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| Julie Epplett - Toronto's 1st Lady of WCS |
Montreal West Coast Swing Dance Festival deserves an award for Best New Dance Event of 2011! Canadians really GET this scene. It was soooooo amazingly 
“merveilleux” – I’m betting it will be the next BIG thing!!!
“merveilleux” – I’m betting it will be the next BIG thing!!! Friendly, warm – with a refreshing approach to teaching – fair (and fast) competitions – and LOTS of social dancing!
They just did what they thought was best. Was it all perfect? Noooooo way! But who cared? We were having too much fun!
The SuperStar cast of teachers included: Jordan Frisbee & Tatianna Mollman; and Michael Kielbassa & Jessica Cox.
Also teaching and judging were New England pros Bill Cameron & Yuna Davytan; and Maria Ford & David Ward from Ottawa (making their judging debut).
The event was MC’d by Rob Glover who kept everyone laughing all weekend.
When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he responded that he might like to be the next Simon Cowell!
And a professional comedian, Broadway star and movie idol.
Only this guy can take corny old jokes and make them fresh again.
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| Jordan & Tatianna teaching |
Also teaching and judging were New England pros Bill Cameron & Yuna Davytan; and Maria Ford & David Ward from Ottawa (making their judging debut).
The event was MC’d by Rob Glover who kept everyone laughing all weekend.When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he responded that he might like to be the next Simon Cowell!
And a professional comedian, Broadway star and movie idol.
Only this guy can take corny old jokes and make them fresh again.
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One thing about Canadians that I quickly learned is they are very enthusiastic.
Almost everyone takes the lessons and participates in the competitions.
West coast swing is newer to them and they are ever so “appréciez” of this art form!
Almost everyone takes the lessons and participates in the competitions.
West coast swing is newer to them and they are ever so “appréciez” of this art form!
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| Ludovic Felten & Jesse Vitalle |
THE FIRST THING THEY DID RIGHT was treat people nicely when we came to register.
The minute I walked in I felt comfortable.
That doesn’t usually happen because people are too busy being “très” important!
They made me feel at home and I knew from the very start that it would be an “exceptionnel” weekend.
Nice people run nice events.
The Next Thing They Did Right was change the lesson structure. Advanced level required screening. Everyone loved it – even those who were disappointed. 
The rest of the lessons were divided into Levels 1 & 2 and given in two hour blocks with the same teachers. This procedure helped us dig a little deeper. Level 1 was misunderstood a bit. It was actually basic technique for ALL levels but some people thought it was just for beginners. And the lessons – all levels - were goooooooooooooooooooood!
The Next Thing They Did Right was pick a really great location. Although we were at a Holiday Inn by the airport, it was easy to get downtown where most of the siteseeing is.
Simply walk out the front door and stroll to the right on the sidewalk next to the highway - cross at the light to a shopping mall. (15 min. walk) Behind is a bus terminal. The #470 Express drops at the subway and voila!
Take the Orange Line on the subway to “Place D’Armes” and you’ll be right in the middle of it all.
The architecture is an enthralling mixture of new steel and old stone.
The design of this city is a work of art.
By that same stop light is an “IGA” supermarket and pharmacy. Don’t expect to see all your favorite American products – these Canadians have “très” better stuff! Its about a 10 minute walk. And there are quite a few “fabuleux” restaurants nearby (need car).
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| 1st Place Strictly: Ewan Dupre & Celine Sully |
The Next Thing They Did Right is keeping competition and performance to a minimum and running them efficiently.
No stupid competitor meeting here!
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Open Strictly, and combined Intermediate/Advanced competition on Friday night.
There were many more entrants for Newcomer and Novice. Judging seemed to be careful.
No stupid competitor meeting here!
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Open Strictly, and combined Intermediate/Advanced competition on Friday night.
There were many more entrants for Newcomer and Novice. Judging seemed to be careful.
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| Westie Bombers |
The Westie Bombers team from Ottawa gave a great performance! Wish we could have a team in NYC!
There was also dancing by Jordan & Tat, Michael K. & Jessica.
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| Picture courtesy of Jasmine Williams |
Maria Ford & David Ward performed their "Temporary Insanity" routine for the last time. It was better than ever!Maria says: “... we are both looking forward to being able to smile at each other (and the audience) in this one! LOL! We'd like to keep the songs under wraps until we debut...”
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| Tatianna Mollman dancing with Davis Thurber |
There was also a Lindy style dance jam – reminiscent of WCS in NYC back in the 90's.
Hadn’t seen this for quite a while – time to bring it back - eh?
Hadn’t seen this for quite a while – time to bring it back - eh?
What WASN’T included was the “Wobble.” I am sick and tired of this line dance!
My Thanx to the organizers for giving it a rest!
My Thanx to the organizers for giving it a rest!
The Next Thing They Did Right was have a whole lot of social dancing! Out west, events are still torturing dancers with endless competitions and performances. Not here!
California is soooo passé!
Everyone danced with everyone else - there was a good ratio of leaders to followers and level was not a bar.
Frankly, some of the beginners were “étonnamment” good and I am anxious to return next year and see how far they have come.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the DJs – Dave Damon, Mariel Manzone, Jon Schimmel, and a little bit of Ottawa boyz OldsKOOL and DaCube. There was even a little by Rob Glover and Davis Thurber. It was all good and “très” difficult to call it a night.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the DJs – Dave Damon, Mariel Manzone, Jon Schimmel, and a little bit of Ottawa boyz OldsKOOL and DaCube. There was even a little by Rob Glover and Davis Thurber. It was all good and “très” difficult to call it a night.
ONE MORE THING – Canadian men! VaVa Voom! Gorgeous & young - or Balding & paunchy – whatever! “Très magnifique!”
Special mention to the Newcomer and Novice level winners.
1. Randolph Peters & Catherine Harvey
(Pictured on left)
2. Marie-Josee Tardif & Sonya Dessurault
3. Dani Davidov & Natalie Madison
4. Julie O’Brien & Marie-Julie Plasse
5. Thomas Clyde & Alisha Ruiss
Novice
1. Jerome Subey & Claudia Joyal Laplante
2. Jason Ng & Cheryl Williams (right)
3. Travis Mattte & Eveleen Sung
4. Ken Kreshtool & Vanessa Keroak
5. Dominique Morin & Gwendoline Bugnot
Please – let’s try to find ways to make this less of a struggle!
Julie is a tireless and “courageux” leader of the Toronto WCS movement.
It is not her first time.
We gladly donated money to dance with all the pros. 
What a dance! Step Aside George Clooney - I'll take Jordan Frisbee!
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As we strolled the original square, we were stopped by the charming maître de in front of a restaurant called “Acite.”
I could not resist the sales pitch! The café was located next to “Rue des Artistes” – a narrow, cobblestone street which must have hosted artists for centuries.
The mussels were amazing, but the “frites” ruined me for all other fries for life! Unfortunately, I also discovered “sugar pie.” Enter at your own risk! (410, place Jacques-Cartier, Montreal, Quebec)
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Check out “Baton Rouge.” Louisiana style – not really Cajun – but that French influence is there.
The ribs are to die for!http://www.batonrougerestaurants.com/
Many other restaurants surround the hotel and the mall offers everything including Starbucks. The IGA supermarket has a deli section that I will never forget.“Salade de Jamone” Fuget-about-it!!! Where I come from – this ain’t no ham sandwich – it was “extrêmement merveilleux”!!!
This is a very young event and I expect that there will be many improvements. Frankly, I had a great time and was very satisfied. However, if I may make a coupla suggestions? |
| Michelle Blaike & JP Marchand |
* People had been traveling on Friday night and would have appreciated a snack. Midnight is a good time for pizza. Breakfast on Saturday night was very forgettable and many people had a big dinner earlier.
Let’s try something fresh – like – desert? Ice cream sundaes? Or cake? Coffee and/or liqueur? Why not?
Let’s try something fresh – like – desert? Ice cream sundaes? Or cake? Coffee and/or liqueur? Why not?
*** I would love to see – and perhaps it would be a better choice to raise money for charity – the “All American” style Open Jack n’ Jill competition. Everyone – at every level from beginner to pro for $20. Someone gets to compete with a SuperStar! How about a raffle for judges? Coolio!
*** TOSHC donated $600 to the winners in the competitions. I don’t understand this. Money is nice, but that’s not what we are there for! Its the damn points! Wouldn’t it be more useful to invest that money in next year? Maybe pay for personal critiques?
**** Everyone has asked me if there was any Lindy at the event - hey guyz - I think that means you should add some! The addition of other styles of swing would be a big draw.
What the whole world really needs to know is that although WCS is a small community in Montreal – there are comparable communities in Ottawa, Toronto, upstate New York (Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo) and a large WCS community in New England.
Add the whole eastern seaboard – Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, DC - We’ve got our own California!
The northeast is where the Gold Rush of dancing is. Montreal was a delightful treat. Canada has an amazing swing dance scene and these events are a wonderful way to see this country!
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THANX To: Davis Thurber - Max Pitruzzella and everyone else who worked so hard to make this event happen – and to do it their own way – fearlessly!
http://montrealdancefest.com/
See Ya Next Year – “Chers Amis”!http://montrealdancefest.com/
Special thanx to Contributing Photographer: Jim Chow (pictured on left)
Maria Ford said...
ReplyDelete"Nice review! OldsKOOL & DaCube played late night on Saturday -they kept the floor busy until about 5am."
Catherine Harvey said...
ReplyDelete"Great Article!"
Dave Damon said...
ReplyDeleteThe DJs for the weekend were Dave Damon, Mariel Manzone, Jon Schimmel as well as OldsKOOL and DaCube (Julie Epplett was also scheduled to DJ but had her computer crash just before the event). Even got a little bit from Davis Thurber and Rob Glover. Don't know who the DJs were at Studio 88 for the pre/post parties but they did a great job.
I'm flattered by all the attentionand messages of congratulations - but I haven't quite made All-Star yet! My dances with Vivian Arnaud were *awesome* though - and I had great draws in the prelims as well :)
ReplyDelete(Oh - and I've got my 'puter back! Busy catching up...)
Great review. Thanks for saying such nice things about the Canadian WCS scene!
ReplyDeleteI'll disagree about the money though. Especially for the Strictly division where you don't get J&J points anyway. It's a major incentive for advanced dancers to bring it.
As to why the Novice division is so hard... it's because the points system holds people back, so you end up with a lot of contests where you can't get enough people for the Intermediate or Advanced divisions, while some of the dancers in Novice are even better than the Intermediate division dancers.
Great article.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Byron on the money decision. All the other categories have those unfamous points as the motivator to compete. But the Strictly doesn't. So, in my opinion, the organizers made a good call by offering money. Else all the good competitors would focus first and foremost on the other categories, the points ones, and the strictly wouldn't have been as exciting.
I'm new in the WCS world, and I'm puzzled as to why the points system is so important in that world. The Lindy world, the Tango world, the ballroom world, the Salsa world, do NOT have points system, and the competitions are amazingly exciting. In several WCS competitions, I've heard Intermediate division dancers say "Thank God I'm Intermediate, because I wouldn't even have made the finals in Novice."
One of the few times I have read something about the “community of WCS “ in Ontario and I learnt more from the comments than the article , especially from those who have not commented . Good to know.
ReplyDeletePierre Bernier said ...
ReplyDelete"Good piece of work! Congrats!"