I really want to take a moment to talk about Capital Swing Dancers’ Convention this year. Capital was different this year – it’s our very first year without Jack Carey, and also now our first year without Lance Shermoen. They were sorely missed at the event, but their spirit and love for the dance surrounded us all weekend. First and foremost, I want to thank all of YOU who attended this year. You brought amazing energy for the competitors and just for the entire weekend. We obviously could (or would) not want to do this without you, so Thank You for sharing the weekend with us! The staff this year was incredible. Everyone worked hard and worked together. The contests and Tribute were nothing short of amazing. The weekend was kicked off with a phenomenal rendition of the National Anthem performed by Nicholas King and Kristen Sorci. Truly brought tears to our eyes! I’d like to thank our judging staff who had the toughest job in the world! Chief Judge Yvonne Antonacci, Contestant Representative Annie Hirsch, and the following judges: Andy Bouman, Barry Jones, Carlito Rofoli, Jessica Cox, Jim Minty, John Lindo, Kelly Casanova, Mark Scheuffele (also referee judge), Michelle Kinkaid, Sharlot Bott as well as Debbie Carpenter and Kelly Lynn Ford filling in to round out our judging staff. Jim Tigges took on the challenge to do our scoring, and did a fantastic job – with the help of David Cooper by his side. Both Sharole Negrete and Kathryn Mongeau worked closely with judging panel, and Susan Brown and Heather Rapport kept the contestants “in line”. Our workshops were amazing – have already received tons of raves about every single workshop! Thanks to Arjay Centeno & Deborah Szekely, Barry Jones & Patty Vo, Ben Morris & Jennifer Deluca, Benji Schwimmer & Torri Smith, Gary McIntyre & Susan Kirklin, Mario Robau, Jr., Parker Dearborn & Melissa Rutz, Robert & Nicola Royston, and Ronnie DeBenedetta & Brandi Tobias. Theresa McGarry covered both our free beginner lessons that had great turn outs! The music was awesome all weekend thanks to Beth Bellamy, Mike Pyle, John Lindo, Arjay Centeno, and Martin Casillas. Helping to cover our late night shifts were Dmitry Lapidus and Forrest Hanson. Tara McCroskey covered all our workshop classes as well. And of course we had the whole weekend to enjoy the smooth and loving voice of our Emcee, Steve Zener. Steve opened our Tribute to Lance Shermoen with a heartfelt history of Lance’s impact on our dance community. Mary Ann Mercer, Lance’s love of his life, gave an amazing introduction to the video – sharing Lance’s love of life which of course included our dance. The video was beautiful, but what followed was truly magical. All dance professionals have been touched by Lance somewhere along the lines of their careers, and they wanted to honor Lance’s contribution in a very special way. So many Pro’s came out with costumes from Lance’s ‘infamous’ competition routines, and while Beth played his routine songs, the Pro’s danced in a jam-format - which Lance loved! I know they did this out of their love and appreciation for Lance, but I cannot thank them enough… the handsome and talented Arjay, Barry, Ben, Benji, Gary, Jim, John, Ken, Mario, Mark, Parker, and Robert alongside the beautiful and gifted Brandi, Deborah, Jen, Jessica, Kelly, Laureen, Melissa, Michelle, Nicola, Patty, Sharlot, Susan, and Torri. And you can see all of this through the DVD by Thumps Up Video and the photos from Brad Whelan. Please help support these professional artists - they are there to give YOU the best memories you can possibly have! thumbsupvideo/capital_swing and bradfordwhelan/Dance/Capital-2014 We are also fortunate to have Event Directors donate their event weekend passes as part of our prizes! A great big Thank You to John Lindo sponsoring Juniors J&J and Pizza Party, YASDA sponsoring Juniors Routine, The Chicago Classic March 2014, Michigan Classic June 2014, Seattle Easter Swing April 2014, Liberty Swing June 2014, Toronto Championships Swing Hustle July 2014, SwingTime in the Rockies July 2014, US Open November 2014, The After Party December 2014, Americas Classic ACC January 2015, the Capital Swing Dancers Club Members & Dance Friends donating food to our incredible hospitality suite. And last but not least, Capital Swing’s Board of Directors, Committee Chairs, and Volunteers (which are too many to list here now) - they are the best you can ask for, working hard all weekend so you can enjoy our Event - President Martin Casillas, Vice President Lindsey Heaton, Treasurer Terry Marlais, Secretary Paulette Johnston, Sgt at Arms Audrey Womack, Activities Chair Matthew Lietzke, Membership Chair & Website Editor Celine Pettyjohn. Other key positions are Newsletter Chair Emily Trites, Publicity Chair Tami Krok, Convention Ticket Liaison Sheryl Zazzi, and Hospitality Suite Manager Keli Rutherdale & her team. Other special thanks for assistance from Debbie Carpenter, Christina Parker, Kristie Vian, and Frank Carricato. Thanks to all of YOU who attended and participated at this amazing Event. We hope you enjoyed it and plan to come back next year – Presidents’ Day February 12-15, 2015! xoxoxo, Dani
Posted on: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 23:30:35 +0000
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