Sharna Burgess from DWTS Video #dwts
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Dancing With the Stars
Dance All Night Tour 2015-2016
This was my 3rd Dancing with the Stars tour and hands down the BEST one to date! The stage set up with fantastic, great music/dance selection and the cast was filled with not only great talent but, the kindest people.
I went to four shows on this tour and did VIP for each. I will talk more about the VIP portion of the experience in another entry.
The cast included: Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Sharna Burgess, Peta Murgatroyd, Lindsay Arnold, Artem Chigvintsev, Keo Motsepe, Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Brittany Cherry, Jenna Johnson, Paul Barris, Julz Tocker and celebrity from Season 21 Alek Skarlatos and Hayes Grier also joined the cast for a handful of shows!
I have been asked by several friends what were your favorite dances. That is just so hard to pick because they were all so good for different reasons. I think the ladies would all agree that the men of DWTS doing the Magic Mike dance to Pony was well let’s just say HOT, anyone else need a cold shower after? I took two videos if you want to check them out. This one I affectionately call Magic Val: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biaVy845yV4
The 2nd video I tried to capture more of the dancers, my seat was a tough angle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gFBdHV-uM0
Val and Peta’s dance to Young and Beautiful was so moving. I loved the Gatsby Swing portion as well. The Around the World & Movie section was filled with so many great performances from Brittany & Paul’s Salsa, Alan and Sharna’s “Godfather,” Artem, Emma, Brittany and Lindsay’s “James Bond,” Peta and Keo’s Samba. Brilliance! Artem and Lindsay did a fantastic Argentine Tango that was excellent. The performance of Val, Lindsay, Jenna and Alan to Wicked Games was one you could feel the emotion in the dance. Brittany and Alan’s contemporary to Jealous was also just stunning. Emma and Julz did the most moving waltz, they truly told a story in their dance and you couldn’t help but be caught up in it.
Every style of dance was perfectly portrayed, you could feel the raw emotion and energy and each performance flew by because it was just that good. I personally loved the audience participation segment. It was fun to watch and for individuals to get to live their dreams of dancing with one of the pros!
One of the most special moments of the night was the section where the Dancers all described why they dance/what dance means to them. So often on #DWTS it’s always focused on the celebrity. It was so special to learn all of their stories and see how it shaped their joy not only in dance but, in life.
The group performances were all absolutely stellar. Ending the show with Andy Grammer’s “Good to Be Alive” was perfection. You couldn’t help but, have that song and that happy energy in your head the rest of the night. The dancers gave it their all every single night of the performances and I cannot say enough what a privilege it was to meet them at the meet and greets, but to sit in the audience and watch their talent and brilliance come to life.
For even more photos please visit my Instagram page @lightscmemories or Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Lights-Camera-Memories-935628749847172/
Until Next Time,
Xoxoxo
Heather
My virgin voyage – October 2015
Going on a cruise has never really been anything I have been interested in but, I had seen how much fun my friends have had on the NKOTB Cruises in the past so decided to give it a try this year. I decided after the fact so I was able to take the spot of someone that was not able to go on the cruise.
I have to say they keep you busy and by the end of the trip you will be more exhausted than you ever have been in your life. Donnie Wahlberg especially I am convinced never sleeps. The photo below is the oath Donnie has everyone do together at the sail away party.
Each night on the cruise they have theme nights. I must admit that they were a lot of fun: Theme’s on this cruise included 80’s prom night, white night, GPS night and TV Character night. These parties were held out on the main lido deck each night and it was fun to see all the creativity that went into them both by the other cruisers and the guys.
One thing that became very obvious to me the in the first hours of being on the ship was the extreme selfie madness that was about to happen. It almost became this challenge. Can you get a selfie with each New Kid and it left you feeling like if you didn’t you were some sort of cruise failure. It truly took away from a lot of the theme nights in my opinion. It was also frustrating when you were waiting or wanting to get a selfie with a New Kid to see someone else that had already had 5 with them were trying to get in for another one. All you saw were cell phones in the air and it’s almost like those circling the various stages cared less about the performance of the guys and more about pushing their way into location to get a selfie. I ended up getting a selfie with 4 out of the 5. I never had an opportunity with Danny. Joe, I thought did something great, after one of his performances he said I will be sitting in X spot anyone that still needs a selfie with me line up and he sat there for an hour or more but, everyone got their selfie in a much more controlled environment.
The rest of the time on the ship you were kept entertained with NKOTB Game show which was funny and it was nice to see the guy’s fun personalities shine. I didn’t have good seats at all for the seated performances so sorry I can’t share any pictures from those events for this year. We also had a concert one night and were able to check out a taping of Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny Sirius XM show that she taped on the ship. There were a lot of fun surprises that occurred during that taping with guest appearances by the guys. Danny also did a cooking demonstration and probably one of my favorite extra activities was Joe’s Duets at Dusk. That was just a beautiful part of the cruise and so many extremely talented individuals were showcased. We also were entertained by comedian Adam Ray.
The day we got off the ship and had the Grand Turk Pool Party was just ok. I thought it was a very short time period the guys were there interacting and just didn’t seem to be well organized. I am not sure what I was expecting as a first timer. I know they tried to deal with the selfie madness by doing pool games and the winning team got a selfie but, then other games were played and the winning team never received the selfie.
The group photos of 10 with the guys also took up a significant amount of time in the schedule over the course of two days. I was very lucky and in a great group of 10 with a few girls I had met at a NKOTB show in Vancouver earlier in the year. It was a nice no drama group. You wait in a huge line in your group of 10, get your photo and that’s it. I have thought since what could improve it or make it better. I almost think why not allow people to get their selfie with each guy as they go down the line because you are already saying hello and hugging each guy quick. I know it might take a bit longer but, if everyone knew that was the one time they could ask for one it might make the rest of the cruise more pleasant and everyone would have one with each guy. I do however realize that would be a lot for the guys. They are all very sweet and a lot of fun.
It was wild too on the last night to stay up and party and dance with Donnie all the way into port. Many of the other guys turned in at various points in the night. Jon and Donnie both kept it going all the way until the sun came up. It was quite the experience.
Final thoughts/suggestions: Overall I had fun, I met up with my friends and made new ones! I do hope either Rose Tours or NKOTB can come up with some way to solve the selfie madness. I am going to go on the cruise this year. I was pretty luke warm on the idea of doing it again. We unfortunately didn’t pull the room type we wanted either so hoping this year will be a lot of fun. I would love to see the night parties start on time or at least close to on time. Selfie madness have a solution whether it be we take them at the group photo time, each guy sets up a time like Joe did and if you want one you wait in line for it or give us colored bracelets one for each guy, when you get the selfie the bracelet gets ripped off. Truly the best option would be the line up like Joe did or at the group photos. Maybe spread that over 3 days instead of 2 so it’s not so many at once for the guys. I would also love to see a special event by Jordan and Jon too. Jon is so sweet and so much fun and it would be fun to see him shine! A solo performance by Jordan or something along those lines would also be a great addition to the schedule.
Tips for cruise virgins:
- Come well rested because you will be going, going, going.
- Be prepared for something to help with motion sickness. I had used the arm bands and was fine.
- Take advantage of what you can bring on the ship. I am a red bull drinker and was glad I was able to bring on a package because they didn’t have any on the ship.
- Pack lots of comfortable shoes
- Get into the theme nights they are a lot of fun
- Try to get in a photo group ahead of time but spend time getting to know people either on the fan club boards, the various facebook pages etc.
- Be prepared that you may deal with sea legs/motion for days after you get off the ship. I keep the arm bands on but, still dealt with that for a good 4 days after I was home.
- Don’t stress, just live in the moments and have fun.
Until next time,
Xoxo
Heather
Nashville, TN June 2015
First and foremost, I have traveled often over the years for work and fun and I must say my heart belongs to Nashville, Tennessee. I absolutely love Nashville, with all the activity surrounding CMA Fest the city shined bright, you felt safe, it was clean and everyone was so nice. Fabulous in every way.
I was a CMA Fest virgin and there was a lot to learn to make it the great experience! We booked our trip through TN Express Tours. The package included: 4 nights hotel accommodations, CMA Fest Admission including: reserved seat admission to all Main Stage concerts at LP Field, exclusive access to the Photo Line at LP Field and Riverfront, daily concerts at Riverfront with early admittance and open seating, additional music stages in downtown Nashville, admission to the Music City Center Fan Fair X, ticket delivery to hotel and hotel taxes included). We also added on tickets to the Celebrity Softball Game. I have to say the little touches that the hotel had in our room every day provided a fun unique experience. This photo below is an example.
CMA Fest certainly felt a little overwhelming the first day. There was just so much to do, so much to see, so many concerts to choose from. We went to the Music City Center Fan Fair X when we arrived and tried to learn the ropes so to speak. I do wish that the schedule could either come out earlier or be posted in a more obvious location for newbies like myself. We joined the overflow line for Little Big Town and luckily got chatting with a guy that knew where to find the schedule. I appreciated his help because Craig Wayne Boyd from the Voice was at a booth in the hall at that hour doing a meet and greet and I was able to run over and meet him! The great thing about Fan Fair X is you have great access to big names. Keith Urban was over doing a set on one side of the building while Little Big Town, Florida Georgia Line, Wynonna Judd, etc. were at various locations doing photos or meet and greets. You had to win tickets for most of those opportunities or do what we were doing and sit on the floor in d wait. If the artists had time you got in after the ticket winners. We were lucky and were able to meet Little Big Town, they are all just so darn sweet.
One comment I would make for the artists is most fans would rather have a photo with you vs. an autograph. While we were waiting in line at Fan Fair X we were watching another duo’s meet and greet, they had said only autographs, no pictures. It was disturbing to see a special needs child go up for her autograph and her Mom was back quite a bit and tried to take a cell phone pic and the artists stepped out of the frame. I don’t want to sling mud at who the duo was but, just a note for artists a photo and kindness goes a long away to fans. Without fans support you wouldn’t be where you are today. That was the only instance of anything like that I saw the entire Fest week, the majority of artists were very kind, very accessible and open to meeting fans. I would like to give props to Cassadee Pope, she stayed at least an hour past the time and made sure everyone in the overflow line was also able to meet her.
I also learned you have to keep your eyes and ears open not only around the fest but watch social media. We were able to go and meet American Idol Mentor and Producer, Scott Borchetta from Big Label Machine Group, American Idol winner: Nick Fradiani, the Voice’s: Cassadee Pope & Rae-Lynn just by noticing it on social media. They were all the absolute sweetest people and it was such a pleasure to meet them. The staff at the event handled everything in a well organized fashion.
The Celebrity Softball Game was hands down one of the highlights for me. The event itself was very entertaining and you had people like Bobby Bones, Eddie from the Bobby Bones show, Bret Michaels, Lauren Alaina, Charles Esten, Chuck Wicks, Deana Carter and more! Most of the celebrities spent time interacting with fans, either before, after or during the event itself in some cases. It was just laid back and fun!
In my 2016 CMA Fest Blog I will include restaurant suggestions. It is crazy busy on the main streets as you can imagine at the Fest but, we were able to find some great places to try that we plan on returning to this year. We found going off normal hours to eat helped a bit. Another area I didn’t plan much for the first year was the various artist Fan Club parties, I hope to be organized on that for this year!
The concerts on the main stage at LP Field were all excellent. It’s such a value for your money to get to see so many amazing artists in those four nights. The lineup included: Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Brett Eldredge, Alan Jackson, Neal McCoy, Rascal Flatts, Cole Swindell, Wynonna Judd, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Oak Ridge Boys, Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Band Perry, Zac Brown Band and more. I walked away being a fan of many artists after seeing them perform live. Cole Swindell was probably one of the most special moments. I love watching someone truly live their dreams. He has shared that just the year before he was in the stands and that night he just couldn’t believe he was playing the main stage. The glimmer in his eye, excitement in his smile was a goose bumps moment. The one thing that was a bummer was Luke Bryan’s set was cut way too short, rumor was it was due to curfew but, the one thing that should always be a priority is that the main headliners get to play their full time. There were so many good performers it would take a book to highlight them all. Watching Keith Urban and Eric Church play together live was excellence!
What did this virgin learn for the next year:
- It’s going to be HOT bring lots of loose, light clothing and several changes of clothes.
- Prepare even more ahead of time, research the fan club parties
- Locate the Fan Fair X schedule as early as possible so you don’t miss opportunities
- Bring comfortable shoes, you will walk miles in those 4 days
- Make the most of every opportunity.
The highlight for me was meeting Keith Urban. He is one of the kindest musicians I have ever met, he takes time with you, asks your name, he is so sweet and funny. Let alone he is absolutely fantastic in concert and watch his site for this year’s tour because you can now buy packages that include a photo with him!
We will have slightly better seats for this year’s fest. I am hoping to eventually get down into the main area by the stage one of these years! Stay tuned for entries on this year’s event in June 2016!
Until next time,
Xoxo
Heather
Hard Rock Rivera Maya Mexico-May 2014
This month I will be going on my 19th Runaway Trip. I wanted to share my thoughts on the best Runaway Tour trip to date in my first blog. The trip to Mexico was the absolute best value for the money and the most fun for everyone that attended.
Cost included: Four nights hotel at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Rivera Maya hotel. Extra nights were optional at an added cost. Two concerts, welcome party, Cinco de Mayo party, pool party and a photo with Jon Bon Jovi grouped by room. The all-inclusive portion added a ton of value for your money.
I felt like I was on a trip with my big extended worldwide family and we were all interacting the entire trip. Many times on Runaway Trips you are off in your group of friends entertaining yourself during the day. This trip we were doing music trivia in the pool by day, singing Bon Jovi songs at the top of our lungs together, soaking up the great weather & poolside drinks. The welcome party was a lot of fun, we danced to our favorite Bon Jovi tunes all night and caught up with our friends from around the world. The pool party was SO much fun! We literally took over the main pool for a few hours and had an amazing time. Having a large group all belting out “Livin’ On a Prayer,” “It’s My Life” and more was just a priceless memory.
Photo: By Rob Fuzesi Runway Tour Facebook Page
We had two concerts included in the package. This is the only part that we had some issues. Some of it I believe came from the language barrier and the fact it wasn’t just a private concert for us but, also for the hotel guests. The hotel was still in the grand re-opening stages as a Hard Rock when we were there and organization definitely could have been improved. The actual concerts were great as Jon Bon Jovi and Kings of Suburbia never disappoint. For those of you that have not seen them perform they typically do a mix of about half Jovi hit songs and half popular cover songs like “Under Pressure,” “I’m Your Man,” etc. The first night things went fairly smoothly at the venue. The second night we had our photos with JBJ before the show and the Runaway team had communicated with the venue staff ahead of time. After our photos when we went down to our seats there were hotel guests etc. already in our seats and they would not move and due to the #’s of people the hotel security staff didn’t have any success in moving them. Somehow the communication broke down and the hotel guests were told to sit anywhere and a few handfuls of people on trip decided they too would sit anywhere to say it was chaotic would be an understatement. It made for a huge mess before the show and unfortunately there was not enough time for the Runaway staff to get it straightened out before the band took the stage. It’s a draw back when the events are not private just for us. When they are just for us things typically run very well organized.
The photo with JBJ in Mexico still remains one of my favorite experiences. We were first in line and he was in such a fun mood. We were greeted with a big Welcome to Mexico! I always tell people to know what to expect this is a photo op and not a meet and greet, they are very quick but, sometimes they are very special. It’s often all in what you make of it. The trips have come a long way from the old days of a group of 8-10 people per photo, that wasn’t a value because you never knew if you would get a picture standing next to JBJ. Now you do and the trips are more popular than ever.
Mexico will be one of those trips I will never forget. The memories are permanently sealed in my heart. I had such a great time with my friends from around the world and made many new friends on that trip. Always fun to know others that share your passion from not only U.S. & Canada but, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Spain and more just to name a few. We may all be from different parts of the world but, we share that same passion for music, adventure and live entertainment.
Want to learn more and check out JBJ and other trips: http://www.runawaytours.com/
Until next time,
xoxo
Heather