For those of you who were not in California this past weekend, it was the thirteenth annual Camp Hollywood. A three day, four night camp with; daily workshops, live bands every night (and spontaneously during the day and in the halls after midnight), an underground contest at 2 AM, and even a vintage bathing suit contest this year.
What I have always liked about this event is it features something for everybody. You want to learn? A variety of workshops for Lindy Hop, Balboa and Collegiate Shag. You want to compete? Competitions galore. You want to party? You can catch people in the jacuzzi or poolside pretty much 24/7.
Anyways this year I felt attendance was smaller, but there was a lot more energy at the camp. Having Jonathan Stout and whoever had a musical instrument jam during lunch and after live bands ended, in the hallways, brought a great dynamic to the event. Also the classic division (a competition with more emphasis on quality of dancing instead of on flash) was a step in the right direction in my opinion.
Competition this year was pretty intense though, especially in the Pro Lindy, Team Division, and Showcase Division. The placements for all the contests are listed here. Also I would like to share some videos with you below from the event.
Team Division
1st Place: The Fly Rites
I have literally seen every performance these guys did before Camp Hollywood and always found something new to enjoy about it everytime. If you notice at the end of their performance they recieved a standing ovation, the judges noted it as well because they were unanimously decided as first place on the score sheet posted afterwards.
2nd Place: Swing ConneXion
It seems like Canadians are getting everywhere these days in the competitive world of swing dancing. This video, courtesy of Patrick and Natasha shows a great piece in which there is a nice contrast between the beginning and end of the performance. Also note the tricks that involved transfers between two people.
(Note: There were a total of seven teams in the division, if you would like to see the rest they are easily found on youtube)
Pro Lindy
Spotlight
All Skate
One of the youtube comments said it right when they wrote, “For this comp in particular though – this is a contest won in the air.” Due to Camp Hollywood judging 50% the three T’s (Timing, Technique, Teamwork) and 50% showmanship, you will probably not see more flash or air thrown in any competitions in the US.
The placements are listed below:
- 1st – Nick Williams & Laura Keat
- 2nd – Mike Pedroza & Nikki Marvin
- 3rd – Kevin St Laurent & Angel Jenkins
- 4th – Marty Klempner & Delilah Williams
- 5th – Ceth Stifel & Tiffiny Wine
Showcase
1st Place: Jo Hoffburg & Kevin St Laurent
Great song choice combined with a clean and entertaining performance (especially in the solo section).
2nd Place: Patrick Szmidt and Natasha Ouiment
If you have ever taken any of Patrick & Natasha’s online lessons, you will be very familiar with the beginning of this song. Notice at 1:31 the double cartwheels, this was one of the visuals that was stuck in my head all weekend.
François Paré & Nadine Gagnon
Even though this couple didn’t place, I though enjoyed how they did a Balboa showcase that was enjoyable to watch and it seems they really put themselves into it. I hope to see more from this couple in the future.
The placements are listed below:.
- 1st – Kevin St Laurent & Jo Hoffberg
- 2nd – Patrick Szmidt & Natasha Ouimet
- 3rd – Doug Silton & Angel Jenkins
- 4th – Marty Klempner & Delilah Williams
- 5th – Joel Plys & Valerie Salstrom
(Note: Like the team division there were several showcases, if you would like to see the rest they are easily found on youtube under Patrick and Natasha’s channel)
It's The Way That You Do It 
Nice post, Andrew. Any additional feedback about the event? How were the classes?
Well I plan to put a future post about the more interesting “unofficial” activities at Camp Hollywood and random fun moments, but I am waiting for few youtube videos to surface. Mainly because they are what made this event special and are not found at most events unless if you go to a place like Herrang. (Laura and Jeremy have a great story of how some people created a Dennys in Herrang complete with menu items like a Grand Slam)
For the most part I enjoyed my classes. My three favorite were probably; Kevin and Jo’s intro to aerials class which while fun, emphasized technique and safety, Marcus and Bärbl’s tricks and dips class which had a hilarious warm-up, and Falty and Casey’s 20’s Charleston which taught a lot of new material I have not seen before. However CH still has a serious problem with level enforcement, there were people in my intermediate shag class who did not know how to dance in open.
I keep waiting for shag footage of the spotlights. There is footage of the final allskate on facebook though.
Someone posted it on youtube, unfortunately it got taken down for a copyright violation due to music. I really hope this person posts it back up or uploads it on a different medium.
Wow I’ve been checking every day and haven’t seen it. I hope it does get reposted.
Hey David I posted it on yehoodi as well, but here are the shag finals: vimeo.com/14049487