Hello and thank you for your interest in my site. My name is Michel Platje born on the 12th of September 1969 in the Netherlands.
After seeing the Linedance show The Devil went down to Georgia from Roy Verdonk i have been in contact with Linedance. I started dancing in 1999 with a Linedancegroup in the Netherlands but after a few years i got the idea that i was missing out something.
In October 2002 we ( my girlfriend Anita Zwiers and me) founded our own linedancegroup The Railroaddancers. In that same year i started competing. In 2003 we had more people to get interested in competing at Championships even the question rised for starting a team. So after several discussions we founded a team for the Championships. Results followed immediately.
The year 2003 was the start of a fabulous team effort. We became European Champion Team Large, and all the dancers had danced for overall placements with even a European Champion already. That same year we became Dutch Champion Team Large and Team Line.We had a European Champion Partner dance and the dancers all ended in the top 5. So without any questions asked we tried to get to the Worlds. Worlds 2004 was a experience we will never forget. The location and atmosphere was perfect and after this our Worlds couldn't be bad. 2004. We had a World Champion and 3 dancers in the top 5. Large Team became 3rd and team line 5th. After these results we were confinced that we are on the right way. The year 2004 went fast and succesful for us. All the dancers on every Championships were competing for the top 5 and the team became Champion everywere we competed.
In this year we won THE DUTCHLINEDANCE AWARD for best dutch team. At worlds 2005 we hoped that the progression we made would continue. Yes 2 worldchampions, 2nd with the team and all dancers in the top 5. Excellent. This year i have had injury after injury so i have made a switch to Choreography. The Choreography is going well because all the dances are in the top 5 on Championships. Even some with first places like Loved by You and Ophelia. The rest are just fun dances which are danced all over the world. After doing Choreography people are more and more asking me to do workshops and this is what i want to do entertain people with some nice dances. Worlds 2006 in Stockholm became a dream come true. I had written a dance with Raymond Sarlemijn and due to other issues i couldn't be there. Raymond then called me and said we had the World title in Choreography. Up until now this is the most sensational title i have, but there hopefully will follow more.( Ps Raymond Thnx). In 2007 i switched to the Worldcdf and became Worldchampion in Crystal intermediate male. I became Worldchampion Crystal Advanced 2008 and this was my last championship i have danced for the WCDF. In the year 2008 we are competing in the UCWDC and are going to the Worlds in Orlando. At the British and City of Light championships from the UCWDC my Choreography's did very well and became 5 times 1st place. At the Worldchampionships we (me and my girlsfriend Anita) also did choreography and won 2 worldtitles in 1 in ABC(too Hot) and 1 in Non-Country Intermediate advanced(Hey Daddy). In 2010 i became Worldchampion in Crystal Advanced Male en won Choreography Country Newcomer/Novice with the dance called Wicked Way and Worldchampion in Country Intermediate/Advanced. Since 2010 I am focusing on teaching dancers technique and expression on the dance floor.
This has now become a greater passion to guide the dancers to a higher level and try to get them the Worldtitle or at least get them to give a 100% on the dance floor.
I have trained 54 Worldchampions at the moment.
Michel Platje has choreographed 39 dances, of which all have been co-choreographed. Their first published stepsheet on CopperKnob is Loved By You from October 2007, with their most recent stepsheet of Makes Me Want To Stay in January 2019.
32 Count 4 Wall Beginner / Improver Polka Music: Makes Me Want to Stay - Clay Walker
32 Count 4 Wall Beginner / Improver Music: Texas Time - Keith Urban
32 Count 2 Wall Cha Cha Music: I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Garth Brooks
104 Count 4 Wall Phrased Fun Dance Music: Dance With Me Tonight - Olly Murs
64 Count 2 Wall Intermediate Music: Bella - Maître Gims
32 Count 2 Wall High Newcomer Music: Paradise - Usher
56 Count 4 Wall Phrased High Newcomer Music: Sjalalala (Geniet Van Elke Dag) - Wolter Kroes
32 Count 4 Wall Funky Novice Music: That Girl Is So Dangerous by Akon
32 Count 4 Wall Novice Music: There Goes My Baby (feat. Flo Rida) - Enrique Iglesias
32 Count 4 Wall Novice Music: The Vamps - Oh Cecilia
32 Count 4 Wall Novice / Intermediate - Smooth WCS Music: Mad - Anthony Hamilton
48 Count 1 Wall Phrased Improver / Intermediate Music: Engel - Admiral P & Nico D
32 Count 4 Wall - Music: If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows) - Rodney Atkins
32 Count 4 Wall Improver Music: I Want Crazy - Hunter Hayes
48 Count 4 Wall Intermediate / Advanced Polka Music: Love Somebody Like You (Radio Edit) - Keith Urban
32 Count 4 Wall Country Novice - WCS Music: Just for You (feat. Billy Currington) - Lionel Richie
32 Count 4 Wall Improver / Intermediate Music: Meanwhile back at Mama's by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
32 Count 2 Wall Novice / Intermediate NC2S Music: Home Sweet Home (feat. Vince Neil) - Justin Moore
32 Count 2 Wall Newcomer Cha Cha Music: Hungry Hands - The Common Linnets
64 Count 2 Wall Newcomer / Novice - ECS Music: Big Ol' Truck - Toby Keith