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Summah Hummah up they-ya in Baaston. It has now come and gone. WHAT a fun supah dupah fun weekend! Okay, so results first:

Novice/Intermediate Strictly (they were combined) had 43 couples in Prelims – danced all in one heat (or maybe two, can’t remember) in that circle format thing. So kinda hard for the judges, I’m guessing, Judges were Donna Roesel, Jen, Jessica, Rutz, and Stephanie Batista. (Maira Pineda was Chief Judge for the weekend).

16 Finalists:
Roberto Corporan and Sarah Richard
Jerome Fernandez and Emeline Rochefeuille (France!)
Jerome Louis and Quenna Wong
Mathew Smith and Shoshi Kushnir
Stanley Seguy and Laeticia Blanchet
Cory Wingt and Nathalie Fisher
Hrafnkell Palsson and Gudron Maria Jonsdotter (Iceland!)
Akil and Nicole Clonch (Juniors!)
Stephane Schneider and Linda Fratsa (France!)
Nicolas Besnier and Marine Fabre (France)
Phouvanh Meckhasinh (I have NO idea where this person is from but want to meet the man with a name that sounds like a hiccup followed by a sneeze) and Sheryl Williams
Brian Linacre and Mary Beth Lane
Neil Crosbie and Kim Brolet (Scotland!)
Mitch Marcello and Natalie Kuczma (France, I think)
Cameron Crook and Vivian Glucksmann-Weiss (a Junior and a not-Junior)
Steve Wilder and Emma Katzberg

and the winners were:

1st Jerome and Emmeline
2nd Roberto and Sarah
3rd Hrafnkell and Maria
4th Mathew and Shoshi
5th Akil and Nicole

Advanced/Allstar Strictly (also combined) had 35 couples in Prelims, also danced in the circle thing. Same judges (who by the way were all wearing 8″ spike heel strappy shoes or boots with skinny mini-skirts or leggings – making it hard for half of the audience – the ADD half – to pay attention to the dancers – Robert Royston, MC for the weekend, called them (at this point – he later caled them something else) the “Pussycat Dolls”): Jess, Rutz, Jen, Stephanie, Donna Roesel, and Maira.

Prelim couples:
Chris Lo and Heather
Alfred and Dana
Anne Fletcher and Dave Damon
Sascha and Alex Kosi-osi-in-come-free
Richard Smith and oops didn’t get who
Greg Scott and Erica Smith
Beverly Brunerie (14 years old and SO so good! Allez la France!) and Rome
Peter Fradley and oops
Willow and Ryan Crutcher
Julien (France!) (he wears pink underpants to match his pink shirt. Also striped underpants to match his striped shirt. “Underrrpents always mutch zeee shirt hahaha” he says. Allez la France!) and Merina (Russia!!)
Trey and Kelly Faust
Jody Moscaritolioliolio and Anna Lumsden
Rob Jackson and Sammie Fernandez
Either Stacy or Yenni – hard to tell – and Brian Faust
Either Stacy or Yenni and Doug Rousar
Genieboy and Laurie Shafer
Steven Hunt and Lisa Vivo
Billy and Chevy
Warren and Kelly Hull
Rob Glover and Jill Demarco
Joe Mahoney and Kay
Sean and Tori Ellington
Rebecca Ludwick and Kyle Patel
Heidi Batdorf and oops didn’t get it
Randy Payne and oops
Shelly Saxena and oops
Kim Filipo and Erik Novoa
Brandon Rasmussen and oops
Ed Francell and Tammy Greene
Julie Epplet and Dave Ranes
Marcus Schwartz and Jamie Beaver
JB and Abi Wood
Anne Fleming and Cuddy
Tiara and Chris

Finalists were:
Alfred and Dana
JB and Abi
Julien and Marina
Trey and Kelly
Brian and The Tall One
Rob and Sammie
Jody and Anna
Doug and The Short One
Ryan and Willow
Rome and Beverly
Jake and Yuna
Sean and Tori
1st Alt Steve and Lisa
2nd Alt Greg and Erica

And the winners were:
1st Doug and Yenni
2nd Sean and Tori
3rd Rob and Sammie
4th Jake and Yuna
5th Brian and The Tall One

So this is maybe 11pm-ish on Friday night – Summah Hummah shifting into high gear, the prior week is fading fading fading away in the rear-view mirror, it’s getting hot and exciting (and hot) in the ballroom, social dances in between comps are explosive crazy energy, floor and ballroom totally packed, everyone’s giddy, Royston’s on a roll, and now when the Pussycat Dolls come struttin’ onto the floor to judge Showcase and Champions Strictly he gives them new names: Bitchy, Sleazy, Catty, Seriously?, and Costly. Oh yeah and he mumbles that his name is Stupid for saying all that on the microphone and live TV.

More in a coupla minutes.

Love Liza

Showcase was next on Friday night. Judges were Pussycat Dolls with the addition of two very happy men: Jess, Jen, Rutz, Donna Roesel, Stephanie Batista, and Deborah Szekely … and Doug Rousar and Cordoba. (Chief Judge Maira Pineda).

1. Cody and Tracy Melin – same beautiful routine we’ve now seen for six months or so. Keeps getting better and better – smoother and more elegant. Tracy tells me this time they missed the first lift – frustrating for her (Cody is much more easy-going about mistakes – for him it’s about the process – performing, getting better and better over time.)

2. Greg and Lemery – same adorable “Westie High School” (to John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane”) – but now much harder, harder lifts, more complex.

3. Myles and Tessa – I *love* the song (“Black Crowes “She Talks To Angels”), and I love Tessa’s head and neck – so flexible! – flinging and swirling her gorgeous head of hair at exactly the right moments. I love Tessa’s lines.

4. Robert and Nicola – And OH MAN they are looking good! This routine changed dramatically as of two weeks ago at Swing Fling – so much that we almost didn’t recognize it, or them. They’re dancing it hard and fierce, with accelerations and decelerations that gave me goose bumps.  No conservative easing into lifts or drops – Nicola flies into Robert’s arms – the trust (and skill) is scary and exciting. Love the beginning – Nicola posed like a goddess up on his shoulders. She’s gorgeous.

And the winners were:

1st Robert and Nicola
2nd Myles and Tessa
3rd Greg and Lemery
4th Cody and Tracy

Last comp of the night, Friday night: Champions Strictly! Tote-allll-lllyyyy FUNNNNNNNN, of course.

Tessa and Robert Royston – Trouble
Chuck and Rutz – One Tribe
Deborah and Brennar – Dynamite
Robert Cordoba and Jill Demarco – Beautiful
Myles and Taletha – In My Head
Arjay and Jessica – Strobe Lights
Kyle and Tat – DJ Got Us Falling In Love
Jordan and Sarah – Club Can’t Handle Me
Maxence and Jen – Baby Get Down
Torri and Ben – Bad Romance
Malia and Nick – California Gurls

So these guys (just the guys – not the girls) judged themselves, each one putting himself and his partner in last place. And the winners were:

1st Jordan and Sarah (Oh my GAWD were they funny. Jordan especially – his faces! His faces are ridiculous. I was falling off my chair laughing and I was sitting on the floor! The whole dance was a series of jokes. So witty – almost like Charlie Chaplin west-coast-swing style. And Sarah – wow, I don’t know if I’m just imagining it or what, but Sarah’s dancing this year has seemed to me to have some new magical quality to it. She just seems *on* in some new way.  Crazy creative. So between the two of them you can imagine this dance. Funny and amazing.
2nd Kyle and Tat
3rd Arjay and Jess
4th Maxence and Jen
5th Brennar and Deborah
6th Chuck and Melissa
7th Royston and Tessa
8th Cordoba and Jill
9th Nick and Malia
10th Ben and Torri
11th Myles and Taletha

Buffet Friday night (and Saturday, too) and since it’s been two years since we were at this hotel (last year the event was temporarily moved to a moldy mildewed run-down facility in Siberia) I’d forgotten about the LINE to the buffet. You don’t want to know. We paid for it so we were gonna get our food daggnabit all no matter if it took two days to get it – but really, come on Sheraton Framingham. You can do better. Next year no buffet – if we’re hungry the restaurant right down the hall from the ballroom will be not only cheaper, and better (dry scrambled eggs, rawther disgusting sausage patties, bacon, muffins, and orange juice) but also waaay faster fer sure.

And then! Late-nite dancing and it was GRRRREAT! Great Friday night, great Saturday night, great THURSDAY NIGHT (yes that’s right! Thursday night! Everybody said one of the best Thursday nights of any comp in recent memory. I kinda thought Swing Diego and MadJam had great Thursday nights but everyone was saying nope this was the best Thursday in a long while. Not on a small floor, either – Thursday was in the main ballroom and was packed until we left at 6am). And – a great Sunday night too! We danced every one of those four nights till 6am. And for four nights the floor at 6am was packed and jumpin. We always hear about people who stay up until 7, and some crazies who stay up until 8am. But Rob stayed up Friday until 9AM!!! Nine o’clock in the morning! AUGHGHGHGH okay now that puts me in a sweaty panick – 9am is definitely tomorrow! It’s bright out! Rush-hour has died down! Birds aren’t chirping anymore, they’ve gone *back* to sleep. Eeeeewww!

But 6am – that’s reasonable. You can close the drapes, put your head under the covers, and pretend it’s still sort of the night time of yesterday. So that is exactly what we did, four nights in a row, getting up a couple hours later to start all over again. Total total funness! Total tiredness but total worth-it-ness. Awesome dancing every night at Summah Hummah.

More tomorrow – Rising Star, Classic, and JJ’s!

Love Liza

Saturday Night! The Big Night!

Results:

First, Rising Star. Judges were Stephanie, Donna Roesel, Jessica, Melissa, and Maira.

This was a VERY strong division – breathing down Classic’s neck – six couples total:

Daria and David (cute couple either Juniors or just out of Juniors, think they’re from someplace that starts with “Mi-” – Midwest or Michigan or Minnesota  – wearing sparkly grey, dancing to “Free Falling”)
Brian and Shoshi performing for the second time (they’re from DC, so we get to watch this routine improve week after week)
Rob Glover and Samantha Fernandez – WOW! Smokin’ steamy sultry great. Sammie – omgawd Sammie!! What a fox! I hope this partnership lasts – these two are terrific together. Can’t wait to see what they might be able to pull off, ‘specially considering that Rob says this routine they only finished choreographing a few days before putting it on the floor. They’ll be in Classic in no time.
TJ Bednash and Lara Deni – also from DC (we have so many routine couples! And a whole lot more in the works!) – first time on the floor – cool routine, cool choreography, did it themselves
Gilbert and Melissa – awesomely awesome routine to awesome songs (Paula Cole’s “Feelin Love” and Ida Corr’s “Let Me Think About It”) – gorgeous choreography. But  one problem: these two are so terribly unattractive it’s just sad. They’re such an eyesore the ugliness ruins the whole routine.
Julien and Beverly (France! Ridiculously good!)

And the placements were:

1st Rob and Sammie
2nd Julien and Beverly
3rd Gilbert and Melissa
4th TJ and Lara
5th David and Daria
6th Brian and Shoshi

Juniors (Judges were Arjay, Chuck, Jess, Doug, Nicola, and Maira):
Justin and Tiara (same routine, better every time we see it)
Cody and Krystal (omgawd how CUTE are they? Cute lil’ shaggers cute cute cute! You just wanna squinch up your face and squeak and squeal and squeeze the little squirts. And wow they can DANCE! Dang!)
Rome and Chevy (same great routine – love these two)
Brady and Kalin (cuteness OVERLOAD aughghghghgh what IS it about shaggers? Way too adorable!)
Chris and Nicole (AUGHGHGHGHGHGH!!! SO BLAZING FAST!!! SO MUCH MOVEMENT! SO QUICK! SUCH ATTITUDE! These are Schwimmer kids, gotta be. I’m just guessing, haven’t talked to them, but I’d be surprised if they weren’t. This routine is HARD! Holy Mackerel! How old are these kids, doing lifts and flips and leaps and slides and spins at warp speed? Jeepers! Really fun to watch).

And Juniors placements were:

1st Cody and Krystal
2nd Rome and Chevy
3rd Justin and Tiara
4th Brady and Kalin
5th Chris and Nicole

And then we had a Demo, because the next couple is like Britney: Not a Junior, Not Yet a Classic. You know, of course, which routine this was – the breathtaking “White Houses” (Brennar and Torri) which, if you haven’t already worn out your monitor by watching it, you can see it (at last year’s Open where it was debuted), here:

http://www.usopenswingdc.com/2009_division_winners.html .

I still can’t watch this without getting choked up.

And then! Classic!

Judges were Donna Roesel, Doug, Arjay, Nick King, Chuck, Myles, Stephanie, and Maira

Eight couples:

Parker and Jen! YAAAAAAAY we got to see them AGAIN!! First time in, hmmm, Atlanta I think it was. Second time we saw them (Liberty I think) they couldn’t do the routine because Jen had torn a tendon in her thumb/wrist/hand and spent the entire comp in bandages and a brace (she did do a strictly if I’m remembering right, babying it along. So we’ve only seen them do this once before now. This is a cool partnership – both of these guys are dancing differently, it seems to me, anyway, than either has for the last few years. I mean all of their dancing, not just their routine dancing. Their strictlys and jj’s, too, both Parker and Jen, are better it seems like. Jen seems ferocious, like she *wants* it. She’s dancing bigger, riskier, more dramatically. She fell this weekend (forget when, in a stricly or jj) – I’m always impressed when someone falls while dancing spotlight – to me falling down feels like they’re dancing on the edge, risky, dangerous. (Okay so maybe this doesn’t apply to everyone. Me for instance – I fall without being on the edge of anything, just standing in line waiting to walk on the floor, by leaning back on my heels or something, my feet suddenly slide out from under me for no apparent reason). And Parker! Man, Parker is dancing! Feels like we haven’t seen Parker dancing for a while so it’s great to see him put himself out there. I love Parker. Oh – by the way – if YOU, too, love Parker, and you happen to be a kind, loving, smart, adoring, level-headed, sweet, trustworthy, wise, decent, honest, clean, charming, good-hearted, down-to-earth, generous, funny, beautiful 27-year-old female, please let Parker know. If you’re lacking in any of these qualities, forget it. Oh yeah, and by the way, their routine is great.

Ryan and Malia – same awesome routine we’ve now seen since the Open. Choreographed (I’m told) by Ben. Beautiful, love this routine. Malia is goooooood.

Jordan and Tat – AUGHGHGHGHGHGHGH!!! this ROUTINE!!!! What is there to say? Controversial routine, freaky cool. This time danced better than ever before – best I’ve seen it yet. (if you’ve only seen the youtube video which was shot at Liberty – I think that’s the only one online so far – then you don’t have any real feel for it at all as that video chops off their lower halves at the most dramatic final third of the choreography and misses their facial expressions entirely at the climactic moments; and this is a routine which can’t be appreciated without the drama, it’s ABOUT the drama).

Kyle and Sarah – Also this routine – best I’ve seen it danced. Sarah! Sarah’s dancing, like I said earlier, is exploding. They NAILED this.

Jake and Taletha – Same sexy routine we’ve seen many times this year, each time cleaner and harder-hitting.

Sean and Courtney – Their brand spanking-new super-fast routine, danced in classy black-and-white (pieces bought at H&M and Forever 21 – see? I keep saying you can put together great outfits for very little money!) to “Mr. Brightside” (Killers) – love the routine! Love the song! Love the choreography! Love the outfits!

Rob and Abi! Yep, Rob Jackson and Abi Wood, dancing their very sweet Sweetest Thing from – when? – last year? When they realized they were both gonna be at Summah Hummah they figured what the heck, neither one of us has another routine right now, let’s just do it! So they did, with Abi gripping her top for most of the 2 1/2 minutes cause the toupe tape didn’t hold and she felt her dress migrate down to the vicinity of her navel. Abi is NOT one to give up, though, so she danced to the end, nipples and all. (Turns out her dress hadn’t slipped down after all – it just felt that way).

And the last couple, Mr. and Mrs. Erik and Anna, Fred and Ginger style, very Broadway, Anna in a dress and heels, so sweet!

And the placements:

1st Kyle and Sarah
2nd Jordan and Tatiana
3rd Parker and Jen
4th Jake and Taletha
5th Ryan and Malia
6th Sean and Courtney
7th Erik and Anna
8th Rob and Abi

More tomorrow – Jack and Jill’s, Champion Strictly, Invitational JJ

Love Liza

Oh! Oops, almost forgot! I hath been corrected:

Mitch Marcello and Natalie Kuczma are in fact not from France as I’d said, but rather from Pittsburgh. I really don’t see what the point was of correcting me on that one. To me France, Pittsburgh, come on. What’s the difference.

And it was my dear friend Amy Danziger who was dancing with Richard Smith. As I said to Amy I’m very sorry to have missed her, but she simply disappears in a room, fades away, very hard to spot. So it’s not my fault. (Amy’s about 6’7″).

I also forgot to mention yet another Brit, Steve Hall, dancing with Kara Frenzel in Adv Strictly. He has a very loud voice. If I forget to mention him I’m sure I would hear him yelling about it all the way from England.

Anything else I’ve forgotten or bungled?

Ohhhhhh Kaaaaaaayyyy. As I write this is Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Dallas is happening, Festa’s “Hudson Swing Affair” is happening. It is mind-blowingly GORRRRGEOUSSSS weather here in DC, and ta da! Here’s the last of the Summah Hummah updates.

Okay so lessee, already told ya about Strictly’s and routines … so Jack and Jill’s finals and placements:

Newcomer Finalists:
Lionel Marks, Anthony Perocchi, Andrew Maury, Alex Ferguson, Andrew Maslin, Paul Babineau, John Nye, Tony Walker, Chris Sacks, Steve Yi; and Stephanie Courtemanche, Vanessa Karonack, Mary Harvey, Megan FErguson, Kristin Bianco, Maggie Jamolowski, Brittni Rea, Megan Webb, Christina Leuci, and Jessie Rosenberg.

And the winners were:
1st Andrew and Stephanie
2nd John and Mary
3rd Anthony and Megan
4th Steve and Maggie
5th Paul and Vanessa

Novice Finalists:
Vernon Smith, Nicolas Besnier, Phouvanh Meckasinh Gesundheit, Brian Linacre, Matt Smith, Heath Burns, Roberto Corporan, Stanley Seguy, Donnie Neron, Miguel Valle, Jerome Fernandez, Tyler Sullivan, and Justin Spencer; and Marina Motronenko, Alice Diggs, Emma Katzberg, Laetitia Blanchet, Trista Eazell, Natalie Kuczma, Kiona Leah, Tracy Gauthier, Kelli Kilgore, Laurie Goldfarb, Anna Reguero, Michelle Fletcher, Sarah Morgan.

Winners:
1st Stanley and Laetitia
2nd Justin and Kelli
3rd Jerome and Kiona
4th Matt and Marina
5th Roberto and Emma

Intermediate Finalists:
Neil Crosbie, Cory Vingl, Morry El Badry, Mitch Marcello Paris via Pittsburgh, Cameron Crook, Jay Hull, Hrafnkell (Hrafn! Hrafn! Woof-Woof! Grrrr) Palsson, Jerry Wang, Doug Morgan, Glen Acheampong, Bradley Wheeler, Josh MacDonald, Steve Broskey; and Sarah Richard, Anna Lumsden, Beverly Brunerie, Wendy Cart, Daria Mikloukhina, Valerie Armstrong, Emeline Rochefeuille, Quenna Wong, Jessica Johnson, Anna Novoa, Kathleen Armstrong, Aly Yorek, Tracey Melin (Alts: Will Burbage, Dan Devan, Melena Bronson and Natalie Fisher)

And Winners ….
1st Cameron and Anna
2nd Glen and Emeline
3rd Mitch and Sara
4th Neil and Kathleen
5th Cory and Aly

Advanced Finalists:
Chris Lo, Evan Schwartz, Julien Valier, Steve Hall, Peter Bailey, Steven Hunt, Billy Montgomery, Rome Slater, Rob Glover, Brendon Rasmussen, Gilbert Rodriguez; and April Sakaluk, Erica Smith, Joanne Jephcott, Caroline Amblard, Tori Ellington, Lemery Rollins, Kara Frenzel, Priscilla Brown, Chevy Slater, Samantha Fernandez, and Connie Gauthier (Alts: Todd Sumrall, Dima, Abi Wood, and Lori Wahl)  (oh yeah and the Judges for Advanced were Anne Fleming, Donna Roesel, Deborah Szekely, Chuck, Arjay, Jess and Tess).

Advanced Winners Were:
1st Brandon and Lemery
2nd Rob and Tori
3rd Julien and Sammie
4th Steve Hunt and Erica
5th Peter and April

Allstar Finalists:
Alfred, JB, Brian Faust, Rob Jackson, Doug Rousar, Chuck, Greg Scott, Sean McKeever, Nick, and Trey; and Yuna, Adair, Malia, Tall One, short one, Rhoni, Courtney, Taletha, Melissa Rollins, and Kelly Faust. (Alts: Haider, Jake, Krista, and Rebecca) (Judges for Allstar were Cordoba, Donna Roesel, Rutz, Szekely, Jess, and Sarah).

And Allstar Winners:
1st Sean and The Short One
2nd Chuck and Malia
3rd Trey and Courtney
4th Rob and Yuna
5th Nick and Rhoni

Saturday night there was also a World Cup thing for which I do not seem to have taken very good notes, maybe cause I didn’t quite get what it was about. It was a strictly, which you danced with the same stricly partner you’d danced with the night before. How you got chosen to dance in this division I never did figure out. There was a couple from each country present, and three or four or five couples from the USA, I kept bellowing ICELAND! ICELAND! since the entire Icelandic community (of two people) was in the room but not in the World Cup until finally Gudrun Maria Jonesdottr (I love her name! It’s even more beautiful than Hrafnkel and has more vowels) crawled across the floor to say Liza thank you but please stop yelling Iceland Iceland – we’re not dancing we’re students and can’t afford to enter). Which I guess means you didn’t qualify you just entered in the name of your country. I dunno. In any case, some of the couples were Rob and Sammie, Doug and Yenni, Maxence and Emeline, Peter and Anna, Sean and Tori, Jerome and Anna. I *think* Emeline won this – pretty sure, since I think she won everything she entered last weekend. She is adoorable. She should just win for adorableness. So I guess France won the Summer Hummer World Cup.

Also on Sunday – the Golden Ticket tour. I’m enjoying this Golden Ticket tour. I’ve said before but I’ll say it again: something about the way this comp is set up brings out a sweatier, more excited energy and surprising creativity from people you’d never have expected to have it in ‘em. Not sure why this is – maybe cause the judges are right there in your face raising their paddles for or against; or it’s going two at a time like a boxing match; or the tight circle of people at your feet cheering and jeering; maybe it’s the “dance or die” stakes where you get this one chance or you are *out* baby out; maybe it’s being paired with a person from another division, someone you’re likely to have never danced with before; maybe it’s the chance to continue to the Open with that big shiny pot ‘o gold at the end. Dunno what it is but it is different. Very cool. It’s interesting to watch the judges’ vote, too – to see what each person likes (or doesn’t like) without time to think too much, voting their gut reaction. That’s fun. The judges this time were Royston, Myles, Taletha, Stephanie, and Chuck – and I want to announce that Chuck Brown takes the prize for getting EVERY SINGLE VOTE wrong. If everybody was blue Chuck was red, they were red he was blue. This got funnier and funnier the longer it went on – got to be you were more interested in how Chuck was gonna vote than which  couple was gonna win. Very funny. because he was consistent, consistently wrong. I guess you can’t call it “wrong,” just that Chuck appears to prefer any couple everybody else doesn’t prefer. I want Chuck to judge me from now on.

Golden Ticket Placements:
1st Abi and Ben Plante – this was Abi at her over-the-top soulful fiery wildest best
2nd Emeline and Jerome – Soooo elegant (and so funny! When the judges raised their paddles in that final round and they were finally beat they cried and threw a fit stamping the ground and clawing at each other making distraught faces)

Invitational JJ:

This was FUN. Of course! With added funness, cause at Summer Hummer the Invitational guys get to pick their songs beforehand – WAAAAY cool! I love this. First cause it is interesting to see who likes what kinda music.   What, you were hoping I was gonna make snarky comments about somebody’s musical tastes? Not in writing.

Some of them pick REALLY great songs. And because they’ve picked the music (usually several songs, the DJ then picks one from the list) this often makes for seriously great dancing. And I mean seriously gorgeous great: you get the best wcs dancers in the world dancing to their favorite songs – wow! Makes for some breathtaking creativity and wit.

And by Sunday, when Champion JJ finals are almost always held, these folks have been on their feet working since Thursday (or Wednesday, or the entire previous week, or year, or 25 years) not to mention having done a routine the night before for which they had to cram in practice between privates, dj-ing late LATE nite, workshops, floor trials at 7 am. So I’m all in favor of making their creative process *easier* not harder. Makes for a much more inspiring, educational, mesmerizing show, too.

Invitational couples were:
- Cordoba and Jessica;
- Brennar and Stephanie Batista,
- Myles and Torri (wow Torri’s dancing is just blowing me away – so CLEAN! So quick! Smooth, correct, precise – aughghgh!);
- Ben and Deborah;
Parker and Sarah (PARKER!!!! THIS WAS SOOOO GOOOOOD!!! Sarah is pure magic … but Parker! Parker got up there and from the first moment you knew you were about to witness an amazing thing. So soulful, so filled with heart, beauty. What a treat!);
- Kyle and Rutz (they are SO good – they are both so so SO good. And so goofy! I love when these two draw each other);
- Jordan and Tessa (baaaaad-ass X-rated dirty dancing, complete with Tessa’s beautiful lines, and Jordan’s funny faces and miming (maybe it’s Marcel Marceau he reminds me of, more than Charlie Chaplin);
- Maxence and Jill Dimarco;
- Robert Royston and Tat (HA!! OMGAWD this was hilarious! Guess what song Royston chose? Mwa-hahahaha gawd! oh my goodness … Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline! Okay I’m losing it here again, just writing the name of the song. This was an inspired choice. And what can I say – you should have seen Robert Royston and Tatiana Mollman skipping from one end of the floor to the other, ten standing side by side, looking out at the audience, conducting a sing-along “Hands, Touching haaaands, Touching Meee!, Touching youuuu!” Priceless. These are two Very. Funny. People.
- And the final couple, Arjay and Jen, absolutely gorgeous GORGEOUS choreography by each of them, weaving, sliding, snapping in and out and off of each other – brilliant dancing.

Invitational Placements:
1st Parker and Sarah
2nd Robert Royston and Tatiana
3rd Ben and Deborah
4th Joran and Tessa
5th Kyle and Melissa

Oh, and the famous annual Summah Humah Pool Party.

But first, I have a question for Black people out there: Do Black people have a problem with bugs? Like a special allergy or something? I ask because this year at the pool party there was an attack of some horrible flying-insect thing, a stinging bee or black-fly or something. It was like a plague, a thick swarm of them dropping down like pellets from the sky. They kept getting stuck in your hair, dive-bombing into your ears, softly alighting on your shoulders and then biting a big chunk of your flesh, stinging you on your back, appearing suddenly on your lip or getting breathed into your mouth – they were everywhere. But there was a table of Black folks over between the food and the dj booth – looked like a lot of older relatives and friends of the competitors maybe – and these folks were having a TERRIBLE time, a battle. The whole table was swatting and smacking at things, each other. the chairs, the plates of food, wiggling and twisting all over the place with furious faces, jumping up and swinging at the air like they were gonna kill someone.  There was a war going on over there. So I was just wondering.

As for the rest of the pool party – food, swimming, limbo, and karaoke, all fun even if a bit overshadowed by the plague sent down upon us.  And here are pictures so far, loads more to upload:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=214979&id=603988188&l=acacbad31f

So – that’s almost it for Summer Hummer. Little bit of hotel stuff I’ll tell you about next time.

We’re in Phoenix now, as I’m finishing this – Desert City Swing. I’ll send a Phoenix update later!