Last year while only Andrea was able to go to BCDF 2023, this year I (Alexa) gave it a shot. This wraps us my dance travel of the year and I went out with a bang. So read on to hear about my experience in Boston this year.
What was Included?
I only attended the Friday and Saturday parties which totaled to $45. At the Friday party there were 2 performances. The Saturday party featured a Rumba abierta, the performance challenge performance, and the Rueda competition.
A full IMMERSION pass priced at $185/195 (Early Bird/Reg) included:
- 12 class times (6 with one option, 4 with 2 options, and 2 during the performance challenge)
- Ability to enroll in the performance challenge
- Entrance to all 3 socials
A full INTRODUCTION pass priced at $110/120 (Early Bird/Reg) included:
- 6 classes
- Entrance to all 3 socials
For free there was also
- Rolling rueda
My favorite part?
Friday party. The Friday night party was an absolute blast. DJ Rodri-J and DJ Infinity (Diana) really kept me on my toes the whole night, and I had some of y favorite dance. Shout out to Nikki letting me lead her contratiempo in the birthday circle.
An Area of Improvement
Communication around venues. I would have liked a little more information on the bar/venue policies to prepare what is allowed to be brought in accordingly. Note that they did help point out parking and nearest public transport at the venues which was very helpful.
Overall Takeaways
Huge thanks to the organizer team for putting together this event. Shout out to the DJs who kept me dancing all night and left me sore at the end of the weekend because of it. Full disclosure I only attended this event’s Friday and Saturday party’s because of how my timing worked out.
Something I really appreciated about both parties was the overall length of them. Friday’s party was 4 hours and ended at a reasonable time for those taking workshops the next day. Then the Saturday party was about 5 hours. Plus there were after parties both days which was a great way to keep people dancing after, and I certainly enjoyed myself. Both parties had minimal interruptions and a good range of music from Son, reparto, timba, songo, etc.. And the interruptions weren’t even that. Friday performances were the perfect way to highlight the Boston community’s relationship (great job to UV Casineros and Boston Casineros). As for Saturday the Rueda competition was really fun to watch and see people have fun and get competitive, and the rumba abierta was a great way to incorporate class topics, highlight cuban music and dance, and a good show.
Overall, I thought the parties were fun, balanced, and well planned. I liked the floors and the space. My only growth point is I would have liked to know if the spaces had free water on site, bars, etc..
Last thing about this event is I thought that there was a lot of helpful communication to prepare for the event. Like good information about public transport, maps, parking, time and schedule updates. That will always be a major pro in my book because it takes a lot of stress off as an attendee in a different potentially new with.
Were you at BCDF? Tell me your favorite part in the comments below. The 2024 Dance travel season is probably wrapping up for you, so it is time to check out and plan for 2025. Our travel list has dates in 2025 already and past events for you to compare/research dates if we don’t have it yet.
Bueno…ya tu sabes.
Ya Tu Sabes 