Re: US Open...WOW

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
ChristoFunk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>... the decision to take it up to San Jose was very difficult,...

The San Jose Civic Auditorium is a very nice venue for large dance
events.  It has also been used by the local USABDA chapter for regional
ballroom competitions, and also, many years ago, for large county-wide
square dance weekends.  But the floor the US Open brought to this venue
deserves the highest marks.

>I did, however, use that decision to my advantage which is why I had
>the type of "theatrical" performance that I did, which was designed
>for the aerial view of the second floor.

I was high in the balcony, and from that angle the geometric movements
of this performance were quite spectacular.  Too bad the judges didn't
get to see a high angle perspective in addition to their front view.

For the other competitions, the view from the high balcony may be 
unobstructed, but pretty far away.  It was hard to see fine technical
dance details at that distance, and my second-guessing of the judges
was much farther off the mark than usual at this event.  Next year,
if the US Open is at the same venue, I'll bring binoculars.

I haven't been to a US Open in somewhere around 8 or 9 years, so my
comparison is over a very wide time span.  But my impression is that
there was less afternoon and early evening social dancing (a few other
dancers who had attended more recent US Opens concurred), and there
seemed to be less dance workshops offered this year than I remembered
from many years back.


IMHO. YMMV.
-- 
Ron Nicholson   rhn AT nicholson DOT com   http://www.nicholson.com/rhn/ 
#include <canonical.disclaimer>        // only my own opinions, etc.