This year’s Ft. Wayne Dance For All line dance convention was a huge success on so many levels. From the classes to the contests to the crazy fun we had, we all came home exhausted but with hearts full of joy. To share the memories and good times with you, we’ve created this recap with some photos and videos of the event. Enjoy!
Thursday
The event officially kicked off Thursday evening with an open dance in the large ballroom for those who could make it down early. This ballroom boasts a floor that is 55 ft by 100 ft, or 5500 sq ft total.
You can see they project the names of the next three songs on the request list up on the far wall so we know what’s coming up next. We had plenty of room to dance on Thursday night, but by Friday, this HUGE floor will be packed.
Friday
Classes started bright and early Friday morning, with options for beginners, improvers, intermediate dancers, partner dancing and many other dance styles and genres to choose from. Here’s a look at the lineup of classes we had to choose from on Friday.
We all went our separate ways and had a full day of dance classes. We met up later for a group shot of everyone who’d made it down for the Friday festivities.
Friday Night
We kicked off the open dance in the smaller ballroom on Friday night. After an amazing day of classes, we were ready to cut loose on the dance floor.
We tried so hard to be responsible adults on Friday night. We knew we shouldn’t stay too late on the dance floor because we had class at 9 am on Saturday morning. But it’s just so hard when they are playing your favorite tunes!
The crowd was starting to thin, and we had decided to head off to bed. But when “Pretty Girl Era” came on, Chad and Chris had to dance just one more song before we could leave. (The irony that the guys wanted to dance to Pretty Girl Era was not lost on us.) After a short while, more of our Michiana Country Kickers joined in. Do you see anyone you know?
Saturday
Our very own Chris Highbaugh kicked off Saturday morning’s class lineup with a beginner/improver class teaching “Twenty-Two” and “Right Foot First.”
Despite the early hour the class was well attended with more than 100 people in the room. We filled the dance floor and a few rows spilled off onto the carpet too, but that’s okay. We had fun! Here’s proof.
Classes on Saturday were awesome, but a big focus of the day was the choreography competition. Teri and Chris Highbaugh entered their dance called “Posies & Ponies,” danced to “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” by Lainey Wilson. It’s a popular song, and the steps they choreographed fit perfectly to the music.
Choreographers are allowed to invite people to dance with them so some of the regulars at Chris & Teri’s classes and dance events showed up to serve as backup dancers in support.
Don’t worry, Teri’s outfit at the end of that video will make sense in just a minute.
Saturday Night
Every year, the Ft Wayne Dance For All convention chooses a theme. The decorations and the Saturday night show put on by our instructors revolve around that theme. This year, “It’s Electric” was all about celebrating the 80s, a decade with fun fashion, neon colors, and stellar music.
Our Michiana Country Kickers crew did not disappoint. They showed up in 80s style, with costumes that put smiles on all our faces.
The show that the instructors put on for us was very entertaining! Fun music, great dance moves, and some comedy sketches between songs. I wish I’d had a better angle so I could show you the whole show, but here’s what I could see from my seat in the big auditorium.
When the show was over, the DJs in both ballrooms cued up the music and started playing our favorite tunes. We spent most of the evening on the floor, dancing our hearts out, despite feet that ached from three days of dancing. We were determined to have as much fun as possible before the weekend was over.
As an instructor that day, Chris got to run through the songs he taught with the crowd in the ballroom, so they could practice what they’d learned in his class. In case you can’t tell, they loved his class and dancing to this song!
Before we wrapped up the evening, we ran out to the lobby to take a group photo. These are the Michiana Country Kickers that came to the convention (minus a few that we couldn’t locate at the time) as well as our friends from Sunset Coast Dancers and a few other dance groups in our area. They are all considered “family” in our line dance community.
Sunday
Our bodies were pretty tired by Sunday morning, but there was still more dancing to do. We wrapped up the convention with Chris Highbaugh’s class teaching Teri’s award winning choreography to “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” by Lainey Wilson. “Posies & Ponies” is the name of the dance. PS. Chris helped choreograph the last 4 counts. 🙂
If you love this song and want to learn the dance, you can find more information and videos online here.
Or come join the Michiana Country Kickers for fun classes, weekend workshops, and nights of dancing. There’s always room on the dance floor for YOU!
Lisa, this is amazing! You captured all the fun we had and all the dancing we did. Anyone that watches this has got to be thinking “wow I want to attend this next year!” Everything about Teri and Chris’s page is so professional! I love it! Great job.
Thanks Pam! I had fun watching all the videos and sorting the pictures to assemble it. 🙂
Thank you Lisa and Chad for the beautiful memories of such a fun weekend. You did a great job on it all. Looking forward to dancing our new dances at the BK Club.
Teri so proud of you winning for your dance. You worked hard on it and is was so cool to see all of us there to not only witness it but to participate! Great job!
Looks like a great time 😉👍
Congratulations Teri
Great to see my son line dancing. What a good group of dancers, keep up the good work. Jean Mills, Niles, Mi