The Road To Here
01.30.11

It was not that long ago when we could depend on one or two dances a month in South Florida. Back then, we had a couple little party weekends and a couple events a year to look forward to if we had to stay within the state of Florida. I have a friend of mine who often referred to Florida as a desert; stretches of no West Coast Swing with the occasional oasis.
 
In those days, believe it or not, there were many resistant to change. I know others have stories to tell, but Beth and I went through a lot when we brought in national level instructors and traveled ourselves to learn all we could and bring back the best of that to share.
 
A different dance scene is starting to emerge. Our efforts, along side others who believed that progress could be achieved have brought a new era to dance in South Florida and elevated the level of dance across the state.
 
In South Florida, we have debates about too many dances. We have grown a strong group of dancers who regularly venture out into the rest of the country and not only compete, but win! We have other dancers strengthening and learning from the local talent and each other to become better dancers almost every day.
 
And, we are not alone! Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and other areas are pushing ahead as well. We've attracted talents from the national scene to move into some of our venues (In the dark ages, we were always worried about the good dancer leaving to find better dancing!)
 
The energy is never more apparent than at the numerous events that have been built across the state. From New Year's to Thanksgiving, we have a series of events in various stages of growth. We are proud of Miami Dance Magic and the quality that we have become known for, but look around the state and others have answered the call for more dancing in our state as well.
 
We used to think of ourselves as little fish in a little pond named Florida. We have grown and so has the level of our dancing. Around us, many of you have done the same. West Coast Swing in South Florida is changing. The state of Florida has more to offer and many new dancers embracing the dance that has taken the world by storm.
 
Change is good! Stick with it and help us create a great lake of dance here. The desert is losing and those who wish things would go back to the way it was are disappearing. At this rate, we will be seeing dancers from other areas coming to us to quench their thirst for WCS!