What are our goals with this new event?
Introduce country dancing to NEW dancers through our "country dancing for dummies" website.
Build our event locally (Louisville and surrounding cities)
Create a strong social side of the event with great workshops and social dancing (We're expecting 300 local social dancers)
A cutting edge event with, fast scoring, same session awards, on-time contests, beautiful ballroom and excellent communication to our dancers.
We intend to cater to 2 specific customers. #1 NEW country Pros & Ams. #2 LOCAL social dancers.
Our business plan does NOT include just hitting up big name UCWDC pros
Bring the culture of Louisville, KY Derby, Bourbon & the Louisville Slugger into the event. (We were inspired by New Orleans)
Why are we qualified to run a new UCWDC event?
#1 because dancing is our fulltime business!
Our studio Dance Louisville has been in business for 13 years. We have great local support in Louisville KY
We have 5 years of experience running events. Our swing event Derby City Swing has grown every year to over 600 dancers
We have online marketing skills. Our website westcoastswingonline.com generates 6 figures a year all online.
We have an excellent hotel! We've used the Crown Plaza for our swing event for 5 years. Should we get sanctioning we will have a stable home for many years.
Plus... Brian is a UCWDC hall of fame member and active pro-am and masters competitor
Some staff members for the NuLu Open
Now we are not jumping the gun with UCWDC sanctioning. We are excited to go through the process and share our vision with all of you.
However due to hotel contracts we will be running a country and swing event May 9-12, 2019 regardless of the outcome.
Below is a list of staff that has been confirmed regardless of UCWDC sanctioning.
The staff is a mix of well respected top professionals as well as 'movers and shakers' in the midwest.
We think our staff speaks to the standards we intend to uphold if we were to be granted UCWDC sanctioning.
Mario Robau
Houston Texas
Mario "Swing Daddy" Robau started dancing at the age of sixteen and began teaching professionally in 1986. For the last twenty years, Mario has traveled at least 40 weekends per year judging, teaching, deejaying, and emceeing at various dance workshops and conventions throughout the United States and Canada in the swing, country western, and shag dance circuits. Mario's Competitive credentials include: 2 time U.S. Open Classic swing dance champion; U.S. Open Team Champion and co-choreographer; 10 time Dallas Dance champion; 6 time Southwest Regional champion; 10 time Texas State champion; 10+ City Houston Championships; undefeated slow whip champion; 4 time Grand National Champion; 2 time Phoenix Jack and Jill Champion; Dallas Dance Hall of Fame; Youngest person inducted into Swing Dance Hall of Fame
Ronnie Debenedetta
Prescott Arizona
Ronnie "D" is a multiple time UCWDC Masters Classic and Showcase World Champion. He is one of the winningest professionals in country dance history.
He is also a west coast swing star with several top 5 placements at the US Open again in both the classic and showcase divisions.
He is one of the best crossover Swing & Country dancers in history!
Chris & Emily Bailey
Birmingham Alabama
Chris Bailey has four open division world championships in the UCWDC. He and his wife Emily have managed Bailey Dance Studio for almost nine years. They feel blessed in the fact that they get to travel across the United States sharing the love of dance with others.
Chris and Emily compete in the UCWDC Showcase Masters Division; where they are the current 2018 Showcase Masters World Champions!
Matt Auclair
St Louis Missouri
Matt Auclair is a 6 time national west coast swing dance champion. He is the youngest person to be inducted in the Dallas Dance Hall of Fame. He has taught and competed both nationally and internationally.
His true occupation is a 4th grade school teacher. He feels that because he is a teacher it makes him capable of breaking down his lessons in an easy fun way. He looks forward to coming to Louisville to the NuLu Open!
Brian B & Megan Anderson
Louisville Kentucky
Brian B is a 5 UCWDC superstar world champion and a 2017 inductee to the UCWDC country dance hall of fame!
Megan Anderson is the 2015 UCWDC pro/pro world champion.
As a professional partnership they were undefeated during the 2017 dance season finishing 2nd in the masters division at World Championships in San Fransisco in January 2018.
WATCH THEM POLKA (Megan can spin!)
Maren Oslac
Chicago Illinois
Maren is a national level instructor, competitor and judge, recently put her national travel and competition schedule on hold to allow her to develop and grow the local dance community. Her passion for teaching and her desire to share her love of dance led her to expand her local business, opening her own studio in Tinley Park, IL and starting the Illinois Ballroom Teacher College, one of her most exciting ventures.
Maren has traveled extensively across the U.S. for the past 10 years earning a reputation as a top level dancer, teacher and judge and carries with her a host of wins and titles in Country, Latin, Ballroom, Hustle and Swing, including more wins than she can count in her favorite arenas, Strictly Swing and Jack & Jill competitions.
Other invited staff...
We are waiting on confirmation from a long list of awesome professionals.
Here are some other awesome people that will join us pending confirmation.
Jim & Kelli Rainey from Knoxville TN (WCS & Country)
Abi & Stephane Schneider from Hunstville (WCS)
Ronnie & Cindy Mullins from Tip City(Country) Ohio - CONFIRMED
Newell Defreest from Atlanta (Country)
Vickie Rose from Nashville (Country) - CONFIRMED
Lee Starr from Ashville NC (Country) -CONFIRMED
Emily Laren & Ben Howard (Country & Swing) from Louisville KY -CONFIRMED
Kelli Vaughn (Hustle) from Louisville KY -CONFIRMED
