From the Author: I live in Southern California and have been country dancing for over 6 years. I have spent countless nights out both line dancing and partner dancing. I’ve attended the Vegas Dance Explosion since 2021, as well as other dance conventions.
After attending for the 3rd year, I have now made a tradition of going to the Vegas Dance Explosion!
Vegas Dance Explosion is one of many line dance conventions as part of what many refer to as the line dance circuit. The circuit consists of line dance workshop events that occur annually throughout the world. Vegas Dance Explosion, billed as the premier line dance event, is organized each year by Doug and Jackie Miranda and is always a fun top-drawer event with great value.
The week consists of line dance workshops over 6 days for all level dancers. There’s always a great lineup of choreographers as Doug and Jackie bring the best of the best of line dance choreography!
Also, in addition to the over 160 workshops, there are great shows to attend in the evenings, and fun dance parties that, if you’re up for it, keep you dancing nearly all night long!
To follow is my recap of Vegas Dance Explosion, 2023 with a spotlight on the high points for me. It’s impossible to do it all, so this is from my vantage point this year, but included is a list of all the dances taught with Copperknob links. Which dances will take off and be the new hot dances for the year? Only time will tell!
Table of Contents
- Vegas Dance Explosion–In a Nutshell
- My Week at Vegas Dance Explosion, 2023
- The Flash Mobs – Two Dances
- Three Great Shows
- Vegas Dance Explosion by the Numbers!
- Dance Levels–The Pie Chart!
- The Instructors & DJs
- All Line Dances Taught at Vegas Dance Explosion 2023
- 13 Additional Workshops–Technique, Tech, and Partner Dancing
- 2024 Line Dance Dance Conventions
- Final Thoughts
Vegas Dance Explosion–In a Nutshell
Vegas Dance Explosion is an annual 6-day, 6-night immersion into the world of line dancing. Featuring over 160 workshops, and nightly open dance parties, it is a comprehensive celebration of all things line dance!
And what’s more the event also showcases special performances in the evenings starring the instructors themselves. This always adds an extra layer of excitement to the week!
As usual, the event was held again this year at the Westgate Hotel. From November 7-12, 2023, once again, attendees enjoyed workshops spread throughout 4 large ballrooms with wooden dance floors starting at 10 am and lasting all day.
The workshops cater to all levels of dancers and are spread across 4 main large ballrooms. Another large ballroom is the “lobby” area dance floor for open dancing, and the smaller Paradise Lobby floor is used for technique workshops and competitions–6 dance floors in all.
The main lobby dance floor features a DJ that welcomes requests continuously for open dancing even when the workshops are taking place.
It is nice how there’s so much freedom to take in the event how you want to. Take many workshops or just a few. Take a break from learning something and dance to all your old favorites, or just sit and hang out with your friends!
My Week at Vegas Dance Explosion, 2023
I drove out to Vegas on Wednesday got situated in my hotel room and checked into the convention on Thursday morning. So, I was at the convention for 4 days total.
Over the 4 days, I attended 13 workshops. Below is what I did each day, with some video.
Thursday Workshops I attended
| Dance | Level | Instructor | Ballroom |
| This Dance Sucks | Improver | Jill Babinec | Grand |
| Around The Fire | Intermediate | Darren Bailey | Starlight |
| 3 Tequilla Floor | Intermediate | Jo Thompson Szymanski | Starlight |
| Keep This Feeling | Advanced | Darren Bailey | Majestic |
| Pop Like This | Intermediate | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | Majestic |
Friday Workshops I attended
| Dance | Level | Instructor | Ballroom |
| Our Own Party | Intermediate | Jo Thompson Szymanski | Starlight |
| Bow Chika Wow It | Intermediate | Jill Babinec | Starlight |
| Twist & Turns | Intermediate | Britt Beresik | Starlight |
Saturday Workshops I attended
| Dance | Level | Instructor | Ballroom |
| 3 Tequilla Floor | Intermediate | Jo Thompson Szymanski | Majestic |
| If I Fall | Advanced | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | Starlight |
| Sunshine Through the Rain | Intermediate | Amy Bailey | Majestic |
Sunday Workshops I attended
| Dance | Level | Instructor | Ballroom |
| My Heart Is A Flower | Intermediate | Roy Verdonk | Starlight |
| Scootin’ Bootin’ | Improver | Britt Beresik | Grand |
| Amigos In Low Places | Beginner | Britt Beresik | Grand |
Late Night Dance Parties
One the best parts of the dance convention is the open dancing that is happening constantly on the main lobby dance floor. But it also extends over a couple of the ballrooms for the late night dance parties. Check out my video compilation of a few moments including some open dancing on pajama night!
Watch until the end to see some of the instructors joining Jo Thompson Szymanski leading the dancers in her new dance “Our Own Party.” You’ll also notice Jill Babinec bringing some of her trademark fun!
Friday Night Detour!
On Friday night, like last year I took the opportunity of being in Vegas of venturing out and checking out a local country bar in Las Vegas. I have never been to Stoney’s Rockin’ Country so I was curious about it and what it was like.
I’m always looking to see what is out there for country dancing in every place. I ended up seeing some friends who had the same idea! We had a great time taking the lessons there also and doing some of their local line dances and some Country Two Stepping as well as the Cowboy Cha Cha.
Stoney’s got pretty crowded, the crowd is fairly young and there’s a party atmosphere. The mechanical bull was probably the busiest mechanical bull I’ve ever seen and then there’s the raucous crowd gathered around all the beer pong tables that quickly became a big draw of the night.
The Flash Mobs – Two Dances
Each year at the convention a big highlight is the flash mobs we do in the hotel lobby. It’s fun to surprise the guests in the casino area with our dancing. For this year’s flash mobs, we danced Hello Dolly and then did the Tush Push! There are always a couple of opportunities for everyone to learn the dances if they need to. Friday afternoon we gathered nonchalantly in the lobby area of the casino and then started dancing when the music started! See the video below for dancers dancing the Hello Dolly line dance!
Three Great Shows
Each year at Vegas Dance Explosion in the evenings there are some great performances to be treated to. Each night has its own unique theme. As I mentioned already, I actually ditched Friday night, so I missed the international night themed performance. But, I was sure to not miss the Saturday night one!
This year the theme of Vegas Dance Explosion was Hollywood Blockbusters. Everyone is encouraged to be in costume and participate in that way.
Honestly, the Saturday night show for me was a real highlight of my week. I’m so glad I didn’t miss it! One thing to also mention about the week is that when you first come into the main lobby you see on the walls giant posters–one for each choreographer or DJ that is at the event (see all the choreographers below!). I really enjoy seeing these because they aren’t just simple photos, but pictures of each of them in costume for the main theme for the year.
What was a fun surprise was to find out that the costume and Hollywood Blockbuster character each instructor or DJ was in their poster was a little preview and hint of what was in store Saturday night!
Like last year after lining up we were let into the Grand Ballroom to be greeted by all of them posing as statues. There they all were in their costumes, frozen in place, and of course resolutely in character! See my video below where I quickly tried to run around and capture everyone posing! I think the minions were my favorite! Also see below my friend Janet’s video of the Mary Poppins routine that was a big highlight of the night!
Vegas Dance Explosion by the Numbers!
Here’s where I like to geek out a little and paint the picture of the Vegas Dance Explosion with some numbers!
6 Days, 6 Nights of Workshops, and Open Dance Nights (Dance Parties!)
6 Large Ballrooms with Wooden Dance Floors for Dancing
23 Instructors
5 DJs
167 Workshops in which 197 Lessons were Taught! (several line dances taught multiple times)
139 Different Line Dances (click to see the list!)
14 Misc. Workshops – 14 Topics from Technique to Tech to Partner Dancing
3 Special Shows from the Choreographers.
Dance Levels–The Pie Chart!
Of the 139 Dances taught 7 levels of difficulty were covered. I created similar comparisons in 2021 and 2022. This year there were more line dances taught and more beginner dances (26 to 55!), so over twice as many!
While Vegas Dance Explosion is an event for serious dancers, its great to know that truly, there is something for everyone! Here’s the breakdown shown with a pie chart and table showing how many dances at each level:
| Level of Dances | Taught at Vegas Dance Explosion, 2023 |
| (B)=Beginner | 55 |
| (HB)=High Beginner | 7 |
| (IMP)=Improver | 37 |
| (LI)=Low Intermediate | 2 |
| (I)=Intermediate | 30 |
| (HI)=High Intermediate | 1 |
| (A)=Advanced | 7 |
The Instructors & DJs
Line Dance Explosion 2024, couldn’t occur without the great instructors and DJs. Below are the 28 individuals. Click on the instructor’s names to pop down to the summary of what line dances they each taught this year at the event.
Jill Babinec (Instructor & DJ)
Amy Bailey (Arizona)
Darren Bailey (Arizona)
Megan Barsuglia (California) (DJ)
Britt Beresik (Texas)
Jeffrey Callejo Jr. (Hawaii)
Jeffke Camps (Belgium)
Grace David (Korea)
Susan Dodge (California) (DJ)
Christopher Gonzalez (California) (DJ)
Kelli Haugen (Norway)
Mary Kaye Johnson (DJ)
Jo & John Kinser (England)
Rebecca Lee (Malaysia)
Jen Michele (California)
Doug Miranda, Event Organizers (Tennessee)
Jackie Miranda, Event Organizers (Tennessee)
Debi Pancoast
Guillaume Richard (France)
Philip Sobrielo (Singapore)
Jo Thompson Szymanski (Colorado)
Dustin Valcalda (Nevada)
Jose Miguel Belloque Vane (Netherlands)
Roy Verdonk (Netherlands)
Ivonne Verhagen (Netherlands)
Jill Babinec
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow Chika Wow It | Yes | Jill Babinec | I | Dustin Betts, Cody Flowers, Joey Warren |
| This Dance Sucks | Yes | Jill Babinec | IMP | Jill Babinec & Debi Pancoast |
Amy Bailey
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Get Loose | Yes | Amy Bailey | B | Esmeralda Van De Pol |
| My Hair | No | Amy Bailey | I | Amy Bailey |
| Ready or Not | Yes | Amy Bailey | IMP | Amy Bailey |
| Sunshine Through the Rain | Yes | Amy Bailey | I | Amy Bailey |
Darren Bailey
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around The Fire | Yes | Darren Bailey | I | D Bailey, G Richard, K Sala, C Durand |
| Bromance | No | Darren Bailey | IMP | Darren Bailey & Fred Whitehouse |
| Dust to Dust | Yes | Darren Bailey | LI | Darren Bailey |
| Ever Wanted | No | Darren Bailey | HB | – |
| Gave Me A Girl | Yes | Darren Bailey | I | Darren Bailey |
| I Got A Problem | Yes | Darren Bailey | IMP | Amund Storsveen |
| I Still Fall For You | Yes | Darren Bailey | B | Darren Bailey |
| Keep This Feeling | Yes | Darren Bailey | A | Darren Bailey |
Megan Barsuglia
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glad You Exist | Yes | Megan Barsuglia | IMP | Megan Barsuglia |
| Hello Dolly | Yes | Megan Barsuglia | B | Lorraine Kurtela |
| Love Ain’t | Yes | Megan Barsuglia | B | Darren Bailey |
| Stand By Me | No | Megan Barsuglia | B | Roy Verdonk |
| Tush Push | Yes | Megan Barsuglia | HB | Jim Ferrazzano |
Britt Beresik
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amigos in Low Places | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Brit Beresik and Juan Gonzalez |
| Kansas City | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Fran Lineweaver |
| Party Jumpin’ | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Trevor Thorton & Brandon Zahorsky |
| Scootin’ Bootin’ | Yes | Brit Beresik | IMP | Mark Paulino |
| These Boots | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Wayne Beazley |
| ABC BEG | Yes | Britt Beresik | B | Britt Beresik |
| ABC IMP | Yes | Britt Beresik | IMP | Britt Beresik |
| Push It | Yes | Britt Beresik | B | Amy Christian |
| Twist & Turns | Yes | Britt Beresik | I | Britt Beresik |
| You Belong With Me | Yes | Britt Beresik | B | Mamalinedance Mei Kwo |
Jeffrey Callejo Jr.
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ain’t No Superman | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | B | Kat Painter |
| Dancin’ In the Moonlight | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | IMP | Michelle Wright |
| Hey Cowboy | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | IMP | M. C. Richardson |
| Jawaiian Slide | No | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | B | Na Wai |
| Leave! | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | IMP | Trude Dalene |
| Partners In Time | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | IMP | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. & Ivonne Verhagen |
| The Belle Stomp | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | B | Cherie Belle Johnson |
| Upside Down | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | B | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. |
| With Somebody | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. | IMP | Jeffrey Callejo Jr. |
Jeffke Camps
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbie Dreams | Yes | Jef Camps | B | Jef Camps & Rosie Multari |
| Forever Young | No (see YouTube) | Jef Camps | A | Jef Camps, Jo Kinser, Grace David |
| Little Heartbreak | Yes | Jef Camps | B | Jef Camps & Roy Verdonk |
| The Way I Love You | Yes | Jef Camps | I | Jef Camps & Heather Barton |
Grace David
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close To Close | Yes | Grace David | I | Grace David |
| Drives Me Crazy | Yes | Grace David | B | Grace David & Jef Camps |
| Hands On Me | Yes | Grace David | B | Willy Brown |
| Here We Go Samba | Yes | Grace David | IMP | Grace David & Nunik Susanto |
| Hurt No More | No (see YouTube) | Grace David | I | Grace David & Amanda Rizzello |
| Me & My Guitar | Yes | Grace David | HB | Mathew Sinyard |
| Safe Place | Yes | Grace David | IMP | Grace David & Jose Miguel B Vane |
Christopher Gonzalez
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast of Champions | No | Christopher Gonzalez | IMP | Christopher Gonzalez |
| C’mon C’mon | Yes | Christopher Gonzalez | HB | Yeo Yu Puay |
| California Palms | No | Christopher Gonzalez | B | Christopher Gonzalez |
| The One To Sofia | No | Christopher Gonzalez | B | Christopher Gonzalez |
| Tush Push | Yes | Christopher Gonzalez | HB | Jim Ferrazzano |
Kelli Haugen
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dance Mom | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Glendora | Yes | Kelli Haugen | IMP | Kelli Haugen & Hanna Pitkanen |
| Got You Too (Gotcha! 2) | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Hit Me Up! | Yes | Kelli Haugen | I | Kelli Haugen |
| I Gotta Go | Yes | Kelli Haugen | I | Kelli Haugen |
| Kickin’ Boots | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Shotgun Seat | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Summer Funshine | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Tonight | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
Jo & John Kinser
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboi Boogie | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | B | Big Mucci |
| Every Breath You Take | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | IMP | Jo & John Kinser |
| Fairy Tales | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | IMP | Jo Kinser & H Wheatley |
| Instead I Wrote A Song | Yes | Jo Kinser | B | Jo Kinser & Collin Ghys |
| Shoobie Doobie | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | B | Jo Kinser, Sebastiaan Holtlend |
| Sisters Here | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | B | Jo Kinser & Mary Bee Friedrich |
| Don’t Need You No More | No (YouTube) | Jo & John Kinser | IMP | Jo and John Kinser & Sebastiaan, Holtland |
| Authentically Me | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | I | Jo and John Kinser & Jef Camps |
| Broken Heels | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | I | Jo and John Kinser & Mark Furnell |
| Who Needs To Know | Yes | Jo Kinser | B | Joshua Talbot |
Rebecca Lee
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freak Out 54 | Yes | Rebecca Lee | B | Rebecca Lee |
| I Wanna Praise You | Yes | Rebecca Lee | B | Rebecca Lee & Daniel Trepat |
| Newline Swing | Yes | Rebecca Lee | I | Rebecca Lee |
| Work The World | Yes | Rebecca Lee | A | Rebecca Lee, Mark Furnell, Chris Godden |
| You Get High | Yes | Rebecca Lee | I | Rebecca Lee |
Jen Michele
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby, All I Need Is You | Yes | Jen Michele | B | Jen Michele |
| Copenhagen Ring | Yes | Jen Michele | HB | Jen Michele |
| Creek Will Rise | Yes | Jen Michele | I | Jen Michele |
| Friends Back Home | Yes | Jen Michele | HB | Jen Michele |
| Front Porch Sittin’ | Yes | Jen Michele | IMP | Jen Michele |
| Gravel Feels Like Gold | Yes | Jen Michele | IMP | Jen Michele |
Jackie Miranda
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandy | Yes | Jackie Miranda | IMP | Jackie Miranda |
| Father Figure | Yes | Jackie Miranda | I | Jackie Miranda |
| Flo Rida Night | Yes | Jackie Miranda | I | Doug & Jackie Miranda & Anni Wunderlich |
| Girl Talk | Yes | Jackie Miranda | IMP | Doug & Jackie Miranda |
| Swingin’ | Yes | Jackie Miranda | LI | Doug & Jackie Miranda |
| Tush Push | Yes | Jackie Miranda | HB | Jim Ferrazzano |
Debi Pancoast
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Reasons | Yes | Debi Pancoast | IMP | Debi Pancoast & Jill Babinec |
| Cockatoo Kisses | Yes | Debi Pancoast | IMP | Debi Pancoast |
| Cuban Walk | Yes | Debi Pancoast | B | Hank & Mary Dahl |
| Cucaracha | Yes | Debi Pancoast | B | Hank & Mary Dahl |
Guillaume Richard
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Minutes | Yes | Guillaume Richard | B | Guillaume Richard |
| Curtain Falls | Yes | Guillaume Richard | A | Guillaume Richard |
| Dancin’ On My Heartbeat | Yes | Guillaume Richard | HB | Guillaume Richard & Gregory Danvoie |
| Men On a Mission | Yes | Guillaume Richard | HI | G Richard, N Poulsen, G O’Reilly |
| Ready To Be Loved | Yes | Guillaume Richard | B | Luna Valerioti |
| We Got This | Yes | Guillaume Richard | I | G Richard, D Rushton, D Bailey, J Vane |
Philip Sobrielo
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do It Like That | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | I | Philip Sobrielo & Laura Bartolomei |
| Goodies | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | IMP | Philip Sobrielo |
| I Know Where I’m Going | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | B | Philip Sobrielo |
| Mustang Sally | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | B | Philip Sobrielo |
| Planet Earth | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | I | Philip Sobrielo |
| Popcorn | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | IMP | Philip Sobrielo & David Hoyn Philip Sobrielo |
Jo Thompson Szymanski
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Tequila Floor | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | I | J Szymanski, M Glover |
| Funky Shuffle | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | B | Jo Thompson-Szymanski |
| Love Button | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | B | Nina Skyrud |
| Love Love | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | I | Jo Szymanski & Scott Blevins |
| No Can Do | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | IMP | Rachael McEnaney – White |
| Our Own Party | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | I | Jo Szymanski, R Hadisubroto. S McKeever |
| Un Poquito | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | IMP | Jo Thompson Szymanski & Rachel McEnaney White |
Dustin Valcalda
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bygones | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Dustin Valcalda |
| Good At Being Bad | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Maggie Shipley |
| How Good Is That | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Dustin Valcalda |
| I’ll See You Later | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | I | Dustin Valcalda |
| One More Silver Dollar | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Dustin Valcalda |
Jose Miguel Belloque Vane
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 Dance For Me | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | IMP | Debbie Rushton |
| A Beautiful Life | No | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | A | Jose Belloque Vane & Sebastien Bonnier |
| If I Fall | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | A | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane |
| Let Me Be Your Man | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | IMP | J Vane, A Riste, S Bonnier, M Chabret, C Durand, B Jover |
| Pop Like This | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | I | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane |
Roy Verdonk
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Be a Better Man | Yes | Roy Verdonk | IMP | Verdonk & Vane |
| Broke | Yes | Roy Verdonk | B | Michelle Wright |
| Devil Knows | Yes | Roy Verdonk | I | Roy Verdonk, Mikael Molsa, Kelli Haugen |
| Elvis Wedding | No (YouTube) | Roy Verdonk | A | Roy Verdonk & Jef Camps |
| Make Some New Love | Yes | Roy Verdonk | IMP | R Verdonk, J Camps, J Vane |
| My Heart Is A Flower | Yes | Roy Verdonk | I | Roy Verdonk & Hanna Pitkanen |
| Oxigeno | Yes | Roy Verdonk | IMP | Roy Verdonk & B’J Line |
Ivonne Verhagen
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bootshake | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Jello Shot | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | IMP | Ivonne Verhagen & Collin Ghys |
| Keep Shining | No | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Lay In Your Arms | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | I | Ivonne Verhagen & Roy Verdonk |
| Pony Time | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | IMP | Ivonne Verhagen & Michelle Risley |
| Tango Tango | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | IMP | Ivonne Verhagen |
| The Pick Up Man | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | I | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Turn My Dust to Gold | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhageb & Daniel Modica |
| Two of Us | No | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Watermelon Moonshine | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Your Old Love Letters | No | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
All Line Dances Taught at Vegas Dance Explosion 2023
Click on the dance name to go to the Copperknob web page for the dance.
Note: some of the dances are not there yet, in these cases, the link is for YouTube or a Google doc.
| LIne Dance | On Copperknob | Teacher | Level | Choreographer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 Dance For Me | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | IMP | Debbie Rushton |
| 15 Minutes | Yes | Guillaume Richard | B | Guillaume Richard |
| 24 Reasons | Yes | Debi Pancoast | IMP | Debi Pancoast & Jill Babinec |
| 3 Tequila Floor | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | I | J Szymanski, M Glover |
| A Beautiful Life | No | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | A | Jose Belloque Vane & Sebastien Bonnier |
| ABC BEG | Yes | Britt Beresik | B | Britt Beresik |
| ABC IMP | Yes | Britt Beresik | IMP | Britt Beresik |
| Ain’t No Superman | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | B | Kat Painter |
| Amigos in Low Places | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Brit Beresik and Juan Gonzalez |
| Around The Fire | Yes | Darren Bailey | I | D Bailey, G Richard, K Sala, C Durand |
| Authentically Me | Yes | Jo and John Kinser | I | Jo and John Kinser & Jef Camps |
| Baby, All I Need Is You | Yes | Jen Michele | B | Jen Michele |
| Barbie Dreams | Yes | Jef Camps | B | Jef Camps & Rosie Multari |
| Be a Better Man | Yes | Roy Verdonk | IMP | Verdonk & Vane |
| Bootshake | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Bow Chika Wow It | Yes | Jill Babinec | I | Dustin Betts, Cody Flowers, Joey Warren |
| Brandy | Yes | Jackie Miranda | IMP | Jackie Miranda |
| Breakfast of Champions | No | Christopher Gonzalez | IMP | Christopher Gonzalez |
| Broke | Yes | Roy Verdonk | B | Michelle Wright |
| Broken Heels | Yes | Jo and John Kinser | I | Jo and John Kinser & Mark Furnell |
| Bromance | Yes | Darren Bailey | IMP | Darren Bailey & Fred Whitehouse |
| Bygones | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Dustin Valcalda |
| C’mon C’mon | Yes | Christopher Gonzalez | HB | Yeo Yu Puay |
| California Palms | No | Christopher Gonzalez | B | Christopher Gonzalez |
| Close To Close | Yes | Grace David | I | Grace David |
| Cockatoo Kisses | Yes | Debi Pancoast | IMP | Debi Pancoast |
| Copenhagen Ring | Yes | Jen Michele | HB | Jen Michele |
| Cowboi Boogie | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | B | Big Mucci |
| Creek Will Rise | Yes | Jen Michele | I | Jen Michele |
| Cuban Walk | Yes | Debi Pancoast | B | Hank & Mary Dahl |
| Cucaracha | Yes | Debi Pancoast | B | Hank & Mary Dahl |
| Curtain Falls | Yes | Guillaume Richard | A | Guillaume Richard |
| Dance Mom | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Dancin’ In the Moonlight | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | IMP | Michelle Wright |
| Dancin’ On My Heartbeat | Yes | Guillaume Richard | HB | Guillaume Richard & Gregory Danvoie |
| Devil Knows | Yes | Roy Verdonk | I | Roy Verdonk, Mikael Molsa, Kelli Haugen |
| Do It Like That | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | I | Philip Sobrielo & Laura Bartolomei |
| Don’t Need You No More | No (see YouTube) | Jo & John Kinser | IMP | Kinsers & Sebastiaan, Holtland |
| Drives Me Crazy | Yes | Grace David | B | Grace David & Jef Camps |
| Dust to Dust | Yes | Darren Bailey | LI | Darren Bailey |
| Elvis Wedding | No (see YouTube) | Roy Verdonk | A | Roy Verdonk & Jef Camps |
| Ever Wanted | No | Darren Bailey | HB | – |
| Every Breath You Take | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | IMP | Jo & John Kinser |
| Fairy Tales | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | IMP | J Kinser & H Wheatley |
| Father Figure | Yes | Jackie Miranda | I | Jackie Miranda |
| Flo Rida Night | Yes | Jackie Miranda | I | Doug & Jackie Miranda & Anni Wunderlich |
| Forever Young | No (see YouTube) | Jef Camps | A | Jef Camps, Jo Kinser, Grace David |
| Freak Out 54 | Yes | Rebecca Lee | B | Rebecca Lee |
| Friends Back Home | Yes | Jen Michele | HB | Jen Michele |
| Front Porch Sittin’ | Yes | Jen Michele | IMP | Jen Michele |
| Funky Shuffle | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | B | Jo Thompson-Szymanski |
| Gave Me A Girl | Yes | Darren Bailey | I | Darren Bailey |
| Get Loose | Yes | Amy Bailey | B | Esmeralda Van De Pol |
| Girl Talk | Yes | Jackie Miranda | IMP | Doug & Jackie Miranda |
| Glad You Exist | Yes | Megan Barsuglia | IMP | Megan Barsuglia |
| Glendora | Yes | Kelli Haugen | IMP | Kelli Haugen & Hanna Pitkanen |
| Good At Being Bad | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Maggie Shipley |
| Goodies | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | IMP | Philip Sobrielo |
| Got You Too (Gotcha! 2) | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Gravel Feels Like Gold | Yes | Jen Michele | IMP | Jen Michele |
| Hands On Me | Yes | Grace David | B | Willy Brown |
| Hello Dolly | Yes | Megan Barsuglia | B | Lorraine Kurtela |
| Here We Go Samba | Yes | Grace David | IMP | Grace David & Nunik Susanto |
| Hey Cowboy | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | IMP | M. C. Richardson |
| Hit Me Up! | Yes | Kelli Haugen | I | Kelli Haugen |
| How Good Is That | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Dustin Valcalda |
| Hurt No More | No (see YouTube) | Grace David | I | Grace David & Amanda Rizzello |
| I Got A Problem | Yes | Darren Bailey | IMP | Amund Storsveen |
| I Gotta Go | Yes | Kelli Haugen | I | Kelli Haugen |
| I Know Where I’m Going | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | B | Philip Sobrielo |
| I Still Fall For You | Yes | Darren Bailey | B | Darren Bailey |
| I Wanna Praise You | Yes | Rebecca Lee | B | Rebecca Lee & Daniel Trepat |
| I’ll See You Later | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | I | Dustin Valcalda |
| If I Fall | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | A | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane |
| Instead I Wrote A Song | Yes | Jo Kinser | B | Jo Kinser & Collin Ghys |
| Jawaiian Slide | No | Jeffrey Callejo | B | Na Wai |
| Jello Shot | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | IMP | Ivonne Verhagen & Collin Ghys |
| Kansas City | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Fran Lineweaver |
| Keep Shining | No | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Keep This Feeling | Yes | Darren Bailey | A | Darren Bailey |
| Kickin’ Boots | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Lay In Your Arms | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | I | Ivonne Verhagen & Roy Verdonk |
| Leave! | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | IMP | Trude Dalene |
| Let Me Be Your Man | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | IMP | J Vane, A Riste, S Bonnier, M Chabret, C Durand, B Jover |
| Little Heartbreak | Yes | Jef Camps | B | Jef Camps & Roy Verdonk |
| Love Ain’t | Yes | Megan Barsuglia | B | Darren Bailey |
| Love Button | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | B | Nina Skyrud |
| Love Love | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | I | Jo Szymanski & Scott Blevins |
| Make Some New Love | Yes | Roy Verdonk | IMP | R Verdonk, J Camps, J Vane |
| Me & My Guitar | Yes | Grace David | HB | Mathew Sinyard |
| Men On a Mission | Yes | Guillaume Richard | HI | G Richard, N Poulsen, G O’Reilly |
| Mustang Sally | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | B | Philip Sobrielo |
| My Hair | No | Amy Bailey | I | Amy Bailey |
| My Heart Is A Flower | Yes | Roy Verdonk | I | Roy Verdonk & Hanna Pitkanen |
| Newline Swing | Yes | Rebecca Lee | I | Rebecca Lee |
| No Can Do | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | IMP | Rachael McEnaney – White |
| One More Silver Dollar | Yes | Dustin Valcalda | B | Dustin Valcalda |
| Our Own Party | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | I | Jo Szymanski, R Hadisubroto. S McKeever |
| Oxigeno | Yes | Roy Verdonk | IMP | Roy Verdonk & B’J Line |
| Partners In Time | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | IMP | Jeffrey Callejo & Ivonne Verhagen |
| Party Jumpin’ | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Trevor Thorton & Brandon Zahorsky |
| Planet Earth | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | I | Philip Sobrielo |
| Pony Time | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | IMP | Ivonne Verhagen & Michelle Risley |
| Pop Like This | Yes | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane | I | Jose Miguel Belloque Vane |
| Popcorn | Yes | Philip Sobrielo | IMP | Philip Sobrielo & David Hoyn Philip Sobrielo |
| Push It | Yes | Britt Beresik | B | Amy Christian |
| Ready or Not | Yes | Amy Bailey | IMP | Amy Bailey |
| Ready To Be Loved | Yes | Guillaume Richard | B | Luna Valerioti |
| Safe Place | Yes | Grace David | IMP | Grace David & Jose Miguel B Vane |
| Scootin’ Bootin’ | Yes | Brit Beresik | IMP | Mark Paulino |
| Shoobie Doobie | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | B | J Kinser, Sebastiaan Holtlend |
| Shotgun Seat | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Sisters Here | Yes | Jo & John Kinser | B | Jo Kinser & Mary Bee Friedrich |
| Stand By Me | No | Megan Barsuglia | B | Roy Verdonk |
| Summer Funshine | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Sunshine Through the Rain | Yes | Amy Bailey | I | Amy Bailey |
| Swingin’ | Yes | Jackie Miranda | LI | Doug & Jackie Miranda |
| Tango Tango | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | IMP | Ivonne Verhagen |
| The Belle Stomp | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | B | Cherie Belle Johnson |
| The One To Sofia | No | Christopher Gonzalez | B | Christopher Gonzalez |
| The Pick Up Man | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | I | Ivonne Verhagen |
| The Way I Love You | Yes | Jef Camps | I | Jef Camps & Heather Barton |
| These Boots | Yes | Brit Beresik | B | Wayne Beazley |
| This Dance Sucks | Yes | Jill Babinec | IMP | J Babinec & Debi Pancoast |
| Tonight | Yes | Kelli Haugen | B | Kelli Haugen |
| Turn My Dust to Gold | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhageb & Daniel Modica |
| Tush Push | Yes | Jackie Miranda, Megan Barsuglia & Christopher Gonzalez | HB | Jim Ferrazzano |
| Twist & Turns | Yes | Britt Beresik | I | Britt Beresik |
| Two of Us | No | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| Un Poquito | Yes | Jo Thompson-Szymanski | IMP | Jo Thompson Szymanski & Rachel McEnaney White |
| Upside Down | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | B | Jeffrey Callejo |
| Watermelon Moonshine | Yes | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
| We Got This | Yes | Guillaume Richard | I | G Richard, D Rushton, D Bailey, J Vane |
| Who Needs To Know | Yes | Jo Kinser | B | Joshua Talbot |
| With Somebody | Yes | Jeffrey Callejo | IMP | Jeffrey Callejo |
| Work The World | Yes | Rebecca Lee | A | Rebecca Lee, Mark Furnell, Chris Godden |
| You Belong With Me | Yes | Britt Beresik | B | Mamalinedance Mei Kwo |
| You Get High | Yes | Rebecca Lee | I | Rebecca Lee |
| Your Old Love Letters | No | Ivonne Verhagen | B | Ivonne Verhagen |
13 Additional Workshops–Technique, Tech, and Partner Dancing
| Workshop | Instructor |
|---|---|
| Technique (How to Choreograph a Line Dance) | Ivonne Verhagen & Kinsers |
| Technique with Britt (Let’s Film A Demo Video!) | Britt Beresik |
| Technique with Debi (Finesse on the Floor) | Debi Pancoast |
| Technique with Dustin (Intro to Country Swing) | Dustin Valcalda |
| Technique with Jo (Beginner Two Step) | Jo Thompson |
| Technique with Jo T (Tips For Better Balance In Turns & Spins) | Jo Thompson-Szymanski |
| Technique with Jo T (Creating Style & Shape in Your Dancing) | Jo Thompson-Szymanski |
| Technique with Philip (Music Interpretation) | Philip Sobrielo |
| Technique with Rebecca (Funky Tech) | Rebecca Lee |
| Technique with Roy (Nightclub vs West Coast Swing Smooth Dances) | Roy Verdonk |
| Couples-No Partner Required (West Coast Swing Basics) | Jeremy & Kelly Bryan |
| For All Dancers (Cha Cha Movement) | Jeremy & Kelly Bryan |
| For All Dancers (East Coast Swing vs Polka) | Jeremy & Kelly Bryan |
2024 Line Dance Dance Conventions
If one line dance convention a year is just not enough for you check out some of the big ones occurring throughout the year and make your plans for more! This year I will be attending the Sunshine N Line Florida Masters convention for the first time. I’m excited to check it out! Maybe I will see you there!
Below are a just some of the many conventions and line dance events around the world. These are just some of the early in the year conventions, for a more comprehensive list see the World Line Dance Newsletter’s list.
| Convention | Location | Dates | Website |
| Texas Line Dance Jamboree “TX JAM” | Waco, TX | Jan. 12-13, 2024 | texaslinedancejamboree.com |
| Palm Springs Winter Break | Palm Springs, CA | Jan. 18-21, 2024 | palmspringswinterbreak.com |
| Sunshine N Line, The Florida Masters | Orlando, FL | Feb. 15-19, 2024 | sunshinenline.com |
| Sweetheart Jamboree | Bellevue, WA | Feb. 15-18, 2024 | sweetheartjamboree.com |
| Dunedin Line Dance Gala | Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand | February 16-18, 2024 | dldg2024.com |
| We went dancing’ Down on the Farm | Fort Wayne, IN | Feb. 29-Mar. 3, 2024 | ftwaynedanceforall.com |
| The Yellow Rose of Texas Line Dance Extravaganza | New Braunfels, TX | March 2, 2024 | yellowroseoftexaslinedancers.com |
| H.O.T. Heart of Texas | Irving, TX | April 18-21, 2024 | hotheartoftexas.com |
Final Thoughts
Line dance conventions like Vegas Dance Explosion are great fun and great meetups for passionate line dance enthusiasts. Its a week of great fun spending quality time with your dance crew, making new friends, and sharing the thrill of learning from the best choreographers on the planet!
For the price of attending the 6 day, 6 night event its a great value and worth every penny! While there are many such conventions, it is arguable Vegas Dance Explosion is the premiere line dance event!
Next year’s event promises to continue this event in grand fashion with their celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Vegas Dance Explosion. In anticipation of this one, the organizers, the Mirandas, have already started the conversation. See their Facebook Page to check it out and even get your ticket now!
Also, here is the VDE 2023 schedule for all workshops taught – click to download it!
