Eastside Stomp, Suzie Q's, and the Rocket Butts. Other than work, that's what consumes all of my time and I'm not complaining! Along with that come's lots of shenanigans and weird photos. And we're getting weirder all the time. It's great.
I honestly don't have much else to say right this moment, so enjoy the photo dump!
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I tried to get a normal photo with my new jumpsuit, but I don't think these guys know how to do "normal". ;)
Pre performance shenanigans.
This past Friday I was tired and wanted to go home, but these people surrounded me and wouldn't let me leave, so I did the next best thing.
Sunday practice schenanagans.
Kaleb got the new iPhone XS. Gotta break in that new camera with my classic pose.
Unexplainable things happen at Mox.
This is what happens when Katie isn't around: all of our water glasses are empty
I couldn't dance any more because my legs were killing me (I went bowling the day before and I was really feeling it on Friday), so Katie helped me out.
Kaleb's foot vs my foot. There's a little bit of a size difference....
This is one of my favorite photos ever.
Instant photos with the Rocket Butts is always a good idea.
Eastside with these people is kinda the best.
Karen had the wonderful idea of welcoming Katie back from Paris with mustaches and French accents.
Dancing with Blary
Power pose.
I don't know how I get my face to do these things, they just happen.
If you would've told me at the beginning of this year that I was going to go to Camp Hollywood, I would've thought you were crazy. It's not that I didn't want to go, Camp Hollywood has been at the top of my to-do list since I started dancing two years ago, but that I was still looking for a full time job and couldn't make it work financially. Then I had the opportunity to earn some extra cash doing some photography, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the money: make my dreams come true and go to Camp Hollywood.
So this is the story of my adventures in LA last weekend, at not only my first CH, but my first time flying to a dance event. History in the making, folks.
Friday
After much anticipation, the time had finally come. It was time to travel to Los Angeles! My flight at Sea-Tac left at 4:05 and went really smoothly, and despite some delays before takeoff, we still landed within a few minutes of our original estimated arrival time. Once at LAX, I found the hotel shuttle and finally made it to the Marriott.
Now, all morning it didn't feel like it was actually the weekend I'd been looking forward to for so long, but once I stepped inside the hotel lobby I started getting really excited and giddy. All of my roommates (Shalimar, Rebecca, and Lexi) drove from various SoCal areas and most of us arrived at the same time. It was great getting to meet them all in person after chatting with them online about logistics leading up to the event. While checking in we had to upgrade to a pool view, as they didn't have any regular rooms left with double beds.
We made our way to the room and were in love with the balcony view! Definitely something I'd do again next year. I did some unpacking and changed for the evening before heading downstairs to register and start dancing the weekend away. We got a little lost figuring out how to get downstairs, but thankfully we ran into someone who knew exactly where he was going and before we knew it we were at the registration desk.
A daytime shot of our balcony view
The Dance
I was really excited for the band the first night, Mint Julep Jazz Band, as I love listening to their music, but had never heard them in person before. It turned out to be just as wonderful as I imagined! There was a lot of good dancing to be had to the wonderful band. That's something that actually surprised me, how I had so many good dances right out of the gate. It definitely got the weekend of to a smashing start.
All of Friday night was honestly a bit like a dream, as it almost didn't seem real that I was actually there after wanting to be there for so long! I also had no idea how big the main ballroom actually was and that there were three (very full) dance floors.
That night there were two competitions, Open Team and Solo Team. There were a lot of good performances, but those open team performances in particular. Oh my goodness. So crazy good!
At about 2am I decided to call it a night. Since there was no late night band and I was a bit tired from traveling, I thought I'd be the best night to get as much rest as possible to enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Saturday
My Saturday morning/afternoon was one of the most chill times of the whole weekend. There's a Trader Joe's just a couple of miles away from the Marriott, so Shalimar drove us there to pick up some essentials for the weekend. Not sure I could survive all that dancing without some fresh fruit, especially some bananas! When we got back it was lunch time, so I grabbed my salad and enjoyed it out at the pool before going for a nice relaxing swim. Most people where still in classes, so there was lots of space to chill.
Afterwards I headed to the vendor rooms to check out some of the awesome items the different companies had. I ended up getting this beautiful red flower clip. Having red accessories has become a thing of mine and I didn't have any flower ones, so this piece was perfect to add to my collection!
That afternoon was some of the lindy and shag prelims. It was so surreal to watch the events and some of my favorite dancers in person for the first time! There's definitely an energy that you can't fully appreciate unless you're there. One of my favorite parts was watching Nils and Bianca. I love their partnership and the goofiness in their style. One of my favorite parts was when Bianca started hopping at the beginning of a song and Nils joined in. So fun!
For dinner Rebecca and I went to Hangar 18, one of the dining options in the hotel. They have gluten-free bread, so I got this delicious grilled chicken sandwich. Really good and super filling. It was really nice to chat with Rebecca and get to know each other better and find out how she was enjoying her first Camp Hollywood experience as well. She was taking classes, so it was great hearing what she thought of them. I was glad we ate a couple hours before the dance started though, because I was stuffed afterwards!
The Dances
The Saturday night dance featured the Jonathan Stout Orchestra and oh. my. goodness. So incredibly amazing! I got in and danced a bit, but all the dance floors were so stinking packed that it was a little claustrophobic. That just gave me a good excuse to go out in the halls, hydrate, socialize, and guzzle some Airborne. Gotta keep healthy somehow.
The theme that night was The Flintstones and there was a dancing t-rex throughout the dance floor! People had a lot of fun watching and filming the dancing dino who could do lindy, bal, and shag. That's one talented t-rex!
Near the end of the main band I had some really great solo jazz moments. I feel like this weekend I really had a breakthrough with it, as I'm feeling a lot more confident and able to make it through whole songs a lot easier. The music was leaving me so inspired and everything just felt sooooo good!
The late night band was The Grand Slam Sextet and they were fantastic. Crazy amazing to watch and listen to! The Saturday late night was probably one of my favorite sets of dancing. The music was so freaking amazing and I was really able to connect with people on the dance floor.
Around 4:15 I decided to call it a night, but that quickly changed on my way to the escalator. Camp Hollywood is known for having late night jazz jams in the hallway and they're definitely a magical experience that pulls you in and makes you never want to leave. It was a great listening and dancing and it got even better when Chester joined the jam and also did a tap solo! Right after the jam started playing Shake that Thing and Chester got everyone up off the floor to join in. Definitely one of my favorite moments! I didn't make it to bed until 5:30am and it was totally worth it.
Sunday
I didn't sleep the best and woke up earlier than I would have liked, but once noon rolled around I finally decided to get up, then Lexi and I went down to the hot tub. That thing was crazy hot! I was never able to go in more than my knees, but there were some brave souls who braved the heat. My hat's off to you folks!
Lexi only stayed for an hour or so, as she had to do a volunteer shift, but little did I know I'd end up spending five hours and meeting a bunch of new friends. Since I was there so long, there were a lot of people that came through that afternoon and I ended up meeting people from all across the world. It was also great getting to hang with Jamee, who I met at Camp Jitterbug earlier this year. There's no shortage of goofiness to be had with him!
The Dances
Saturday night we had the pleasure of dancing to the Jonathan Stout Orchestra once again. Not gonna complain about that! At this point though, details are a blur. I know I danced. I know fun stuff happened. But details? Nah, I don't got those. I do remember having a great shag dance with Mike and getting to chat with Kendall while we ate some snacks, but that's about it.
The funny thing is, before the dances every evening I'd be thinking to myself "I'm know I'm young, but I'm too old for this! I'm not sure if I'll make it through all the band sets tonight...". But somehow, once I start dancing the energy seems to kick in and I stay up way later. Dance adrenaline be real.
The Open Lindy Finals were this night and oh. my. gosh. They were insane on so many levels. The energy in the room when they all started swinging out in the all-skate blew my mind. I literally started tearing up near the end. Experiencing a comp of that level in person will knock your socks off.
Something during the whole weekend that I wasn't expecting was getting a lot of complements on my swing outs, which was really kind of people. Personally I like to have a lot of fun with swing outs, goofing off and doing fun variations. Something I've never thought much about was how I usually stick my free hand up really high, but apparently people notice as when I met one guy he asked if I was the girl doing swing outs with my arm up. These may seem like little things, but I've been thinking a lot about my personal style and if what I'm trying to portray come across the way I intend, so all the feedback made me feel good about how my style is developing.
The late night music that night was Josh Collazo's band, Candy Jacket Jazz Band. The late night was great. The music was awesome and there was more space to you know, actually dance.
Once again I got sucked into that magical jazz jam in the hallway. Nothing new here. It was wonderful though and they kept playing a bunch of my favorite songs, so I was super happy! I ended up in bed around 4:45am.
Monday
At a way to early 8:30am, the fire alarm in the hotel went off. I was pretty much in a dazed state, trying to figure out what was happening, but then they finally turned it off. Unfortunately I had a really bad headache that night and all the noise definitely didn't help. I took some pain killers and went to "sleep" till 11am-ish, but even then my head was in a lot of pain. We all packed up, since my roommates were checking out that afternoon. When you're just moving rooms, packing becomes a game of stuff everything in your backs as quickly as possible! I put on my swimsuit, gave my bags to the hotel until I could check into my new room, and spent some time at the hot tub.
At 12:30pm the pool party officially started with music from Dave Stuckey and the Three Castaways. This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend, just soaking in the sun, dancing by the pool, and chatting with friends. And speaking of sun, I will also take this time to advice you, my dear friends, to not underestimate the power of the sun. Always remember to REAPPLY YOUR SUNSCREEN so you don't end up bright pink like myself. I put some on when I first went out, but obviously that's not good enough. I've learned my lesson for next time.
Because why not floss to a swing band!
After the band ended, I checked in to my new room, took a quick shower, and headed downstairs. There were a lot of finals going on that afternoon, plus the awards ceremony afterwards. All of the finals were really fun to watch, especially when people would goof off as they were coming out of their spotlights.
The Dance
Our final band for the weekend was Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenades, one one of my favorites! Since a lot of people had already left, the dance floor wasn't nearly as packed as the previous nights. Watching the shag prelims and finals was super fun and inspiring and Kendall got 2nd Place! So proud of her. I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to collegiate shag, but I aspire to be as awesome as all those dancers someday!
Per tradition, my evening ended in the hallway at the jazz jam. Definitely the best way to end the wonderful weekend. After enjoying the music and dancing for a bit, I hit the hay at about 3am. So early, I know.
Tuesday
The sad part of the trip: When we pack our bags, check out of the Marriott, and head to the airport. When I was at the airport going through security I look up and see James, then realize Mike's there too. I was anticipating spending the afternoon by myself since my flight wasn't until 5:30pm, so getting to hang with Mike, Haily, and James was so much more fun!
Nah, we're not weird at all... ;)
And a few other random things that didn't fit anywhere else:
- The whole energy and atmosphere throughout the whole weekend was just insane. It's hard to really describe it, you just have to experience it to fully understand.
- It's totally possible to only bring a carry-on suitcase and backpack.
- I learned adding suzie q's to a partner dance is an easy way to have a lot of fun and impress your partner
- The combination of sleeping in a hotel + dance event = very low quality sleep
- Rebecca, Shalimar, and Lexi are awesome roommates
- Apparently I can go five days without washing my hair and it will still look fine
- I'm capable of staying up till 5:30am. Who knew.
- Getting a room with a pool view is totally worth it
- Remember to take more photos with people next year. I won't regret it.
- There's a bunch more videos from the weekend in this playlist
To say my first Camp Hollywood experience was magical would be an understatement. I danced my heart out till the wee hours of the morning to the most amazing bands (seriously, they were incredible), enjoyed lots of pool time, and saw some incredible competitions. But the best part? All of the people. Getting to have fun and goof off with friends new and old made for one wonderful weekend. You guys are the best. <3
When there's at least two of us in a room you'll find anything from us making strange faces at each other while dancing to velociraptor calls. At this point I can't even count how many times we've cracked up because of nothing significant. We're definitely a tight-knit group and all really close. It's really great because no matter what dance I go to, there's always a few of us to be weird and have fun with. I love you all.
Post Sunday practice selfies are a must.
Just an average night post-practice.
After our first performance.
When the Syncopators AND the Rocket Butts have a party, you know you're in for a good time.
