On first glance, the hotel is.... missing?
Was it the Hyatt, Marriott, something-or-other? The Hotel, formerly known as the Irvine Hyatt is now, Hotel Irvine: A Lifestyle Hotel.
Walking in, there's a beach-like color scheme, sophisticated accents, and great design choices. Oh yeah, and there are Arthur Murray dancers EVERYWHERE!
Such is the case in mid-July at a "slightly popular" event known as the Unique Dance-O-Rama®. An entire hotel, choose your own name, becomes an Arthur Murray Lifestyle Hotel.
Costumed women, the smell of fresh spray tan, and men evaluating their public safety wearing latin pants, like a family of deer approaching a semi-dangerous watering hole - all come with the territory of a Unique Dance-O-Rama®.
You may have read Jessica Holty's article on how to prepare for the Matinee Show.
She covered all the essential details to prepare for the show... the dancing part. However, no article could have prepared the audience for the watching part.
As always, this event is a can't miss, knee slapper, I-can't-believe-I-just-saw-that, tribute to the days of vaudeville... but with an Arthur Murray flair. No matter how many times you've been to the Matinee Show at Unique, there's always one performance that reminds you why you should always come back, find a crazy costume, dance to crazier music, and make this a regular tradition.
Friday will feature the Closed Category Freestyles. For those of you not familiar with the "O-Rama" terminology, that means students will dance material exclusive to the level of their dance program back at home.
Saturday we dive into the Open Category Freestyles, and that's when students can dance outside of their level, use choreography, and utilize any solo routine material they have been working on. Important note: Although the restrictions have been lifted, they still can't use lifts, pyrotechnics, live animals, or anything they may be able to do from a Cirque Du Soleil performance.
With organizers Steve and Georgetta Platt, never has this headline been more appropriate. This pair have done such a spectacular job with this event (14,000 entries this year), that it would be easy to forget that they are incredibly successful Arthur Murray Franchisees and dance champions. So between the Closed Freestyles and Open Freestyles, there should be some type of spectacular Broadway quality show, decor that should force local Event Planning companies into early retirement, and plenty more of the unexpected.