Written by 9:36 pm Our adventures

Musings from SHINDIG! 2024

As we close the books on SHINDIG! 2024, thought we would share some of the journey.

The idea.
It wasn’t ours. Joe & Maria Urbanic had been planning to bring the Albro’s to their Country Partners Dance Club. The
Urbanic’s teach and dance every day of the week. They simply had not gotten anything on the calendar. We agreed to get
the Abro’s scheduled, and the Urbanic’s agreed to support our effort regardless of the outcome. In other words, they would
share in our losses.

The Original Plan.
Since we were already half into the year and the event date was a mere few months away, we were strongly urged to keep
it simple. The Albro’s would offer A lesson and kick off an evening dance social.
This rapidly morphed expanding into creating a Country Dance experience. To reach and please as many country dancers
as possible. We will offer Something for Everyone.


The Challenge. Accepted!
We are relative newbies to both dance and the central Florida scene. Zero contacts with venues, professionals, or other
dance styles and groups. LOL, who better to lead the charge!
Time was our biggest challenge-we didn’t have nearly enough time to research, learn, network, etc.
Another significant challenge was learning that local businesses and some of the dance community were not accepting or
willing to assist/participate in a first attempt. This was a huge, unexpected disappointment. But more on that later.

The Goal.
As the event grew…. we signed contracts, wrote checks, gave over our credit card, and sent blind emails to hundreds of
various professionals all over the US. Bigger are far more expensive than discussed under The Plan.
Our First Goal, the most important goal was to create a memory of FUN. We hoped to generate anticipation and
excitement. We asked dancers to spread the word to their friends and groups. We wanted to include any/all dancers.
We all accepted that our end goal was to break even financially or at least not go too deeply into debt. And we continued to
spend.

The Experience.
We had a wonderful time. It is a fantastic memory complete with photographic proof. We meet interesting people, skilled
dancers, we smiled, laughed, chatted, and danced for Two Days in October 2024.

The Conclusion.
It was devastating not being able to secure sponsorship from businesses. We expected support from the community that
simply would not contribute to a first attempt by amateurs.
The shocking surprise was the people God led to us, a gift of favor and blessings in our lives. These few Super Stars who
gave generously, donating their time, talents, and products. For YOU we are truly thankful.
We challenge you to re-visit the SHINDIG! 2024 good time. Perhaps make a conscience trip to:

  • Try a dance class with one of the many SHINDIG! 2024 volunteer instructors.
  • Try a dance class with Maria Urbanic
  • Book or recommend our DJ Cowboy Bob!
  • Visit a Cattle Dog Roasters for a quick bite or cup o’Joe, or purchase salt from Rubee’s Creations.
Visited 12 times, 1 visit(s) today
Close Search Window
Close