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Happy Birthday To Us! Limerick in Line The Fab four Hot off the press Charlie Puth Michael English Rising Country Stars March 2016 We're currently wishing the weeks away here at Dance Crazy as the countdown is most definitely ON for our annual SPAIN WEEK! This is our 14th year running the event on the Costa Del Sol and it's safe to say this will be our biggest one yet. Having spent the last few months promoting our local choreographers and their great dances, it's nice to get some time to spend writing some new stuff myself for the workshops in Torremolinos. Also this month we are celebrating an incredible 17 years on the dance floor with our club! I have to say writing the article about the club proved really difficult, it's so hard to try and explain what my students & our club means to me. How do you put 17 years into a few paragraphs! What is a lot easier to do is to throw a party, and I hope many of you will come and join us in May as we celebrate our anniversary in style. I have also given the magazine it's own Facebook page which can be found HERE. Please add your dancing friends to it so they know where to find it and as always get involved! Finally, I would like to thank most sincerely everyone that attended our support day on Sunday March 20th. What an incredible day with incredible people who answered our call for help and turned up in droves. Almost 4000 euro raised was just phenomenal! Thank you all so very much. Xx michael@inline.ie www.inline.ie Limerick in Line Dance Crazy Magazine Growing from strength to strength year on year, preparations are currently in progress for this years road trip to Limerick. Another date for the diary this year is the eagerly awaited trip to Limerick. Pencil it in for August the 6th. It's a change of venue this time around for Marie & Gary to the Greenhills Hotel, just 3kms from Limerick City. This will be their forth year running the event and it just keeps getting bigger & better each time. The day starts with workshops from both hosts and an evening of dancing and fun on the dance floor, with the usual sprinkling of shinanigans, impromptu demos and lots of laughs that always accompanies the trip to Limerick and a night on the tiles there - usually well into the very early hours of the morning! Bookings can be made directly to the hotel on 061 453033 and quote 'Limerick in Line' to avail of the special rates for the event. Road trip The fab Four Well, another month, another lot of line dancing to get to. Decisions, decisions - where to next...!! March started off with our annual Line Dance Marathon on Saturday, 5th March organised by Mary Shannon. This year the marathon was right on our doorstep. Just a stones throw from home!! How lucky was that. No need to stay over - or so we thought...!! We had such a hard dilemma deciding where to set up our "bar"for the day/night as we wouldn't have a bedroom to stay in. We had plenty of offers from our alcoholic friends, but none from our tea-total friends...!!! So that was it - we had to stay over in the hotel. We always look forward to the marathon, but this year it was a bit sad because we lost our dear friend Betty Sutton in January. She was such a great help at the marathons for so many years. She will be sorely missed by so many, especially the Fab Four. But I am sure she was there in spirit - she wouldn't miss it!! And Mary honoured Betty with a minutes silence before the marathon. The Marathon started at 12 noon, and a great crowd of cowgirls and cowboys were there to take the floor. On the floor, off the floor, on the floor, off the floor..... and on and on it went until lunch time. First group went on first lunch. We were on second lunch (supposed to be two from each team on each lunch to keep the dancing going - but of course we managed to swop our lunches around so we could all go together). And after lunch we had the added bonus of an ice cream - courtesy of our lovely Tony (and hugs Mena)!! Delicious!! Back into dancing for the rest of the day - at which stage the "bar" was also open (its 5 o'clock somewhere....). And all too soon it was nearly 8 o'clock and the final dance of the Marathon - God Bless Texas!! On the floor everyone!! Well, almost everyone - two of the Fab Four (and I'm not saying which two...) can't stand the dance and just HAD to go to the bathroom at that very moment. Weak bladders at their age!! But it was a great day - and we managed to raise around €10,000 altogether (still waiting on the final figure...) Back to the bedroom. We had brought sandwiches for our tea - ham, cheese and of course the obligatory egg ones, washed down with a cup of tea, followed by fruit, and finished off with a wee drink!! Then return to the hall to dance the night away!! Michael O'Shea was in flying form - as usual. He is definitely one of the best DJs/teachers/dancers around. He even joined us on the dance floor for a few dances. But nobody could beat Daniel's twirling on the dance floor which was a pleasure to watch but was making us all dizzy!! On we danced into the early hours - and I do mean early. At 2 a.m. the remaining sandwiches appeared - nothing like at egg sandwich with crisps at that time of the morning!! By 4 a.m. we had to stop - not that we wanted to stop!! Some of us then went to bed at 4.30 - and some arrive back to the bedroom at 6 a.m........!! Probably the last to leave....??!! The next morning arrived all to soon and we had to pack to go home. But one of us lost their keys........ everyone searched and searched and even searched again but the keys had done a disappearing act!! Panic!! But thankfully they turned up two days later. But it was a great day and night - and all for a worthy cause where we got to meet friends from all over Ireland - Cork, Waterford, Wicklow, Wexford, Dublin, Westmeath, Kildare, Carlow, Shannon, Kilkenny, Sligo - and a few other places that we have yet to visit!! Roll on next year. Our next adventure was to the event Together @ Toughers, hosted by Sharon Kelly and Gary O'Reilly, on the 18th March. Who is driving to this one?? Tina drew the short straw as she had training on the Saturday, so couldn't drink. Yay, said the rest of them!! But we have to be there early, cos it starts at 8 p.m. and it will be a big crowd - need to get good seats!! So, pick ups early. Driver - on time. First pick up - on time. We get to Patsy's house and nope - she's not quite ready. Ah well, passengers may as well have a drink while waiting!! And get their drink take-aways ready too!! Its ok - the driver is fine - no need to worry about her - she can just sit there and watch the rest of them....!! Eventually we are all ready - and the water bottles are all filled with very holy "water" for the journey. We got there just after 8 o'clock and the car park was packed - PACKED!!! Oh dear LORD - we are late (its only just gone 8 o'clock....) - run - R-U-NNNNNN!! Yeah - wait until we stop the car first...!! In we go, and already the place is buzzing!! Such a great crowd. But we got good seats and started to relax. Brilliant dancing all night. The floor in that hall is gorgeous to dance on. Three dances taught during the night too. Sadly dancing finished at 2 a.m. And then the joy of trying to get them all back to the car so we could get home at a reasonable hour.... But nooooo - too much holy water had been drunk and they were in flying form. Pictures!!! Pictures!! Come on, we need to get group shots, single pictures, you over there, you here, you get out of that picture!! No amount of shouting by Tina could get them moving any faster. But by 2.30 a.m. we were out of the place - and last to leave AGAIN!! We are always turning the lights out as we leave!! But it was worth it. They were still giddy in the car on the way home - aftermath of the holy water. Maybe in future we will make the car a "non drinking car"...... said none of the Fab Four EVER... !!! There were a few other events that unfortunately we couldn't make during March. Helen Conroy had a weekend in Waterford that seemed to be a great time, judging by all the photos and comments on Facebook. We also missed Maggie's Birthday Bash on the 4th March - but hopefully we will get there next year. Also apologies for not making it to all the club social nights and events around Ireland. Roll on April - we have Ray's weekend on the 1st and 2nd. Might not make both nights but definitely be there at some stage. Gary O'Reilly and Maggie G have a Celtic Connection weekend on the 15th to 17th April. There is a Charity Hoedown In aid of cancer support in Rystons in Newbridge on the 16th April. And also so many club socials during the month. But our biggest event in April will be our week in Torremolinos, Spain with Michael O'Shea and his gang from Cork. Sooooooo looking forward to that!! Still living on the fantastic memories from last year and can't wait to make new memories this year. We will need a few extra pages to write about that in the next magazine.....!! See you all on the dance floor somewhere!! Remember though, if we don't know about a dance event, don't expect to see us there!!! Hugs and kisses from the Fab Four, Anne-Marie, Bernie, Patsy and Tina xxxx Little did I know eighteen and a half years ago the huge changes that were about to happen to my life as I stood quietly at the door waiting eagerly to go into my first line dance class. I headed straight for back row and as I stood there, head down, I quietly waited for instructions. It was the first night of a brand new class in the GAA Club where I worked as the bar manager, and as it happened on a Wednesday night - my night off - I had decided to give it a bash. Thomas Cronin was the instructor at the time and many of the friends I made in that very first class are still friends and students to this day. They were & still are a fantastic bunch of people. Within 12 months I was teaching the class, the first dance I ever taught - Billy Be Bad - was delivered with a mixture of dread & great gusto!! A few months later & I started my own club - The Southern Hotshots. I'll always remember the big meeting we had in the bar lounge to decide on a name and spending the rest of the night christening it!! Bar meetings were about to happen a lot! From that initial class on a Wednesday night, we added a packed Saturday afternoon class & expanded to a third class in Kilbehenny, just outside Mitchelstown on a Thursday Night. The people that attended were some of the warmest, funniest, madest & friendliest people I've ever met and it absolutely fills me with pride when I think and talk about my gang. Down through the years they have been, loyal to a fault, welcoming to strangers beyond belief & supportive of everything we've done and anything dance related. They go everywhere & support everyone & do it with a smile on their faces and always with great humour. The wealth they have brought into my life is something I could never explain. I absolutely love them to bits! Joan & Noel of the Memphis Swingers ran a big weekend (The only one at the time) in the Glen Eagle in Killarney and it was with great anticipation & pride that I hauled 40 from my classes down the road to proudly show them off. By the time that weekend was over we knew everyone & everyone knew us!! They were fantastic weekends & we had struck up great friendships with so many people there. From tearing up the dance floor with new acquaintances, to dancing to Tommy's boombox with the Dublin & Wales gang in the night bar till breakfast time. Sleep was unheard of in Killarney!! It was through this weekend we became very close to the Southern Stompers, Clodagh's gang from Waterford. Within a few months Myself & Clodagh were running weekends in the Abbey Court Hotel in Nenagh, the only other Line dance weekend on the calendar besides killarney. They were fantastic weekends and the Cork & Waterford crowds were a match made in Heaven. We all have fantastic memories from every time we got together on those weekends. Around the same time I started doing a dance week in Spain. We were a young Club who lived for the dancing and the craic so another adventure was right up our ally! Torremolinos was ideal, it was safe and had everything we needed. I had holidayed there with friends for a few years and knew the hotel & area well. All these years later and we still look forward to Spain Week with the same enthusiasm & excitement. Choreography was something I got into very early on & from my first delivery of 'Trip the trigger' my gang have always supported my efforts with mostly enthusiasm & encouragement! Visiting Australia in 2001 and seeing my dance 'Lookin' like that' being danced in Michael Vera Lobos' (Patient Heart, Into the Arena) class is probably the proudest choreography moment for me. It blew my mind that my dance had travelled to Australia & the USA. Remember there was no videos, facebook or twitter that time!! Over 50 dances later & I still relish putting steps together to a piece of music I love. I love even more that it encouraged some of my students to get involved with choreography as well. Gary, Bernie, Elaine & Daniel have all choreographed their own dances and I couldn't be more proud of them. So here we are.. full forward all these years later and we're about to celebrate our 17th anniversary. The few photos I've included on the following pages don't even begin to cover the amazing times we've had, the incredible bonds that tie us or the lengths my gang will go to to get into mischief! & my life is all the richer for having them in it. Everything that's great about line dancing - the fun, camaraderie, the friendship and being there for each other, I am so fortunate to be able to say is the very best about my gang. They truly are fantastic ambassadors in every single way, and I couldn't possibly be more prouder of them. We now I believe, have the distinction of being the longest running club in Cork, a legacy I hope we continue to hold for many years to come. Catch you on the dance floor. Xx Dance Crazy 17 Years of Rising Country Stars - Randy Houser Dance Crazy MAGAZINE Prior to his recent sucess as a solo Artist, Shawn 'Randy' Houser was penning hit after hit as a songwriter for other artists such as Trace Adkins, Justin Moore & Jesse James. After the sucess of Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, a top 5 hit for Trace, Houser shifted his focus to performing & started playing at local gigs in Nashville. His first album rewarded him with his first top 10 hit, 2 CMA award nominations for New Artist and Video of the year for the albums second single release 'Boots On' More recently and just days before the much-anticipated march release of his fourth studio album, Fired Up, the “big-voiced and big-hearted” Randy Houser scored his fourth No. 1 hit with the album’s rollicking lead single, “We Went.” The song, which Rolling Stone Country notes “not only takes the singer on a wild adventure but also represents something of a new musical direction for him,” is one of 17 new tracks on Houser’s tour de force of an album, out via Stoney Creek Records. “This is just so cool to have our fourth number one the same week that our album is coming out,” said Houser. “It’s always humbling when you have a song that really connects like that, and I’m really looking forward to getting our new music out there and playing it live on the road this summer.” Super Summer Sizzler We're excited to launch our summer schedule this year with a gathering at another NEW venue for us here at Dance Crazy. The magnificent Ambassador Hotel in Cork hosts this years 'Super Summer Sizzler' An afternoon & evening of workshops, great food and a night of non stop dancing. 5 pm on Sunday June 12th sees the event kick off with a mini workshop - catering for Beginners to Advanced - with Michael & special guests to warm up the limbs and work up an appetite. Rest up your feet from 7pm with a break for a delicious light group dinner, catch ups & good conversation before we launch you all into an evening of floor fillers & hits to keep you on your toes. Fun spots & all the craic that comes with friends getting together on sunny summer days we're sure will add to a great day for everyone attending. Tickets available from sizzler@inline.ie. Dance Crazy Summer Schedule for 2016 JUNE JULY AUGUST Super Summer Sizzler Summer Night Circus Clonea - One Night Only Ambassador Hotel Kilbehenny Community Clonea Strand Hotel Cork City Center Dungarvan Sunday June 12th Saturday 23rd July Saturday 27th August. Charlie Puth 25 year old American singer, songwriter & producer Charlie Puth has certainly been heating up the dance floors this past year with the release of his debut single, the mega hit 'Marvin Gaye'. Featuring guest vocals from Meghan Trainor proved an absolute winner & the single has been certified double Platinum in Australia, topped the charts in New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Chart. He returned the favor by staring as her love interest in her video for 'Dear Future Husband' Charlie gained a huge following initially by posting his comedy sketches and acoustic covers to YouTube before going viral and landing himself a record deal - signed by none other than Ellen DeGeneres - but not before winning a full scholarship & graduating from Berkley college of music having majored in music production & engineering. He has since co wrote & produced with some of the biggest artists in the States such as Pitbull, Wiz Khalifa, Jason Derulo & Lil Wayne. And now he's back again packing the dance floors with the release of 2 new dances 'Save the day' as featured in last months edition and 'Dangerously' found in this months 'Hot off the press' section. Expect a lot more Puth inspired dances coming our way. Gets it on Leinster Ulster At the time of publishing, everyone around the Country has by now heard of the tragic events in Buncrana on Sunday March 20th, all but wiping out a close knit family & devastating the relatives, friends & communities involved. It is no surprise that Line dancers across the four provinces are ready & more than willing to help. Plans are already well in progress to help out in any way we can. At the beginning of may, 4 consecutive dance events will take place across Ireland - ONE EACH in Ulster, Munster, Leinster & Connacht to help raise funds in answer to the Appeal for the Daniels and McGrotty families. Full details of the events, location & dates will be released in next months magazine. Connacht Inter Provinces Fundraiser Munster Kildare native, Michael English is currently enjoying huge success across dance floors with an array of hits from his latest & past albums. Locklin's Bar - Big Blue Tree - Dance All Night & Jump to the rhythm to name a few, are going down well with dancers and are helping to fill up venues as he embarks on his UK & Scotland tour. Music & show business is a way of life for the English family, his father played accordion with an Irish trad band, who rehearsed at his home, while his mother an Irish dancer & two musician sisters meant he has always been surrounded by traditional Irish music & dancing. An accomplished piano player by the age of 9, at the tender age of 11 he bravely wrote to RTE to ask if he could appear on Gay Byrne's Late Late Show! Not surprisingly he was accepted and made his national debut before he'd even hit puberty. By the time he had reached his late teens, Michael was a seasoned professional in the music business. His father and mother would accompany him to dance-hall and ballroom venues throughout Ireland, watching and encouraging as their son followed a family tradition, Michael English was quickly becoming a household name. Having completed his classical training in music and went on to record an astonishing five albums, each one leaving a more memorable impression than the next. Touring extensively all over Ireland, the UK and the USA, the boy-wonder from Castledermot is most definitely living his dream. Dance Crazy MAGAZINE Michael English & His Band Country Weekend Ray and the Rodeo Cats host their 'Country & Oldies' weekend from at the beginning of next month, April 1st - 3rd in the Springhill Court Hotel in Kilkenny. Always a great weekend booking reservations can be made by contacting Dawn on 056 7721122. Country Dress Code if possible. Prize Crossword. Send answers to dancecrazyireland@gmail.com Click on the clues to ENLARGE Well do ya? Click on the dance name for the script. You light my fire Chor: Joe & Jerry - Ire 32 Count, 4 Wall, Beginner Level 'Cry of the Celts' by Ronan Hardiman. Chor: Valerie O'Shea - Ire 32 Count, 2 Wall Beginner Level 'You light my fire' Nate Reuss Celtic Horizon Chor: Kim Ray -UK 32 Count, 4 wall, Improver level 'Do You Love Me' by The Overtones A Love to Last Chor: Amy Glass - USA 32 Count, 4 Wall, Improver Level 'Stitches' by Shawn Mendes Chor: Ellen Reynaud - Ire 32 Count, Wall, Beginner Level 'That girl is a cowboy' by Garth Brooks Sometimes Stitches Chor: Frank Heelan - Ire 32 Count, 4 Wall, Improver level 'A love I think will last' by Niamh Lynn & Johnny Brady *Video added when available* Digital Age Chor: Niels Poulsen - Denmark 32 Count, 4 wall, Intermediate level 'Sorry' by Justin Beiber Chor: Simon Ward - AUS 32 Count, 4 wall, Intermediate Level 'What I Never Knew I Always Wanted' by Carrie Underwood Is it too late? Chor: Daniel, Roy & Jose - Nl 68 Count, 1 Wall, Phased Intermediate. 'Digital Age' by Phreefall ft Flemming I Never Knew Chor: Roy, Sebastiaan & Jose - Nl 32 Count, 4 Wall, Advanced Level 'Dangerously' by Charlie Puth Chor: Shane McKeever - N Ire Rachel McEneany - UK 64 Count, 2 Wall, Advanced level 'Whip It' by Lunchmoney Lewis Listen Dangerously Whip It Chor: Fred Whitehouse - Ire Guyton Mundy - USA 100 Count, 2 Wall, Advanced Level 'Listen' by David Gueta Last Months Crossword Answers. Congratulations to winner Ellmarie Kelleher. Across - 3. Workshops 6. Crystal Boots 7. Renegades 8. Cork 9. Fishing, Wishing, Kissing 11. Funky Down - 1.Memphis Swingers 2. Timber 4. Scooter Lee 5. Strip it down 8. Cahill 10. Winson Have a great month everyone, catch you on the dancefloor! We want to hear from YOU! Send us your interviews, reviews, class and event news, photos or anything you like! All contributions are most welcome. dancecrazyireland@gmail.com