The 2026 Colorado Country Classic brought another incredible weekend of country/western dance competition to the Rockies, and The Average Nomad was once again on hand to capture the action. This year’s event was the largest Colorado Country Classic in its history, marking a new high point for a competition that has been going strong since 1991.
Event directors Kathi Bittner, Rachel Champion, and Kay Bryan once again put on a first-class event. Full event details are always available on the Colorado Country Classic website.
The Saturday Night Dinner Show was nothing short of spectacular, filling the ballroom of a hotel that felt more like a five-star mountain retreat than a competition venue. With Colorado’s summer scenery in full bloom just outside the windows, it’s little wonder plenty of dancers stuck around after the last heat wrapped to soak up a few extra days of mountain air before heading home.
Eric Nava & Rachel Mercedes, seen above, were among this year’s featured country instructors, dancing alongside Gary McIntyre & Susan Kirklin, Tashina Beckman-King, Toby & Harmony Munroe, and Charles Jones & Rachel Champion — a lineup that’s become a hallmark of the Colorado Country Classic’s reputation in the Mile High City.
The weekend also ran alongside the Colorado Swing Classic, its companion West Coast Swing event held under the same roof. Between the two competitions, dancers had their pick of Jack & Jill, Strictly, Masters Jack & Jill, Generational Strictly, High Low Jack & Jill, and Country Swing/Dance Hall Strictly divisions — genuinely two competitions packed into one action-filled weekend.
Video coverage from the UCWDC event, including heat-by-heat footage from the competition floor, is already live on The Average Nomad YouTube channel, with over 32 hours of it recorded and published so far (links below) — plenty of footage to relive the weekend or find your own heats.
2026 Colorado Country Classic Event Video Playlists
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | Couples | Camera 1
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | Line Dance Sessions | Camera 2
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | Line Dance Sessions | Camera 1
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | ProAm Newcomer
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | ProAm Advanced
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | ProAm AllStars, ProPro & ProAm Spotlight
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | ProAm Novice | Friday
- 2026 Colorado Country Classic | Saturday Night