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Lazy Boots Western Dancers Spring Fever Festival 2008 (23rd - 25th Apr 2008)
The weekend started on Friday as the 106 guests started to arrive at the St Audries Bay Holiday Club. After unloading into their accommodation most wandered into the ballroom to meet up with friends from around the country and have a little dance practice, Stuart had the disco going as usual. A few however, who shall remain nameless, settled into a bit of a drinking session in the Sundowners Bar, with exotic cocktails stacking up on the counter!! After dinner the festival started too get into full swing with our first live band of the evening, PERFECT STRANGERS. Stuart pointed out to the uninitiated that Perfect Strangers had on stage one of the modern wonders of music technology - a drummer!! The band played 3 superb sets of mainly classic country music, with Stuart filling in the gaps between the sets with dance requests and current favourites. The band really looked as if they were enjoying themselves, and the dancers certainly did, the floor was busy all night with both line and partner dancers managing to find dances for every song. On Saturday morning, Terry & Caroline French, our regular instructors at Lazy Boots festivals led the first dance instruction session of the weekend. They had decided to revive an old partner dance that had first been taught at St Audries Bay back in 2000 when the events were run by Colin & Bernice Caddick. The dance in question was called Teebo Shuffle choreographed by John & Gail Wood, a lovely dance to a great piece of music, 'Til Each Tear becomes A Rose' by Lorrie Morgan & the late Keith Whitley. The second instruction was a line dance from Jeff Mills, who, with his wife Thelma, were our guest instructors for the weekend. Jeff taught 'Crazy Foot Mambo' choreographed by Paul McAdam. This is a very popular linedance at the moment across the country, but it cost Jeff a fine for not using country music!!! In the afternoon we had 2 super sets of country music from DAVE PAISLEY, who had foregone watching his beloved Man U playing Chelsea, to entertain us on stage. It's OK Dave, you didn't miss much, they lost!!. Dave played loads of old country classics, many of which we could all sing along to, but most preferred to dance!! Dave also includes modern country in his et too and joked that he had recently learnt a Brad paisley song, partly because he has actually been introduced as Brad Paisley, but also in the hope that if he does some of Brad's songs, Brad will do some of Dave's (and give him a mention of course). So far it hasn't happened ...but one day maybe. Dave is a favourite of ours at Triple C Western Dance Club in Corsham, but this was the first time he had appeared at a Lazy Boots festival, it won't be the last. More dance instruction followed in the afternoon with Jeff & Thelma teaching their recent dance tonight. It was choreographed to an Amy MacDonald song, so another fine for Jeff!! But he did redeem himself with a country alternative (which is the music option that Stuart played later in the evening on the disco). The final dance instruction session of the day was from Terry again, and he taught a linedance to the popular David Ball song Mr Teardrop, which is very popular for the partner dancers. The linedance had in fact been written several years ago by John H Robinson, but it is only recently (last year) that the partner dance was choreographed by Diane Jackson. On Saturday evening we welcomed our final live band for the weekend and it was yet another totally live band, none other than the 2007/2008 Winners of the Southern Country Club Band of The Year Award - CAPRICORN. It was very quickly apparent why this quartet had won the award. The musicianship, vocal harmonies and general high quality was evident right from the start. From start to finish of each set was just pure excellence. These guys are great!! There were a number of people in the hall who had never seen Capricorn before, as the band tend not to travel very far north or east from their Hampshire/Dorset base. Perhaps that may change as a number of people took cards back to their home clubs, they might have to wait a while though, John and the boys are booked up way into next year!! All too soon the evening came to a close after 3 of the best sets of country music that we have had at any of our festivals. I think the dancers were pretty worn out too, by the time the band finished (just before midnight) as it was only about 1am when everyone had headed off to bed. Sunday morning brought the final dance instruction sessions. Jeff & Thelma unveiled another new dance called "Henry's" which they had choreographed to a track from Henry Smith's Country Dreams latest CD, called Wedding Bells'. So no fine this time for Jeff, he was using country music again, in fact both of the alternative tracks for the dance are also country music. The 3 different tracks gave different speed options for the dancers to try. Terry held the final dance instruction fo rthe weekend with a line dance called Marina Marina. The dance had been choreographed for a lady called Marina, on the occasion of her birthday by one of her friends. Both ladies are members of Terry & Caroline's dance class in Sidmouth. The dance was choreographed to 'Corinna Corinna, by Kalibre, hence the double-barreled title!! After a recap of each of the dances taught on Saturday, it was nearly time for lunch and the end of the weekend. There was a round of thanks from Ann & Stuart to all the people on the Lazy Boots Team who help make the events happen, Ken & Dorothy Harrison, Margaret White, Katy Holland and new team member this time, Andy Watts (Katy's fiance). Thanks and presentations were also made to Terry & Caroline and Jeff & Thelma for their teaching over the weekend. And finally thanks offered to the staff and management at St Audries bay who always provide outstanding support and service throughout the weekends of the Spring Fever and Halloween events. As usual we finished with 'Best of Friends' and 'Happy Trails' before heading down to the restaurant for Sunday lunch. A big THANK YOU to all of the guests who attended the weekend for being such good fun and in such a great 'let's enjoy ourselves' frame of mind from the word 'GO', it's a pleasure running these events for you. The booking form for next year will be online here soon, but we will be allowing those present this year about 4 weeks to send in their bookings before opening up to wider invitation.
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