Now the hustle and bustle of Mayworth 2017 is over, I think I have finally managed to get all my loose ends tidied up and images posted to the website whilst Facebook friend requests are adding up. I have been fortunate enough to have a front row seat and special access to view one of Australia's great dancing spectaculars, not once but twice now. Line dancing isn't what most would expect and it isn't just boot scooting anymore. The performances from the weekend show there is no barrier for age or sex in line dancing, when you have an over 50 year old competing against a teenager and when it doesn't mater if you're male or female. At the end of every dance everyone is grateful to be there and enjoying each others company, with all dancers extremely humbled if they win a place. Judging these competitions must be hard to do as the slow and elegant waltz stands as good as chance to win against an upbeat street number.
I met most of the dancers last year but I know them even better now. It's amazing how accepting they are to welcome new comers to the country dance community, these folk are amazing and super supportive. We have had a ball in interacting with everyone from dancers to parents, judges and instructors and we're looking at building on this for next year. Taking a big step to launch a specific website just for the images was daunting but it was great to have achieved this and we hope this has made it easier for you too. It won't stay up for long, but we'll give you enough time to scroll through all 1700 images.
If I can offer any suggestions to next year's competitors who want great images, DON'T WEAR BLACK and buy COLOURED HATS!!! With the black curtain background and the inability to use flash, it's hard to see the detail in your beautiful dresses and when you spin and toss your hats, they disappear into the background. Check out the colour dresses on show and you'll see what I mean. Elise proves this right with her (what i dubbed Marilyn Munroe) white dress and the (sorry about the non technical name) pale green dress in the masters. One word, stunning.
This event is massive in planning detail and I'm not sure how Chris and Gemma keep on top of things. When you see the army of volunteers and helpers that commit their time, it's no wonder to see why this is such an amazing showcase of line dancing. As I mentioned to Ashleigh Dallas the other day, it's not the dancing, workshops or competition that make Mayworth, it's the quality people who do. Thank you so much for your support and we hope you appreciate the images we've produced (if you do please purchase them and help us out as we can't come back without your business). In the words of Guyton "Say yes".
Looking forward to seeing you all again next year (fingers crossed we get the call).
Trent & Amanda