Cef and his best buddy taking a drive!
CD: Hi Bobbey!
BW: Hello Cef! Its so nice to have this occasion to "chat" with you - thank you for sharing some time with us. I guess you have seen the previous Spotlights on our website - I'll just ask you the same type of questions.... like - Can you tell me a little about yourself? Starting with where you are from?
CD: I was born and raised in Seattle Washington. I am one of those rare folks that lived in the same house my entire youth with parents who stayed together forever. At the age of 18 I joined the Marine Corps and served four years with two tours in Vietnam. I was a "Airdale Marine", working on planes. After the service I went to the University of Washington.
BW: Before I continue with my questions I want to tell you - I thank you for your service. Our Vietnam Vets did not hear this (enough), but I hope you feel the love and respect now that you have always deserved. Thank you Cef!
CD: I appreciate that, Bobbey.
BW: I see here on the Choreographer Profile section of your many step sheets that you are currently living in Idaho... I think there is a story here.... ? I have been in Idaho for 12 years.
CD: I was working for Boeing in Everett, Washington when 9/11 happened. They layed off 35,000 of us. I went south to Tucson first to enjoy the sun and work a bit, then I was persuaded to go to Palm Springs where my sister lives. I went to work in the Palm Desert area where I met my wife. It is also where my love for linedancing really kicked in. A wonderful instructor in Indio by the name of Dottie had quite a following and I fell in line too. It was a great place to learn with a great group of dancers. My wife was offered a job at St Alph's in Boise and she asked if I would want to move to Idaho. I said sure, I am a Northwest kid at heart and there isn't much skiing and fishing in Palm Desert... We've been here 12 years now.
BW: I hope it wasn't too disappointing to leave your line dance friends in Indio. It feels good to find a niche where things just click... and then off to the unknown... but I believe you have acclimated very well in Idaho the way it looks... sorry to interrupt you - please continue!
CD: The first time we wanted to go dancing in Boise we looked up where linedance lessons were going on and we got on the dance floor. Several people came up and asked where we were from and that was the beginning of a new dance community we joined. The one thing about Idaho, we have friendly, kind, genuine people here who make up one of the best dance communities I have been involved with. I've danced all my life, from being a little kid dancing with my sisters and brother showing off for our parents to being a member of the high school cheer team which in those days we yelled and danced. We are blessed to be living in the country with Boise just 25 minutes away and the apple orchards and farms down the street. We are high desert with the mountains and skiing at our back door.
BW: It sounds wonderful! The land, the people, your line dance community. You are blessed! You mentioned that you were in a "cheer squad" in high school. Would you say that this helped to form your dancing talents today?
CD: Yes, in a way.... Back in my high school days in our cheer squad we had our organized routines, dancing "in line" - so, technically, I've linedanced since then. ( BW chuckles here) The style of linedance we do now... I really got into it about 15 years ago. I have been teaching for the past ten years. The current class I have is at the Nampa Idaho Eagles where I have been for the past 5 years. The class is 35 to 40 people every Wednesday. This past summer I had to cut back to one class a month through the summer.. but we
will be back to our regular schedule soon.
BW: 35 to 40 is a really nice size class. I can tell you are very attached - I know how easy it is to form friendships, etc, through line dancing.. after all we have one big fun thing in common already! And your class I imagine is the same?
CD: Our group is a family. We have dancers who care about one another outside of the class. They are really nice! Some of the dancers have been with me for 5, 6 - 10 years.. and of course our new comers.
The level of the dancers vary from very beginners to intermediate dancers. I tend to teach according to the class on any given day so the lesson plan can be quite varied every Wednesday. I'm not someone to try to teach a new dance every class. I like the dancers to determine what we will continue to dance to during open dancing and therefore determine which dances we will stay with. So we stay with a particular lesson until the majority have it and feel comfortable on the floor with it.
BW: You sound like a very good, caring teacher... and a nice guy! By the way, I had the opportunity to teach one of your beginner level dances "Bullfrog on a Log" for the song Gotta Feeling by Tim Hicks. This is a very cute dance - easy to learn yet remains interesting and fun to dance. Also, I go to a Tuesday class at the Italian American club here in Palm Coast with a gal named Jenny - one of her favorites (and mine too, now) to teach and dance is for the song Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. It is your dance "Don't Believe me, Just Watch". I really believe more dancers should check this out - yes, there are lots of dances out there for each song - but I give yours a 5/5 star rating! Excellent! and... I see you have another out recently - one of Ed Sheeran's songs - Thinking out Loud. Your dance for this song is called "Wrap Me in Your Arms" - it is smooth, jazzy, I like it a lot! I know that if you and your class enjoy it - thats all that counts to you - but I hope the line dance community "out there" appreciates it - its a nice dance to a good song. Of course you know all of this already - I am hoping anyone reading this will want to go to Copperknob and check it/them out! I hope you keep up with the writing - choreography - you have a knack! How did you start - or rather - when did you realize that you wanted to write dances?
CD: I started writing dances just a few years ago. After I had begun, I decided to go to a workshop. It was great! It was in Pasco, Washington put on by Debby Anderson and featuring Dancin' Dean. It was a first for both my wife and I. We walked in with a friend and a couple of ladies came up and asked if I was the guy who wrote "My Boots On". This was one of my early dances. (BW says "How cool!) I think my wife and our friend got a lot more excited than I did to know that people actually knew my dance. Then I wrote "Bullfrog on a Log" and that one really took off. I get such joy watching folks dancing something I actually created. Who would have thought this little guy in Caldwell, Idaho would have people dancing his dances, amazing to me but really make me happy to know they are having fun. I am a very blessed man.
BW: Yes you are! I noticed online - on YouTube - that you have people in France and all over dancing and videotaping your dance Bullfrog (and maybe more?) - to have your dance on Youtube by someone else - that is very rewarding!! ...When I came upon a video of a class of young pretty Korean ladies dancing my dance "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" I was so excited I ran to my husband and made him come watch it with me. That was cool. Now if I had as many dancers and hits as you.... ah but I digress.... :-) Besides teaching and writing, what is on your calendar now?
CD: The immediate plan is to get through the summer with a few projects I have going on then the wife and I will be traveling during the fall. I have looked at the map and have been to every state in this country except the New England states. I want to go eat lobster in Maine and explore the last of this great country that I haven't seen. It will mean missing a few weeks of my class, but this will be a worthwhile adventure. I will have someone cover for me - then will be back at it with renewed enthusiasm. I always look forward to our Linedance Class because this group of dancers brings out the best in my ability and I just flat out have fun dancing and joking with all my friends.
BW: Absolutely - I can agree with this! Its an emotional boost for me, too, Cef. Well, in closing, do you have any last words of wisdom from our new friend from Caldwell, Idaho?
CD: I am a real believer in the health benefits of dancing, both physical and mental. I hurt my back while working for Boeing and every once in awhile I have to go to Physical Therapy at the VA. The crew there knows me and I have been told by several that dancers make the best patients as we recover quicker due to our activity. The mental aspect of dancing is two fold in my opinion. First we have so many dances we do and each one has a different sequence of steps, great memory work for those of us who need it. Secondly the relationships we develop on the dance floor with our fellow dancers just feels good. We compliment each other, we help each other and most of us walk out at the end of the day with a smile on our face and feet ready for a warm soak.
BW: Awesome. Thank you very much for your time, for sharing so much with us. I appreciate this very much. I will be watching for more dances from you in the future! Thank you!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Since the interview, Cef has had some pretty remarkable things happen in his life.....
WOW!!!
Check out this Video on YouTube - The kind gentleman that was"Spotlighted" for an interview with us #8 has been involved in a very cool OFFICIAL video with his fun dance "Get Ready to Get Down" to the song by Josh Ritter "Getting Ready to Get Down". At a time when choreographers are reluctant to show their dances on youtube with music for fear of being blocked (for good!) from the Youtube channel.... this young man put out his dance, the right person saw it and he ended up collaborating with the artist - VERY cool! Check it out :-) Congratulations Mr. Cef Decaney!!
See Josh's Ritter's letter below Click here for : Getting Ready to Get Down - Official Video
Click here for the Step Sheet: Get Ready to Get Down
Published on Sep 17, 2015
From Josh:
"Hey All!
A few days after we put out “Getting Ready to Get Down” as a single, my great friend, Doug Rice, discovered an amazing homemade video online. It was a guy in his dance studio teaching the world line-dancing steps to Get Down! It was totally amazing.
We contacted Cef, who it turns out is a line-dancing instructor from Idaho, told him how great we thought it was, and next thing you know we had even more footage to work with. We knew this stuff had to be shared. Cef is a great guy and I thank him (and his wonderful class!) wholeheartedly for sharing his pure talent and enthusiasm with me and letting me share it with you. Doug worked really hard to bring the finished product you’re about to see together.
I hope you like Cef’s “Getting Ready to Get Down,” as much as I do!
Rock!
Josh"
VERY COOL CEF !!! ~Bobbey
BW: Hello Cef! Its so nice to have this occasion to "chat" with you - thank you for sharing some time with us. I guess you have seen the previous Spotlights on our website - I'll just ask you the same type of questions.... like - Can you tell me a little about yourself? Starting with where you are from?
CD: I was born and raised in Seattle Washington. I am one of those rare folks that lived in the same house my entire youth with parents who stayed together forever. At the age of 18 I joined the Marine Corps and served four years with two tours in Vietnam. I was a "Airdale Marine", working on planes. After the service I went to the University of Washington.
BW: Before I continue with my questions I want to tell you - I thank you for your service. Our Vietnam Vets did not hear this (enough), but I hope you feel the love and respect now that you have always deserved. Thank you Cef!
CD: I appreciate that, Bobbey.
BW: I see here on the Choreographer Profile section of your many step sheets that you are currently living in Idaho... I think there is a story here.... ? I have been in Idaho for 12 years.
CD: I was working for Boeing in Everett, Washington when 9/11 happened. They layed off 35,000 of us. I went south to Tucson first to enjoy the sun and work a bit, then I was persuaded to go to Palm Springs where my sister lives. I went to work in the Palm Desert area where I met my wife. It is also where my love for linedancing really kicked in. A wonderful instructor in Indio by the name of Dottie had quite a following and I fell in line too. It was a great place to learn with a great group of dancers. My wife was offered a job at St Alph's in Boise and she asked if I would want to move to Idaho. I said sure, I am a Northwest kid at heart and there isn't much skiing and fishing in Palm Desert... We've been here 12 years now.
BW: I hope it wasn't too disappointing to leave your line dance friends in Indio. It feels good to find a niche where things just click... and then off to the unknown... but I believe you have acclimated very well in Idaho the way it looks... sorry to interrupt you - please continue!
CD: The first time we wanted to go dancing in Boise we looked up where linedance lessons were going on and we got on the dance floor. Several people came up and asked where we were from and that was the beginning of a new dance community we joined. The one thing about Idaho, we have friendly, kind, genuine people here who make up one of the best dance communities I have been involved with. I've danced all my life, from being a little kid dancing with my sisters and brother showing off for our parents to being a member of the high school cheer team which in those days we yelled and danced. We are blessed to be living in the country with Boise just 25 minutes away and the apple orchards and farms down the street. We are high desert with the mountains and skiing at our back door.
BW: It sounds wonderful! The land, the people, your line dance community. You are blessed! You mentioned that you were in a "cheer squad" in high school. Would you say that this helped to form your dancing talents today?
CD: Yes, in a way.... Back in my high school days in our cheer squad we had our organized routines, dancing "in line" - so, technically, I've linedanced since then. ( BW chuckles here) The style of linedance we do now... I really got into it about 15 years ago. I have been teaching for the past ten years. The current class I have is at the Nampa Idaho Eagles where I have been for the past 5 years. The class is 35 to 40 people every Wednesday. This past summer I had to cut back to one class a month through the summer.. but we
will be back to our regular schedule soon.
BW: 35 to 40 is a really nice size class. I can tell you are very attached - I know how easy it is to form friendships, etc, through line dancing.. after all we have one big fun thing in common already! And your class I imagine is the same?
CD: Our group is a family. We have dancers who care about one another outside of the class. They are really nice! Some of the dancers have been with me for 5, 6 - 10 years.. and of course our new comers.
The level of the dancers vary from very beginners to intermediate dancers. I tend to teach according to the class on any given day so the lesson plan can be quite varied every Wednesday. I'm not someone to try to teach a new dance every class. I like the dancers to determine what we will continue to dance to during open dancing and therefore determine which dances we will stay with. So we stay with a particular lesson until the majority have it and feel comfortable on the floor with it.
BW: You sound like a very good, caring teacher... and a nice guy! By the way, I had the opportunity to teach one of your beginner level dances "Bullfrog on a Log" for the song Gotta Feeling by Tim Hicks. This is a very cute dance - easy to learn yet remains interesting and fun to dance. Also, I go to a Tuesday class at the Italian American club here in Palm Coast with a gal named Jenny - one of her favorites (and mine too, now) to teach and dance is for the song Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. It is your dance "Don't Believe me, Just Watch". I really believe more dancers should check this out - yes, there are lots of dances out there for each song - but I give yours a 5/5 star rating! Excellent! and... I see you have another out recently - one of Ed Sheeran's songs - Thinking out Loud. Your dance for this song is called "Wrap Me in Your Arms" - it is smooth, jazzy, I like it a lot! I know that if you and your class enjoy it - thats all that counts to you - but I hope the line dance community "out there" appreciates it - its a nice dance to a good song. Of course you know all of this already - I am hoping anyone reading this will want to go to Copperknob and check it/them out! I hope you keep up with the writing - choreography - you have a knack! How did you start - or rather - when did you realize that you wanted to write dances?
CD: I started writing dances just a few years ago. After I had begun, I decided to go to a workshop. It was great! It was in Pasco, Washington put on by Debby Anderson and featuring Dancin' Dean. It was a first for both my wife and I. We walked in with a friend and a couple of ladies came up and asked if I was the guy who wrote "My Boots On". This was one of my early dances. (BW says "How cool!) I think my wife and our friend got a lot more excited than I did to know that people actually knew my dance. Then I wrote "Bullfrog on a Log" and that one really took off. I get such joy watching folks dancing something I actually created. Who would have thought this little guy in Caldwell, Idaho would have people dancing his dances, amazing to me but really make me happy to know they are having fun. I am a very blessed man.
BW: Yes you are! I noticed online - on YouTube - that you have people in France and all over dancing and videotaping your dance Bullfrog (and maybe more?) - to have your dance on Youtube by someone else - that is very rewarding!! ...When I came upon a video of a class of young pretty Korean ladies dancing my dance "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" I was so excited I ran to my husband and made him come watch it with me. That was cool. Now if I had as many dancers and hits as you.... ah but I digress.... :-) Besides teaching and writing, what is on your calendar now?
CD: The immediate plan is to get through the summer with a few projects I have going on then the wife and I will be traveling during the fall. I have looked at the map and have been to every state in this country except the New England states. I want to go eat lobster in Maine and explore the last of this great country that I haven't seen. It will mean missing a few weeks of my class, but this will be a worthwhile adventure. I will have someone cover for me - then will be back at it with renewed enthusiasm. I always look forward to our Linedance Class because this group of dancers brings out the best in my ability and I just flat out have fun dancing and joking with all my friends.
BW: Absolutely - I can agree with this! Its an emotional boost for me, too, Cef. Well, in closing, do you have any last words of wisdom from our new friend from Caldwell, Idaho?
CD: I am a real believer in the health benefits of dancing, both physical and mental. I hurt my back while working for Boeing and every once in awhile I have to go to Physical Therapy at the VA. The crew there knows me and I have been told by several that dancers make the best patients as we recover quicker due to our activity. The mental aspect of dancing is two fold in my opinion. First we have so many dances we do and each one has a different sequence of steps, great memory work for those of us who need it. Secondly the relationships we develop on the dance floor with our fellow dancers just feels good. We compliment each other, we help each other and most of us walk out at the end of the day with a smile on our face and feet ready for a warm soak.
BW: Awesome. Thank you very much for your time, for sharing so much with us. I appreciate this very much. I will be watching for more dances from you in the future! Thank you!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Since the interview, Cef has had some pretty remarkable things happen in his life.....
WOW!!!
Check out this Video on YouTube - The kind gentleman that was"Spotlighted" for an interview with us #8 has been involved in a very cool OFFICIAL video with his fun dance "Get Ready to Get Down" to the song by Josh Ritter "Getting Ready to Get Down". At a time when choreographers are reluctant to show their dances on youtube with music for fear of being blocked (for good!) from the Youtube channel.... this young man put out his dance, the right person saw it and he ended up collaborating with the artist - VERY cool! Check it out :-) Congratulations Mr. Cef Decaney!!
See Josh's Ritter's letter below Click here for : Getting Ready to Get Down - Official Video
Click here for the Step Sheet: Get Ready to Get Down
Published on Sep 17, 2015
From Josh:
"Hey All!
A few days after we put out “Getting Ready to Get Down” as a single, my great friend, Doug Rice, discovered an amazing homemade video online. It was a guy in his dance studio teaching the world line-dancing steps to Get Down! It was totally amazing.
We contacted Cef, who it turns out is a line-dancing instructor from Idaho, told him how great we thought it was, and next thing you know we had even more footage to work with. We knew this stuff had to be shared. Cef is a great guy and I thank him (and his wonderful class!) wholeheartedly for sharing his pure talent and enthusiasm with me and letting me share it with you. Doug worked really hard to bring the finished product you’re about to see together.
I hope you like Cef’s “Getting Ready to Get Down,” as much as I do!
Rock!
Josh"
VERY COOL CEF !!! ~Bobbey
