The Last Concert

So many years our life has been full of ballroom dance. As Alissa is finishing up at BYU she is saying goodbye to being on the Tour Team. So much has come to her through this experience. Dance has paid for school, she has made life long friends, traveled the world and most important she meet and married Trevor. 

BYU Ballroom Dance in Concert "Imagine" 4/8/11 - 4/9/11

Alissa and her hubby Trevor

Today it's all about Ballroom Dance!!

They did it!!!


BYU are the 2010 Blackpool Latin Formation Team Champions

It was an 8 team semi final and a 5 team final!!

BYU BDC sweeps Blackpool Festival formation competition!

BDC Latin team with coaches and choreographers

Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company won 1st place in the Latin team formation competition tonight at the Blackpool Dance Festival. That is back to back wins, Standard and Latin! Congratulations to the dancers; their coaches, Lee & Linda Wakefield and their professional choreographers. They have put in many upon many hours.

 Katie, Ian & Toffer.

 BDC Latin team with trophy

 Alissa (that's my girl) & Toffer with trophy.

2nd place: China
3rd place: China: Beijing Dance Academy
4th place: Germany
5th place: Utah Valley University

Winter Gardens - Ballroom
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This post will contain all the info and pictures from Blackpool (England) for the BYU Latin Formation Team. As soon as I hear how they did!

Alright Latin team. Today is the day. You know what to do. Leave it all on the floor and bring it home! Go BYU!

Welcome to Feel Good Friday! ~ 5 Good Things

I love this idea!!

presented by: the girl next door grows up

I have found that a lot of my bloggy friends reading posts about being positive, so I thought I might try my very own meme.  I just want everyone to feel good and have some happy thoughts as you begin the weekend.  
Are you with me?!  

Step 1: 
Pick one of these prompts and write about it on your blog!  You can: 

• Just make a list. List 5 things that made you really happy this week. No matter how bad or boring you think your week was, I bet you can find 5 things.   
• Write about something that happened to you this week that really made you smile.  Was it your child, husband, or maybe a complete stranger did to you?
• Write about something that YOU did for someone else that really made them happy or laugh.
• Is there something you treasure so much that every single time you look at it, it brings you happiness?  Post a pic and tell everyone about it.
• Having a hard week and can't find one good thing about it?  Well then, what is your happy place?  What do you think of that makes you happy? A past vacation?  A childhood memory?  We want to know!

Step 2:
Come back to my blog on Friday and link up with Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.  Then go and read at least one other blog and leave them a comment to make their day brighter.

Step 3:
Have fun.  Feel good.  Smile. 
Then, start looking for all of the good things you can write about for next week!  Once you start looking for the "good"  you will find it everywhere!

5 things that made me really happy this week.

1) Monday was Memorial Day; I could not help but think about the freedom we enjoy. There are so many who have given their lives for what we have. Donny put our American Flag out in the front yard. It made happy to watch it blow gently in the spring breeze and for what it represents. As I enjoyed a great BBQ with my family I know that I am truly blessed.    

                                                            

2) The weather this week has made a turn. We have had a very cold and rainy spring. This week we have had blue skies with puffy white clouds. I love feeling of the sun on my face.

3) Something that makes me happy, this week and every moment for just over two months is my new grandbaby. Her amazing blue eyes, her wonderful smile, her yummy rolls and cheeks. Babies are the closest thing to heaven we can get.

4) My in-laws have been in town for two family weddings, what has become a tradition for our family when Grandpa comes to visit is he takes my kids shopping for shoes. It makes my heart happy to see my kids in their new shoes. Thank you Dad.

5) Another thing that has made my heart happy this week is to see one of the dreams for my daughter Alissa happen. Alissa dances on the BYU Ballroom Team and is in Blackpool, England at the Blackpool Dance Festival (World Championships) The Standard Team competed on Wednesday (June 2nd) and Won and now The Latin Team competes today (June 4th) Alissa is on the Latin Team. Go Alissa , Go BYU, Represent for the USA!!

The winning team for Standard with the trophy

Look at that amazing ballroom in the background

The BYU Standard Ballroom Formation Team - Champions!! 

End of the Year Ballroom Concert - Katie & Sierra

Hard to believe we have coming to the end of another school year. Here are some pictures from the Spring Ballroom Concert over the weekend. It has been fun to have Sierra and Katie on the Varsity Ballroom Team together, Katie has been on the Varsity Team all four years of High School and Katie and Kristen were on the Varsity Team together too. What a Ballroom Team?? Yes, here in Utah where we live (it's a ballroom mecca.) Almost all of the high schools, middle schools and now elementary schools have some kind of ballroom program. It's great to teach these kids how to dance and expose them to all kinds of music. The girls have had another busy year with competitions, concerts, Nationals and tour. It takes a big commitment to do this.  

Sierra

Sierra

Katie - Tango

80's medley - Katie is wearing my old 

pink leg warmers - So retro

Katie

Sisters & Teammates

Some of the Fam - cheering them on

BYU Ballroom Concert - “Encore”

Ballroom Dance Company at BYU Celebrates 50 Years

The award-winning Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a gala performance called "Encore" at the Marriott Center on the BYU campus this weekend. Throughout its career, the BYU Ballroom Dance Company has been awarded 27 national championships and was the first American company to win the British Formation Championships, which it has won 19 times.

Alissa is on the touring team and she loves it. This year is the British Formation Championships held in Blackpool, England. This is an amazing group of young people, and her cutie husband also dances, he is on the backup tour team.

Opener

A Salute To Fred Astaire

Theatrical Arts - High On The Mountain Top

Rock This Town - Lindy

Dance With My Father - Rumba

Hair Spray

Another Ballroom Dancer? Lindsay's Jive

Looks like we have another Williams' dancer. This is Lindsay's Jive. Watch until the last hit (almost at the end). It looks just like big sis Alissa. (she is only 3 in this video)

A Blog Post from a Host Family - The BYU Ballroom Tour

What a sweet experince. This post is from the Norton Family they hosted Alissa for two nights at their home in Indianapolis while the BYU Ballroom Team is on tour. She took the time to contact me. Thank you Traci.
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

BYU Ballroom Dancers

Last night the BYU Ballroom Dancers performed at the University of Indianapolis' Ransburg Auditorium, thanks to the hard work of Kelsey Lambert who organized their visit for the BYU Alumni Association. It was spectacular. Coley was an usher and Hannah and I watched. We took Emily and Brooke Kinard, too.
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The best part, however, was having two of the dancers stay with us Monday and Tuesday night. Shayla Kennington (front row in the white dress above and left below) and Alissa Williams (front row in the purple dress above and right below).
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They were outstanding examples for Coley and Hannah of what comes of hard work and dedication, along with living the gospel. They were overflowing with positive attitudes and excitement. Indianapolis is such a clean city, Fishers is so green and beautiful, the houses and neighborhoods are so nice, the Speedway was really fun and the Indy cars were impressive, meeting Danica Patrick was awesome and she was so tiny and pretty, breakfast was just what they wanted, they slept like a rock in our beds, our children are so great and fun to visit with.... I swear, the world through their eyes is a glorious place. I love it.

I'm so thankful that they stayed with us. If you are interested in details, here are a few: The dancers are on a 3 1/2 week tour. They perform nineteen numbers at least fourteen times during the tour. They started in Kansas City, where Shayla is from, so her family got to be there. They end in DC, where they get a free day. They get to go to lots of church history sites all along the way. All this time they wear matching clothes and name badges. They sleep in members' homes, do workshops for young single adults, visit the local sights, and several of the single ones date each other. That is what we learned in our sneak peek into the world of BYU Ballroom Dancing.

Shayla has been dancing since she was 8. Her mom home schools(ed) all five kids. So far they have all graduated from high school in three years with 30 college credits under their belt and transferred to BYU--wow! She has been married for three years and just graduated last week in Ballroom Dance. She will be coaching a high school team now while her husband finishes at BYU.
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Alissa has a family full of all kinds of activities, with nine kids in her family. Most of the girls are involved in ballroom. Alissa started ballroom dancing in 8th grade and danced at Provo High (she's from Provo). She just finished her third year at BYU and is majoring in dance education.

Posted by Traci at 7:41 AM

Traci said...
This is Traci Norton. Alissa stayed at our house in Indianapolis last night and the night before and I made a comment on your April 14, 2008 entry before I realized I should have commented here so you would see it. Yay for Alissa! We loved having her stay with us. Thanks for having such a fabulous daughter.
May 6, 2009 6:21 AM
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Christi said...
Traci,
Thank you for opening your home to Alissa and the other BYU dancers, As a mother it is comforting to know that she is being so well cared for. And I think she is pretty fabulous myself. :-)
May 6, 2009 11:51 AM
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And thank you for your wonderful post, I hope you don't mind I put it on my blog. It is fun to see a little inside of what they are experiencing. My The Lord bless you and your sweet family.
May 7, 2009 2:42 PM

UVU Ballroom Concert

(Kristen is the third one over in the back row)

Fly into Spring
UVU Ballroom Dance Company Spring Concert
April 15-18, 2009
Provo, UT

Kristen dances on the UVU Back Up Tour Team. She loves dancing and as I have said before, in this house we DANCE!! Kristen has been given her own pre teen team to coach, way to go Kristen.

BYU Ballroom Tour Team 2008-2009

BYU Ballroom Dance Tour Team 2008-2009
Directors - Lee & Linda Wakefield
(Alissa is in the purple dress in the front row)
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Donny & Alissa

Viva Espana

BYU Ballroom Dance Company Spring Concert

April 10-11, 2009

Provo, UT

Alissa & Christi (me)

Heather & Alissa

(roommates & best friends)

Alissa & Shannon

Alissa loves dancing on the Ballroom Tour Team, not only are the kids amazing dancers but they are amazing people. Alissa will be leaving in two weeks on an Central and Eastern States Tour. She will be performing at Church History & US History sites in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Boston, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Washington DC as well as performing at the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC. We are so excited for her and the team. Next year they will be off the Blackpool England, Germany and Austria.