Rock the Barn – A WSDC Registered West Coast Swing Event in Gräsmyr

Rock the Barn, 16-19 July 2020

It is with a heavy heart we have to inform you that Rock the Barn 2020 is cancelled, due to Covid-19. After discussions with the venue in Gräsmyr, we have concluded that given the circumstances, this is the most responsible thing to do. 😢

With the large number of participants already registered, we had aimed for having the best Rock the Barn so far. Now we’ll just have to postpone those plans until next year, when we will be back, bigger and better than ever! We all hope you will all join us then.

We will start refunding all paid registrations as soon as possible, more information about the procedure will be sent out to all registered participants.

Meanwhile, take care of each other and keep dancing!

Teachers

Chuck Brown, USA

Chuck is one of our Rock the Barn veterans and 2020 will be his 7th time with us. Chuck has been dancing West Coast Swing for over 20 years and won competitions in the USA before most of us even knew this dance existed. He is our chief judge and will share his knowledge with us in his workshops.

Sonya Dessureault, USA

Sonya has been with us since the start in 2014 and it will also be her 7th time at Rock the Barn. Sonya has studied modern dance in Montreal, but soon discovered that West Coast Swing is her dance. Her mission is to help everyone to find their own way to express themselves in their dancing.

Maxime Zzaoui & Torri Zzaoui, France

Maxime & Torri are with us at Rock the Barn for the 4th time. Torri is originally from the USA where she won the Showcase division at the US Open with Benji Schwimmer several times. Maxime has an education in contemporary dance and was the first European to place among the top 5 at the US Open in the Classic division.

Semion Ovsiannikov & Maria Elizarova, Russia

It’s the second time for Semion and Maria at Rock the Barn in 2020. Both of them have a background in other social couple dances, but they fell in love with West Coast Swing. They were the first couple from Russia that made it to the finals in the Classic division at the US Open. Semion and Maria are known for their musicality and connection and they will share their knowledge with us.

Wee Tze Yi (Zee) & Dalena Lee, Singapore

Zee and Dalena are coming all the way from Singapore and it’s their second time teaching at Rock the Barn. They are actively driving the growth of the West Coast Swing scene in Asia. Zee is also the first Champion level dancer in Asia.

Schedule

The schedule is coming later.

Competitions

Rock the Barn is approved by the World Swing Dance Council as a points registry event. We offer Jack&Jill competitions at the following levels:

Newcomer
If you have never competed before you should enter this division.

Novice
If you have competed before and have less then 16 novice points.

Intermediate
You have at least 16 novice points and less than 30 intermediate points

Advanced/Allstar
For those with at least 30 intermediate points. Depending on the number of participants we may even run separate Advanced and All-Star divisions.

What is Jack&Jill?
In a Jack&Jill contest you do not register with a partner, and it’s the luck of the draw that determines which partner you get to dance with. In the preliminary rounds you rotate and dance with different partners, everyone is judged indivually. In the finals you are paired up with a partner and judged as a couple.

Jack&Jill competitions are easy going, relaxed competitions that do not require you to dress in formal attire. We are very happy to be the first event in Northern Sweden that has been given the opportunity to run a wsdc-event, and we encourage everyone to take the chance to compete, so we will be able to keep our wsdc-status for many years to come.

Registration for competitions can be done in advance when registering for the Weekend Pass, or on spot up to 2 hours before the competition. But we encourage you to register in advance to make the the preparations easier.

Accomodation

One of the charms of Rock the Barn is that it is located on the countryside outside of Umeå in a traditional Swedish dance barn. There is a big space just outside the barn where you can camp with your own tent or caravan.

If you prefer to sleep on a more solid ground, you can bring your sleeping bag and grab a spot on the floor in the nearby school building in Gräsmyr, just a few minutes walk from the barn.

If you come by car, then it may even be an option to stay at Hotel Vännäs which is a drive of about 20km away.

Caravan or own tent (without electricity):	Free
Caravan or own tent (with electricity):	500 SEK (Thur – Mon)
School building:	150 SEK (Thur – Mon)