Eva Marshall
For my first swing exchange of the year I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the very first Jurassic Bal exchange down in Canberra, and it was certainly one to remember. Travelling down with a number of my Brisbane friends; we started Fright Night with a bang. Dave and Squish hosted a beginner Shag class in the stunning Albert Hall, which served as an excellent warm up for the night. We enjoyed social dancing to the Andrew Dickesons Blue Rhythm Band, watching the teachers demonstration, giggling and laughing to our fabulous MC’s and their commentary of their discovery of Balboa dancers in their natural environment.
The Brisbane Bal Pals.
Saturday morning kicked off with an introductory talk by our international teachers: Albert and Nuess, then began the first workshops of the day. The workshops, held in the incredible Gorman Arts Centre, were such an amazing experience. The amount of knowledge that was brought to each of the classes was fantastic.
You would think that at the end of a 4 hour workshop day we would get to rest... THINK AGAIN! It was time for the Strictly and Mix ‘n’ Match preliminary competitions! Though I was not competing this year, I stayed to watch and cheer on my incredibly talented friends who found themselves in the finals! It was very inspiring to see how many talented dancers put their names out to compete as it can be very nerve wracking.
Now was the time for a brief rest, a bite to eat and a wardrobe change then we were off to the fabulous Louie Louie with Andrew Dickeson’s Blue Rhythm Band for just the beginning of Saturday night adventures.
The vibes were high, the buzz of competition was about and we even spotted some explorers coming through on their (inflatable) dinosaurs. The finals of the Mix ‘n’ Match and Strictly were held and HOO BOY there are some seriously talented dancers about. If you watch any videos of the comps, which you should, you should be able to hear me screaming in the background, ESPECIALLY when it was announced that not one, not two but THREE Brisbanites were donned with medals! HUGE congratulations to Dave and Rachel walking away with 1st in the Strictly, Dave with another 1st in the Mix n Match,
Rachel with a 2nd and Sarah with a 3rd in the Strictly (seriously impressive and her competition partner doesn’t even live in the same state)
Winner winner chicken dinner!
As it became late, you’d think we’d be finished after a whole day of workshops, competitions and social dancing? Heck no, a quick stroll from the venue and up to the Latin Dance Canberra and we were ready to take over with some late night Bal, a bit of sneaky Lindy Hop, sleepy chats on the couches and I even spotted a little solo jazz battle going on. While I didn’t last to the very end, it was a very fun and silly late night social.
This is an accurate depiction of how everyone felt at the late night.
Sunday morning... with sleepy eyes, sore feet and body I made my way back to the Gorman Arts Centre for the last day of workshops (the slightly later start was much appreciated). As soon as we started dancing any kind of soreness and tiredness disappeared as a morning of Pure Bal was just what the doctor ordered and was so incredibly enjoyable.
As the afternoon wound down we headed home for another much needed rest before making a grand Safari entrance (we Brisbanites do love a theme) back at the Arts Centre. As we entered the final night of safari inspired dance adventures with The Canberra Swing Collective we did discover one thing, it was going to be very hard to close the night and say goodbye.
Safari Sunday!
Couldn’t resist a photo op with Blue and the fabulous Jurassic Bal team.
What a weekend it was. One of the most welcoming and friendly exchanges I have attended and I cannot wait to attend next year.
A HUGE thank you and CONGRATULATIONS to Krystel, Squish and Luke, the volunteers, bands, DJ’s, teachers for making it such a memorable and enjoyable trip.