Swingin' New England!

Most pics courtesy of Jun Ogata (above)

Last weekend there was a Smashing Dance Extravaganza on the banks of the Charles River in Newton, MA. You might find just a little more happiness at Disneyland, but nowhere on earth could you find more Inspiring west coast swing, lindy hop and salsa teachers and Music. Over 1000 dancers will back me up on that!!!

It was extremely satisfying to take lessons with Robert Cordoba & Deborah Szekely again. They blew me away with their skill and depth - and yet they are ever so fresh!

Angel & Debbie Figueroa reminded me of just how special they are as every single student full got every element of their lesson. It was a privilege to be in their class.

Also astonishingly good: Kyle Redd & Sarah Vann Drake; Ben Morris & Melina Ramirez; Melissa Rutz; Michael Kielbasa; Arjay Centeno; and newer on this side of the country: Kellese Key (TX) & Maxence Martin (France).

Pic courtesy of Jim Chow

But, of all the people I met this weekend, Kellese really stood out. (On right, goofing off with Robert Cordoba.) What a breath of fresh air! She is a delight as a dancer and as a person. I felt as though I made a new friend, not just a discovery. And the lesson she and Maxence gave – well – all of you need to check her out!



Lindy was very powerful at this event. Peter Strom & Naomi Uyama came from Washington, DC and Patrick Szmidt & Natasha Ouimet came from Montreal to teach and perform.

The large downstairs ballroom hosted a live band on Friday night: Eight to the Bar and got a terrific turnout. http://www.eighttothebar.com

But that wasn’t all!

SalsaBoston worked with SNE to bring in a one day Mini-Congress! Lessons were offered and on Saturday night in the downstairs ballroom Javier Arroyo and the Salsa Night Band drew about 200 people. It was really fun, and a really good idea. Salsa is a really good fit with swing. http://www.salsanightband.com/

There was a lot of dancing and a little competition. Just the usual WSDC stuff.  Everyone in the audience was very supportive.


I always like to give a shout out to the Newcomer and Novice winners because it is so hard!

Newcomer:

1st  Steve Yi & Elizabeth Pouwels

2nd John Visser & Laura Colantonio

3rd Alexander Ferguson & Paula Michaud

Novice:

1st. Davis Thurber & Erin Santa
2nd Jason Lane & Natalie Kuczma
3rd Ken Kreshtool & Laura Ciabarra

People just never seemed to tire of dancing!  The upstairs ballroom was packed until the wee hours of the morning with west coast swingers.  Downstairs saw no shortage of lindy hoppers and salsa dancers.

And the music - my personal favorite DJ was there!  Ken Mercik brought his pile of interesting and off-the-beaten path tunes - fresh stuff that hasn't been played ad nauseum.

Another feature of the weekend is the very unique "Bookends" competition.  This is a same gender performance team. The more outrageous - the better!  Deborah's Dance Divas won first place.  This entire production really showcased Deborah Szekely's sense of humor and immense talent.

The event was held at the Newton Marriott and it was a pleasure to stay there. The staff was wonderful. Everything was there including Starbucks! Gift shop has everything from water to candy to Red Bull. There were all these little details, too, like cookies and cold water with lemon in the lobby. (This stuff is important when you've been dancing for 3 days practically straight!)

Pic courtesy of Jim Chow



What a great hotel restaurant! I love their buffets and the bar. Their lobster quesadillas are to die for! The bartenders are Superhuman! Dancers were stacked up end to end on Friday night – everyone was there from newbies to Pros. Not a problem! The atmosphere is really conducive to socializing and relaxing.

In addition, a ten minute walk down an old time country road leads to Dunkin’ Donuts, Bruggers, a really good liquor store, a full service grocery store (rotisserie chicken, ready made sandwiches, gourmet snacks), and a pharmacy.

The hotel is on 22 acres of scenic Charles Riverfront property. During the warmer months it is possible to rent a row boat or kayak. It is really easy to explore the terrain on foot when taking a break from dancing. http://www.paddleboston.com/

This hotel is really easy to get to since it is near the Riverside MBTA stop and the hotel happily provides shuttle service. HOWEVER, there is a new and better way to get there! World Wide Bus has an express route picking up in mid-town Manhattan and dropping off at the same Riverside stop. It only took 3 hours and 45 minutes. http://www.worldwidebus.com/

New England is full of great dance events.  The atmosphere is perfect for dancing, socializing, competing and it is so easy to get there.  I really encourage all of you out there - if you haven't been dancing in this wonderful environment - don't miss out next year. 

For information about all the fun to be had in Massachusetts:

http://www.dancingfeats.com/

Some great news!  Arjay Centeno is coming to NYC permanently.  Thanx Bridget!  To follow his lady love, and to spare New York dancers anymore Jack n' Jill gloom and doom, this top 5 internationally ranked SUPERSTAR is coming out way in January 2011. 

http://www.arjaycenteno.com/