CWF'23 - Event Info

Charlotte WestieFest 2023 is on the weekend of February 2nd – 5th, 2023!

Charlotte WestieFest has worked hard to create an event that has always welcomed people from diverse and varied backgrounds … with respect to demographics as well as types of dance.

CWF welcomes every community member regardless of their race, age, sexual orientation, gender/gender identity, disability, physical appearance, and/or religion.

We continue to be committed to creating an event environment based on treating people equitably with dignity, respect and courtesy.  As such, we strive to ensure the safety and well-being of every attendee through a shared responsibility with every member of our dance community.

To this end, we employ a Code of Conduct that every attendee is required to follow.

 For 2023, CWF will not require Covid vaccinations or testing.

We simply ask that every attendee monitor and manage their health and to avoid contact with others if they experience signs of illness.

Please use the following link to access our detailed Code of Conduct.

North Carolina's Dance Party

Our focus is Learning and Social Dancing for all levels!

WSDC Points

We are a WSDC registry event!

We offer Jack & Jill Competitions in the following Divisions:

  • Newcomer
  • Novice
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • All-Star
  • Masters

All WSDC Jack & Jill Competitions (Prelims and Finals) are conducted on Saturday.  No WSDC J&J Comps on Sunday!!!!!

Strictly Swings

All “Leveled” Strictly Swing Competitions will take place on Friday Evening in the following Divisions:

  • Newcomer
  • Novice
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • All-Star
  • Masters

Once again in 2023, we will be having a:

  • Generation Gap Strictly Swing

This competition will require a minimum 20 year age gap – and, only 1 partner of a couple can be Advanced or above (per WSDC Point Registry status as of the start of the event weekend).

 

Tournament-Style "All-American" Contest

Based on the participation we had for this competition in 2022, we will again run a tournament-style contest on Sunday afternoon in 2023!

Prelims for this competition will be at 1:00 pm on Sunday.

Finals will be at 2:00 pm on Sunday.

Couples will be paired randomly for Prelims, with the top 16 couples advancing to the Finals.  Prior to the Finals, partners will be redrawn, and then seeded into a Tournament-Style bracket with the Finals being conducted in a “Head-to-Head” format two couples at a time.

Complete details are available in the Competition Rules link.

Charlotte WestieFest is a member of the AANCE Tour

Once again in 2023, CWF will be a member event of the AANCE Tour.

Complete details about the AANCE Tour and the yearly finals held at the Meet Me in St. Louis event are available by clicking Here.

Lots of Social Dancing

What makes CWF so amazing? Our emphasis on social dancing, learning, and the ability to explore other dance styles in addition to West Coast Swing. At our core, we value the inclusion of all levels, both within West Coast Swing, as well across complementary dance styles.

To this end, as in previous years, in addition to our Main Room which will remain primarily focused on West Coast Swing ……. we will be featuring our “Carolina Mix Room” for social dancing on both Friday and Saturday nights!

The specifics are:

On Friday and Saturday Nights our Secondary (Lakeshore) Ballroom will become a “Carolina Mix Room” – we will be playing a mix of WCS, Shag, Hustle, Country-Western Two-Step (CW2) and Night Club Two-step (NC2) for social dancing.   This will provide a great option for those not interested in competing to social dance to all the styles of dance that we will be teaching over the weekend, to warm up prior to competing, and then complement the Main Room social dancing throughout each evening.

And, don’t forget …… we also have social dances on both Thursday night (starting with a pre-dance lesson at 8 pm and then dancing until the sun comes up) as well as Sunday night into early Monday morning.

 

Complementary Dance Nights

We are excited to once again include complementary dance room activities in our 3rd and 4th ballrooms on both Friday and Saturday nights!

For 2023, Greenville Blues & Fusion is hosting a Blues & Fusion Room on both Friday and Saturday! This will include workshops, and social dancing on both Friday and Saturday … as well as a Mini-Intensive on Saturday.  Complete details can be found on Facebook via the following link: https://www.facebook.com/events/506451961344621

Also for 2023, on Saturday, there will be a Tango Night in our 4th room!  For complete details about the Saturday night Tango activities, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/542770991023991

For those attending CWF’23 on full weekend passes, the Blues & Fusion Room and Tango Room activities are included in your weekend pass.  For those wishing to attend only these rooms, registration options are outlined on the respective Facebook Event pages via the above links.

Learn West Coast Swing - along with a taste of Shag, Country Two-Step, Nightclub 2 Step, & Hustle!!!

With our amazing staff we are able to offer workshops not only for West Coast Swing but also provide the opportunity to “dip your toes” into: Shag, Country Two-Step, Nightclub 2 Step, and Hustle!

And, for even more variety and learning opportunities, there will also be workshops in both Blues & Fusion as well as Tango offered as part of those complementary dance room activities.

If you have been looking for a chance to check out other dance styles – or, re-visit some dance styles other than WCS ……. CharlotteWestieFest is the place for you to do so!

Complete details are available on the event schedule and accompanying details write-up.

Newcomer Track and Competitor Prep & Review Sessions

Consistent with our commitment to “growing everyone’s dance”, we will once again offer a Newcomer Track of workshops designed to cover and teach the foundational aspects and building blocks of WCS.  In this Track, we also include sessions focused on creating socialization and interaction between Newcomers with both experienced dancers and Staff members.

In addition, we will also again offer “Leveled Competitor Prep and Review Sessions“.

The Prep Sessions will be on Friday and are focused on helping people fine tune things in getting ready to compete over the weekend … and, are also a great way to find a Strictly Swing partner if you might be interested in doing so.

The Review Sessions are on Sunday, and offer an opportunity for informal interaction with some of the Staff who judged the various contests over the weekend.

Details for all these special workshops are available in the Schedule Details link and write-ups.

Specialty Class Offered This Year Include ....

In addition to the numerous workshops covering West Coast Swing as well as other dance styles, we are excited to also offer the following classes as parrt of the weekend activities:

  • On Friday at Noon, Margie Tuttle will be leading a Barre Class. Join in for an hour that will target, engage and fine-tune muscles that will help you with your dancing.
  • Friday Night at Midnight, Janie Deroche will be doing a Belly Dancing Class.  All bodies and genders are welcome to come get in touch with your core muscles while having a whole lot of fun.
  • Saturday activities will kick-off at 9:00 am, with Christa Eppinghaus leading a Yoga Session. Start your day with this session and see how yoga can benefit you in your dancing and general daily living.
  • Finally, on Sunday morning at 10:00 am, Nickie Taylor will conduct an AHA-Certified Hands-Only CPR Class affiliated with the organization “Swing Saves Lives“.

Special Sessions & Mini-Intensives

In addition to the many workshops that are included in your event pass, we are once again offering a limited number of “Add-On Sessions”.  These “Mini-Intensives” provide opportunities for focused coaching on a specific topic/technique/skill set from some phenomenal instructors for nominal add-on costs.

Add-On Mini-Intesives:

For 2023, the following Sessions are being offered. Please check the Registration Link on this website for more details on these sessions:

  • WCS * Two-Step * Night-Club: Putting It Together:  On Friday, from 5-7 pm, PJ Turner will be tapping into his unique talents and experiences, honed on both the WCS and UCWDC circuits, to present aspects of West Coast Swing, Country Two-Step and Night-Club Two-Step.  He will then show how to blend things from each style together to create unique and personalized ways to differentiate and up your dancing for both the social and competitive floor.
  • Swing/Hustle (Swustle): On Saturday from 10 am until Noon, Stephanie Risser Loveira will once again be offering a special intensive for dancers from novice to advanced and beyond. The focus will center on how to merge aspects of WCS and Hustle together in a harmonious way while working on technique, dynamic timing and styling concepts. For social dancers and competitive dancers alike, the objective will be to get a better understanding of the two styles and to take your dancing up a level! You will get some ways to practice on your own, or with a partner.
  • SWAG – Swing/Shag Crossover: On Saturday, from 5-7 pm, Patty Vo (WCS Champion) along with Scott Campbell & Nikki Kontoulas (Shag Champions) will demonstrate complementary aspects of both WCS and Shag and show how to mingle components of the two styles together in a compatible manner. They will also present and lead you through some drills to show how to bring a fusion of Shag footwork and movement into your WCS. They will present a variety of techniques, tips and tricks to unlock movements and patterns to level up your ability.
  • DJ Development Intensive: Also on Saturday from 5:15 – 6:45 pm, Ruby Lair will lead (with assistance from Josh Angel) a 1.5 hour session focused on essential knowledge and skills that are beneficial for those who are either already fulfilling the role of a DJ for their local communities and/or at events, those aspiring to become a DJ, as well as those who are looking for a better understanding of the critical role that DJs play in our dance community.    Ruby will cover topics including: Reading the Room, BPM & Energy, DJ Etiquette, and Spotify vs. Owning Your Music. There will also be some time for Q&A at the end of the session.
  • And, as part of the Blues & Fusion Room activities, Jana Matthews will be offering a Creative Connection Intensive.  Details and Registration for this Add-On Session can be found at:  https://www.facebook.com/events/506451961344621

Other Special Sessions include:

  • Two Sessions of “10-for-$10’s – sign-up for a “quick tune-up” with many of our staff.  For only $10, you get 10 minutes of one-on-one time with a staff member to work on 1 or 2 things that can help better your dancing, address something you have been struggling with, or just fine-tune an aspect of your dancing.  These sessions will be scheduled throughout the weekend – see the schedule for specific times.  Sign-Up for these Sessions will be done On-Site in conjunction with announcing which Staff will be participating in each Session.
  • Our unique Grow Your Dance Session – this two-hour session is included as part of your weekend pass, and is where we invite the Newcomer and Novice level dancers to come and interact in small group settings with some of our staff, select All-Star dancers, and recognized community instructors in an effort to help answer questions, provide insights, learn new things, and foster the development of everyone’s level of dance.

Workshops

DAYS

Sq Ft of Ballroom

Professional Staff

Instructional, Competition, Emcee & Judging Staff

We are actively working on finalizing our Staff for CWF’23

We will continue to update this Section as we confirm our CWF’23 Staff.

We hope to welcome many of those who were here in 2022 back, as well as others …. both familiar and new to CWF!

Confirmed for 2023!

Our “Carolina-based” Team of:

Michael Kiehm  *  Patty Vo  *  Robin Smith  *  Debbie Ramsey-Boz  *  Jason Barnes

Malia Jameson  *  Jason & Annmarie Marker  *  Ryan Boz  *  Stephanie Risser-Loveira  *  Nicole Zwerlein

Sharole Lashe-Negrete * Debbie Tuttle-Steffanina * Raquel Reynolds * Nikki Kontoulas & Scott Cambell (Shag)

Our “Regional Core Team” of:

Jerome Subey * PJ Turner * Bonnie Cannon * Robert Cordoba * Gary Jobst

Hailey Toro  *  Erica Smith  *  Lara Deni & SteveWilder  *  Kay Newhouse  *  Alyssa Lundgren  *  Bryan Jordan

Jeff Mumford  *  Derek Leyva & Jennifer Norris  *  Margie Tuttle  *  Alan Annicella  *  Sheven Kekoolani

Also Joining Us This Year Are:

Austin Kois  * Saya Suzaki & Roberto Corporan * Reginald Beason * Arjay Centeno

Our Competition, Scoring & Contest Management Team of:

Doug Rousar (Chief Judge) * Demery Leyva * Alex Brand (Scorer)

Susan Brown * Vivian Glucksman-Weiss * Dani Mullin Darasz

Our Registration, Front Desk & Support Team of:

Tammy Davis  *  Allison Bennett  *  Tracy Wang

Our Media Team of:

Carl Lind  *  Dan Sweet  *  Jeannette Senn  *  Ivana Woodcock

We are continuing to work on bringing in some additional Staff …

including some familiar names from previous years

as well as some familiar faces who would be new to our CWF Team!

 Stay Tuned for Updates!!!!!!!

DJ Staff

We are excited to be bringing in some familiar names from both near and far again this year!!

Confirmed for 2023!

  Ruby Lair (Texas)  *  Josh Angel (Florida)  *  Katie Fallon (Ohio)  *  Kristen Shaw (Northeast)

      Margie Tuttle (Chattanooga via DC)  *  Joe Mahoney (Boston)  *  Beth Bellamy (Chicago-area)  *  Virgil Breeden (Atlanta)

  Jasson Phillips (Durham)  *  Ann Reynolds (Charlotte)  *  Ron Glickman (Charlotte/Atlanta)  *  Brad Blashko (Canada)

Khayree Jones (California)  *  Aidan Keith-Hynes (California)  *  Kaiano Levine (Massachusetts)

Stay tuned – we might still have a couple more recognizable names that may be coming and will join us in the DJ booth over the weekend …. 

including some from past years at both CWF and Trilogy Swing!

This Team allows us to ensure you will have great music to dance to for the Competitions ….

and more importantly  – for Social Dancing in both the Primary and Secondary Rooms all weekend long!

Event Directors

We look forward to welcoming you to Charlotte WestieFest 2023

Rick Dauss (Executive Event Director)

Cindy Dauss (Co-Event Director & “Rick’s Boss”)

Charlotte WestieFest is a production of Carolina Westie Productions (CWP), LLC

Schedule

*****  The 2023 Schedule and Workshop Details are provided via the above Buttons for reference *****

*** We’re Excited to Confirm that Michael Kiehm will be teaching our Thursday Night Workshop, and … Patty Vo will be teaching our Sunday Night Workshop! ***

For travel and planning purposes, the key components of the 2023 Schedule will follow this basic plan:

  • Thursday Night
    • Kick-Off workshop at 8:00 pm
    • Social Dancing to begin at 9:00 pm
  • Friday
    • Workshops will begin at Noon
    • Strictly Swing Competitions scheduled for 8:00 – 11:00 pm
    • Social Dancing in Secondary Ballroom during Strictlies
  • Saturday
    • Workshops will begin at 10:00 am
    • Jack & Jill Prelims & Semi’s will start at Noon
    • Jack & Jill Finals scheduled to begin at 8:00 pm
  • Sunday
    • Workshops will begin at 10:00 am
    • “Tournament-Style All-American” contest
      • Prelims at 1:00
      • Bracketed “Head-to-Head” Finals at 2:00
    • Evening Workshop at 7:00 pm
    • “After-Party” Dance 8:00 pm – 3:00 am.

Please keep these time frames in mind when making your travel plans!

Newsletter signup

Get updates directly to your inbox!

    Event tickets

    Weekend Passes are available via the World Dance Registry Registration System link Here or via the Registration Buttton below!

    For those unable to attend for the entire weekend, there will be Single-Day & Evening-Only passes available “at-the-door”.

    In addition, for any non-dancers who might want to come and support their friends as they compete or just socialize and enjoy time with friends, a limited number of Spectator pass options will also be available “at-the-door”.

    For details on these options, please visit our Facebook Event Page at:

    Charlotte WestieFest 2023“.

    As a reminder ….

    For 2023, CWF will not require Covid vaccinations or testing.

    We simply ask that every attendee monitor and manage their health and to avoid contact with others if they experience signs of illness.

    get your tickets now

    Charlotte Westie Fest is a WSDC Registry Event – points will be awarded for the J&J competitions!

    Affiliations

    These awesome companies support us

    Sponsors

    Special Thanks to the following current and past Sponsors who have helped make CWF successful!

    Bill Waltz & Anne Brade  *   Adela Su & Eddie Karoliussen  *  Steve & Teresa Sagraves
    Sharole Lashe Negrete  *  Jeff Steffanina & Debbie Tuttle-Steffanina
    Debi & Buz McCreary  *   Debbie & Dean Maheras  *  Richard & Susan Defelice
    Dori Eden   *   David & Jiffy Sarver   *   Patrick Moise
    Others who wish to remain anonymous

    (If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor – please contact Rick Dauss via Facebook or by email at “[email protected]”)

    Location

    Due to demand, we have set up a block of rooms at an overflow hotel!!!

    The overflow hotel is the Holiday Inn: Charlotte University

    The address for the Holiday Inn is: 8520 University Executive Park Dr.

    It is located across the street from the Hilton

    CLICK HERE to book a room at the overflow hotel