2023 -
What to Expect

First and foremost, THANK YOU to Michael Barr and Michele Burton for entrusting me with continuing the unique, wonderful event that is PALM SPRINGS WINTER BREAK. Russ and Gloria Gunn passed it to Michael and Michele for loving care and continuation, and they have now handed the reins to me. My future posts, I will try to weave in more of the flamingo lingo like Michael and Michele did so eloquently before, but I’m just learning to fly!

The dates are set for the next flamingo migration to the 2023 Palm Springs Winter Break: Thursday, January 19 through Sunday, January 22, 2023.

Information and details will be posted on the website (www.PalmSpringsWinterBreak.com) and in the Facebook Group: Palm Springs Winter Break.

Registration will open in March 2022.

For those new to the Palm Springs Winter Break, it is held in The City of Palm Springs Pavilion - a wonderful, large ONE ROOM ballroom with seating, round tables, and a stage. You can almost dance anywhere in The Pavilion - the whole floor is wood!

For those returning to the Palm Springs Winter Break, I hope you will find I am continuing the best and expected aspects of this event that has been so lovingly and successfully ran by the Gunns and then Michael & Michele for over two decades.

***THINGS THAT WILL CONTINUE***

THEMES (The 2023 Palm Springs Winter Break will keep the FLAMINGO event theme and Saturday night “YOU LIGHT UP MY DANCE LIFE” theme. Fun and energy always fills the room with all who participate in the flamingo motif and light up the night (Saturday)).

PEGGY HALL (When you arrive at the 2023 Palm Springs Winter Break, the lovely, smiling face of Peggy Hall will still be there to greet you, managing the welcome area and registration table at the event.)

DEDICATED LEVELS (The 2023 Palm Springs Winter Break will continue the mix of improver to high intermediate dance lessons on Friday and Saturday, with Flamingo Funday (Sunday) for the beginner to improver level lessons.)

ADVANCE REQUESTS (Registered dancers will be able to submit pre-event requests, as done in previous years, and, yes, of course, everyone will still be able to do in-person dance requests at the event.)

SNACK BAR (The ever-popular snack bar will be available for dancers to purchase coffee, sodas, water, and a variety of snacks.)

MEAL BREAKS (The lunch breaks will still be 1 1/2 hours to let you eat, rest, and refuel; and if you don’t want to take a lunch break, there will be open dancing during that time, too. The dinner breaks will still be 2 1/2 hours on Friday and Saturday - enough time to enjoy a meal and come back for the evening dances.)

***EXCITING ADDITIONS / SLIGHT CHANGES***

7 ARROW MEDIA (Kelly & Kellie will be at the event as the official photographer and videographer. Professional photos and workshop videos will be available for purchase.)

DJFEED.NET (Marcus has set up a djfeed for the Palm Springs Winter Break. A projector/screen will still display it in the ballroom, but with the djfeed, registered dancers will also be able to view it on their own phones/tablets through the internet.)

REVIEWS (These have been worked into the days in past years, but 2023 will have the dance reviews on the schedule. The 2023 Palm Springs Winter Break schedule will also include refreshers/one-wall walk-throughs of Palm Springs classic favorites, so not all the workshop time will be on learning brand new dances.)

EVENT HOTEL (A list of nearby lodging options will be posted, but there is no specific event hotel with a designated room block. Find the accommodations best for you. We trust we can all make arrangements and meet up for some well-deserved dancing.)

FACEBOOK GROUP (The Palm Springs Winter Break Facebook Group will be VERY ACTIVE this year. I will be making live announcements in the Facebook Group and running pre-event contests/games. If you aren’t on Facebook - don’t worry - I will also be posting event announcements on the website (www.palmspringswinterbreak.com), in the World Line Dance Newsletter (thank you, Carol!), and sending out emails. For instance, the information in THIS POST is what I covered during the first Facebook Live in the Palm Springs Winter Break Facebook Group on Thursday, January 27. For those who are on Facebook, the Palm Springs Winter Break Facebook Group will be a great resource for arranging carpools/roommates/travel buddies/table buddies and discussing dance requests and more.)

CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION (Details will be coming out in the next few months. I got into line dance teaching at events through choreography competitions, so I want to pass on the opportunity to others. This will be a pre-event competition (think - similar to what Crystal Boot Awards did this year) where entries will be submitted by video link. There will be two divisions. The winner of each division will get a teaching spot at the 2023 Palm Springs Winter Break. One teaching spot is on Saturday, so any level from improver to high intermediate. One teaching spot is on Sunday, so only beginner to improver level. Rules and more information will come out in the next few months.)

INSTRUCTORS (I bet you’re wondering who the headliner(s) for the 2023 event are… well, the instructors are confirmed and I will be announcing them soon. The Facebook Group will get the live announcement first, then it will be posted on the website and submitted to this newsletter. Stay tuned!)

If you have questions about the 2023 Palm Springs Winter Break, please reach out to me: Bracken Heidenreich brackenncv@gmail.com or find me on Facebook - there’s only one Bracken Heidenreich :)

Palm Springs Winter Break

Thursday, January 19 through Sunday, January 22, 2023