Tale Of Two Cities

While we can get the month (and the new year) started at New Years Dance Camp, there is plenty of partying at that Palm Springs event, so we need something a little less celebratory (or, at least, less caloric) to get us back into "serious" post-holiday dance mode.

Fortunately, there are back-to-back WCS conventions in two California cities just two weeks after NYDC (which gives us enough time to chuck the empty champagne bottles and pack up the ornaments).  John Wheaton hosted the Monterey SwingFest on January 13th-16th, and Earl Pingel brought us Swing Diego just a week later (with only three days between them).  A number of enthusiastic SoCal dancers defied the concept of rational moderation and attended both.

The two conventions have much in common.  John and Earl are both committed for the long term, and they are both working hard to make each event better than the prior year's.  They have been quite successful in their efforts, too.  Attendance is growing at both events, and the "user experience" has continued to get better, too.

The conventions flowed smoothly, with no apparent major problems or schedule lags.  Event and contest registrations were easy and there were no noticable bottlenecks in getting around in either facility.

The Left Coast is one of the best places in the country to be during the cold months (or any other time, of course), and both conventions offered access to beaches and scenic ocean lookouts.

Both events took place during a fairly narrow break from an unusually heavy winter storm season, as if to remind us that God loves WCS dancers [  ;^)  ].  Nights were jacket-chilly, but the days brought sunshine and shirt-sleeve warmth.

And when we came back inside, we found beautiful ballrooms with truly excellent dance floors.  While the floors came from different vendors, they were both made by Master Dance Floors(tm) and were just right: smooth and "fast" [isn't that the name of a CW two step?].  And California weather may have been an attraction, but it was really the dancing that brought people from across the country and points further north.

As for the dancing, it was... well, dancing.  Good dancing.  In fact, great dancing, and lots of it.  Both events offered many hours of social dancing with plenty of good dancers.

The champions also gave us considerable inspiration both in their competitions and in open dancing.  There were quite a few special, breath-taking moments during the spotlight comps when every soul in the house was in some magical way a part of the competing couple's dance -- as if we could feel what they were feeling and they welcomed us in to take part.  What a wonderful experience; a casual observer might have missed it, concluding that there were only two people dancing rather than the hundreds who werer actually involved!

But SwingFest differs from SwingD in some ways, too.  John Wheaton's goal is to provide the best possible experience for social dancers.  While SwingFest offers a full program of ProAm, Jack&Jill, and Strictly Swing competitions [including and "A" Strictly Swing for All Stars and Champions and a Champions Jack & Jill, it also offers a more casual, relaxed atmosphere than there is at most dance conventions.

Perhaps that feeling comes from the idyllic Monterey setting, or from the beautiful grounds of the hotel.  Or -- just possibly -- it's from a magical dance aura that resides at the hotel.  Years ago, Annie Hirsch, the First Lady of WCS, used to drive there (it was the Del Monte then; now it's a Hyatt Regency) all the way from the central valley because it was the closest place to dance.  Go, Annie, Go!

Regardless of the inspiration, SwingFest was a fun weekend that was both inspiring and relaxing.  The best two quotes I heard there were:

• During the Champions Jack & Jill contest, the waiting leaders seated along the stage shouted "Five, six, seven, eight" at the start of Luis and Mary Ann's first song to help them find the music's rhythm [this pair had already won the Champions Strictly on the day before in an absolutely stunning performance, and they obviously didn't need any help from anyone]; and

• From an out-of-state friend when we danced just before one of her contests: "I'm nervous.  Tell me a dirty joke.  It'll make me feel better."  I did.

The other small flaw was most apparent during contests, especially those done in spotlight format.  The speakers were all in the front of the room, and the room was acoustically a plain rectangular box that lacked significant damping.  Unless the dance floor was filled, the sound in a certain frequency band [around 3-5 kHz] would bounce off the back wall and come back -- about 1/10th of a beat later.  If you were really locked onto the rhythm of the music, it felt a little like getting a little jab on the back of the head on each beat, only 1/10th of a beat behind it [More ibuprofen, anyone?].  Rearranging the speakers and/or adding acoustic damping to the room could eliminate this annoyance.

But both of these were only minor irritations, and I doubt that they actually caused the consumption of any ibuprofen.  SwingFest is a fun convention, and I'd go again in a heartbeat.  The foot count has been growing, and there were about 1400 feet this year [note: not surprisingly, the head count was only about half that amount].

As a bonus, John has hinted that he might also retain the smaller ballroom throughout the weekend and use it to offer new features like dances other than WCS, some additional contests, more social dances, or anything else he might cook up between now and next January.  I can't wait; I'm sure it will be wonderful.

Swing Diego is all about glamour.  Earl's philosophy has always been to get the champions to come, and let their presence draw everyone else.  It's working.  Even at the first SwingD [this year's was the fourth], there was an excellent turnout of WCS stars and some incredible dancing.  Joining NASDE has guaranteed that Earl's event will be a major stop on the pro tour schedule.

The number of top dancers has grown only slightly over the years, but Earl's formula is paying off in a big way.  The foot count has grown to over 1600 feet, and it will probably continue to rise as the event's reputation continues to grow within the WCS community.

The ballroom is huge, and there is obviously capacity to handle a much larger crowd.  Likewise, the hotel has a large number of rooms beyond those already used by the dancers.  While the rooms generally aren't as plush as those at some newer hotels, there is a slow but steady remodelling schedule, and I didn't hear a single room complaint [there were a few mutterings last year].

The sound and the lighting at Swing Diego were well beyond the standards for WCS conventions.  The video system was incredible, too; with four cameras and a "control room" [minus the soundproofing] off to one side.  In fact, if you ignored the overall atmosphere and focused on the equipment, the room looked like a television studio sound stage.

The tiered seating gave great views from nearly any seat in the house, and the competitions were fantastic.  The late night dancing was incredible and there was over twenty hours of it during the four day convention!  If you were local and didn't stay at the hotel, it paid to take along your sunglasses for the drive home.

Earl is also spending time in the WCS kitchen, cooking up ideas for improving next year's convention.  He also intends to start a brand new event this summer.  Like Swing Diego, it will be held at the Town and Country Hotel, but it will have a different focus.  There'll be only a few contests, and the main emphasis will be on some serious workshops, including a repeat of the well-received ten hour, two day Robert Royston workshop that Earl sponsored last year.  Watch for the announcements; you won't want to miss it.

So how were these two conventions, bottom line?  It was the best of times, and it was the best of times.  If you can manage it, don't choose between them -- go to both.  Rational moderation is overrated, anyway.