dancing – BOOT SCOOTIN' REVIEW™

Tom Ryan’s Lounge

JE — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 19:35:46 +0000

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

BOOTIN SCOOTIN REVIEW

Friday Night October 11, 2018

Here’s what we did

We first dropped in on a Thursday night in October. Place was practically empty, cause no band was playing. They told us there would be a band on Friday night so we decided to come back. As we walked in on Friday night, there were lots of people standing around, and the band was on break. This place is a straight saloon with no food available, but we noticed that quite a few people brought their own food in. We found a table near the dance floor so we sat down and asked for iced tea, but had to settle for water.

The band came back and started off with a two-step. We jumped on that, but found, as we started to two-step, that everyone was dancing something different and mostly in one spot. It was impossible to move around the dance floor in a counter clockwise direction, or in any direction for that matter. So, we danced most every dance in the first set and the result was the same, crowed floor, not much room to move, not much fun. If this fits your dancing style, then this is your kind of place.

The dance experience

Tom Ryan’s, in our opinion, would really be much better if the band would occasionally call out the dance (two-step, linedance, WC Swing etc) for a song before they played it. Bingo…call a two-step and everyone two-steps in the same direction. Bottom line, after an hour, we felt that it would be more fun to go to Denim & Diamonds in Mesa or Norton’s Country Corner in Queen Creek to two-step. So that’s what we did, and it was.

The seating experience.

There were lots of high drink tables with 2 or 4 stools. Makes sense that lots of people would be sitting when not dancing, right? But no, everybody at Tom Ryan’s, stands next to their stool, next to their table and clogs up the whole seating area. Making it hard to get to the dance floor and making it very hard to get on and off the dance floor. People, take a load off and sit on your stool at your table when not dancing.

Here’s what we saw

Age range: 50+

Dress Code: none that we saw. I would describe the dress as country to casual.

Floor: A medium size linoleum dance floor.

Dance Mix: Mostly two-step with an occasional waltz thrown in.

Dance Music: All Country Western, so we really liked that.

Live Music: Band Wagon was the band playing the night we were there. They were a good band.

Dancing: The dance floor was very crowded every dance and everybody was dancing to the beat of their own drum (doing there own thing) lol It was basically chaos.

Dance Lessons: there were no lessons the night we were there.

Food: No food served. Best to bring your own food.

Beverages: Full bar service bar. No iced tea. :((

Restrooms: Clean and nice.

Security: Doorman and some security inside. The parking lot was close and safe.

Parking: Lots of parking for free.

Atmosphere: Everybody seemed to be having fun, lots of laughing and drinking.

WRAP UP: This is the kind of place where you can have HonkyTonk fun, it’s just not a place that wants to maximize the dancing experience…

So Long for now…We’re off to the next venue! :))

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Sundance Steakhouse & Saloon

CE — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 22:39:00 +0000

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

Sundance Steakhouse and Saloon- (rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5)

2716 E. Mulberry St.

Fort Collins, CO 80524

INSIDE:

I’d say this is the most covered wagons or parts of wagons that we’ve seen in one place. There are two of them up on the balcony entrance and one hanging off the ceiling plus various hardware. Lots of western décor, with paintings/boots on the wall, and a bull ride. There is plenty of seating and a nice size dance floor. We were there on a Friday night and heard Lendon James & the Highway 34 Band. We met him and his group. They were real friendly and played all songs that we could dance to. They were just great! We thought they were the featured band and found out he was filling in for the featured band which was going to be late. Lendon James & the Highway 34 Band have only been together for a year, but from what we heard, they will be a success! WooHoo Lendon!

Cover Charge: $2 on Wed.

Age range:

18+ all day Wed, Thurs. Bucket of Beers special and special on steak, Dance lessons beginning at 5:15pm, Fun bucket Fri. (beers), Sat. Ladies Drink Free 9-11pm /$2.50 Jim Beam all day long, Sun. Family Night (specials not valid during special events, check website for upcoming events).

Dress Code:

Wear comfortable leather sole shoes, no flip flops, extreme high heels, tennis shoes or backless shoes

Dance Floor:

Good size, dance floor etiquette is no drinks or standing on the dance floor, line and swing dancers in the center and traveling dancers on the outside (clockwise).

**IMPORTANT for all dance venues- See “Standard Dance Etiquette” and “The Cowboy’s Guide to Dance Etiquette” from Sundance Steakhouse and Saloon copied below. This etiquette is followed and appreciated at all country western venues you may visit.

Dance Mix: Good mix of age ranges, as well as male and female patrons

Dance Music: 90% western songs, Lendon James & the Highway 34 Band played great songs at a dance-able tempo

Live Music: Yes, on Fri and Sat. nights. See website for specifics.

Dancing: 60% two-Step, 30% line-dance, 10% other

Dance Lessons: On Thursday Nights 7:15-8:15 p.m., $5.00 per person, all levels. Lessons in Two-Step, West Coast Swing, Waltz, Cha-Cha, Night Club two Step, Pola, Cowboy Cha Cha and the Triple Two

Food:

Good selection of meat meals, no vegetarian

Beverages:

Tea, water, soda, beer and liquor

Restrooms:

Medium size, average cleanliness in men’s and clean in the women’s

Security:

Low keyed, sufficient parking that is lighted, located in an industrial area

ATMOSPHERE:

Night club, festive for the holidays, enthusiastic dancers, and CW dance music all night. We also spoke to lots of nice people sitting around us and all staff was very friendly too.

NEWBIES:

Good size dance floor and, if you come early, there is plenty of room to dance and learn. Look for someone to follow and dance and learn. Later on the dance floor gets crowded and you are on your own.

Specifics:

We loved dancing here, but felt that having some of the dances called would have made it more fun for all levels of dancers from newbies to veterans. We felt that it was a little chaotic on the dance floor with people going in different directions and dancing different dances, especially when it was crowded.

**SUNDANCE STEAKHOUSE AND SALOON

STANDARD DANCE ETIQUETTE

Leaders watch where they’re going. Gentleman watch where their partner is going

Dance in your space, not someone else’s. As the floor gets more crowded, make your steps smaller and be polite. This applies to every dancer, no matter how experienced.

If you bump into someone else on the dance floor, assume it is your fault and apologize immediately. If the dance floor is too crowded, wait until the next song.

Wear appropriate clothes and shoes. Extremely high heel shoes or heavy boots are injuries waiting to happen.

On the social dance floor, do not teach, offer suggestions or critique your partner’s dancing inless they ask you to or they give you permission.

Dance in a manner and at a distance with which your partner is comfortable.

THE COWBOY’S GUIDE TO DANCE ETIQUETTE

Dance with the one that brung ya: Save your first and last dance for the person who brought you. It is common western courtesy.

Dance with your friends: Dance with other people besides the person you/who brought you. It’s a great way to make new friends and leaves you smellin’ like a rose.

Unless it’s your ex who’s askin’, be up for the task: If you’re too tired, make sure yiu sit out the whole song before dancing again.

A cowboy always keeps his promise: If you promise someone a dance, especially the “next song,” keep your promise. Don’t make them come find you, be polite and find them.

Teach a cowboy to fish. Dance with beginners and children if they want to try dancing. It is the only way they’ll ever learn to dance.

Eat, drink and share: The barn is open for the dance. If the dance keeps the barn open! Buy a drink at the bar (even if it is only a soda) or order food from the kitchen.

Pay your respects: If you asked for a song, tip the band or the DJ. You just might be the only cowboy in the place that wanted to hear that dumb song.

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Grizzly Rose

JE — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 18:53:19 +0000

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

Grizzly Rose

5450 N Valley Hwy.

Denver, CO 80216

Wow! This venue is like a little western town. There’s a huge dance floor with shops around it, a pool hall, a place to eat and dueling bulls plus lessons can be had in a separate dance studio! Did I mention live music, events and easy access via Hwy 25? It was a quick find for us.

A funny thing happened to us there. The week that we went, the dance lesson was Cowboy Cha Cha. There was a basic lesson and then there was the advanced lesson. Since we were from out of state, she asked us if we knew the Cowboy Cha Cha and we said, “Yes we did.” Then, she asked if our Cowboy Cha Cha moved around the dance floor and we said, Yes.” She said, “That’s not it, ours stay in a stationary spot.” So, we took the basic lesson, and guess what? We have a dance in California we call the Denver Cha Cha, and it is the dance that you all call the Cowboy Cha Cha! So, we already knew it. We love the dance and we had a great time learning it from Miss Rosalie in Denver😊

I wonder if they know our Cowboy Cha Cha because our Cowboy Cha Cha is not the California Cha Cha (that’s a whole different dance)! We had a great chuckle. No matter what, we enjoy our travels whether it’s learning a dance we know by a different name or a new dance. It’s the FUN and laughter that we have along the way that makes these adventures so memorable.

INSIDE:

Cover Charge: See the website

Age range: 18 + on Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri. 18 if there is a concert otherwise 21+, Sat. 21 + Sun. Family Night

Dress Code: Yes, no motorcycle club colors or representation allowed. There were lots of people wearing cowboy boots and hats. Typical wear is jeans and leather sole boots/shoes to easily dance country western dance steps.

Dance Floor: Large, approximately 50’x 35’and floor condition was excellent

Dance Mix: Line dancing 10%, Two-Step 70%, Swing 10%, Waltz 10%

Dance Music: Country western 90%, Pop/Rock 10%

Live Music: The band was good (we felt most of the DJ music was too fast or too slow for the Two-Step)

Dancing: Dances are not necessarily called

Dance Lessons: The only days they do not have dance lessons are Mon. and Fri. (See website calendar for specifics)

Food: We had the garden salad, Grizzly Wrap and sweet potato fries, moderately priced food and pretty darn good

Beverages: Iced Tea, soda, water, beer and liquor

Restrooms: The restrooms are very large and impeccably clean.

Security: Security personnel located throughout the venue. It was a nice crowd.

ATMOSPHERE: Night club lighting, patrons and staff were very friendly and helpful. The initial inside impression was of a very wide and expansive area. There was an impressive use of space throughout. The separate dance studio was very surprising and appropriate for the dance lessons.

NEWBIES: Great dance lessons in a private dance studio by a very knowledgeable teacher, Miss Rosalie. It would be helpful if the dances were called so that everyone would be dancing the same dance and going in the same direction. This is a place where you put on your dancing duds (or not) take a dance lesson and then get out on the large dance floor and dance your heart out all night. You’ll also meet lots of nice folks.

SPECIFICS:

Ranking 1 – 5 (5 being best)

Dance floor ***** Excellent, well maintained area and nice size for dancing.

Lessons ***** Miss Rosalie was just the nicest teacher, with succinct directions

and monitoring of her students

Food ****

Music *****

Restrooms *****

Parking *** It’s about a two-block walk or so to an unlighted area if front parking is full.

Feeling safe **** Inside was a 5, but outside overflow parking and lighting was limited.

Come early if this is a concern.

FINAL THOUGHTS: We loved the energy, enthusiasm of the dancers and friendliness of the people and staff i.e. at the door, chef at the Chuck Wagon, security and the roving staff that were making sure the tables and trash on the floor were picked up. We appreciated the hospitality.

There is one thing we personally would have liked. It would have been a better dance experience for us if occasionally a dance was called so that line dancers, two-steppers and couple dancers alike would not have to worry about near collisions. But all in all, this is a GREAT place to dance, have a meal and just have a ton of fun. We rate the Grizzly Rose a 5-STAR country dancing venue.

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