Heartland Swing

Last weekend,

Was the funnest weekend of my life.

As I mentioned before, my swing dance team headed to Iowa for the {Heartland Swing Festival and Collegiate Jitterbug Championship}

It

Was

AMAZING!!!

We left Thursday morning bright and early at 5:30, and spent the next day and a half driving to Iowa. You want to hear something crazy about Wyoming, Nebraska, and Iowa?

They all look the same.

It's all flat and brownish greenish and boring.

Sometimes there are trees, 

but mostly there's just grass.

We got into Iowa Friday afternoon,from the time we got there to the time we left, the only time we ever stopped dancing was to sleep.

Workshops taught by INCREDIBLE professional dancers went all day long, and then there were dances all night.

Literally. 

There was usually a dance that lasted until midnight, and then there was another one after that that went until three or four in the morning! 

Learning from the professionals was an amazing experience

I love dancing, and I do it whenever I can,

but these people- dancing is their life, it's who they are;     and learning from these people that are so passionate about what they're teaching is just incredible. 

I learned so much this weekend and I met so many amazing people!

There were dancers there from all over the country!

Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Colorado, Arizona

so many people, from so many different places

all brought together by something they love. 

I've been to a lot of different kinds of dances in my life, and none of them will ever be as fun as big band swing.

At other dances, people are too focused on what they're wearing, who they're with, how much better of a dancer they are, and who they're trying to impress- that they can't appreciate any of their experience.

Swing dancers only care about the music and the dancing and just having a great time, spending an entire weekend in that atmosphere was incredible and it made me wish that I could just stay there and dance forever. 

Alas, I have this thing called a life, and a job, and homework, and had to bring myself back to reality.

I tell you what though, 

the things I learned, the music I heard, and the people I met

I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Thank you so much to everyone who made my weekend truly magical,

I'll see you all next year!!