JG LINE DANCE MARATHON 2009
COMMENTS FROM OTHERS

THURSDAY FROM BIG DAVE

In my workshop room the event kicked off with Nigel – A good crowd tackling MaggieG’s advanced Redcoat Tiger - Classic MaggieG Irish & Nigel did a great job getting things going – Some mega tricky timing – Tough but cool & they enjoyed it for sure ………. He could not get the Americans to do the Brit salute though !! J ……. In the next room I know Dee had a good time with AS&S’s In Control & Craig’s lovely new night club I Promise You ...............
The it was great to meet Holland’s Daniel Trepat – A nice, good instructor & great fun - Daniel taught a couple of dances – A cool Easy-Intermediate country two step called Heaven In My Women’s Eyes & Brazilla, an Easy-Intermediate dance to Frank Trace’s Brazil music – Daniel’s phrased with a little easy tag to hit the beat.
At the same time as Daniel the room next to me was full with Christopher Petre – A hit teach of one of my own current favourites M.T.Groove’s Notorious Cha (M.T. Michelle’s baby is due 2nd June – All the best to one of my very best friends), an awesome funky cha cha to a remake of the classic Sting track – And in another room Lou Ann also had a crowd doing Debbie’s lovely night club Isolated, another big hit just now back in the UK with the Newline gang.
Rob’s Mojo Rhythm is already a hit dance both sides of the pond, but still a full house with Maurice for this one for those catching up with the latest No.1 on Carol’s World Newsletter weekly survey (Although the dance-floor would be shouting Poker Face here at least) – After that it was back to Nigel for me, with a teach of one of Neville & Julie’s latest who are not here this year – Halo was the dance, a cool turny/funky night club that looks like another hit for Neville & Julie (Awesome track that reminds me of the dances I did with Shaz – Searchin’ & So Deep) – Another trick teach for Nigel done really well – Earlier too Mona taught Neville & Julie’s Sensless Cha, another hit dance/teach for sure.
Last but not least whilst I had fun teaching Kate’s Under A Spell & Number One, I’m sure folk were also enjoying Kim’s lovely night club Whiter Than White taught by Johnny Two-Step & Dan Albro was also revived his awesome hit dance Syncopated Love in another room.
As well as these there were also some other new dances being taught which I did not see as I was in the same room all afternoon, just one of 4 workshop rooms on the go – I’ll report back on anything that looks like it’s a hit as it comes up …………………. In social dancing on the evening we had a great night – Just a few highlights included the stand-out Poker Face – And also Craig’s new one I Promise You – And night clubs certainly ruled with full floors for the likes of Niels’s I Held Your Hand, Dee’s Footprints, Kim’s Whiter Than White, Neville & Julie’s Halo – And the wow one for me, Debbie’s Isolated – The floor was especially packed for that one & great to see Debbie here to dance it with everyone.
More tomorrow - Thursday is about teaches of existing dances of choreographers not at the event - The new stuff roles out Friday/Saturday/Sunday - Watch this space !! :-) .............................

Dave
www.bigdavegastap.com
www.awesome-linedancing.com
www.newliners.org
07869-213549 (Dave)
07868-424587 (Pauline/Booking Line)
Dave Baycroft
48 Chatsworth Drive, Bedlington Station, Northumberland, NE22 5YS

FRIDAY (FROM BIG DAVE)

Too many to pick from already !! J ………….. I was DJ all day in one of the 5 workshop rooms on the go all day 10.00am-7.00pm so I did not see it all by a long way - 9 x 5 = Lots of dances of all levels & all sorts by an awesome list of choreographers – Something for everyone for sure - But for my review I can jump ahead to my evening DJ spot in the second evening room, where as well as social dancing from 7.00pm-3.00am we did lots of request recaps during the evening, a good sign of hit teaches/dances ……
The biggest workshop of the day was Scott with a great new swing dance called Coochie Bang Bang – This one must have broke the all-time record with way over 200 in the room & more ‘locked-out’ !! – And it was the same in the evening, where for a while Louie must have been quiet in the main ballroom with everyone crammed in to see Scott’s recap – So this one the dance of the day for sure (The same applies today for his other new one Food Chain which I’ve not seen yet) ……….. Shaz also did well with her new one Beautiful, with way over 100 in her workshop & again a full room for the recap in the evening – A great new dance – Classic funky Shaz – Insomnia was a popular floor filler ……… Late in the evening Shaz’s The Climb was also a popular new night club recap.
Next up Dee’s lovely night club Hush Hush was really popular – As well as a recap I played that one a couple of times over the evening by request – Already one of my own favourites it’s no secret !! J (Thursdays nigh clubs still hot too – Halo/Whiter Than White/Isolated/Addicted) …. Lot’s still remembered Dee’s hit teaches from last year, Fade-Away & Footprints which were much requested, as was one of her more recent hits Spotlight, a really popular one – Dee had a big crowd for new one Maybe this morning – I hope it went well, I love it – We’ll see tonight !!??
Another recap that filled the room was Guyton’s new one Hey Hey Goodbye – Classic Guyton ……. In The A was a popular one too, already a hit with many – Tame in comparison !! J, but another equally cool funky west coast one was Zac’s Giv Ya Sum – Looked really neat this one – Zac also taught a cute beginner Sweet Tooth which I’ll take back home too.
Niels is doing great here too in his first Marathon year – His workshop room was full for his new waltz My First Moment, which also had an equally big crowd for review in the evening – I’ve heard reports of a full workshop for his new one Cuban Kiss – Watch out for this one ……………….. We’ve got Cato here too & both his teaches were much requested – Cool & different – Check these out ….. I Won’t Cry & Fairytale …. I’m writing this from the DJ booth watching Cato teach a lovely waltz called Hold On, something for my Saturday review ………… Another ‘Euro’ going down really well is Holland’s Daniel Trepat – He had a great crowd for the last workshop of the day with me & we had a ball with the dance Respect – He’s a great entertainer & had the room high energy & smiling – Not bad at 6.30pm after a long day !! J Dan is doing a good job here too – First off with So Persuasive which we danced a few times ……. Looking forward to his new one With Your Love, which I’ve heard was a hit teach today (Saturday).
Jill & Junior’s latest How Do You Sleep attracted a big recap crowd – Bouncy, beaty feel-good stuff – Likewise Steve’s Here’s Looking At You Kid – A lovely Improver which was mega popular & on my teach list for back home – Same goes for Frank Trace’s Sag, Drag & Fall ………….. Last but not least we had John Robinson with us & he did a quick recap of his Thursday teach, MaggieG’ s Life Without U – Great stuff, especially the way John does it !!! J
Dances I liked in social dancing that I’ve added to my own teach list too include Rachael’s lovely country one Toes ………. Saw her night club Jesse James for the first time too – That’s going to be popular …… Rona danced her funky/cool new one Old Skool which looked real neat too & got a big cheer.
A few of the more popular social dances other than I’ve already mentioned include Make My Day, J Ho (Split floor), Sting Me (Pam here to dance that with us), Baby Believe ………….. As well as all the obvious ones like Amame, Poker Face, Guantanamera, Tango Cha, Moonlight Kiss etc. etc…… Carol’s Newsletter survey is spot on as usual.
That’s what it was like in my room !! J ………………. There’ll be more but I did not see it yet !!

Dave
www.bigdavegastap.com
www.awesome-linedancing.com
www.newliners.org
07869-213549 (Dave)
07868-424587 (Pauline/Booking Line)
Dave Baycroft
48 Chatsworth Drive, Bedlington Station, Northumberland, NE22 5YS

FROM: SHARON MAHS

"Not enough time to write down comments about the JG Marathon but once again it was awesome. It is just amazing to see so many proficient dancers from all over the world. A special thanks to Jean Garr and everyone who is linked to her for pulling this event together. This year was the best ever. I will never forget Saturday night/Sunday morning-thanks to Teresa Davis (Eufaula, AL) and Sandy Albano for making my last night the best night.
I have several special instructors from dance events and I added a new one this year - Daniel Trepat. I hope we see more of him in America. It was great seeing Suzanne Wilson attend the event. Suzanne has a way of lighting up a room.
Can't wait for next year."
Sherron Mahs - Georgia dancer

FROM: lemayteresa@yahoo.com

Went to the marathon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Wow as usual. Jean does such a good job. And the people that work at the hotel are just wonderful.The instructors were all great too. And the new addition to the marathon Daniel Trepat is just INCREDIBLE. He is such a treat to watch . Such a nice variation of instructors.My favorite dance of the weekend was Christopher Petre's------DROP YOUR SOCKS. Music is a little funky but different . He also has a country song you can use. I think that is great so you can still do that dance at the bars. This dance is not hard but has some really different combination of steps just to give it a great punch of a dance. If you did not take the class you should try it. Great time was had. Can;t wait until next year.

FROM: Marilyn McNeal, BoarsNestFarm@aol.com

We’re on our way home from Raleigh and have had a wonderful time, dancing, catching up with friends, more dancing and enjoying this weekend straight off the cruise! The teaching staff was amazing and covered ALL types of styles, music, rhythms and abilities. Every day ran perfectly due to Jean and her incredible support staff. They are all efficient, calm, cool, collected and have everything in perfect order! It’s been a GREAT weekend, packed full, yet relaxing and stress free! Even the hotel staff is tops here and always tries to accommodate! The food is also very good and reasonably priced at this hotel. THANK YOU JEAN, for providing this event for all of us, and congratulations on another success. By the way, you look wonderful!!
DANCES: I’ve got my own favorites but they hardly cover what’s been taught here. These are the classes I did take but there were many I would have if time allowed:

HUSH, HUSH – Dee Musk
FOOD CHAIN (again) – Scott Blevins
COOCHIE BANG BANG (again) – Scott Blevins
TEDDY BEAR SQUEEZE – Dan Albro
DANCE OFF MY BLUES – Dan Albro
SYNCOPATED LOVE – Dan Abro (oldie)
FAIRY TALE – Cato Larsen
MY FIRST MOMENT =E 2 Neils Poulsen
ISOLATED – Taught by LouAnn
ADDICTED – Rachael, Taught by LouAnn
UNDER A SPELL – Kate Sala, taught by Big Dave
RHOOMBA – Guyton
I GOT THE BLUES – Daniel Trepat
TEXAS – blast from the past by Max Perry

There were a few more I know I was in the room for, but my brain has shut down for a while! These are ALL great dances, and just a few of the 119 (or more) taught this weekend!
Check out all the reports that will surely be written about this weekend.
What will I teach at Midnight Rodeo this week? I’ll put my CRUISE favorites and my MARATHON favorites in a bag and pull out the first two for this Thursday, okay?
OUR CARNIVAL CRUISE: The rooms for our AAA 9 Days/8Nights Carnival Cruise with Ray and me and Bill McGee, scheduled April 10-April 18, 2010 are filling up fast as this ship is selling quickly due to the ports that include Costa Rica and the Panama Canal (not thru it, just to it). If you wish to be a part of all the dance activities and acquire the stateroom of your choice, please call Lou Ann at AAA or me, to find out the details. ALL GRATUITIES ARE INCLUDED, plus $100 per Stateroom Shipboard Credit. You must be registered with her at AAA to get all the benefits of this line dance experience. The flier is on our website at www.rhythm-in-my-soles.com. My cell phone number is (352) 804-1546.
“STEPPIN’ OUT” LINE DANCE WORKSHOP AT MIDNIGHT RODEO is on September 26th. This flyer is also on our website and is a special event for all High Beginner/Improver/Easy Intermediate dancers. ROSIE MULTARI, DARLENE MILLER and I will be your instructors. Lunch is included along with free admission to the club for Saturday night reviews and Line Dance Party. All this for $25 plus your happy faces! What a deal! We’re planning a great party for you!

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL - WINTER WORKSHOP DATE CHANGE!!!

Our Midnight Rodeo Winter Workshop is always schedule for the week AFTER Worlds, but this year the club has confirmed January 23, 2010 for the workshop.

PLEASE CHANGE your calendars for this Workshop. We have a guest instructor coming that you will NOT want to miss! I'm preparing a corrected workshop flyer, due to the errors on the one I hurredly printed out while in Raleigh. I received both the club AND the guest instructor's confirmations the day we arrived at the Marathon. In my excitement, I used an old template! If you DID pick up a flyer at the Marathon, we will honor those registrations. We already have one! The CORRECT flyer will be on my website tomorrow.

FROM: BIG DAVE

Ease On Down won the Pro-Choreographer competition - Shaz took 2nd place with Beautiful & Junior’s Invisible was 3rd – All three not coincidentally popular dances over the weekend too.

Loads learning/dancing Rona’s.funky Old Skool – Not on the schedule but many got to learn it somehow & it was going a storm Saturday & Sunday morning – Great track/dance to check out – Likewise Jo’s Bad Influence which won one of the choreography competition categories, another neat funky one – Also Rachael’s night club Jesse James from the cruise ……. The corridor teach champions of the event maybe these three – All very popular by Sunday morning !! J

I was Social DJ in the ballroom Sunday morning - These were the new ones filling the floor ...........................

-Food Chain/Coochie Bang Bang
-Roomba/Hey Hey Goodbye
-Beautiful/Reach Out/Magic
-Cuban Kiss/My First Moment
-Fairytale/Hold On
-With Your Love/So Persuasive
-Here’s Looking At You
-Hush Hush
-All Summer Long
-Gotta Get That
-I Promise You
-Halo
-Invisible
-How Do You Sleep At Night
-Swing-n-Cha

…………….And there were more of course – Too many to mention them all but the above were all very much requested/danced ……………..

And a Top 20 of current hits might look something like this over the weekend – Just my quick view f
rom the DJ booth …

-Poker Face
-Amame
-Make My Day
-Guantanamera
-MOJO Rhythm
-Turn Me Loose
-Bossy
-Insomnia
-Tango Cha
-I Held Your Hand
-Purple Rain
-Moonlight Kiss
-Spotlight
-Sting Me
-Whiter Than White
-Isolated
-J Ho (Split Floor)
-Life Without U
-Toes
-Addicted

It was a great non-stop weekend – We are back in Tucson now with Dee & Shaz having some fun time before our mini-workshop here before flying home -------------- Watch out for the Marathon next year 27th-30th May 2010 – Times are bad & tight just now financially for us all both sides of the pond & most everywhere else too, but this event got even bigger & better in 2009, which is a credit to the great organisation of the Directors/Staff & the quality of an awesome choreographer/Instructor line-up – So get it on your schedule for 2010 if you can.

Sorry Americans if you could not understand me – I tried to talk slower – But I’ve just moved back to Newcastle where the accent is even stronger !! – The Brits are struggling to understand me now if that’s any consolation – I just waffle anyway, so just listen for the music & dance – Take no notice of me !! J

PS. Sorry also my web-site updates & email replies are a bit slow just now – Back to normal in a couple of weeks – Please keep emailing me in the mean time if you need anything E2 I’ve got all the Marathon sheets but there’s loads of them & it’s going to take ages to update them all !! L

Off for some more Wings & Miller Lite ................

Cheers.
Dave
www.bigdavegastap.com
www.awesome-linedancing.com
www.newliners.org
07869-213549 (Dave)
07868-424587 (Pauline/Booking Line)
Dave Baycroft
48 Chatsworth Drive, Bedlington Station, Northumberland, NE22 5YS

FROM: JV (Bayarea)

I just arrived home from Raleigh, NC at 1:00am Tuesday morning and I'm still feel as if I'm going to dance tomorrow morning with everyone in the main room with Louie and Big Dave. Oh My God, where do I begin? I have never danced as much as I did at any event as this one, the tremendous amount of joy and freedom I experienced was unbelievable on the dance floor. A physically and spiritually freedom that had my soul on FIRE; I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, it was simply awesome. What an incredible sensation and satisfaction I encountered at JG's dance floor. I had the privileged to have experienced the great depths of passion in dance which allowed me to be totally free in my heart and spirit which was then translated through powerful movements.

I'm going to go to other events in the future and I'm hoping and praying to God I can find the same freedom I found at JG. I will take my passions with me but will I ever encounter the freedom that was relentless throughout the dance floor at JG. Out of the few events I've attended I haven't experienced it in such a high magnitude as this event. JG is a powerful force in the Line Dance Community and I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it and experience it whole heartedly. May the force be with you on the dance floor.

The people at JG such as the Brits like Shaz, Big Dave, Debbie, Nigel, Hannah, Dee, Neil and Dan made me feel so welcomed and embraced me with such kindness and happiness. Shaz you know you have found a special place in my heart due to Magic, which I absolutely adore. Big Dave you were an EXCELLENT DJ and did a fantastic job in the smaller room, much props to you! To all of you, continue to grow in leaps and bounds to discover greater heights in dance, as you know, you all have affected all kinds of people throughout the world from the choices of songs you've used and the dances you've choreographed. I love them all and I love you all. I hope to see you soon.

Guyton and Natalie you two make me feel home ALL THE TIME. Natalie you are such a doll and I loved dancing next to you because you're sooooo HOT~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You Go Girl!! Guyton you know you're my dawg and I wish you much continued success because your choreography "Only Keeps Getting Better" year after year. It's a great thing what you're doing with the kids because it's not only outside influence that promotes bad behavior but also the inside influence such as family members etc. Guyton your parents must be extremely proud of you, I know we are so continue being a positive roll model to the young hip hoppers, they all need someone like you.

Will Craig keep choreographing because it's in you to do awesome choreography like you did last year in Vegas. You have the right attitude about dance and how it should be FUN not a drudgery nor with an ego but from the heart with real joy!!! You Go Boy!!

To all the teachers, staff members, helpers and all who contributed to running JG smoothly, I personally would like to say Thank You very much for all of your hard work such as set up rooms, registration, book purchases, decoration, and everything else. Thank you for making my stay a BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jean, it was a real pleasure meeting you and thank God you're going to have help next year with your 2 new assistance. This was a success and most of all FUN!!!!!! As long as I live I will cherish the memory of this event which I call Freedom.

Thank you once again,
Sincerely,
Jay V.

FROM: REBECCA.ABSHER@va.gov

The Diehard Dancers of Bluefield, VA and Beckley,WV had SUPER time at the jg Marathon!!! I think this year's was possibly the best yet!! Jean Garr did an outstanding job with everything. It's just not possible to take all of the classes that you would like to, but here were our favorites: **DANIEL TREPAT FROM HOLLAND AND STUDENT/HELPER KEVIN were a surprising new addition with excellent choreography and entertainment!! His dances that we were able to take and loved were "All Summer Long", "Respect", "I Got the Blues", and "Traveling". Daniel is a 4 time European Dance Champion, great teacher, and very friendly!Another first timer at the Marathon who was defnitely a hit was NIELS POULSEN whose "Cuban Kiss" was hot, hot, hot!! He also had a beautiful waltz, "My First Moment". We certainly hope Jean will bring them back next year. Both are outstanding dancers. ROB GLOVER is also a top talent and extraordinary dancer whose technique classes on samba and hip hop were much appreciated. We'd like to see more of him in next year's "show" (please). SHAZ WALTON from the UK was very crowd friendly and a definite hit with "Beautiful" and "Magic". GUYTON MUNDY's "Roomba" was definitely high energy and a floor filler. Of course, SCOTT BLEVINS always has spot on choreography and filled the rooms to the walls with "Coochie Bang Bang", "Food Chain", and "Broken Glass". We love Junior Willis's "Invisible" (which won 3rd place in Pro-Am Chor. Competition and which he was sweet enough to have us dance with him) and "How Do You Sleep". MAURICE ROWE (who will be coming to Charleston, WV in October) had several we really liked including "Satisfied". This is in no way a complete run down of all of the wonderful choreographers and dancers, but the ones we were able to attend. There were several others we saw in open dance which we want to learn so we'll definitely have a busy summer! WV was well represented in the choreography competition on Sunday morning with Beckley-Bluefield, WV's Donnie Trail winning 4th place for his own "Hot Note" and Charleston, WV's Lawrence Allen along with Susan Puruleski 2nd place for "Welcome to the World". Thanks, Jean Garr for the most excellent party yet!!! Join us in either of our classes for intermediate/advanced line dancing with Carmen Stinson, Joey Warren, and classmates as instructors. For information on our classes, contact Becky Absher at num1linedancer@hotmail.com.

FROM: Steve Lescarbeau

WOW! What a fast 4 days with over 120 dances taught! Attendance was up from last year, with a lot of Europeans on hand as well as people from all over the US! Being on staff for the Marathon AND teaching 3 classes I'm always so busy that I don't get to take any classes to learn some of the MANY MANY great dances that were taught this weekend. I know this, so I don't worry about it and just buy the DVD with all of the instructions on it. I suggest that you order them even if you didn't attend as I'm sure you will see a lot of the dances in the near future. Just contact Jean and she will get you one. This has to be one of the premiere social events with dancing going on until 6am or longer! I personally could not make it past 4am.
This year we had 2 nights, Thursday and Friday, with dedicated easy newcomer dances taught in the Crystal Coast starting at 8p on Thursday. I was lucky enough to be first. I chose to teach "One Of These Nights" by Amy Christian-Sohn. (By the way, it was great to have Amy there dancing with everyone and to have her in the choreography competition) The class seemed to enjoy this dance and it was a great way to warm them up for Bracken Ellis-Potter. On Friday morning I demoed my dance "Here's Looking At You Kid" for my teach at 11:00am. Again I was in the Crystal Coast which this year we were thrilled to have wood floors instead of the hotel's parquet floor. I was not prepared for the response to this class. They had to shut the doors after 80 people! There was no room, and people were dancing on the carpets between the tables and chairs. I really felt bad because this dance travels some and the space was so tight that people had a tough time moving. Apparently the got it because it was played quite a bit in open dancing and the floor was very crowded when it was. In fact we danced it to a couple of different songs including Lady Gaga's Just Dance. On Saturday I introduced a brand new dance that I just wrote a few days before the Marathon called Don't Be Afraid. The song is Don't Be Afraid off of the brand new CD just released by Elliott Yamin. This fast 32 count Hustle was taught at 3:00pm on Saturday. Being up against some of the big names I only expected a small crowd for this one. Boy was I surprised again to have another packed class! Thank you so much for attending any of my classes. It's always so hard to chose which ones to take. Having been a multiple choreography winner at the Marathon for many years, I love to watch the choreography contest to see what new talent is out there. I was asked by Mae Neihouse to dance with her for her new dance called "Wishing On A Star" to the same song name by Beyonce. I saw her and Grace Chung from Hawaii dancing this at Carol's Cookie Party and loved it! The music is very nice, so be sure to check this one out. Mae does a lot of videos so you can check it out on youtube. Congratulations on taking 2nd place Mae! Also, congratulations to Sue Ann Ehmann with her Hippy Dippy Mambo. Sue won a pass for my Line Dancers' Spring Break in Myrtle Beach, SC for 2010.
I could write about so much more, but I'll let others get in their 2 cents. I just want to let everyone know that unfortunately my dances and BIO didn't seem to be in the book and I had a lot of requests for them. Jean is supposed to be e-mailing them out later. However if you don't get them feel free to contact me and I will send them to you.

Steven J. Lescarbeau
A+ Vacations
64 East Road
Clarksburg, MA 01247
(413) 662-2323
steve@aplusvacations.com
www.aplusvacations.com

From: Trish Boesel – Keep on Dancin’, www.keepondancin.net

If I could go to only one event each year, the Marathon is definitely the one I would pick. I love the venue – I still remember my first time at this event: walking into the main ballroom and seeing 700+ people dancing – it’s such a big ballroom and very open and airy. The hotel staff was superb – I can honestly say that I can’t remember ever being at a hotel where the staff was so friendly, accommodating and helpful. The whole event ran perfectly – all workshops always on schedule and many to choose from no matter what level you were looking for – beginner to advanced, country, pop, hip hop, funky, etc. – truly something for everyone.

Loved all three DJs: Wildman Louie, JP Potter and Big Dave – they all did a great job of keeping us dancing and happy – I don’t know how Louie can do it – there were dancers on the floor after 4:00 am each mroniing!!!

There were so many good dances taught it was hard to pick a favorite. My personal picks were: Cootchie Bang Bang (Scott Blevins) – which I taught in my first class when I got home!, With Your Love (Dan McInerney), Cuban Kiss (Niels Poulsen), Roomba (Guyton Mundy), Beautiful (Shaz Walton) and Food Chain (Scott Blevins), in no particular order. There were many dances taught that I have already taught and are class favorites: Isolated (Debbie McLaughlin), So Persuasive (Dan McInerney), Hush Hush (Dee Musk), Magic (Shaz Walton), Here’s Looking at You Kid (Steve Lescarbeau), Broken Glass (Scott Blevins), and Reach Out (Shaz Walton).

The most played dances this weekend were: Insomnia (Shaz Walton), Turn Me Loose (Simon Ward), and Poker Face (Craig Bennett). We danced these 3 dances multiple times each day.

Looking forward to next year!
Trish Boesel

FROM: monapuente@sbcglobal.net

Once again, Jean outdid herself and pulled off THE greatest JG Marathon EVER! I don't know how she does it, but this event is absolutely, hands down, THE BEST. (Well, I know one way she does it is that everybody LOVES JEAN, and she has an AWESOME staff working for her!) And, THREE CHEERS for the addition of Pepper and Adele as co-directors...they do so much for this extremely well-run event!!!

I know there are tons of reports coming in from this EXTREMELY WELL-ATTENDED event, so I'll just hit on a couple of personal highlights.

I do have to chime in with everyone else, though, and say once more, "Jean looks awesome!!!"

First of all, a HUGE Texas-sized THANK YOU to all who came to my two workshops on Thursday for GUANTANAMERA and SENSELESS CHA. My classes were awesome because you dancers are awesome, and--thanks to YOU--I was so very THRILLED to have full rooms for both workshops--YEA!! Of course, we got to dance GUANTANAMERA tons during the weekend, so I hope all of you who were in the class were in Open Dancing at least some of the times it was played, because it was played a LOT. I apologize that Senseless Cha was not played more...there were so many requests for it, and I know many of you wanted a chance to dance it again. There is an excellent video clip of choreographer Neville Fitzgerald dancing it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQk0Md-nxJU Hot off the press, this dance is destined to be a keeper...great music, and I love the fact that Neville and Julie were able to keep the timing of the dance consistent throughout...you can really let yourself get caught up in this great music, Love Me Senseless by Agnes.

This was my first time to take classes from Niels Poulsen, which was a real treat. He added so much styling and technique...it was such an advantage to learn his beautiful waltz to Charlotte Church's From My First Moment directly from him--rather than off the step sheet...the same for his very fun Cuban Kiss. The same goes for all of Scott's brilliant new dances...it's such a privilege to get to "learn from the Master" on these works of art.

Hats off to Big Dave for some mighty fine DJing, doing his best to keep everyone happy, which is a very hard job, as we all know.

The Saturday Night Parade was lots of fun, and the costumes were absolutely over-the-top, as always! A big thanks to creative Sally Tanner in our dance group who organized the Pittsburgh Pirates theme for our Texas line dance group, and hey...we ALMOST won...woo hoo! DJ Jam did have a reeeally awesome pirate outfit, so a big Texas-sized congratulations to him for winning the top slot!

Carol's Cookie Party was fun and very well-attended, and it was delicious--especially those little pastry things...I definitely ate more than my share...

As always, I came back with about a year of new material for my classes, which makes this event so worthwhile. But, also, I just really enjoy getting to visit with everyone. And, I got to make some great new friends this year...I'd love to name them, but I don't want to chance leaving someone out! I look forward to seeing everyone at the next event, and I will definitely be back for the JG Line Dance Marathon May 27 - 30, 2010!!!

Mona Puente
www.monapuente.com

FROM: NANCY MORGAN

Well, as usual, Jean put on a great event! I took a lot of lessons and saw a lot of cute dances. For those who teach in clubs, take note……

For those who have never been, this is one of the largest line dance events in America. Only on Thursday are you allowed to teach someone else’s choreography. Friday through Sunday it has to be your own choreography. So this give you a chance to meet the original choreographer and learn from him or her!

Thursday Instructor and what they taught -
*Dee Musk: In Control by Andrew, Simon & Sheila (UK)
I Promise You by Craig Bennett
*Mona Puente: Senseless Cha by Neville Fitzgerald & Julie Harris
Guantanamera by Kim Ray
*Nigel Amon: Redcoat Tiger by Maggie Gallagher
Halo by Neville Fitzgerald & Julie Harris (April 09).
*Ruben Luna: Here We Go Boogaloo by Ruben Luna
*Lou Ann Schemmel: Isolated by Debbie McLaughlin
*Christopher Petre: Notorious Cha by MT Groove
*Daniel Trepat: Heaven in My Woman’s Eyes by Daniel Trepat
*Brazillia by Daniel Trepat
*Bryan McWherter: Let It Go by Bryan McWherter
*John Robinson: Life Without U by Maggie Gallagher
*Nancy Morgan: Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Dee Musk (Country Music song: Baby’s Gone Blue by Reba) Easy Does It by Cato Larsen
*Johnny Two-Step: Whiter than White by Kim Ray
*Dan Albro: Syncopated Love by Dan Albro (Great Club dance)
*Big Dave Baycroft: Under a Spell by Kate Sala
*Frank Trace: Dreams Can Come True by Terri Alexander
Feel the Cha by Amy Christian-Sohn

Thus the weekend began………..

I Taught:
*Bring Me Water to Family Affair by Mary J. Blige
*Dad County Jive to Right Round by Flo Rida
*Cha-Blige to Fade Away by Mary J. Blige
*Sidora Slide to Low by Flo Rida

My Personal Favorites:
*All Summer Long and Funky Project (MY FAVORITE OF THE WEEKEND) by Daniel Trepat
*Giv U Sum by Zac Detweiller
*If The Shoe Fits by Michele Burton
*Beautiful by Shaz Walton
*Dance Off My Blues and Let’s Do That Again (PP) and *Blue Jean Swing (PP) and Teddy Bear Squeeze by Dan Albro
*One Love by Michael Barr
*Sambalera by Rob Glover (Could not do the Samba Technique but loved the dance!)
*Sure Hope You Mean It and Therapy and Serious and *Sweet and Tender by Bracken Potter
*Jealousy and Long Cool Ride by Johnny Two-Step
*Fairytale and I Won’t Cry by Cato Larsen
*So Persuasive by Dan McInerney
*Hot & Hazy by JP Potter
*Love Song and Swim Away by Will Craig
*Hey! Hey! Goodbye and Roomba by Guyton Mundy
*Invisible and Let’s Take a Walk by Junior Willis
*Rosebuds by Alice Daugherty & Tim Hand (PP)
*Different Shoes by Christopher Petre
*Maybe by Dee Musk (Great West Coast)
*Cuban Kiss by Niels Poulsen
*Food Chain by Scott Blevins
*Don’t Be Afraid by Steve Lescarbeau
*Texas by Max Perry

The Saturday Night show and parade was awesome! The creativity that everyone has is amazing! I got to do a lot of old dances and that was fun! I enjoyed hanging out with everyone and look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

NANCY A. MORGAN
World Renown Line Dance Instructor/Choreographer
UCWDC Advance Showcase World Champion
Retired Air Force Master Sergeant
Email: nancymorgan@hotmail.com
Website: www.morgans-linedance-mania.org
Youtube Site: http://www.youtube.com/user/nancymorgan57
Owner of Nancy's Great Gift Ideas
610 Beaconsfield Road
Sherwood, AR 72120
(501) 834-0476

FROM: Kathy Dranse, kathy.dranse@gmail.com

Better late than never with my 2 cents on Marathon (I just got home from visiting my son in Boston following the event).  This was my first 'big' event and I had a blast. I was concerned about going on my own (Jean tells me that I am the first to attend Marathon from Alberta - yay) - but no need to worry as I met up with the Ontario girls in Toronto airport and it was just fun, fun, fun from then on.  Thanks for including me in your group and thanks to my roomie Lynne Flanders who is the best roomie you could ask for.  As a newbie I took way too many classes and remember very little:-)  I found it very difficult to decide what class to take as ALL the dances looked great.  My favourites were In Control, I Promise You, Life Without U, All Summer Long, Sambalera, Groove Slam, Invisible, Fiona, Cuban Kiss, Roomba, Broken Glass, Angels on the Moon, Comic Strip and The Way I See It.  If there had been 36 hours in each day others that I would have liked to take were Hush Hush, Coochie Bang Bang, The Climb, Food Chain, Reach Out, Magic to name but a few.  Everyone was so friendly, I met so many fantastic people, the hotel staff were brilliant, great vendors, excellent DJ's, amazing instructors, fantastic seminar by Michael and Michele, good food, excellent weather (read no snow) and I even remember many of the dances that I have learned previously so I was able to dance tons at open dancing.  I will definately be back.  Thanks Jean for organising such an amazing event - a memory that I won't soon forget.

FROM: Judy

I'm not going to pretend calling this a report because I found the event gowing too large for my limited coverage that I barely scratched the surface, but there were a few things about which I think I could brashly throw in my 1.25-cents - so "impressions" is all it is.

When I saw the 2 disappeared from JG2, my nosiness hit an all time high so I have to ask Jean who is looking younger, slimmer and sexier and from what she told me I could only fault her for not dropping the other JG a lot earlier. You know how that goes, when obstacles hit (as in this case, a JG drop and 2 car accidents), some people are defeated and fall by the way side, some manage to stay on the road but a few rise and soar to new heights. Judging from this year's marathon that's just what Jean did. The star-studded list of instructors was longer than ever, some 41 in all coming from England, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and of course the US most of them teaching their new dances (altogehter 120 dances were taught) to a pack house of about 700 dancers (did you say there's a recession going on?).

Getting lessons in the flesh from Shaz Walton, Dee Musk, Niels Paulsen and Cato Larsen was a thrill and a lot safer and easier than from this tiny utube box where whiplash is a constant danger. And we got to socialize with them too thanks to Bob and Trish Boesel who gave 2 parties in their room. The first one which I attended, the UK contingent was there: Big Dave and wife Pauline, Shaz, Dee as well as Cato, Niels, Bryan W. and wildman Louie. Niels practically held court with adoring ladies seated on the floor in front of him, well when you're in a hotel room with 3 chairs, the floor is where you sit.

Two young turks blew me away especially since till this event I've never heard of them (my fault not theirs): A line dance champion from the Netherlands, Daniel Trepat and from the UK, Rob Glover (who now lives in Boston). These two young guys epitomize for me the talent, enthusiasm, infectious energy, and get this, manners, of a line dance teacher. They just don't ask you "did you get it?", "are we cool", "shall we move on", "say yes (fill in name of instructor)", these guys ask "are you happy?" Wow, you want me to be happy too?

Good manners abound at the event. On the first day, I was looking forward to taking Rona Kaye's really cool dance OL' SKOOL COMPANY which was on the web's Thursday schedule. The schedule we got at the registration stunned me - she wasn't there at all. I asked Rona and she said to ask Jean, dutiful and by now you know, nosy, as I am, I asked Jean and she owned up that it was all her fault - something about over scheduling and who was on contract first and things like that doesntmatteritwasallherfaultshesaidsoherself. Although speaking of manners, this wouldn't be the real world if you don't run into one without one. Some people you give them a world shaking authority like guarding the door to the classroom and they'd act like guarding the portals to Fort Knox. I left my jacket with the key and some valuables in the pocket in one of the rooms and went looking for it and frantically opened an exit door only to be met by a gestapo like voice "you're not suppose to enter that door!!!", "I'm looking for my jacket like yours" (pointing to her jacket), "Don't touch me!!!!" barked she. Oooppss! didn't know that my feathery touch could generate such heat. I later found my jacket which was returned to a most charming door keeper with the sweetest smile. What a difference a doorkeeper makes. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank that kind samaritan who picked up my jacket and the lovely doorkeeper who kept it for me. May good blessings and glad tydings pour upon you for the rest of your life.

The open dancing on Sunday has always been one of my favorites in this event. This time the DJ was Big Dave and as a DJ he is up there - BIG - like a bountiful god in the heavens, listening to your requests and showering them back to you and when you're dancing with your friends in that big beautiful room looking out into the trees and the sunshine outside, everything feels right and there couldn't be a better ending to a deliciously exhausting event.

On the connecting flight to Atlanta, the pilot announced upon take off "Welcome aboard on our flight to, I think, Atlanta". Upon touching down, he followed it with "Welcome to Atlanta, we're 15 minutes early, we may have surprised the ground crew". Well Jean if yours was a flight, and you flying solo, your touchdown surprised more than just the ground crew. BRAVO!

Judy Romanenkov
judybmr@sbcglobal.net
http://jbmrpaintings.com

FROM: Frank Trace, franktrace@sssnet.com

JG Marathon - What Fun!
Thank you to all the wonderful dancers and instructors who attended my lessons at JG Marathon. Your enthusiasm and support of my easier level dances made me feel very special. I had a fantastic time. This is one of the best run and organized workshops in the country. Thanks to the many wonderful volunteers and of course Jean Garr and her co-directors Pepper and Adele. You are the best!

On Thursday we are to teach other choreographer's dances, so I taught DREAMS CAN COME TRUE by Terri Alexander (a wonderful Intermediate cha-cha dance) and FEEL THE CHA by Amy Christian-Sohn (a nice Beginner Latin dance). Both dances were very well received.

On Friday I taught my 3 newest dances; SAG, DRAG & FALL (Beginner), MAKIN' IT (Easy Intermediate) and MAMMA MARIA (Beginner) I was thrilled with the response. Many instructors indicated that they would be teaching them soon. On Sunday I taught BRAZIL, yes there where a few people who did not know this dance ;-) and I reviewed Makin' It and Mamma Maria. Music for all of my dances can be found as downloads on Amazon.com. Step sheets are on my web site www.traceofcountry.com My videos are on youtube.

The evening dance parties with DJ Jam, Wildman Louie and Big Dave were great. I was beaming every night as we danced my DUCK SOUP and BRAZIL with a full dance floor.

The Saturday Night Pirate Themed show was fun. This was the first year that I participated in the show and what a hoot. Six of us choreographers played drunken pirates and did this crazy dance that ended with us forming a human bicycle. Nancy Morgan drafted Jill Babniec, Cato Larsen, Bracken Ellis Potter, Daniel Trepat and myself for this crazy show. What fun we had.

At midnight there was a huge Pirate Parade with many wearing some very clever costumes. Mark your calendar for next year's JG Marathon May 27 - May 30, 2010. This event is a must!

FROM: Christopher (The Pirate), PetreThePirate@MutinyOnTheDanceFloor.com

Late, but needed to be said aloud...a big Thank You to Jean Garr for the Marathon this year. And thanks to the dozens of dedicated people that support her efforts and make this such an enjoyable event for dancers and instructors alike.
To all of you who got into the spirit and dressed like pirates, I have to say BIG thanks for the laughs! It's about time you came to your senses..come join me on the dark side...

FROM: Robin Helms (dancenut93@hotmail.com)

I was very pleased with the JG marathon. I had a great time. I am surprised that no one else has any reviews of the dances from Bracken Ellis Potter. I took everyone of her dances and really enjoyed all of them very music. She is a great choreographer and instructor. I hope to see her at many other events so I can take some more of her classes. She treated me (when I talked to her) like we had been friends forever. Her mom Linda did the same. As for her dances, I think they were some of the best ones there. I had some other favorites too from other choreographers but I enjoyed hers the most.
Thanks.

FROM: susan webb, dancerlady@hughes.net

I had a fabulous time at the marathon this year. It seemed like more good dances were taught than ever. Jean Garr, along with Pepper and Adele deserve a big thanks for such a great event. It was good seeing some new instructors there like Shaz Walton, Niels Poulsen, Dan McInerney, Rob Glover, and Daniel Trepat. I always enjoy the Thursday teaches when instructors can teach dances choreographed by others. People have commented on most of the dances and given reviews so I will not be detailed about the difficulty level, etc. but just tell you the ones I took and loved: Addicted by Rachel McEnaney, Isolated by Debbie McLaughlin, Whiter Than White by Kim Ray, Coochie Bang Bang and Food Chain by Scott Blevins, Roomba and Hey! Hey! Goodbye by Guyton Mundy, Beautiful by Shaz Walton, All Summer Long by Daniel Trepat, and Cuban Kiss and My First Moment by Niels Poulsen. I also took and really liked Drop Your Socks by Lindsay and Christopher Petre. I have not heard much "buzz" about this dance but would certainly recommend this fun not too hard Intermediate dance. It was great seeing Junior Willis as always and although I did not take any of his classes because I already had had most of his dances, I absolutely love Invisible! Also, someone mentioned Bracken Ellis dances as their favorites in the newsletter and I must say that she definitely has some wonderful dances. I taught Sure Hope You Mean It at one of our workshops recently, and it really flows well. I also have taught Ease On Down by Bracken, JP, and Rachel which I love and really is a good looking dance on the floor! Congratulations to them on winning first place in the pro challenge choreography competition for this dance. And congrats to Amy Christian for her first place for Jai Ho in the choreography competition which I have also taught. Other dances which I did not take but I or others have taught in class or at our NC Regional workshops are Let's Take A Walk by Michele Perron, Guantanamera by Kim Ray, Mojo Rhythm by Rob Fowler, Here's Looking At You Kid by Steve Lescarbeau,So Persuasive and Mission To Please by Dan McInerney, Broken Glass by Scott Blevins, Swing 'N Cha and Cocoa Puffs by Zac Detweiller, and Texas by Max Perry. There were classes for all levels of dancers and even a beginner room at night where some more lower level dances were taught. JG is always such a wonderful event but this year was the best, and I am so lucky to be within driving distance of this event. Thanks again, Jean, for a superb event!

From: Lynne Martino, Wiska51@aol.com, www.lynnesdancecrew.com

Just wanted to let you know that my website now has the writeup and photos from the JG Marathon. Take a look in the Events page for the writeup and the photo gallery for photos. You just may find yourself there.
You can also view my dance TOO MUCH, which won 2nd place in the Intermediate/Advanced Country division at the choreography competition in Raleigh.

From: John Korman, page-me@comcast.net

Even before arriving in Raleigh for the first time, I met fellow dancers Johanna "Pink Geek" Barnes and Debbie "flawless" Pancoast, and DJ Big Sexy Joey at BWI Airport. After catching up on my Mediterranean Cruise the weeks before, we boarded the nonstop flight. The shuttle picked up us and other dancers at the airport packing in two shuttle buses. Having never been to this hotel, or event (can ya' believe it?), it appeared spacious. From staying at this hotel now, one of the selling points was the hotel restaurant which was reasonably priced (unlike many other hotels where line dance events take place) and excellent quality (I want their sweet tea recipe) and selection of food for each meal including the buffets. The large and small ball rooms were kept cool Thursday to Monday - what felt chilly at first we were quickly warmed up after some dancing; thankfully this hotel did not turn off the air conditioning, even late at night as experienced at previous dance events.

With the event starting at 2PM on Thursday, I had an hour to spare. Checking in was easy and the best part was chatting with everyone in the lobby and registration line. While there was no Saturday night dinner part of this event, I was eager to be part of Carol's Cookie Party; oatmeal and chocolate chip, yummmmmmmm. After a full day of classes, I entered the medium (side) ball room Thursday night where DJ Jam was taking all requests. Upon walking into the main ball room, my jaw dropped open.....I saw line dance mecca! The floor, which appeared to be as long as a football field, if not longer, was quite packed, yet still plenty of room for additional dancers (come to find later, the length of the entire main ball room floor was one mile!). The music was pumpin' the sound was thumpin' and of course King Louie was spinnin' and mixin'. I expected more folks to be present on Thursday night, but the crowd was still lively. The energy only increased the rest of the weekend when more folks arrived, some of whom I had not met before; funny how many folks I met only attend this one dance event all year, while line dance event diehards like myself have hotel rooms reserved for events through December 2009.

A great group of instructors taught a variety of dances to a wide spectrum of music selections. As a class whore myself, I started Thursday/2PM and ended Sunday/1PM. At night, I was glad Big Dave's room had informal walk throughs with the instructor who taught that day. While not full teaches, sometimes the walk throughs felt like it since I had so many step sequences crammed in my head. I also got to see dances broken down whose full lessons I missed.

Since it was my first time attending, I purposely stayed through Monday and surprisingly, the crowd was a good size (more than I expected) and hype for a Sunday night. The dance was held in a smaller dance room (Crystal Coast) which allowed for a more intimate dance setting. Louie played *all requests* and it was fun to dance those learned from the weekend (of course I looked at everyone else since my memory was gone) as well as classics from the UK and US....funny how some dances never get picked up over here, yet Debbie and Co know all of ours. Nigel and Debbie, you both have to start teaching more at our events!

Now, what I attended:

ADDICTED (mcenaney): taught by Lou Ann from CA, this has been on my list to learn, but have been swayed away from it because the entire dance is on the diagonals and the count is abnormal to me. Lou Ann did a wonderful job breaking this down, and for once, I was not paying attention to the counts, rather I just knew where to go because of the music, and everyone else around me (of course). With two restarts and one tag, the dance is still not as difficult as I originally thought. With turns, some of which can be taken out and rarely squared to a wall, I understand why this is an Advanced dance. While it has been picked up already where I dance in PA, I hope folks in DC Area get addicted to the music and dance.

IN CONTROL (AS&S): one of two dances Dee Musk taught in one hour. Upbeat fun song by The Saturdays. Sequence is not difficult and steps are pretty basic. Very popular in the UK.

NOTORIOUS CHA (mt groove): taught by Christopher Petre, a good dance to fit a classic Puff Daddy song. Surprisingly it has not gotten more notoriety at the U.S. events.

I PROMISE YOU (bennett): second dance Dee Musk taught in her hour. Originally learned this from Craig last week, Dee did a great job breaking down the steps. Jane "outer rim" picked up the dance 1/2 way into the lesson with no problem and got right on cue with the rest of us without fail. The more I dance this, the more I like it, while admittedly, not fond of the song at first, it is growing on me each time I attempt to sing along with Ronan Keating. Like I said before, I promise you will like this dance once you learn it.

COOCHIE BANG BANG (blevins): big band, east coast swing taught to a packed class of ~200 (and this did not break Scott's record for the most number of people in his class). The trick is knowing which way to turn (it's Scott what'd you expect?) between two consecutive eight count patterns, which reminds me a lot of his dance I SCREAM. The more I dance it, the easier it became. I still have to overcome getting into the heel swivels. While unexpected until you are already there, there is a tag on wall two and then again....don't count it, just listen to the music; hesitate and syncopate, make a quarter turn to the right, end with a chasse to the right. So if you want a bang bang of a dance, learn this one. Do this two times consecutively and you will achieve your coochie cardio workout for the day.

BEAUTIFUL (walton): solid intermediate dance to an Akon track of the same name. Reminded me sightly of INSOMNIA.

HEY HEY GOODBYE! (mundy): guess what? "No hands!" Mundy Goes Mainstream! Another packed class learned this intermediate cha-cha. Steps are not difficulty, but the dance does travel on the angles at times with two "you can hear them" restarts. An infectious song that is now picking up radio airplay. So don't let this one slip bye-bye, hey-hey and learn this dance! Don't forget your Blevins Hands.

HUSH HUSH (musk): another beautiful, yet fast-paced, dance by Dee to the Pussycat Dolls. It looked hot in the main ballroom on Thursday night which only increased my yearning to learn this dance on Friday. Glad I learned it, but takes practice. Trickiest bit for me is getting into the two slow half turns in the middle of the dance and the last 8 or 16 counts. But, after repetition, like other first time challenging dances, it became easier. So don't keep quiet, dance this one out loud.

GET U 'SUM (detweiller): originally learned locally, but with all that I learned to date, I got nothing, so I attended this small, intimate class to get me 'sum again. Awesome track by none other than NKOTB. Choreographed with some cool moves still leaving a lot of room for personal exaggeration and styling. One easy restart, that you can hear because the music drastically changes. Now get you sum stepsheets and learn this one.

SO PERSUASIVE (mcenirney): since this is very popular in the UK, I am glad Dan taught it at JG. Tricky dance that I did not practice enough of throughout the weekend. Dance fits the music quite well. While LET'S GET SAVED is still very popular in nightly open dancing, I hope more instrutors will be pursuaded to this.

MAYBE (musk)/COME TO ME (musk): both were fun dances with the first being faster, and the second a better track for me. I reviewed these on Saturday night with Dee and others, but I don't think maybe is even the right word to use when attempting to remember this dance. Well received in her class.

WITH YOUR LOVE (mcinerney): I did not just eat before taking this class, and I reocmmend others follow suit. This dance has many, many turns, some of which Dan showed can be removed, but that loses "the look" of the dance, which sold me at demo's. Will take a lot of practice to master, especially one tricky part in the dance. Well received in Dan's class and perhaps WITH YOUR LOVE we can all GET SAVED.

FOOD CHAIN (blevins): Packed class for this new dance to a track that stays in your ear [and head] even though the song says otherwise. Has some turns (of course), but nothing difficult. The feel of the dance reminds me of CREEPIN' but certainly not the song. The trickiest bit for most was the second eight counts--2 right turns, 2 left turns. Played nightly.

REACH OUT (walton): Great dance to a hip-hop track that is sampled from an 80s song (so of course I love it!). After mastering this dance, I could skip any jazzercise classes for the next week. Definitely a great workout of a dance to hot music. Taking other Shaz's dances, this will take some time to remember, but well worth it.

ROOMBA (mundy): Packed class. Roomba is easier than D.L. and on opposite ends of the spectrum which is another good reason to combine these dances in one lesson. Roomba has very easy steps and like NOTICE THE DANGER, you're just supposed to have fun with it; shake yourself loose and Roomba!......p.s.....I still have not heard this song on DC radio so I guess our stations are behind. Infectious song that goes well with the dance.

DEAR LIFE (mundy): my favorite from Boston Showdown, glad it was re-taught. Similar to DREAMS, the hardest part is putting the steps to the first 32-counts of music, but on Step 1 of Wall 2, you'll say Dear God, I have it!

ETERNALLY YOURS (hunyadi, robinson): Originally taken at FL Masters by John R., this is a cool A-B dance. It has been danced in the DC Area for some time, but alas, it has not remained eternal. Love the song and just another fun dance. Hope this one continues to get promoted at events by both Kathy and John.

MAGIC (walton): good dance to an infectious song. I expected more magic in the dance, but the more I practice it, I just may find the abbra-ka-dab-rah.

THE WAY I SEE IT (musk): Well received by all attendees, this is pop track by Anastacia. So, I don't care if the dance goes or not, I love it, just for the song. The dance does fit, fortunately, and by full speed #3, I was singing along (under my breath so I would not deafen others around me). This was a good dance to end my first time at JG.

From the schedule posted online, I expected Rona Kaye to teach her brand new dance OL'SKOOL COMPANY, but the time slot was given to someone else. Fortunately, Big Dave played the song Saturday night and we got to dance it. Big Dave was nodding his head so perhaps this one will make it across the pond.

It was an honor to dance with Junior & Friends during the pro choreography challenge; kudos to Junior and Don for taking 3rd place with INVISIBLE. Keep this one on your teaching rosters to share. Congratulations to all who entered.

Now time to work Tues-Thurs, and head to NJ/NY on Friday for more dancing....JG reviews + more.