Thanks to Scott & Debra Blevins, and Denise Stone for hosting a fantastic dance

get-together in Morrice, Michigan this past weekend!

Thanks also to everyone who helped out with, or who showed their support at the event!  

Lori Pung’s (from Spurs Too) review (copied below) covered all the basics very well!   Without duplicating over much – here’s my ramble from a different angle…

WHAT IT WAS – WHAT IT IS ;)

As mentioned, this event was a summer mainstay for several years in our area. 

Primarily with those dancers that have been around long enough to witness the many changes, and the considerable evolution of line dance.  

I’m thrilled to have had the chance to come back to it, as was everyone else!

And knowing from previous years how good this event had been, us workshop junkies, could already tell how much fun it was gonna be again this year, just by seeing the names on the flyer!  We were rarin’ to go as soon as they announced it!   Plus it attracted several 1^st timers, and many new faces out too.

Going by their comments – they’re hooked – just like us J  

As always like before, one of the nicest things about this event was, and still is, it’s an awesome setting for an easy going, social gathering for dancers – combined with tons of great dancing!  Everyone was able to visit and mix n mangle with instructors and dancers alike.  

In previous years, this might have been considered a progressive workshop. 

Which is due to everyone who used to be involved in it. (Jo, Nancy, Scott & Denise).   Morrice, even back when, had always been known as an event to provide an “edgier” dance format, especially when compared to the more typical fare of  “Something for everyone”  local events. 

With everyone who was currently involved this year, it held true to that standard.

I’m so glad that aspect was unchanged!  The addition of Louie and Guyton fit that bill right nicely ;)

There was still something for everyone, especially during open dance time.  We did a good bit of it all…oldies & classics, plus new stuff from the surveys & lists – a nice mixture of everything, with the proper timing and dose.

One real positive aspect of a one room venue is that it puts everyone on the same page, or same foot for 7,8, as it were, during open dancing.   Everyone got to practice the dances taught throughout the day and at night.

This was also a fantastic weekend for what I call the “MORE” dancers.

Louie did such a clever job of mixing it up so folks never sat for too long – no matter their dancing preferences.  Cheers to him for doing what he always does best!!!

Every dance workshop is a good one in my opinion, whether it’s one of the latest “Mega Events” or a smaller more localized production. They all have something very unique and distinct to offer folks.  It’s all dancing!

Comparing them is much like the old “apples and oranges” saying – they’re just not the same – but equally delicious in their own right.  

Scott & Co. will be making plans for next year…which may include venue or other changes.   For me and ALL the folks I talked to – it doesn’t really matter where it’s held – we’ll be there! 

Frankly – I dunno that I’d change that much….

For a complete teach list see Lori’s write up below.

But beyond all that, it felt just like a big ole family reunion – set to music.

Lori Pung’s post to Carol Craven’s newsletter…

“August 5-7 was the Great Lakes Line Dance Jam in Morrice, Michigan.

This event is a reintroduction of a great dance event in Michigan that was formerly known as Gone Country and was hosted by Nancy Manor and Jo Everhart. Unfortunately, this event went on hiatus for several years after Nancy passed away, but Scott Blevins, along with Denise Stone, did a great job getting this event started again as a tribute to Nancy and all those who remember her and we were thrilled that Jo came on Saturday to support the event and visit with everyone. Those of us who dance in Michigan definitely miss seeing the two of them on the dance floor - they were a lot of fun to watch and obviously both loved dancing!

Scott indicated that he intends to make this event become an annual summer event again in Michigan, although he does plan on changing the location to be more conveniently located for those traveling in from out of state for the weekend (he opted to use the original event location for this first time back). Hopefully next year this event will be hosted in a hotel instead (we'd like to request air conditioning, Scott!). It will be a great addition to the Midwest dance schedule as it is a great line dance event between the Ft. Wayne Showdown in March and Windy City in October.

This event got off to a great start with dancing Friday night with none other than DJ Louie and continued with some great dances taught on Saturday. We had a catered lunch break on Saturday, which was convenient and healthy, followed by more lessons on Saturday afternoon. Louie did a wonderful job ensuring that everyone had plenty of chances to dance on Friday and Saturday night, really working with the crowd on hand to play what dances they knew and get everybody up and dancing. And if we asked for a dance on Friday night, he kept track and played it on Saturday without us having to request it again! We had plenty of opportunities throughout the day to dance as well - after each instructor taught their lesson at the appointed hour, we typically had an additional half hour of open dancing before the next lesson. There were lots of opportunities to dance all the dances taught this weekend as well to help us really remember what we learned! We also had lots of dancers from Ontario, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, as well as a handful from states that are farther away - plenty of familiar faces for those of us who dance in this part of the country!

We had a great cast of instructors, some of our local favorites as well as some known on the international scene.

Denise Stone taught "Frim Fram Dance" as well as assisted with organizing the event.

Frank Cooper taught "Home" (which is heading up the World Dance survey) and he taught the new dance that he and Carole Daugherty choreographed this weekend called "I Like to Move It".

Eve Yeaton taught "California Bounce" (the favorite choice from my group that attended).

Guyton Mundy made his first official trip to the Midwest and celebrated his birthday with us on Saturday. Be sure to ask him about his birthday present with pink feathers! Guyton taught "Playa", "Ah-Ah Ah", "Podabe" and "I Played Chicken with the Train" as well as a bonus teach of "Ushered Through It". Hopefully, with lots of practice, we'll be able to dance them like Guyton does - we have a lot of upper body work to do!!

Scott Blevins rounded out the teaching schedule with "No Regrets", "Replay" and "Freaks to the Floor" (my personal favorite).

The instructors also did plenty of dancing which was fun to watch and were very accessible to the dancers for pictures, chatting, etc.
This event gave us ample opportunity for open dancing - more than most events - and didn't result in brain overload on what was learned, given that there was only one workshop at a time. Overall a great event and definitely one that you should make sure you get on your dance calendars for next summer.