Hi, I’m Brian and I love country dancing! I am a single dad to 4 amazing adult kids and live in Fullerton, California. In 2016 I went through a divorce, and like many going through something like that, I was pretty devastated. In my journey toward recovering and moving on, a recurring theme I heard was that there’s hope! People talked about finding silver linings in things like this. Maybe you’ll do things and discover things you never would have before! Well, in 2017 some friends of mine invited me to go to a country bar where there was dancing. But this wasn’t just any country bar, this was the Ranch in Anaheim California! A very nice premier place for live music and country dancing. I joined them and had a really good time. And over time, even without my friends, I kept going just to sit, have a beer, and hang out. (better than being all alone at home). I wasn’t dancing immediately at all–that terrified me! But what I found was that just sitting and watching people dance was nice, even therapeutic. Something about just watching people dance was very cool. But you can’t be at a place like that too long before you try it out yourself. So began my journey into country dance. At first, it was line dancing, but then after a few lessons, I actually tried the two-step as well. There were some rather terrifying moments to that of course! But now, here 6 years later I have enjoyed many many nights of dancing. In that time I learned the basic Two Step, learned several partner dances, and now know close to 50 line dances and tried out hundreds. It has really become a very fun outlet and activity. A place for meeting new friends and enjoying some great nights of live music and dancing. Looking back, I would never have guessed I'd be so caught up with, of all things, dancing! But here I am, and I'm happy to have found it and all the things and people that surround it. And now to write about the discoveries and hopefully put out some interesting and helpful information about it is a bonus!
April Country Dancing News. Southern California & Texas.
Spring Has Sprung...
I love this time of the year! Spring has sprung! It's heating up and feels a little more like summer every day!
And it seems like (thankfully, with the Covid numbers falling) country dancing is heating up as well!
I hope you all are enjoying navigating some packed overcrowded dance floors wherever you are!
Last month I talked about an upcoming dance event: The Edge Dance Convention. Well, it happened! And it was amazing! It was a unique dance convention held out in Temecula. There were so many aspects to the weekend. So much value for the price of admission. Check out my full recap and round-up of the weekend!
The Edge Dance Event – A Unique Country Dance Convention Experience
The more I get involved with country dancing and line dancing, the more I've become aware of these kinds of conventions and workshops around the country. If you have a favorite please let me know!
There are a couple others similar events coming up in the west soon this summer:
Both happening July 22-24:
WWLA Wrangler Weekend, Los Angeles and...
The YESSS!! Dance Convention, Scottsdale AZ
Check them out!
More April Dancing News:
As many of you know, the Stagecoach Festival is at the end of the month. One thing cool about Stagecoach for dancers is that during the weekend there is a 12 hour dance party with nonstop DJs, dancing, performances and lessons!
Program Director Annemarie Dunn (Honky Tonk Team Captain) has quite a line up scheduled including:
Line Dance Instructors:
Kat Painter, Cindi Massengale, Christopher Gonzales, Jonno Liberman, Byran Roberson, and Alex Jung.
Country Swing Instructors:
Anthony & Rose Lewis & Performance Team
West Coast Swing Instructor:
Ben Morris & Performance Team
Country Two Step Instructor:
Rob Ingenthron & Performance Team
And also: The LA Wranglers & Moonshiners Performance Teams!
So, in addition to the great headlining country acts performing, some great country dancing opportunities as well! Get your pass and come dance!
New Blog Post!
Lastly, if you are in Texas I have a new list of best places for country dancing for you! A list of 12 venues etc. – the hot and happening places for country dancing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area!
12 Best Country Bars and Venues for Dancing in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area!
But where are YOU, my dancing friend? Where do you dance? Is there an amazing country dance hall and fun community of dancers we need to know about? Please let me know!
Also check out some other country dance venue lists!
Southern California
Nashville, TN
Chicago, IL
WRITERS NEEDED! Also, for my country dancing blog, I am also on the lookout to hire writers to help me put out some good, helpful content for the dance community!
So, looking for writers and even suggestions for the blog in general!
Thanks for reading!
Brian
Note: If you didn’t subscribe and are getting this its cause you already connected with me and I took the liberty to add you to my list! BUT let me know if you don’t want to be bugged. I get that! There’s always an unsubscribe option.
Country Dancing Tonight
I love country dancing and all things around it - line dancing two step, county music and a great honky tonk bar or dance hall.
Hi, I’m Brian and I love country dancing! I am a single dad to 4 amazing adult kids and live in Fullerton, California. In 2016 I went through a divorce, and like many going through something like that, I was pretty devastated. In my journey toward recovering and moving on, a recurring theme I heard was that there’s hope! People talked about finding silver linings in things like this. Maybe you’ll do things and discover things you never would have before! Well, in 2017 some friends of mine invited me to go to a country bar where there was dancing. But this wasn’t just any country bar, this was the Ranch in Anaheim California! A very nice premier place for live music and country dancing. I joined them and had a really good time. And over time, even without my friends, I kept going just to sit, have a beer, and hang out. (better than being all alone at home). I wasn’t dancing immediately at all–that terrified me! But what I found was that just sitting and watching people dance was nice, even therapeutic. Something about just watching people dance was very cool. But you can’t be at a place like that too long before you try it out yourself. So began my journey into country dance. At first, it was line dancing, but then after a few lessons, I actually tried the two-step as well. There were some rather terrifying moments to that of course! But now, here 6 years later I have enjoyed many many nights of dancing. In that time I learned the basic Two Step, learned several partner dances, and now know close to 50 line dances and tried out hundreds. It has really become a very fun outlet and activity. A place for meeting new friends and enjoying some great nights of live music and dancing. Looking back, I would never have guessed I'd be so caught up with, of all things, dancing! But here I am, and I'm happy to have found it and all the things and people that surround it. And now to write about the discoveries and hopefully put out some interesting and helpful information about it is a bonus!
Hello Country Dancers! Happy 2024! For the first email of 2024, I have a couple of things for you to check out on the blog! Two new articles on the blog! But also scroll down for some extras! February's Topics: 2024 Talent Search Dance Contest, Full California Round-Up! & Best Country Bars for Dancing in the United States. Dance Contests: Living in Southern California and being a country dancer, the beginning of the year always treats us to the awesome Word In Motion Talent Search Dance...
FALL 2023 Country Dancing NEWS! Howdy Y'all! For this month's email, I have four new articles on the blog and five dance instructor highlights! This email is packed full of great information! It's all about Footwear, Fear & Shivers! But also some news about Vegas Line Dancing as well! Also, and very importantly, a big thanks to all my subscribers, especially to all the new subscribers–all 142 of you! Fuego Dance Shoes: A Line Dance Game Changer? I have been super obsessed with the fairly new...
Summer 2023 Country Dancing in California, Arizona & Texas! I hope everyone is having a great summer! And especially a great summer of country dancing! For this month’s email, I am highlighting FOUR new articles on the blog! This is a long overdue email, but hopefully worth the wait, as I was collecting some new material to write & report about. The main thing I did this summer was a road trip through Texas. I had a great time checking out some of the best places to dance! If you live in...