There were so many different things going on during the weekend! I would say there was something for everyone, whether you were interested in line dancing or partner dancing, a beginner or seasoned dancer. Read on to see my attempt to unpack it all and paint a picture of what it was all about!

The Edge Dance Event NEWS!
REGISTRATION for The Edge Dance Event, 2023 is NOW OPEN
March 10-12, 2023 Friday-Sunday In Temecula California!
3 DAYS, 2 NIGHTS OF WORKSHOPS AND OPEN DANCING!
Held at the beautiful California Ranch Company

See more information including registration online at www.theedegedancevent.com

Table of Contents

What is the Edge Dance Event?

The Edge Dance Event is a yearly 3-day, 2-night convention of line dance & partner dance workshops, live music, open dancing, dance competitions with prizes, a Saturday night show, and too many extras to list! This year it was held March 4-6, 2022 in beautiful Temecula at the California Ranch Company. The Dancing spread over a total of 5 dedicated wood dance floors.

Adia Nuno is the talent, energy, and inspiration behind the Edge Dance Event. But of course, she couldn’t do it alone! She relied upon her business partner and co-event organizer Christian “DJ Keahi” Summerfruit and her great staff. I was particularly impressed with our emcee for the weekend Philip Victor of “Bootscootin’.”

I had seen Philip’s YouTube channel but was happy to get to meet him in person. He’s a very fun and approachable guy and brought all his past emcee experience to really anchor and lead the weekend with his fun comedic-style communication and leadership. And of course, he’s a great dancer to boot!

The Edge Dance Event is now in its third year and second, being held at the venue in Temecula. The venue is the California Ranch Company, which I think is a great place for a dance convention. Since there aren’t a lot of buildings, it forces the dancing to happen right out in full view of the beautiful Temecula wine country.

Each day began with a Welcome and Class Demos in the CRC (California Ranch Company) Barn.

Each instructor or instructor duo had about a minute to demo the dance or dance patterns etc. they were going to teach. This is a great way to start the day, especially for us who may be having trouble deciding what classes to choose.

Last fall I attended another dance convention, the Vegas Dance Explosion, and while very different, The Edge convention had that same kind of cadence of different classes and levels to choose from.

The Edge compared to the Vegas Dance Explosion is a more well-rounded country dance convention. In Vegas, it’s all about line dancing, while The Edge offers both partner dance as well as line dance workshops. But there’s much more to it! For instance, the partner dancing included a surprising range of dance styles covered. There were also additional unexpected surprises and extras packed into the amazing Edge Dance Event weekend!

As mentioned above each day began with the welcome and demos of what that day held for us. This is a common practice at dance workshops and is an opportunity for the instructors to quickly show what is in store for those eyeing their class. Below is a great and lengthy video from Friday afternoon as the whole event kicked off.

The weekend did pose the challenge of unexpected rain, but they adjusted as best they could by doubling up the lessons that happened in the main barn and then housing two other dance areas under large tents. And unfortunately, some classes did have to be canceled cause of the muddy grounds. But overall everyone adjusted and still participated in lessons the entire weekend.

Sunday did greet us with the beautiful blue sky we were hoping for and saw one of the lesson areas back outside as planned. As the weekend was winding down I took a little break and at one point just walked around to see what was happening on each dance floor in one moment. The video below captures that!

In the video, you’re looking in at the 12:30 Sunday time slot. As we walk into the CRC Barn Robert & Bridgette Campos are in the midst of their West Coast Swing Intermediate/Advanced class, next is Adia Nuno teaching the line dance “Catch,” next we see Christian Summerfruit and Aleigha Elston teaching the Cowboy Cha Cha. Turning and continuing on we encounter Dirt Road Dancing teaching Country Swing in the Belmont Park tent. Lastly, after a little walk, we see Jacob Reding of Reding Dance teaching West Coast Swing and Turning Techniques.

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But also you probably noticed Russ Bradchulis at the beginning. One thing that was also available at the Edge was private lessons. I think that was probably going on in the open area there.

A little earlier in the day one of the last classes I took was with Philip teaching “Keep It Simple” see the video below where you can see that we just used the outdoor area as much as needed as more people joined in.

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My Edge Experience

Overall I had a really fun time. I met up with a couple of friends who came and then also got to meet some new people. I loved being outdoors in such a beautiful place as the California Ranch Company. I felt like a kid that was at dance camp for the weekend.

My favorite moments were probably the Special Saturday night show and also the live music which besides the great band Leaving Austin also included the James Kelly Band. It was fun to be sitting in that barn a little early in the morning with my coffee and listening to some country music!

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The Music Video with the Band Leaving Austin

The Edge began on Friday at 2:30 in the afternoon with the welcome and demos walking us through what the afternoon would hold. But later after all the day’s classes were done we gathered back together in the evening in the barn. I thought it was great that the evening activity then was kicked off with some great live country music. But, this wasn’t just any live band–it was Leaving Austin, the band that sings “Nothing But You!” So, of course, we got to do the line dance to the live band singing and as planned, all those on the floor would be part of a new music video for Nothing But You!

The CRC barn dance floor was packed and it was a great moment, especially when the confetti popped!

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The Edge Dance Event by the Numbers!

Here are some quick numbers, just to give an idea of what the weekend was like.

3 Days of Workshops, 2 Nights of Open Dancing, and/or Special Events, Show & Competitions
5 Dance Floors
22 Instructors
3 DJs (2 Instructors also serving as DJs)
62 Workshops
19 Line Dance Workshops in which 32 lessons taught (some line dances taught a second time)
25 Different Line Dances (click to see the list)
38 Partner Dance Workshops
3 Misc. Workshops (Burlesque, Women’s Styline, Men’s Styling)
1 Music Video shot with Live Band
1 Great Special Show Saturday Night

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Instructors & DJs

The Edge Dance Event featured 22 great instructors and/or DJs. See the list below and click on the instructor name or team to pop down to the summary of what workshops they each taught this year at the event. To read more about the instructors check out some of their bios over at The Edge Website.

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Adia Nuno

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Catch	INT	Jo Thompson-Szymanski & Grace David
Line Dance Styling for Competition	ALL

Adia Nuno & Russ Bradchulis

Dance or Style	Level
Dips, Leans & Tricks	INT
Eye Contact & Connection	ALL
Dips & Leans	INT
Dips & Tricks	INT

Adia Nuno, Sarah Stokes & Russ Bradchulis

Dance or Style	Level
Two Step	BEG

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Sarah Stokes

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Denver Cha Cha	BEG	Manny & Alice Rodela
Country Swing – Breaking Down Connection	BEG

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Christian Summerfruit

Dance or Style	Level
Line Dance Styling for Competition	ALL

Christian Summerfruit & Aleigha Easton

Dance or Style	Level
Cowboy Cha Cha	BEG

Aleigha Easton

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Get Ugly	INT	Jonno Libberman
California Cha Cha	BEG
Half Past Tipsy	IMP	Maddison Glover & Rachael McEnaney
Rodeo	BEG/INT
Off The Chain	Phrased INT/ADV	Fred Whitehouse

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Philip Victor (Bootscootin’)

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Tip Toe	ADV	Fred Whitehouse
Double D	IMP	Trevor Thornton
Gives Me Shivers	IMP	Brandon Zahorsky
Special Moves	Easy INT	Michael Lynn, Lesley Kidd, Hayley Goy & Nick Goodman
Keep It Simple	BEG	Maggie Gallagher
Weekend Vibes	BEG	Karl-Harry Winson & Jamie Barnfield

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Rick Dominguez

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Ex’s & Oh’s	Phrased INT	Rick Dominguez & Jonno Libberman
Cherry Bottom Boom	INT	Rick Dominguez, Adia Nuno & Jonno Libberman
Shake It Like That	BEG/INT

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Candy Sherwin

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Gives Me Shivers	IMP	Brandon Zahorsky
California Cha Cha	BEG
Denver Cha Cha	BEG
We Are Tonight	INT	Dan Albro

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Cindi Massengale

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Gonna	BEG
What Makes You Country	BEG	Rob Holley
I Was on a Boat	BEG	Trevor Thornton
Late Night Habits	IMP	Julia Wetzel
In the Six	ADV	Shane McKeeve & Joey Warren

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Travis Swartzlander & Danielle

Dance or Style	Level
Line Dance Styling for Competition	ALL
West Coast Swing Music Theory – Beats, Breaks & Layers	ALL
West Coast Swing – Fresh Footwork & More	BEG/INT
Hip Hop Grooves for WCS/CS	INT
Guys’ Musicality & Styling	ALL
West Coast Swing / Country Swing Creative Moves	INT/ADV

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Robert Campos Jr. & Brigette Campos

Dance or Style	Level
Two Step	BEG
Two Step Technique	ALL
Two Step More Technique	ALL
Two Step Unlocked	ADV
West Coast Swing	BEG
West Coast Swing	INT/ADV

Brigette Campos

Dance or Style	Level
Burlesque	ALL

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Jacob Reding & Sydnie Dillard (Reding Dance)

Dance or Style	Level
Lifts 101	BEG
Lifts 201	INT
Lifts 301	ADV
West Coast Swing – Turning Techniques	INT

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Country Nomads

Dance or Style	Level
Connection in Country Swing	ALL
Country Swing – Moves: Neck Rolls & Dips	INT
Country Swing – Follow’s Spinning Hacks	BEG
Showstopper & Competition Hacks	ADV
Country Swing – Breaking Down Connection	BEG
Country Swing	BEG/INT
Country Swing – Moves & Combos	BEG

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Troy & Elise (Dirt Road Dancing)

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Dips, Leans & Tricks	INT
Country Swing	INT
Southside Shake	IMP	Darren Bailey
Dips & Tricks	INT
Swamp Thang	BEG/INT	Max Perry

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Leslie Perez

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Let It Be	BEG

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Marie Kelly

Dance or Style	Level	Choreographer
Next Girl	BEG
Dance Monkey	BEG	Alison Johnstone

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Brunno Theororo & Yana Trubin

Dance or Style	Level
Zouk Fundamentals	BEG
Zouk Technique	ALL
Zouk for Country Swing	INT

Brunno Theororo (with Travis)

Dance or Style	Level
West Coast Swing Music Theory – Beats, Breaks, & Layers	ALL

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Line Dancing at the Edge – Lessons & Levels

It was hard not to see and be amazed at all the great partner dancing at the Edge, but the line dancers were not forgotten! There were a total of 19 line dance classes to attend, in which 25 different line dances were taught. In all 10 instructors helped teach. The line dance instructors were Adia Nuno, Candy Sherwin, Cindi Messangale, Philip Victor, Aleigha Elston, Marie Kelly, Rick Dominguez, Troy & Elise of Dirt Road Dancing, and Leslie Perez.

Below is the full list of 25 Line Dances Taught at the Edge, listed alphabetically.
Click on the dance name to go to the Copperknob web page for the dance.

Line Dance	Teacher	Level	Choreographer
Catch	Adia Nuno	INT	Jo Thompson Symanski & Grace David
Cherry Bottom Boom	Rick Dominguez	INT	Rick Dominguez, Adia Nuno & Jonno Libberman
Dance Monkey	Marie Kelly	BEG	Alison Johnstone
Double D	Philip Victor	IMP	Trevor Thornton
Ex’s & Oh’s	Rick Dominguez	Phrased INT	Rick Dominguez & Jonno Libberman
Get Ugly	Aliegha Elston	INT	Jonno Libberman
Gives Me Shivers	Candy Sherwin	IMP	Brandon Zahorsky
Gonna	Cindi Massengale	BEG
Half Past Tipsy	Aliegha Elston	IMP	Maddison Glover & Rachael McEnaney
I Was on a Boat	Cindi Massengale	BEG	Trevor Thornton
In the Six	Cindi Massengale	ADV	Shane McKeeve & Joey Warren
Keep It Simple	Philip Victor	BEG	Maggie Gallagher
Late Night Habits	Cindi Massengale	IMP	Julia Wetzel
Let It Be	Dirt Road Dancing & Leslie Perez	BEG
Next Girl	Marie Kelly	BEG
Off The Chain	Aliegha Elston	Phrased INT/ADV	Fred Whitehouse
Rodeo	Aliegha Elston	BEG/INT
Shake It Like That	Rick Dominguez	BEG/INT
Southside Shake	Troy & Elise of Dirt Road Dancing	IMP	Darren Bailey
Special Moves	Philip Victor	Easy INT	Michael Lynn, Lesley Kidd, Hayley Goy & Nick Goodman
Swamp Thang	Dirt Road Dancing & Leslie Perez	BEG/INT	Max Perry
Tip Toe	Philip Victor	ADV	Fred Whitehouse
We Are Tonight	Candy Sherwin	INT	Dan Albro
Weekend Vibes	Philip Victor	BEG	Karl-Harry Winson & Jamie Barnfield
What Makes You Country	Cindi Massengale	BEG	Rob Holley

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Partner Dancing at the Edge – Lessons & Styles

For those really wanting to work on their country partner dancing, the Edge Dance Event had many and a wide range of styles and levels to choose from.

First of all, there were Two Step workshops of course. The Two Step, as the country dance staple in bars and dance halls across the country, is a great place to begin if you’re wanting to get into country dancing. So, appropriately the Edge workshops had Two Steppers covered. From beginner to advanced and covering many different patterns and techniques, Robert & Brigette Campos taught many classes. Adia, Russ & Sarah also taught some Two Step as well.

Next, there were Country Swing workshops. This dance style, also, a great favorite in the country bar scene was very well covered and taught by Country Nomads and Dirt Road Dancing.

West Coast Swing, I would say was the third main partner dance covered. There were several WCS classes primarily given by Travis Swartzlander with a couple also from Robert & Brigette Campos.

Then, for those ready and/or daring enough Adia Nuno had some workshops covering Lifts and Aerials. I didn’t attend those, LOL, but I’m sure those that did totally leveled up their partner dancing artistry in this area. It is worth noting that for advanced dancers there were cool opportunities like this to be challenged and grow.

Lastly, the interesting and beautiful Brazilian partner Zouk dance was offered. I was so impressed and blown away to watch Brunno Theororo & Yana Trubin who have very much perfected their craft of Brazilian Zouk.

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The Edge Dance Competitions

One way to describe the Edge was as a non-stop dance event. The evenings were capped by some great dance competitions that went late on into the night, longer than I was able to hang in there for! See below for the competition categories and also a couple of videos from the Friday night contests.

Click here for the full results of the contests!

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Saturday Night Show (Surprise!)

Saturday night would feature more dance contests, but the night was first kicked off with a great show featuring what I would call an overview of the country dance scene. I really enjoyed this. If you are new to this dance scene and going out to your local dance hall you’ll have some questions about what is going on and how it all works etc.

The show they put on was geared in this way, to explain a few things and demonstrate what to do and why. There was a bit demonstrating dance etiquette and how dancers properly share the dance floor and then a really great demonstration of Country Two Step. We saw typical country bar Two Step demonstrated, but then we’re shown the contrast of what next level Two Step looks like!

Some of the champion instructors put the typical competition circuit dancewear on and showed off some of their moves. Then both groups dance together.

I loved that! Many of us are just unaware of those kinds of nuances or haven’t really been exposed to, say the UCWDC Worlds competition. So, a very cool treat! I loved Philip’s summation of this segment: “…whether you’re award-winning professional two steppers, snazzy social dancers, brand new beginners, or anywhere in between, in the end, we all started in the bar, still love the bar, and are all one happy Two Stepping family!”

Really, both nights Friday & Saturday were filled with fun unexpected surprises. There just isn’t the ability in a blog post to cover it all. But one other cool thing that went on was a great fundraiser for the “Reboot Recover” organization.

This is an organization that helps victims of trauma overcome. To raise funds there was a raffle, an Instructor Competition, and a “Dollar Dance.” The way the Dollar Dance worked was that the instructors were out on the floor and if you donated a dollar you could have a short dance with whoever you wanted. This was pretty fun and through all the effort there was $2000 raised for the cause!

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Final Thoughts on the Edge!

When I went out to Temecula for the weekend I expected lots of workshops and some live music, but ended up a little overwhelmed by all that was packed into the weekend. There was really too much to try to capture. I even won a couple of raffle prizes!

The Edge Dance Convention, as advertised, truly is a unique and innovative approach to a country dance workshop event. And held in beautiful Temecula, you end up feeling like you’re on a little scenic getaway or were supposed to go wine tasting and somehow ended up dancing instead. Definitely put this on your 2023 calendar.

Also, if you can’t wait that long check out a similar event coming up this year in Scottsdale, Arizona: The YESSS convention! Say Yesss! to the Yearly Epic Summer Step & Swing National Dance Convention and Competition. I already have my ticket!

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