The Lindy Focus team this year was so stunningly effective and - TopicsExpress

The Lindy Focus team this year was so stunningly effective and brilliant that its hard to even write these words, knowing that no words can do them justice. This group truly had the best synergy of any prior formation, and we mere Event Directors are simply floored. FRONT DESK REGISTRATION TEAM - Probably the first crew most attendees ran into at the event. Ben White, Nathan Riedel, Bethany Potter, Kamaryn Wilson, Ariel Goh, and Lindsay Kelly. These guys are as close to Pros as you get, considering this is not a job that exactly exists in the real world. But really, many of these folks do similar work at other events throughout the year and come together at Focus to form some sort of superteam. The amazing JENNA APPLEGARTH oversaw this department and many, many other things. A brilliant decision maker and strong leader rolled into one, somehow she managed to keep a huge percentage of the event running smoothly (everything under her umbrella), and somehow also participated in the New Years Show and killied it during the late night comps. Wow. DOOR SECURITY - People may not realize, but at an event of this size, this is a crucial department that prevents things from descending into chaos on many levels. Mike and Shawna Westervelt headed up a team of volunteers to make sure this was done right. Even Michael, Jaya, and Sosh had to produce their credentials to get in the doors, they were that tight. Great job, guys! DJS OF LINDY FOCUS - In between all the amazing live music performances, these guys kept the music rolling to keep you dancing. But lets not forget that they also took long and arduous late night shifts allowing you guys to dance until sunrise (or later) almost every night. This is especially true of Head DJ ROB MORELAND who personally made sure this happened, as well as keeping tabs on several other areas of the event that arent even his job! Lindy Focus loves Rob, plain and simple. Your complete DJ crew was: Rob Moreland, Mary Freitag, Allen Kerr, Dan Newsome, Michael Gamble, Laura Glaess, Brooks Prumo, Dan Repsch, Tanya Teal, Brooke Filsinger, John Joven, Brenda Russell, Laura Windley, Lian Tarhay, and Kate Hedin. Special shout out to those that jumped into the fray Wednesday night to help keep the Bal room going til the wee hours! INSTRUCTORS - With the sheer number of classes taught (track classes and add-ons), not to mention special jobs such as judging, lecturing, or being abused by the meeting hosts, these guys had a ridiculously full plate, and they still managed to deliver private lessons in every second of spare time they had. This years top-notch educators were Evita Arce, Casey Schneider, Kelly Arsenault, Nathan Bugh, Sharon Davis, Mike Faltesek, Mickey Fortanasce, Christian Frommelt, Nina Gilkenson, Laura Glaess, Chris Härm, Kate Hedin, Jo Hoffberg, Michael Jagger, Nikki Marvin, Mikey Pedroza, Max Pitruzzella, Andy Reid, Dan Repsch, Mike Roberts, Jenny Sowden, Kevin St. Laurent, Ramona Staffeld, Annie Trudeau, Bobby White, Todd Yannacone, and Shesha Marvin. MUSICIANS - This years insanely ambitious music program was a massive effort shouldered by some world class artists, many of whom were required to have the stamina of a thousand men. Of course, the now legendary Jonathan Stout organized the inhuman feat of five nights of big band tributes, which no one will soon forget! Our late night bandleaders Russell Welch, Aurora Nealand, and Mike Faltesek each brought something unique and special to fill out the picture. A special nod of respect must go to Aurora, Jason Juzak, and Paul Cosentino, who each played in every single show except for one. The music education program was headed up by infamous New Orleans trumpet master Ben Polcer. Featured Vocalist Laura Windley learned approximately All of the songs, in an incredible feat of music scholarship and performance! The rest of the amazing lineup proudly included Albert Alva, Gordon Au, Lucian Cobb, Josh Collazo, Paul Cosentino, Jake Handelman, Ken McGee, Keenan McKenzie, Paul Rogers, Craig Gildner, Jason Moore, James Posedel, Richard Shulman, Steve Trismen, Dave Wilken, Michael Gamble, Russ Wilson, and of course the unparalleled talents of the great Allan Vaché. JUMP FOR JOY - THE NEW YEARS SHOW STAFF - An impressive crew of passionate and virtuoso artist performances was assembled by visionary Show Director EVITA ARCE, who pulled off our favorite show to date. The performers included Jon Tigert, Nathan Bugh, Dorry Segev, Hilary Marie, Dan Newsome, Michael Jagger, Jenna Applegarth, Lainey Silver, Nikki Marvin, Kate Hedin, Gaby Cook, Jo Hoffberg, Rebecca Berman, Anthony Chen, Kevin Clark, Rachel Dahlenburg, John Holmstorm, Lindsay Longstreth, Joshua Mclean, Doriel Pryntz-Nadworny, Rafal Pustelny, Brenda Russell, Jenny Sowden, Annie Trudeau, Bobby White, Nicole Zuckerman, Mikey Pedroza, and Emily Larson. Feats such as that show wouldnt be possible without a few very special people. SHESHA MARVIN is the events Talent Manager, making sure people are where theyre supposed to be, doing what theyre supposed to be doing at all times. Think about the size of that job for a second. Shesha also does about a hundred other things for camp, and is wise in the ways of swing events on a level few can ever hope to reach. CLARA GOODWIN was our stage manager, which not only means keeping track of stage hands, props, cues, and other crucial performance information, but also personally schedules every rehearsal that happens at camp, of which there are many, juggling the schedules of a huge array of instructors and guest performers, to give everyone their best shot at being prepared to hit the stage. Though you probably havent seen much of their work yet for this years event, your long term memories of Lindy Focus XIII will likely ultimately be shaped by the efforts of our hardworking media team. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jess Keener and Bobby Bonsey are always on deck to capture the spirit of the event, artistically documenting the memorable moments that occur in every aspect of the camp. PHOTOBOOTH PHOTOGRAPHERS Braden Nesin, David Mudre, and Jessica Southwell worked one of the most feared posts at camp and frankly killed it this year with an amazingly efficient execution of the photobooth. BRETT DAHLENBERG was our videographer, and youve already seen some of his work begin to appear on our youtube channel. In addition to comps and performances, he documented quite a lot of the music as well - just wait! Official pictures and videos coming soon. GUEST INSTRUCTORS each brought something special to the camp which helped meet a wide variety of demands. Piper Jay led an amazing Yoga program throughout the event, keeping people healthy and strong! Kevin Clark brought us even more fitness information with his body care and trager release classes. Adam Lee kept the love of learning alive with special presentations about the music we all love. Alicia Vance gave vintage hairstyling instruction and ran the Jack & Jill Salon to make sure everyone was looking their best in the evenings. MICHELLE MORRISON is in a category of her own. She created the photobooth backdrop and helped devise this years greatly-improved photobooth process. She was the overseer of all decorations, including the always-stunning main stage backdrops in both Expo and Crowne ballrooms as well as the late night rooms, the beautiful hand painted signs around camp, and more. She also ran the always-hopping consignment shop. Needless to say, shes probably a big reason you enjoyed the event! PRACTICE COACHES - Kerry Genese, Tara Weinstein, and Tanner Trotter made a team of great dancers and generous spirits who spent a lot of their extra time helping people who wanted help on their dancing, or simply dancing with them. Its the friendly work of good people like this all through our staff that make those small differences in campers experiences that add up to having a great time! SAFE SPACES CREW - A lot of people contributed to helping craft our new code of conduct, and even more people stepped up to help implement it by listening to campers who were having problems, or who just needed to talk. The event is very grateful to everyone who took on this sensitive role, and helped us START the process of learning how to create an event where grown ups can party and have a good time while staying safe and respectful! LATE NIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS - This years informal late night comps were simple, smooth, and fun, just as they should be! Competition Coordinator Scott Angelius worked closely with Bobby White and Michael Gamble to refine this years format and implement it with the help of the judges, who signed on to help despite sometimes having early classes. Thanks, guys! TRACK PLACEMENT TEAM - This is a big group with a big task, and were very proud of them for helping process and place hundreds and hundreds of students for this years camp. In addition to the instructor judges, Sosh Howell, Jon Tigert, Beccy Aldrich, Nicole Zuckerman, Carl Nelson, and Angie Sabin spent countless hours helping people to find the right track. This is one of those sensitive jobs that requires the right mix of dance talent, event logistics, and people skills, and were super thankful to this awesome team for hitting this task with everything theyve got! Rebecca Strickland also plays a key role in making this system work, in addition to being an absolutely essential contributor to other very complex procedures such as the photobooth number system and late night comp logistics! STAFF TRANSPORT AND HOSPITALITY - So, with all these people working the event, who takes care of *them*?? The answer is: a huge team that is a department in-and-of itself. Staff Chef EVA MILLWOOD is on the front line in the battle to get nutrients into everyones bellies and keep their engines running pretty much 24-7. An impossible job, but somehow she does it. Probably has something to do with the fabulous kitchen crew, which consists of Melissa Murphy, Jesse Young, Tamara Grayson, Moya Hallstein, and Cynthia Finnemore Simonds (and Sherwood!), frankly some of the hardest working people weve ever known. Staff transportation was headed up by Lindsay Longstreth and Elena Valencia, who are such awesome people they were willing to spend a significant percentage of the event behind the wheel instead of with their dance shoes on. Such a key job. Also, double thanks to this duo for essentially being the staff concierge, helping them find all sorts of things they didnt know they needed ahead of time. Its no secret that the FLOOR CREW is one of the tightest operations at camp, setting up (and breaking down) thousands of square feet of floor, even rearranging it at times during camp to best serve the needs of the moment. Did you notice that? Probably not, because theyre awesome and stealthy like that. Thanks, BRUCE BRYANT and BRANDI FERREBEE, for heading this up! Closely related is the almost invisible work done by BALLROOM MANAGERS Ken Heil, Daphna Harel, Cari Westbrook, and Bethany Palma, who manage critical details such as when the doors open, when to set temperature, and determining the right temperature, how the chairs and tables need to be arranged for a particular night, and much, much more. Along with the clean up crew, they make sure these rooms are ready for dances, classes, and everything in between. YOUR LINDY FOCUS HOSTS - Master of Ceremonies Bobby White did a brilliant job of being the central hub of communication between the camp and its campers. His introductions to the band each night gave us chills of historical, geeky pleasure, and his knowledge of whats going on at the event at any given time was second to none. Your meeting hosts Kevin St. Laurent and Mikey Pedroza were responsible for turning this swing dance camp into a late night variety show for 30 minutes a night, entertaining everyone with a break from the normal event routine. Their work, from video pranks to contest giveaways to performer interviews takes an enormous amount of preparation, and we appreciate the countless hours they put into this! AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTION CREW - If you didnt realize, these people are on deck for the entirety of every dance, doing nothing but making sure everything weve planned is going smoothly. This is a top team of technical experts that the event could absolutely never live without, so we wanted to take a minute to acknowledge each person. MICHAEL CANCIENNE aka NOOGA was at the center of the storm, our Production Director. With incredible calmness and focus he did an amount and quality of work that would probably add up to ten people if we didnt have him, each at the top of their field. Hes also often the first to arrive at the event and last to leave, making sure every detail is covered. Team Nooga is simply the best there is. Working with him were: Floor and Lighting Director Bruce Bryant, a master of technology and logistics that regularly pulls off miracles. Sound Engineer Michael Strickland who by now probably knows more about running live sound for swing and early jazz bands than anyone out there. Diana Smith has been our lighting director for years, and while you dont often think about the work that goes into great lightening, if youve even once had that magical feeling of stepping into another world during the event, of being completely swept up in the moment, you can give her a lot of the credit! Finally, Audio Technicians Gerald Wert and Tim Korkuc, along with a crew of dedicated helpers (the two Matthews, Tex, and Tom!), navigated a lot of the technical needs of camp, including support with live sound and some seriously save-the-day level problem solving! Thats of course not everyone -- weve also got a veritable army of workers and volunteers that help with both large-scale execution and tiny details of the event. These people are the glue that fill in the cracks, making the whole structure sound. Without you taking time away from your enjoyment of the event, everything would fall apart. Lindy Focus thanks this enormous crew, indeed this family, for bringing their A-GAME, again and again, helping this event reach heights we never dreamed of. We humbly dedicate our success to you, and wish you the happiest of New Years. Sincerely, Michael, Jaya, and Sosh