more like a dinosaur. My tutor very kindly came and took pity on me. With his expert assistance, I did manage to get a fairly respectable looking duck at the end. If you don’t believe me I have put a photo of it at the end of the article. Oh yes, I did keep it!!!!
Now you wouldn’t think that anything embarrassing could happen in a pottery class would you? Well, if you have read my other diaries then you know that I have a knack of getting into embarrassing situations. Our tutor decided that we were ready to go on the potter’s wheel. Everyone was very excited because it was the highlight of our pottery course. There was only one wheel so we had to go on individually. As each student went on the others watched on in eager anticipation.
If you have ever watched the wonderful, tearjerker film Ghost, there is a very sensual part where Demi Moore sits at the pottery wheel with hunky Patrick Swayze sitting close behind her. Demi and Patrick get very messy with their hands in the clay whilst ‘Unchained Melody’ plays in the background. Steamy stuff all right. Now I bet you are wondering whether I had a ‘Ghost’ moment when I went on the wheel. Errrm not exactly! My tutor sat behind me as I sat at the wheel, giving me instructions such as making sure I got plenty of water on the clay.
Secret Diary of a Line Dancer Continued ...
I tried, I really did. Sloshing water merrily on the clay; my foot on the pedal making the wheel turn round, I attempted to manoeuvre the clay into, what was supposed to be, a pot. However, I began to get flustered and pressed my foot a bit too hard on the pedal making the wheel spin round at a dizzying speed. Water and bits of clay shot off all over the place covering me, my tutor and the rest of the class. In the meantime my hands were still holding the clay on the wheel and this went shooting up into what, I can only say, resembled a part of the male anatomy which shall remain nameless.
The rest of the class began to titter and my cheeks began to turn red. The final humiliation occurred when the now, very phallic looking, piece of clay slowly began to droop causing the class to go into hysterical laughter, my mother included. I even heard my tutor chuckling behind me. And so ended my brief attempt at pottery. I did finish the course and my mother produced some wonderful pots and figurines but I sadly realised my talents did not lie in that area. I think I was wise to take up line dancing. So until next time, happy dancing everyone.
Here are our Hot picks and recommended dances for the month. This month we have split the scripts into levels to make it easy for you to choose a dance.
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The One That Got Away Ellvieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Escapees - Teacher & Dancer for over 20 years, she shares her passion for line dancing and finds hidden gems long since forgotten or never discovered.
The One That Got Away For this month's 'one that got away' I flicked through my file which is choca-bloc full of line dance scripts and found a little gem. We are going back to the year 2000, for this dance, yes the beginning of the Millennium. I shall keep you in suspense no longer and with a drum roll I announce that this month's sadly missed escapee dance is 'Derailed' a 4 wall, 64 count, intermediate level dance choreographed by Peter Metelnick. It is written to the music 'Then I Kissed Her' by the Derailers. Unfortunately, as the celebrations for the Millennium faded into obscurity, so, it seems, has this dance. I can remember it being very popular and a real floor filler. The music is great, upbeat, sing-a-long, making your feet eager to get on the dance floor. Although it is a 64 count dance, some sections are repeated which makes it easier and as there are no tags or restarts this dance was definitely achievable for most dancers. I loved the choreography as it fitted the music so well. My favourite sections were the right stomp, left kick ball change, left stomp.
Great steps emphasising the rhythm of the music and I fondly remember the sound of all the boots as they stomped on the floor. I also loved the last section with the heel grind 1/4 turn, back rock x 2. To me this dance had everything, great music with a strong beat and brilliant choreography. Some repeats and no tags or restarts made it a dance available to different levels of dancers. Despite this I haven't seen this dance done for many a year which is a great shame. Come on teachers, why not give it another chance, it certainly deserves it. I fondly remember all the smiles as people came off the dance floor so why not resuscitate it? Until next time, happy dancing everyone. Ellvie
CELEBRATIONS IN THE SUN Members of Eleanor and Gilly's Monday Afternoon Line Dance Class celebrated their 8th Birthday recently at Maloan's Bar in Albox. Although this was their 8th Birthday, it was the first time it had been celebrated at Maloan's after its relocation there earlier in the year. The theme this year was the 1980's. Class members took part in the festivities dressed up in 1980's gear. There was a parade which was judged by a team comprising of Erica Swift, Cheryl Mathews, Chris McPhie, Alice Bradbury, Ann Smith and Jo McCarthy. Three of the class members were awarded prizes. First was Jan Harris, Angie Mitchell came second and the third place was awarded to Margaret Farmery. All the winners received bottles of wine. In addition all the dances were set to music, such as "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People and "9-5 Morning Train" by Sheena Easton.
All of the music was from the 1980's. There was also a raffle, as the group continued it's support for F.A.C.E. (Fundraising in Arboleas, Caring for Everyone), for another year. This group has raised nearly €3,000 for F. A.C.E. since its inaugration and the sum of €112 raised at the party, helped the group get even closer to that €3,000 total. A result to be proud of. The Line Dance group also enjoyed a beautiful buffet prepared by Andrew Graham Slater and Angela Kendall. Eleanor and Gilly would like to thank all the class members for their support over the last eight years. They would also like to thank everyone involved at Bar Maloan's for their superb food and service.
RANCH DANCE LINE DANCE RADIO STATION
The show is aired weekly every Wednesday between 8 and 10pm on K107fm. This is a local community radio station based in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland and as such can only be heard via the radio in the local area. However it is also broadcast via the internet at the same time on the K107fm website. Tune in www.k107.co. uk.
Ranch Dance Radio Show hosted by Lorraine Brown. The show is a mixture of interviews with a wide variety of choreographers that put together our favourite dances, music from the current Top Twenty requests from listeners and where the local dancing is happening.
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEKS SHOW
If you're not able to catch the show live, the show is posted to Mixcloud an online music streaming service, click here for a list of all the previous weeks shows which you can catch up on. Each show has a link so you can post your favourites via facebook, twitter and google+ and tell all your friends. If you want to contact Lorraine and say hi, please do through either ‘K107fm-Contact Us’ or ‘FacebookRanch Dance Fife’.
As with all new ventures it is a case of trial and error and ironing out teething problems. We hope that our magazine will entertain you and help maintain your passion for line dancing. We would love to hear from you about your line dancing experiences. Tell us how you got started. How do your family and friends feel about your dancing or do they share it with you? Have you been on any dancing holidays and would like to share your memories and adventures? Have you any questions that other line dancers may be able to help with?
This magazine is for you so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be shy, we would love to hear from you.