Big Apple - Saturday Night Fever!

What a night! Festivities started with an amazingly good dinner in the main ballroom and a fantastic show. But it was just the beginning. After the show the room opened up for social dancing with a mix of 2-step, waltz, cha-cha and east coast swing. There was another room for west coast swing - and it was packed!

Many people from all over New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania came just for this legendary west coast swing party. The level of dancing was very high, very challenging and very fun! Just watching some of the dancers was a treat.

The music was awesome. It was the perfect mix of swing, blues and contemporary rhythms. Music is the engine that drives the dance. The degree of complexity leads to the level of creativity. This was a party for seasoned dancers. The atmosphere was social and friendly - but the priority was dancing.

The Jack n' Jill was held at 11:30 pm. Everyone was thoroughly warmed up and ready to hit it. First up was Newcomer - and for the first time in my experience - it had fewer people than in Novice. There were no partner changes and only two songs. This puts people at a disadvantage if one gets a poor partner. There is really no hope.

Novice competitors packed the floor. Because of the strict point system, it is very difficult to get though this category and therefore the level ranged from those who were out of Newcomer after placing once - to UCWDC Division I competitors. I didn't envy the judges: who included Robert Royston and John Lindo.

Intermediate and Advanced competitors were so few that the categories were combined - another first for me. It was dissappointing to the Advanced dancers since they had worked very hard and most had taken 10 years to reach that level.

But, even if the competition was not as fun and fair as usual, its toughness is what makes competitive dancers thrive. The experience was challenging and memorable. There was plenty of social dancing, seeing old friends and people who don't come into Manhattan very often.

The Big Apple Country Dance Festival was refreshing and an experience I would recommend - none of us thought about anything else - the cares of our personal lives and the world's problems simply did not exist beyond the ballroom floor.