James
"JP" Potter's
Ventura California
Fall Fling 2003
Event
Report
(By Mom and Dad)
A relaxing seaside location, a newly remodeled hotel, a bright sunny day, event staff and vendors arriving early to set up for a three day dancing weekend of fun. The Ventura Marriott loading dock bustled with activity.
The decorations went up, the floor went down. Vendors stacked and hung up their goodies with care in hopes that dancers soon would be there. The rooms began to fill, smiles crept onto faces and order came to the chaos of setting up.
JP's three day Fall Fling Line Dance Festival was about to begin and the excitement was building fast. Life for line dancers just doesn't get any better.
Registration was quick and efficient... the dancers surged in thru the open ballroom doors for the demo dances of Friday's workshops. Pens and pencils came out and "Absolutely Gotta Take It" marks were made on the list of scheduled workshops included in their registration packets.
The buzz of chatter seemed to indicate that the dances being taught Friday were definitely "Gotta Take It" dances as the dancers separated and charged off to one of the three workshop rooms.
A stellar constellation of instructors consisting of Jeremy Oldham, A.T. Kinson, Eve Yeaton, Michele Perron, Scott Blevins and Byran McWherter led off the Friday workshops. Each workshop room was filled with dancers ready to put their boots and brains to the test full. They would be learning new exciting dances from the many talented choreographers JP had brought together under one roof right here in sunny California.
It was refreshing to see the sparkle in the dancers eyes and hear the exhilaration in their voices as someone would come bouncing up and say I just met... ! That, is a large part of what being at an event is about.
Saturdays workshop schedule added dances taught by more thrilling choreographers that included Judy McDonald, Jamie Marshall, Bracken Ellis, Gene Morrill, Trish Boesel and Jackie Miranda. Dancers still had energy to burn and they were taking advantage of every workshop they could fit in. A one hour lunch break gave them a chance to renew their energy and then it was off to the races for the afternoon workshops. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.
The 5 to 7:30 dinner breaks Fri and Sat gave all a chance to enjoy a leisurely meal, have time to prop up the tired feet for a few minutes and change clothes before heading down to the large ballroom for the themed evening dances.
Saturday nights Extravaganza was an excellent thirty minute showcase of talent. MC'd by Byran McWherter we were treated to superb performances by the best. Cody Stevens was also present at JP's event and started the showcase of talent off with a stunning line dance performance. A.T. Kinson and Michele Perron superbly demonstrated A.T.'s new line dance W-P L-J and included a bit of swing as an added bonus. Amy Kempster flawlessly performed a fabulous routine that she had co-choreographed with Jo Thompson. A.T. Kinson and Lesley Fegan treated all of us to a delightfully spellbinding couples routine. The final act of the extravaganza was a routine that had been rehearsed for nearly four and a half hours... the "Shaggy Routine". Judy McDonald, Jamie Marshall, Patrick Fleming, Cody Stevens, Byran McWherter, and our very own Ryan Feezor. A great showcase of talent that was a short enjoyable prelude to the evening dance.
As soon as the Extravaganza ended and the floor was clear of spectators, the Saturday night dance started. Dancers rushed out onto the floor for the first dance and the floor stayed full the remainder of the evening. Older dances, newer dances and workshop dances that had just been learned kept the floor full and busy the entire evening. Both Friday and Saturday night dances were lively and energetic and everyone got to dance the majority of the dances that they requested.
Sunday started with a Continental Breakfast Social with a full two hours of scheduled open dancing. It was a treat to see everyone enjoy a bit of chat in the lobby outside the ballroom. It was also fun to watch as conversations were momentarily interrupted and dancers sprinted through the open doors if they heard the music to one of their favorites. It was a great way to gather in the morning and take the time to say hi to dancing friends that you may have missed during the more energetic evening dances or while concentrating on a workshop lesson.
When the breakfast social ended, Gene Morrill, Judy McDonald and Jeremy Oldham each taught a final workshop. JP also made full use of the remaining event time and the workshop rooms by scheduling time for each instructor to review the dances they had taught. The workshop reviews were full right up to the end and finished up the spectacular Fall Fling event.
Our
thanks to JP, the talented instructors, his hard working staff and the staff of
the Marriott.
Fall Fling '03 was a complete success for over two hundred happy dancers.
Mom and Dad's Less Serious Event Report
[Fall
Fling Event Report]
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