Searching for Dances

On the hunt are Dance Committee members Diana (chairperson), Claudia, and Shirley.

Judy Saks

Dances here, dances there, dances everywhere! In fact, the SaddleBrooke Line Dance Club currently has 80 active dances. Finding and approving new dances is an important task of our Dance Committee. But just where do all these fabulous line dances come from?

Like many things, the greatest source of information comes from the Internet. One that the committee uses extensively is CopperKnob. There is a wealth of information on this website, including contact information on choreographers, music, and tons and tons of step sheets. These are the step-by-step instructions on how to do a dance. Another website that is used is the World Line Dance Newsletter. Of course, we can always ask “Mr. Google” for the newest, hottest line dances, and all sorts of stuff will pop up.

Choreographers are usually happy to add dancers to their mailing lists. I’m told that two in particular, Maggie Gallagher and Kim Ray, keep the committee up-to-date on their newest dances. YouTube is another fabulous source for our committee, and the members will “subscribe” to their favorite instructors/groups.

Other places where new dances are introduced are hosted workshops in the Tucson and greater Phoenix area. In Tucson, one that our club members have attended is at Rincon, an active adult mobile home community. Fellow line dancers are invited to come to their facility to share/learn dances. It is a one-day workshop with a nominal charge. Another workshop attended by club members is the Desert Dance workshop. This is held in a Mesa active adult community ballroom and showcases renowned choreographers who teach and promote their own dances. This workshop can last for several days to a week.

Recently, we had a new dance brought to the club by one of our newer members. She learned it at one of the dance festivals in Mesa and liked it so much that she asked the choreographer about the music and the step sheet. She brought it to the Dance Committee for consideration, and it was approved and is now one of our newest dances!

In order to keep things fresh and current, older dances must drop off of the active list and new dances get added. Now you know some of the many ways the new dances are found, and all thanks to our wonderful Dance Committee. This committee has many other tasks in their job description, and those will be discussed in a future article.

Would you like more information? Check out our website www.sbldc.weebly.com or email our vice president Sandy Gianotti at [email protected]. Members enjoy a flexible choice of line dance lessons and workshop sessions with no pre-booking required. Club dues are just $10 per year. Line dancing is so much fun!