Here are some my videos that I have on YouTube.  They’ll give you a sense of my progression as a dancer.  First some from way “Back in the Day” and then some from the not too distant past.  You can see all of my videos at: TxCowboyDancer’s YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/txcowboydancer)

Back in the day…

Come Dance With Me / 2005 UCWDC Worlds Newcomer Line Dance

Here is a video from back in the day, when I was just getting started; it was my very first to compete in an UCWDC World Championship..  If you compare it to later videos hopefully you’ll see an improvement in my dancing.  2005 was my 1st Worlds as a competitor and the second time as a spectator. I won 1st in this dance in both the Newcomer Open and in Newcomer Crystal Divisions and I placed 2nd Overall in both Divisions. This video is from the Crystal Division. I dance better now but still, it’s not bad for a Newcomer. The dance is “Come Dance With Me” choreographed by Jo Thompson. The music in the video is “Come Dance With Me” by Nancy Hays.   This is one of the most popular videos on my video channel–I have no idea why folks like it so much, but they do!  🙂

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Triple Two Step / 2008 UCWDC ProAm Crystal Newcomer

This is another video will give you an idea of where I started.  It was my very first Worlds competing in Pro-Am.  I took 1st in this dance receiving a Gold and 3rd Place Overall in the Crystal Division.  Crystal is the 30+ age division.  This event was the 2008 UCWDC World Championship of Country Western Dance in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel. The lady I’m dancing with was my pro, Terri Bordeaux, she taught me a lot and I was very lucky to have her as my first coach.  🙂

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Chill Factor / 2006 IAGLCWDC Annual Line Dance

This video is the most popular one on my YouTube Channel and the only one that has been viewed over 100,000 times.  You’ll notice that while I was in the Newcomer Division in UCWDC, I was in the Advanced Division in IAGLCWDC.  Different circuits have different rules for advancing dancers from division to division. While I was in the “Advanced” division in IAGLCWDC I was not an advanced dancer at that time.  I’m now in the Advanced Line Dance Division in all of four of the circuits I compete in and I still do not feel as if I’m an advanced dancer.  There is still so many things yet to learn and to master.

The dance in this video was one of three dances in the advanced line dance division in the 2006 IAGLCWDC Annual Dance Competition in New York, NY on May 27, 2006. I’m the second in line from the bottom of the screen. I took 2nd place in this dance and 2nd place overall in this division. The dance is “Chill Factor” choreographed by Daniel Whittaker & Hayley Westhead and the music is “Last Night” by Chris Anderson & DJ Robbie

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More Recent Videos…

Cha Cha / 2011 UCWDC Worlds ProAm Crystal Novice

This is “Cha Cha” in the Male Crystal Novice Division at the World Championships of Country Western Dance in Nashville, TN, Jan 2011 at the Opryland Hotel. In this dance, placed 2nd. I also competed in the Open and Diamond Novice Divisions. I placed 2nd Overall in Crystal and Diamond and 5th Overall in Open. My coach is Natalja Sawal (aka Natasha Sawal). My Cha Cha routine is fairly simple, I’m working on technique rather than worrying about choreography. I’ve come a long way from where I started and I’ve got a long way to go yet but I’ll get there! 🙂

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Anita’s Waltz / 2011 UCWDC Worlds Advanced Crystal Line Dance Rise & Fall

The Dance is “Anita’s Waltz” choreographed by Anita Zwiers & Michel Platje. The music is ‘Angels Cried’ by Alan Jackson & Allison Krauss. The dance was the Advanced level “Rise & Fall” dance, a waltz, at the 2011 UCWDC World Championships of Country Western Dance in Nashville, TN.  Anita’s Waltz, along with just about every other of the advanced dances this year are TOUGH!  Whew!  This waltz, while fun to dance has a lot of spins, direction changes and syncopations. I competed in two age divisions: Crystal and Diamond. This is the Crystal heat; In Crystal, I placed 2nd in every dance and I placed 2nd Overall.  In Diamond, I placed 2nd overall but with a mix of placements in individual dances: 1st in Anita’s Waltz and Sentimental; 2nd in El Samba de M, and 3rd in Fantasy and Americano.  This was my first year in Advanced so I was very pleased with the results.

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Sentimental / 2011 Oklahoma Dance Rush / Line Dance Male Diamond Advanced

I only did one dance, just to get in a event to count toward qualifying for the UCWDC World Championships.. Hopefully you can’t tell from the video but I was out til 3:30 the night before and I’m sweating like a pig because that vest was hot! LOL The best part was hearing the audience reactions, knowing that they were enjoying the dance. The name of the dance is “Sentimental” choreographed by Rachael McEnaney. The music for this dance is Sentimental by Gareth Gates

UCWDC Worlds 2013 (Janurary-Nashville, TN) / West Coast Swing / Male ProAm Diamond Intermediate

I dance FOUR ProAm divisions!  Am I nuts or what?  But hey, I had fun.  🙂  I’m dancing with my Coach Natalja Sawal, who is awesome.  I think we look pretty good here.   This is partly lead/follow and partly a routine.  This past Worlds was the last time I was to dance with the fabulous Ms. Sawal.

Life kinda “Slapped me around…”

After Worlds in Jan 2013, I switched coaches and began dancing with Sarah Berens, which was awesome.

Not so awesome was what happened soon after that: unfortunately my finances and my health took a big turn for the worse and I had to stop competing, and eventually dancing.  May 2013 was my last competition.

The good news is that as of Mar 2016, I am getting fitter and healthier. My health issues are under control and getting better every day.  I just recently returned to the world of teaching dance.  I am now a Professional Dance Instructor in Country, Ballroom, and Line Dance.  At the Texas Hoedown earlier this month, I performed in the Saturday Night Show.  And, [drum roll please], in April of 2016 I will return to the competition floor at the Oklahoma Dance Rush.

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And a few more “just because” and “just for fun”…

These videos have special significance for me so I’m putting them here.

A Video Produced by the UCWDC

This video is an introductory video that will give you a quick overview of the UCWDC and the sport of Country Western Dancing.  My dance partner and I are in the video segment which starts at time mark 3:17.  There is a close up of us at time mark 3:26 through 3:33.

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News Report / Interview — UCWDC Worlds 2008

I was interviewed for a local news report at Worlds 2008. I don’t recognize everyone but some of the pro’s in the segment are Terri Bordeaux, Gretchen Lutz, Rex Jones, Rachel Jones, Sloane Hansen, and Mona Brandt (was Arvidson)

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Night Club Two Step / 2010 UCWDC Worlds Diamond Novice

This event was the last time I competed with my first Pro, Terri Bordeaux.  It was very special for me.  This is the “Night Club Two Step” in the Male Diamond Novice Division at the World Championships of Country Western Dance in Nashville, TN, Jan 2010 at the Opryland Hotel. At the end of the dance, my coach looked up at me and said “Wow! Where did that come from?” then she rushed off to pick up the next “am” on our team of guys. 🙂 What an amazing compliment from my pro! 🙂 I also competed in Crystal Male Novice. I placed 3rd overall in Crystal and 5th overall in Diamond. In this dance I placed 6th and I received a “Gold with Honors” in the dance. My Pro, Terri Bordeaux. Terri won “Top Teacher” at that year’s Worlds!

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Stand / 1st World OutGames Advanced Line Dance

This was one of three dances in the advanced line dance division in the Country Western Dance Competition at the 1st World OutGames in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in July/Aug of 2006. I’m the one in the middle. I took 2nd place in this dance and won the Silver Medal in this division. The dance is “Stand” choreographed by Barry Amato and the music is “Stand” by Susan Ashton.

This performance is special to me in a lot of ways.  It was in Canada at the 1st World OutGames which was and incredible, amazing, once in a lifetime experience.  Also I’m on the floor with two good friends and I truly love this song and the dance.

Sorry the video isn’t better. 😦

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Rise / Big D Bash 2007 Male Diamond Novice

I love this dance and this song!  I had entered the competition but wasn’t ready to compete (I still had not learned all the dances); I was going to scratch but my friends convinced me to learn the dances the day before the comp and go ahead and dance!  Eeeeek!  I actually did pretty good, especially considering that I’d just learned the dance and had only a couple of hours practice time.  I didn’t mess up and I don’t look too bad.  I was uncontested, so I took “1st” in every dance and “1st” Overall.  The dance is “Rise” choreographed by Daniel Trepat and Sue Wilkinson.  The music is “You Raise Me Up” by Westlife.  Barry Amato is the MC.

This video is special to me because I love the dance and the music.  Also be cause it was filmed at the Big D Bash, an event that is owned by a good friend of mine.  I love being at her event.  She makes it special.  And finally because one of the ladies in the video is no longer with us.  She was a special lady, and a talented dancer.  This event was one of the few times I ever was on the floor at the same time with her.

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Stand / 2006 Gay Games – Country Western Competition

This was my first Gay Games, and so far my only Gay Games.  Hopefully I’ll be able to go to the next one in Cleveland in 2014.  I love hearing the audience get behind me during the video; their support was awesome at the time and even more so now.  This performance came near the end of a very long day and to say that I was nervous is like saying the Sears Tower is a tall building.

Being out there by myself was even more nerve-wracking!  I was so focused on not screwing up the routine that I while I heard the MC making jokes and talking, what he was saying never fully registered; it wasn’t until later, watching the video that I “got it.”  LOL! They also were supposed to fade the music at 2 minutes but they kept on playing the song so I had to keep dancing further into the song than I had rehearsed.  So the last “stand” move was made up on the spot! This was one of three dances in the advanced line dance division at the 2006 Gay Games, Country Western Dance Competition sanctioned by the IAGLCWDC in Chicago IL on July 17, 2006.  I won the Gold Medal in this division and I also won the Gold Medal with my couples partner in the Beginner Couples Division.  The dance is “Stand” choreographed by Barry Amato and the music is “Stand” by Susan Ashton.