Liberty 2013 – Update #1
Great Thursday night dance last night! This, despite half the crowd roaring in the bar, watching the NBA Playoffs. Full floor from 8pm till we left at 2am – maybe 400 dancing, another 150 hanging around the tables.
Louis’ music! All night! All night djing meant he had time to “read” the floor, changing the mix to suit the ages/abilities/tastes of the crowd (instead of being forced to play fast and dirty – only one genre, or top hits.) This morning we heard Ed Freed complimenting Louis for not playing “all boom boom boom.” We’re thinking “funny – we would have liked more boomboomboom.” Which means Louis played a mix to satisfy boombooms and anti-boombooms equally. You can tell when it’s a good mix when most people are dancing, not sitting, like last night. Good dancing night!
Kyle and Sarah, and Sean and Courtney got stuck with a delayed flight – took 24 hours to make the five-hour trip from Cali. Ugh. Brandi just arrived this morning – came in on a red-eye. Also ugh. Lot of Frenchies came in Monday to play in New York and were all out dancing last night. I think DC has five tables this year! The entire city of DC is driving up today – looks like it’s going to be great weather for driving (last year we were in the midst of a thunderstorm – took some folks seven hours to make the three hour drive.)
This hotel (a Hyatt) is one mile from Rutgers University so there are a bazillion cool restaurants of any kind of food you’d want, clubs, shops, all sorts of stuff, all over the neighborhood.
All affordable! Since college students have no money. It’s fun here, cosmopolitan, colorful, young feeling, fun.
Hotel has a cool contemporary lobby and lobby bar, great upscale-ish breakfast buffet, nice restaurant, open sky-lit atrium areaon the lower floor, where John provides a free breakfast buffet each morning (how awesome is that!) and just beside this the ballroom, sort of grand ballroom “hotel size” (as opposed to “convention” size.) Plenty big enough for this event (at least has been so far – this event is getting bigger every year and may soon outgrow the room.)
(I think I posted a few pics of the hotel in the Liberty 2009 album, here.)
Here are more, with pics of the Show, routines, and other fun stuff, from Liberty 2011
And a few from last year: Liberty 2012
You’ll see pictures of the famous Liberty Opening Ceremonies “show” – which is always some great themed Broadway-esque, very New York routine; choreographed the day before by the team of pros present each year. As you’d expect, always clever, marvelous, and hilarious.
What will see tonight?! It’s a surprise every year.
It’s 3:30, people are arriving in hoardes, registration tables are hopping, private lessons taking place in the ballrooms on landings, anywhere there’s a bit of open marble or carpeted floor.
I love Fridays!
Tonight’s schedule:
Pro-Am Jack and Jills
Rising Star
Showcase
Pro Strictly
And a Pizza Party
My new favorite drink – Mojito with extra mint mushed in (I think it’s called “muddled?”). Pizza, Mojitos, and dancing!