Decided to see how things were going at Hatfield - instead of the usual night at St. Albans. And the answer is: yes - a very enjoyable evening. There's always a really good atmosphere - plenty of space - and some good dancers. Had my first ever dance with MM ( I finally plucked up the courage) - and 30 seconds in she said "Wow - youre a great dancer". Hmmm - the 30 second rule - applied back on me: and it was nice!
Music was pretty good throughout - except for the heavy metal track (waste of time).
Some fun dances with Bcy - and new lady - very good indeed.
3 separate ladies asked me - and said we had danced before: Sorry! I hadn't remembered any of them (ooops!!).
Overall: good solid Hatfield night. It does present the dilemma: 2+ hours of freestyle for £4 at Hatfield or £5 for 1.25 hours at St. Albans. Which do you go for? (+ Factor in the quality of dancers....). Difficult one.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Utopia and my first man2man dance
Friday at Biggleswade was my first 'Utopia' experience. Utopia is part of the Ceroc 'empire' - and essentially is a bluesey, souly, latiny, non-cheesey experience. It is more spophisticated in some ways - and lots of fun. I guess it really takes the idea from the wonderful Blues rooms you get at weekenders (and also eg. Berko on Sundays) - and gives you a whole experience dedicated to that.
Drove up with Km - and it was a new experience for both of us - easy to find with TomTom. On entering the room, it is slightly unnerving - as it tends to be when you go to a new place. The room is very nicely laid out - and the lighting is excellent - which gave it a good atmosphere. The interesting thing was how few people I knew there: about 6 or 7 people in total: that is unusual for me - and it was good - because there was a whole new set of dancers......and I had some wonderful dances - some unexpected, some fun, some stylish, some cheeky, some sexy and some.....all of the above.
After about my third dance, I was still on the dance floor, when someone grabbed me from behind. Tightly. Then they lifted me off the floor - and after a few seconds, I guessed who it was: the cheeky and fun 'Dave The Scaffolder'. Ha! Well, then, we decided - as grown up men do - to have a dance. Who would lead and who would follow? Well - no contest: I would lead. It was funny (of course) - Dave did some amazing spins (a la Woodface) - and I was laughing most of the time. Phew....well that's done and dusted: my first homoceroctic experience.
Now - let's get back to basics: the music was superb - variety and good flow - with some great tracks I had not heard before. Just occassionally a duff track (eg. the Latin-rap(?)) - but that did not detract from a fantastic set. Mix of slow and some mid-tempo songs with a great range. Top drawer stuff!
Eventually, it was easy to walk around and dance with many of the people there. It was friendly enough and a good atmosphere. One highlight was a dance towards the end with a hotshot/top dancer: Slly(?) - that was such a joy. Plenty of others, including the woman wanted (and did) put her leg between mine - and then kick my backside (is that Argentinian tango?). Well, I was a bit too tall for her so she got me a bit too close to...for comfort. A few dances with Annt and Mny (who I had not danced with before - cheeky girl). Left about 12:30(?) - after a great night! Refreshing to dance with so many new faces (including from France, Japan and Poland....). Definitely will go back there again.
Drove up with Km - and it was a new experience for both of us - easy to find with TomTom. On entering the room, it is slightly unnerving - as it tends to be when you go to a new place. The room is very nicely laid out - and the lighting is excellent - which gave it a good atmosphere. The interesting thing was how few people I knew there: about 6 or 7 people in total: that is unusual for me - and it was good - because there was a whole new set of dancers......and I had some wonderful dances - some unexpected, some fun, some stylish, some cheeky, some sexy and some.....all of the above.
After about my third dance, I was still on the dance floor, when someone grabbed me from behind. Tightly. Then they lifted me off the floor - and after a few seconds, I guessed who it was: the cheeky and fun 'Dave The Scaffolder'. Ha! Well, then, we decided - as grown up men do - to have a dance. Who would lead and who would follow? Well - no contest: I would lead. It was funny (of course) - Dave did some amazing spins (a la Woodface) - and I was laughing most of the time. Phew....well that's done and dusted: my first homoceroctic experience.
Now - let's get back to basics: the music was superb - variety and good flow - with some great tracks I had not heard before. Just occassionally a duff track (eg. the Latin-rap(?)) - but that did not detract from a fantastic set. Mix of slow and some mid-tempo songs with a great range. Top drawer stuff!
Eventually, it was easy to walk around and dance with many of the people there. It was friendly enough and a good atmosphere. One highlight was a dance towards the end with a hotshot/top dancer: Slly(?) - that was such a joy. Plenty of others, including the woman wanted (and did) put her leg between mine - and then kick my backside (is that Argentinian tango?). Well, I was a bit too tall for her so she got me a bit too close to...for comfort. A few dances with Annt and Mny (who I had not danced with before - cheeky girl). Left about 12:30(?) - after a great night! Refreshing to dance with so many new faces (including from France, Japan and Poland....). Definitely will go back there again.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Snorbens Sauna
The regular suana at St. Albans on Thursdays was only slighty cooled by the triumphant entrance of Fan Number 3. If you went outside and then came back in there was a wall of heat (and sweat) you could feel as you came in. A bit reminiscent of getting off a plane in Spain in mid-summer for the first time.
Well - that did not detract from a good night. Packed with a good mix of new/experienced and younger/older dancers with probably a few women over. Marie on the decks (and she played 'Life's a beach' - right at the end after the 'final' song). She explained tht she couldn't (didn't) play any slower tempo songs during the set because the dancing would stop. Is that the case? Interesting thought. There seemed to be a lot of ultra-fast tracks: eg. Choo-choo train and Candy Man. Both of which I sat out. Can anyone actually dance properly to Candy Man? Very few that I can see.
Had a couple of dances with Km - who is one of the most enjoyable dancers in MJ: such fun to dance with. Chn-y who I had not seen before - danced with her twice: v. good for a beginner. Danced with the 2 girls who kind of look the same (and I got mixed up with at the freestyle last Friday) - similar hair and face - and both have a cheeky smile.....dunno their names: Twins-1 and 2?
Loads of others and consistently fine. Had a chat with Barry on the desk and the other guy (forget his name) - and getting some good tips and ideas from them.
Ely - who must be destined for great things in her dancing: so accomplished and mature: we did All Shook Up - and she hit the breaks and took control so confidently! Then at the next break, I said "My turn" (can't have her in total control......) - and then she said "you're getting really good at this....".
Did the Improver class (Advanced is just too much information) - which was taken by Laura. I'd never seen her do this before, and I was very impressed: she was very clear and articulate. Her timing was right and she could see what was going on and correct it. Good job!
Well - that did not detract from a good night. Packed with a good mix of new/experienced and younger/older dancers with probably a few women over. Marie on the decks (and she played 'Life's a beach' - right at the end after the 'final' song). She explained tht she couldn't (didn't) play any slower tempo songs during the set because the dancing would stop. Is that the case? Interesting thought. There seemed to be a lot of ultra-fast tracks: eg. Choo-choo train and Candy Man. Both of which I sat out. Can anyone actually dance properly to Candy Man? Very few that I can see.
Had a couple of dances with Km - who is one of the most enjoyable dancers in MJ: such fun to dance with. Chn-y who I had not seen before - danced with her twice: v. good for a beginner. Danced with the 2 girls who kind of look the same (and I got mixed up with at the freestyle last Friday) - similar hair and face - and both have a cheeky smile.....dunno their names: Twins-1 and 2?
Loads of others and consistently fine. Had a chat with Barry on the desk and the other guy (forget his name) - and getting some good tips and ideas from them.
Ely - who must be destined for great things in her dancing: so accomplished and mature: we did All Shook Up - and she hit the breaks and took control so confidently! Then at the next break, I said "My turn" (can't have her in total control......) - and then she said "you're getting really good at this....".
Did the Improver class (Advanced is just too much information) - which was taken by Laura. I'd never seen her do this before, and I was very impressed: she was very clear and articulate. Her timing was right and she could see what was going on and correct it. Good job!
Heavy night at Luton
If it's Tuesday it must be Luton - which it was. Arrived with Ct for the Improver class taught by Spinner-extraordinaire - Alex. Class was fine. Freestyle was...ok: but no great atmosphere. And the music was pretty dire. In fact, at one point, it stopped all together: no music for a few minutes until Alex came and helped out Peter the DJ (I think he pressed the play button). In addition, there were several sound problems (where was the volume at the start of the evening?) - and constant fiddling with the wires. This was not good. Add to this some heavy metal tracks and large dollops of cliches and..........it does not make it a tasty MJ dish.
So...apart from that, a few nice dances - although not exactly hoardes of wondrous dances. I did have the pleasure of dancing with DD+ - and that is probably worth the entrance fee alone: great dancer, and somewhat Trouble-esque in her style and timing: good! Lib-gls was there - and danced twice: stylish looking woman, and we chatted about the nature of sarcasm (repressed anger) and Freudian projection (things you don't like about other people are actually thigs you don't like about yourself, for example). Annt was there - and we had 2 or 3 nice dances. Jsn - and I managed to accidentally biff him on his forehead when I stood up to spot the latest 'hottie' he was telling me about.
A fun night overall - but spoiled a bit by the musical shenanigans.
So...apart from that, a few nice dances - although not exactly hoardes of wondrous dances. I did have the pleasure of dancing with DD+ - and that is probably worth the entrance fee alone: great dancer, and somewhat Trouble-esque in her style and timing: good! Lib-gls was there - and danced twice: stylish looking woman, and we chatted about the nature of sarcasm (repressed anger) and Freudian projection (things you don't like about other people are actually thigs you don't like about yourself, for example). Annt was there - and we had 2 or 3 nice dances. Jsn - and I managed to accidentally biff him on his forehead when I stood up to spot the latest 'hottie' he was telling me about.
A fun night overall - but spoiled a bit by the musical shenanigans.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
More tea vicar? No thanks I'm jiving
...so the Sunday tea dance.......at Berko. Well, apparently there were about 4 people at 4pm. (I wasn't one of them). Edy said he went out browsing round a bookshop instead - and came back later. Not sure what happened, but it didn't really fill up till the usual time: guess it had not really been publicised enough.
No matter - this is Berko: 2 rooms and plenty of good dancers around. Started off in the Blues Room - which ws fine, then did the usual moving between the two........overall it was a good night, although it just lacked that 'zip' that 'pizzaz' - that indefinable atmosphere that sometimes happens - sometimes doesn't.
Vignettes:
Woman approaches me:
"Dance?"
"Sure - and this is gonna be a fast track......."
"I prefer to dance to fast music"
"Then I guess that makes you a 'Fast' woman'"
"I guess so....but not like that"
"Ok"
Two women approach me simultaneously in the Blues Room - one from the fore one the aft. The one with arm on my shoulder gets me. Later, I find the other woman in the Main Room - and we have a nice dance.
St. Albans woman - started dancing at same time as me.
"blah blah...... " (me with usual dance chat/shooting the breeze)
"...well - show me your moves then..." she says
2 nice dances and she says "That was the best dance I've had all night"
..Now that is a compliment! I peck her on the cheek, she has a nice smile. Happiness abounds.
Lots of the usual crowd there......Icey, Annt, Bary, Aln (said hi after he fixed PC), Stph (great fun as always), Vck (didnt dance with her), .............
...But why a Tea Dance? Why no lesson (the teachers were there) - all a bit strange. There was tea (and cakes) though.
No matter - this is Berko: 2 rooms and plenty of good dancers around. Started off in the Blues Room - which ws fine, then did the usual moving between the two........overall it was a good night, although it just lacked that 'zip' that 'pizzaz' - that indefinable atmosphere that sometimes happens - sometimes doesn't.
Vignettes:
Woman approaches me:
"Dance?"
"Sure - and this is gonna be a fast track......."
"I prefer to dance to fast music"
"Then I guess that makes you a 'Fast' woman'"
"I guess so....but not like that"
"Ok"
Two women approach me simultaneously in the Blues Room - one from the fore one the aft. The one with arm on my shoulder gets me. Later, I find the other woman in the Main Room - and we have a nice dance.
St. Albans woman - started dancing at same time as me.
"blah blah...... " (me with usual dance chat/shooting the breeze)
"...well - show me your moves then..." she says
2 nice dances and she says "That was the best dance I've had all night"
..Now that is a compliment! I peck her on the cheek, she has a nice smile. Happiness abounds.
Lots of the usual crowd there......Icey, Annt, Bary, Aln (said hi after he fixed PC), Stph (great fun as always), Vck (didnt dance with her), .............
...But why a Tea Dance? Why no lesson (the teachers were there) - all a bit strange. There was tea (and cakes) though.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Tea Dance Sunday
Now I am thinking about the Berko Tea Dance today: it's an extended one from 4pm - 10:30pm. Which is more like a Tea-Dinner-Supper Dance to me. Well I guess if you go at 4pm and stay to the end, it must be pretty good value: 2 rooms and 6 hours of freestyle: enough to satisfy most addicts (me included). Does the Blues Room work on a sunny day at 4pm?
..................Let's see.
..................Let's see.
Utopia - Ashtons
Well, contrary to my previous post, it wasn't a standard Ashtons night on Friday - instead, it was 'Utopia' (which is like a sister organisation to Ceroc). By all accounts, the atmosphere was really good, helped by special lighting - and great music (ie different from the usual stuff - and more 'experimental'/unusual).
Well........roll on Utopia! I like the concept and look forward to my first Utopia experience ........which is.......next Friday at Biggleswade.
Well........roll on Utopia! I like the concept and look forward to my first Utopia experience ........which is.......next Friday at Biggleswade.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Friday Party St. Albans - Amazing
This was the monthly freestlye. The alternative was Ashtons.........which many forumites and experienced dancers go to. For me, there is no comparison: St. Albans is WAY more enjoyable. Ok, partly that is because it is my 'Home' venue/turf. More importantly, the music is better, the staff are better the atmosphere is far superior.
I arrive quite late (after 10) - following a pre-dance siesta. Shoes changed and have a dance with Newbie-1 - she's fine. Then 4 more dances and I'm outside: despite the additional fans, it is still hot, hot, hot. Good to see Chimes-Dv - who seems to be really back into dancing full tilt - which is good to hear.
Chatted to Young-Dk who turns out to be the cousin of the Master/Obi(!). Nice guy.
Multiple dances with some of my favs - eg. Marie (she now has a copy of 'Life's a Beach' - "Down to you" she said). Cheshunt-1 (sure she's told me her name a few times......but..there you go......): we danced the 2nd time to "Love is the Music" - and I'm sure one of us lost the beat mid-way through.............now who could that be? Didn't last for long though. Annt in her slinky black dress, it was 3 or 4 times I think.
Then, phew, Jla: first danced with her at a Stevenage freestyle ages ok........seen her intermittently at freestyles - eg. Ashtons/Cheshunt. So I asked her to dance and she said "Hello young man" - in a very welcoming way. She has a particular style which does involve using plenty of the dance floor - though still mainly in slot. I like the style. Much more can she do: she is a top stylist with a couple of great solo bits - then I started an ocho move where the lead stands and the follower ocho's and then drops down with one leg going through the leads spread legs. Wow - this lady did the splits - AMAZING. And I pulled her up. I told her that was amazing. "I only do that if I know the guy is going to pull me up" she said. Well - ahem, I reacted more instinctively than anything - and it worked out fine. I don't think any woman has gone down quite like that: I was impressed. And the track we were dancing to was 'Amazing': quite appropriate really. I think I said something corny at the end like "Wow - you are so fit.....in both senses of the word"
I arrive quite late (after 10) - following a pre-dance siesta. Shoes changed and have a dance with Newbie-1 - she's fine. Then 4 more dances and I'm outside: despite the additional fans, it is still hot, hot, hot. Good to see Chimes-Dv - who seems to be really back into dancing full tilt - which is good to hear.
Chatted to Young-Dk who turns out to be the cousin of the Master/Obi(!). Nice guy.
Multiple dances with some of my favs - eg. Marie (she now has a copy of 'Life's a Beach' - "Down to you" she said). Cheshunt-1 (sure she's told me her name a few times......but..there you go......): we danced the 2nd time to "Love is the Music" - and I'm sure one of us lost the beat mid-way through.............now who could that be? Didn't last for long though. Annt in her slinky black dress, it was 3 or 4 times I think.
Then, phew, Jla: first danced with her at a Stevenage freestyle ages ok........seen her intermittently at freestyles - eg. Ashtons/Cheshunt. So I asked her to dance and she said "Hello young man" - in a very welcoming way. She has a particular style which does involve using plenty of the dance floor - though still mainly in slot. I like the style. Much more can she do: she is a top stylist with a couple of great solo bits - then I started an ocho move where the lead stands and the follower ocho's and then drops down with one leg going through the leads spread legs. Wow - this lady did the splits - AMAZING. And I pulled her up. I told her that was amazing. "I only do that if I know the guy is going to pull me up" she said. Well - ahem, I reacted more instinctively than anything - and it worked out fine. I don't think any woman has gone down quite like that: I was impressed. And the track we were dancing to was 'Amazing': quite appropriate really. I think I said something corny at the end like "Wow - you are so fit.....in both senses of the word"
Travelling return
There was a thread on the forum about people's favourite moves which interested me. One feature was when some of the experienced guys talked about the wonder of the Travelling Return. At first, I thought they were extracting the quintessence or being playful.....but NO!
It is regarded as a simple but effective move - which produces more 'flow' into a dance........
Instead of the usual return on the spot, the follower and lead effectively change places across the slot. It's a 1st class move - and maybe it should be taught more. In fact there are several 'simple' but effective things, which are very rarely taught: teachers more usually get caught up in trying to do some fancy mangle-move.
Anyway, the (smooth) travelling return will be something Jive Lad will try and embed in the next few weeks.
It is regarded as a simple but effective move - which produces more 'flow' into a dance........
Instead of the usual return on the spot, the follower and lead effectively change places across the slot. It's a 1st class move - and maybe it should be taught more. In fact there are several 'simple' but effective things, which are very rarely taught: teachers more usually get caught up in trying to do some fancy mangle-move.
Anyway, the (smooth) travelling return will be something Jive Lad will try and embed in the next few weeks.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Blues room - Main room - Blues room - Main room
....and back again at Berko. Flip flopping the night away. A good enough night - although I was nowhere near tip-top form physically or mentally. Still I had 2 of the best ever dances with Lna a striking looking lady from further South who was visiting. Have I ever seen such style - experienced such connection - felt such interpetation? It was wonderful. And on the second dance she executed a perfect (and complex) hijacking sequence that I (fortunately) went with.....
which was such good fun.
Danced with Witty Bird who I sense has gone all the way with WCS - and she has a very particular style which looks very smooth. She mentioned one move I did - and she assumed it was from the workshop with Howard - but I think it was one from Cheeky Mike's Strictly Sinful workshop at Warmwell (Left arms together and both bend down, arms go (sort of) between the legs and back up)).
Icey turned me down - 'cos she was waiting to dance with Howard - well that's one reason I suppose. Meanwhile back in the main room...........Scissor Sisters were being played so fast that it sounded like Mickey Mouse on acid (apparently it was fun to dance to at that speed....). Well I can't complain - as it was me making the fuss that it was being played too slow! A few Czech girls were there and I selected one of the blondes for a fun dance (suspect she is quite a beginner - however she was highly capable - and like all East Europeans I have danced with, I sensed she will be v. competent quickly).
Who else - well a couple of dances where I feel obliged but I don't enjoy much: on one of them, my shoe lace became undone, so I had the excuse to stop the dance and take some time to tie it up. On the other, I thought - 'grit your teeth and damn well enjoy this dance' - and I did (well, after a fashion).
Steph was absolutely great fun as always - we seem to have good dances these days. She previously had mentioned that she would like "more dips and drops please..." so I rounded off with a triple-first-move-seducer which got her laughing.
Speaking of laughing, Ely asked me to dance - in the Blues room. Now she (as I have mentioned before) is turning into one helluva dancer. I was amazed at her confidence (strutting and stuff) - and for some reason it made me laugh. She asked "hey - why are you laughing?" - "Because you are so good" I replied. Which probably didn't make much sense......but there you are. Music was.....ok in the Blues Room - and ok in the Main room. (Then again - you can just be unlucky with the flip-flop..............................).
which was such good fun.
Danced with Witty Bird who I sense has gone all the way with WCS - and she has a very particular style which looks very smooth. She mentioned one move I did - and she assumed it was from the workshop with Howard - but I think it was one from Cheeky Mike's Strictly Sinful workshop at Warmwell (Left arms together and both bend down, arms go (sort of) between the legs and back up)).
Icey turned me down - 'cos she was waiting to dance with Howard - well that's one reason I suppose. Meanwhile back in the main room...........Scissor Sisters were being played so fast that it sounded like Mickey Mouse on acid (apparently it was fun to dance to at that speed....). Well I can't complain - as it was me making the fuss that it was being played too slow! A few Czech girls were there and I selected one of the blondes for a fun dance (suspect she is quite a beginner - however she was highly capable - and like all East Europeans I have danced with, I sensed she will be v. competent quickly).
Who else - well a couple of dances where I feel obliged but I don't enjoy much: on one of them, my shoe lace became undone, so I had the excuse to stop the dance and take some time to tie it up. On the other, I thought - 'grit your teeth and damn well enjoy this dance' - and I did (well, after a fashion).
Steph was absolutely great fun as always - we seem to have good dances these days. She previously had mentioned that she would like "more dips and drops please..." so I rounded off with a triple-first-move-seducer which got her laughing.
Speaking of laughing, Ely asked me to dance - in the Blues room. Now she (as I have mentioned before) is turning into one helluva dancer. I was amazed at her confidence (strutting and stuff) - and for some reason it made me laugh. She asked "hey - why are you laughing?" - "Because you are so good" I replied. Which probably didn't make much sense......but there you are. Music was.....ok in the Blues Room - and ok in the Main room. (Then again - you can just be unlucky with the flip-flop..............................).
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Lawrence of Jive-ravia
Arriving at Chesham on Friday, just as the lesson was ending - and saw someone with a bandana on the decks: it was Lawrence. Yes! - great music was guaranteed - and always seems to be a good atmosphere when he is spinning the tracks. And so it was.
I really enjoyed dancing with Mrlyn - as mentioned before (under different name Nd): she is a great interpreter of the music - and gets fully engaged and focused. Premier league.
Anta was good fun as always. Blnd-Iz (who was also at Berko - more later) - is a very elegant lady - and easy to dance with.
At then end I was standing outside to cool off - there were 2 tracks to go and I was pretty tired. Someone ventured out and asked me to dance: it was Cthrn - taxi from somewhere and we had danced before. Anyway, my face must have told a story so she said:
"It's ok - I don't bite"
"Oh - that's a shame" I replied "I like women who bite"
Anyway, we had a good dance - and then the last dance which was also good. An excellent way to finish a top evening.
I really enjoyed dancing with Mrlyn - as mentioned before (under different name Nd): she is a great interpreter of the music - and gets fully engaged and focused. Premier league.
Anta was good fun as always. Blnd-Iz (who was also at Berko - more later) - is a very elegant lady - and easy to dance with.
At then end I was standing outside to cool off - there were 2 tracks to go and I was pretty tired. Someone ventured out and asked me to dance: it was Cthrn - taxi from somewhere and we had danced before. Anyway, my face must have told a story so she said:
"It's ok - I don't bite"
"Oh - that's a shame" I replied "I like women who bite"
Anyway, we had a good dance - and then the last dance which was also good. An excellent way to finish a top evening.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Hot hot hot
Was the word on everyone's (sweaty) lips at St. Albans on Thursday. We had the grand total of 1 (one) fan to cool off 162 jivers and gyraters. Was this sufficient? One fan does not make a (cool) summer of jiving. Apparently, they are waiting for Adam to provide funds for additional fans. I had heard a different story, when I questioned it about 2 months ago - and that was the fact that there was no agreement with the school about where to store the fans.............
Whatever, there needs to be:
1. Minimum 4 fans (check out Chesham - it works ok there)
2. The fans switched on and operational from the start of the evning (not waiting till mid way through)
3. All doors and windows open from the start of the evening.
Anyway, despite the sauna-esque conditions, it was a good night. The track from last week I wanted to hear and check out was played - and JB kindly wrote it out for me: 'Love is the music' by FR featuring Jenny.
Plenty of good dances - and it went so quickly. L and A (birthday girl) were fine. W was quite a challenge, as was 22-DT. Just had one dance with Km - always a great pleasure. Had a slow one with Annt, and then I came across her later - and we both enjoyed it. Did the same dance with Newbie-2 that I had done the previous week....fine. At the end, as I was putting on my sandals during the last (tango) track, Mry-N collared me. "I'm in my sandals..." I spluttered. "You can dance - come on" she replied. So we did.
Whatever, there needs to be:
1. Minimum 4 fans (check out Chesham - it works ok there)
2. The fans switched on and operational from the start of the evning (not waiting till mid way through)
3. All doors and windows open from the start of the evening.
Anyway, despite the sauna-esque conditions, it was a good night. The track from last week I wanted to hear and check out was played - and JB kindly wrote it out for me: 'Love is the music' by FR featuring Jenny.
Plenty of good dances - and it went so quickly. L and A (birthday girl) were fine. W was quite a challenge, as was 22-DT. Just had one dance with Km - always a great pleasure. Had a slow one with Annt, and then I came across her later - and we both enjoyed it. Did the same dance with Newbie-2 that I had done the previous week....fine. At the end, as I was putting on my sandals during the last (tango) track, Mry-N collared me. "I'm in my sandals..." I spluttered. "You can dance - come on" she replied. So we did.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Why Bublé is best
Michael Bublé that is. Ok - he might come over a bit strange in the interviews - maybe with a large-ish ego (but then hey.......it is Bublé who's talking).Bottom line his voice is smooth with the ability to handle a range of moods. His phrasing is immaculate. The songs (mostly covers) are top drawer. And.......if you wanna dance, if you wanna go blues, if you wanna smooch, if you wanna sway, if you wanna...............well Bublé always hits the spot.
Again, this is one of those discoveries courtesy of MJ. I had never heard of him before Ceroc/MJ. The first time I knew of him was when I went to St. Neots (many aeons ago - well a good few months) and Sara Whites Jive Nights on a Sunday. It was a very pleasant eveneing - friendly - and I seem to remember dancing with Sara - a couple of times. I must go back there - except, of course it does clash with Berko......hmmm - maybe if there is a workshop there - on musicality or soemthing like that.
Anyway, it was towards the end of that evening that a great slower record came on and I asked the DJ who it was........"Michael Bublé" came the reply. Now I can't remember the actual track - even though I have about 30 of his tracks.........who knows? My current favourite is "Feeling Good' which starts off a bit ordinary and then goes raunchy (hmm second time I've used that word in posts this week - I blame it on Trouble).
In addition, his version of 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' is far superior to that Freddie M and Queen - in terms of danceability (imho). Bublé does that mean 'bubble'? - wouldn't quite be the same if he was an English guy called Mike Bubble somehow.....
Monday, May 21, 2007
Brilliant Berko (Blues)
I've described the Blues experience at Berko a couple of times - and I've been a bit of a 'dabbler' there. Now, it has grown on me - and really, I might as well spend the whole evening there - because that is what I enjoy most.
Dancers/dancing
Some pleasant dancers - as well as a 3 week beginner (she looked totally surprised when I went into a comb and held it on a break.........). Yliander from the forum was a fantastic dancer - superb style (she enters competitions etc..) - and I just wish it had been more of a 'musical' track - well maybe next time. Met with Mac and he showed me the 'Stokie Slide' move a few times - but the floor wasn't really slippy enough for it. I think the move which Trouble showed me a few months ago which is in the same genre would be better for me. Mac was with 2-Tone - and I can see why she is 2-tone because of her hair. We had a good dance, although at that time is was really quite crowded, anyway, she is a very complete dancer - nice lady. Missed the opportunity to dance with Rachel......and Witty - maybe next time. A few of the usual crew: Krsty, Annt - all good fun.
I think I had just 2 dances in the main room - one with FBJ (new) - cool. It was crowded and hot - another good reason to go to the Blues Room.
Music
On Sunday, Marc was back on the decks, which was fine (although'Chris(?) - was really good last week. One track I alway enjoy is the ultra slow 'Jumping Jack Flash' - not sure who it is by. Overall it was fine, for me I would like more (deep) soul - for example:
tracks from Dave Godin's Deep Soul collection or from the PeachTree collection - eg.
- You Hurt So Good by Susie Rainey
- It Sure Would be Nice - Emory and the Dynamics
- Losin' Boy - Eddy Giles
- Make it Me - The Premiers
- I'm never gonna live it down - The Knight Brothers
and essential:
- The Turning Point - Jimmy Holiday
...maybe I will get in touch with Marc/Rachel to suggest some more stuff like this.
Dancers/dancing
Some pleasant dancers - as well as a 3 week beginner (she looked totally surprised when I went into a comb and held it on a break.........). Yliander from the forum was a fantastic dancer - superb style (she enters competitions etc..) - and I just wish it had been more of a 'musical' track - well maybe next time. Met with Mac and he showed me the 'Stokie Slide' move a few times - but the floor wasn't really slippy enough for it. I think the move which Trouble showed me a few months ago which is in the same genre would be better for me. Mac was with 2-Tone - and I can see why she is 2-tone because of her hair. We had a good dance, although at that time is was really quite crowded, anyway, she is a very complete dancer - nice lady. Missed the opportunity to dance with Rachel......and Witty - maybe next time. A few of the usual crew: Krsty, Annt - all good fun.
I think I had just 2 dances in the main room - one with FBJ (new) - cool. It was crowded and hot - another good reason to go to the Blues Room.
Music
On Sunday, Marc was back on the decks, which was fine (although'Chris(?) - was really good last week. One track I alway enjoy is the ultra slow 'Jumping Jack Flash' - not sure who it is by. Overall it was fine, for me I would like more (deep) soul - for example:
tracks from Dave Godin's Deep Soul collection or from the PeachTree collection - eg.
- You Hurt So Good by Susie Rainey
- It Sure Would be Nice - Emory and the Dynamics
- Losin' Boy - Eddy Giles
- Make it Me - The Premiers
- I'm never gonna live it down - The Knight Brothers
and essential:
- The Turning Point - Jimmy Holiday
...maybe I will get in touch with Marc/Rachel to suggest some more stuff like this.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
London calling
.....at 'Ashtons' on Friday (never been sure why it is called 'Ashtons' - as it doesn't have a sign there - it's some kind of Irish Club - Brendan Shine playing tonite I think). As soon as you open the entrance door, you know you're in Ashtons by the smell - sort of 1970's pub with stale carpets. Slightly comforting.
Anyway, arrived with L,M & S a bit before 10 and it was (relatively) quiet). Double Trouble and Gav at the bar - and Dave the Scaffolder (DTS) (he is as mad as a hatter!) with Trouble nearby (more later). It took me a while to get up and have a first dance - maybe it was the 3 hour effort of trying to put the Rock-Ola jukebox together again - just before going out which didn't help. Well, eventually got going after a while, although I was never totally immersed in the evening. Had a few ok dances, then a series of quite pleasing ones:
1. 'Knock on wood' - I always like dancing to this - and I got lucky with the girl with black hair, dressed in black - lots of fun.
2. Olv who turned out to be from France. Now, in my limited experience (3 French girls) there is something distinctive about the way French girls dance. I would use the words: chic, open and 'loose'. It is entertaining and Olv asked for a consecutive - which was fun.
3. Nd (forgotten her name - duh! sorry). We danced to the ultra-slow version of Locomotion - which seems to be getting a lot of airplay at Ceroc these days. (Must find out who it is by) [Kylie Minogue - but from the 2007 Live Showcase album not the one from 2004]. It kinda does work if you get into it - and I knew Nd would (and she did).
4. The Trouble experience: probably worth going to Ashtons for this alone. Fun and (ahem) slightly on the raunchy side (which is fine by me). She said "you've changed.....you're now a dancer" - and I think I know she what she meant..........I feel more comfortable expressing myself - and more in touch on the 'musicality' and hitting the breaks (well sometimes). It was very kind of her to give me this encouragement.
Watched bandana-3 for a while - and for my money he is about the best dancer I have ever seen. Pure flow.
That was about it......that I can remember. Music was ok-ish a bit too much salsa - and overall a bit too fast.
Anyway, arrived with L,M & S a bit before 10 and it was (relatively) quiet). Double Trouble and Gav at the bar - and Dave the Scaffolder (DTS) (he is as mad as a hatter!) with Trouble nearby (more later). It took me a while to get up and have a first dance - maybe it was the 3 hour effort of trying to put the Rock-Ola jukebox together again - just before going out which didn't help. Well, eventually got going after a while, although I was never totally immersed in the evening. Had a few ok dances, then a series of quite pleasing ones:
1. 'Knock on wood' - I always like dancing to this - and I got lucky with the girl with black hair, dressed in black - lots of fun.
2. Olv who turned out to be from France. Now, in my limited experience (3 French girls) there is something distinctive about the way French girls dance. I would use the words: chic, open and 'loose'. It is entertaining and Olv asked for a consecutive - which was fun.
3. Nd (forgotten her name - duh! sorry). We danced to the ultra-slow version of Locomotion - which seems to be getting a lot of airplay at Ceroc these days. (Must find out who it is by) [Kylie Minogue - but from the 2007 Live Showcase album not the one from 2004]. It kinda does work if you get into it - and I knew Nd would (and she did).
4. The Trouble experience: probably worth going to Ashtons for this alone. Fun and (ahem) slightly on the raunchy side (which is fine by me). She said "you've changed.....you're now a dancer" - and I think I know she what she meant..........I feel more comfortable expressing myself - and more in touch on the 'musicality' and hitting the breaks (well sometimes). It was very kind of her to give me this encouragement.
Watched bandana-3 for a while - and for my money he is about the best dancer I have ever seen. Pure flow.
That was about it......that I can remember. Music was ok-ish a bit too much salsa - and overall a bit too fast.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Once again........
.....St. Albans hits the spot. Great atmosphere - even if I was feeling a bit tired. This was a great music night from Jon Brett (memo to file: must contact JB to find out the 3rd or 4th track in his play list - that was a new one in the meaty/beaty genre for me).
Arrived from Sweden and got there just as freestyle was starting up. Marie (sometime DJ) was at the front desk with crew and said she wanted to dance later........well we did and it was fun! I like dancing with Marie because she is one of the few 'total-expression' (my terminology) dancers (like Fiona-fun at Chesham). It was later in the evening and as I approached her, the first few bars of '25 Miles' by the 3 Amigos started up: ideal!! She said something like: "this is your favourite isn't it?" (how did she know?). A good dance except maybe I was trying too hard(?) - and then Marie had to stop to fix her hair (so we must have been going for it). Well, that was followed by 'Grace Kelly' (another fav) - so I had to ask Marie again - and off we went, grooving and pulling silly faces (I guess) - as you do to this track. All in all great fun!
Danced with a few I had never seen before (including one 1st nighter - she will be fine). Missed quite a few of the regulars: just not enough time. Crn and I danced to Johnny-B-Goode and she said I looked like a bit like a Rock-a-billy (yeah right! - not). I told her she looked like a rocker - and started doing Status Quo type head banging (haha!). Grgy was fun and she stopped dancing and just burst out laughing at one point......I said something like "are you here to laugh or to dance?".
Had a chat with Crl during one track I sat out (I think I missed just 2 overall) - and was sorry to hear about her shoulder injury - which apparently will take 2 years to get right. Poor thing. She just dances with her partner for now - with no right arm moves. Must be difficult.
Overall, top night - especially for music. My dancing was not as good as it has been............maybe mental and physical mood and relaxation are important.........................
Arrived from Sweden and got there just as freestyle was starting up. Marie (sometime DJ) was at the front desk with crew and said she wanted to dance later........well we did and it was fun! I like dancing with Marie because she is one of the few 'total-expression' (my terminology) dancers (like Fiona-fun at Chesham). It was later in the evening and as I approached her, the first few bars of '25 Miles' by the 3 Amigos started up: ideal!! She said something like: "this is your favourite isn't it?" (how did she know?). A good dance except maybe I was trying too hard(?) - and then Marie had to stop to fix her hair (so we must have been going for it). Well, that was followed by 'Grace Kelly' (another fav) - so I had to ask Marie again - and off we went, grooving and pulling silly faces (I guess) - as you do to this track. All in all great fun!
Danced with a few I had never seen before (including one 1st nighter - she will be fine). Missed quite a few of the regulars: just not enough time. Crn and I danced to Johnny-B-Goode and she said I looked like a bit like a Rock-a-billy (yeah right! - not). I told her she looked like a rocker - and started doing Status Quo type head banging (haha!). Grgy was fun and she stopped dancing and just burst out laughing at one point......I said something like "are you here to laugh or to dance?".
Had a chat with Crl during one track I sat out (I think I missed just 2 overall) - and was sorry to hear about her shoulder injury - which apparently will take 2 years to get right. Poor thing. She just dances with her partner for now - with no right arm moves. Must be difficult.
Overall, top night - especially for music. My dancing was not as good as it has been............maybe mental and physical mood and relaxation are important.........................
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Chicago, Stockholm
Went to Chicago 'Swing Dance Studio' in Stockholm, Sweden tonite. Well, just like Ronseal - it does what it says on the box: swing/Lindy Hop.
The venue:
Vaguely like a 1930's Speakeasy - go downstairs (after leaving your coat at the front desk, Swedish style) - and there is a small bar (doing soft drinks - so you don't need to 'speak easy') and the dance floor straight ahead with DJ booth to the right. Nice dance floor, and a bit crowded overall - which gave it some atmosphere. Hotshots congregated near the DJ booth as far as I could see. Nice to see the hotshot ethos carries across borders.
The music:
When I first came in, I thought someone was either playing an old radio or had put on a 78 on an old Dansette: a very 'thin' sound - and not so loud (in fact the noise from people talking was much louder). It was some 1940's swing stuff. There were quite a few like that during the evening interspersed with some goodies (for me in the 120-140BPM range!) - and towards the end it was almost verging on soul (but not quite........). There were of course some ultra fast tracks - impossible for Jive Lad to dance to (really). The odd thing was the long pause (like 30 secs - 1 min) between each track: I didn't quite understand this - unless it was to clear the floor - and let the next bunch of dancers on.......................
Did I hear 'Take the High Road' - that Scottish folk song (omg.....)? There was the original 'Jumpin' Jive' (I only know the more recnt Joe Jackson version). Likewise, the original (I assume) 'Accentu-ate the positive' (done of course more recently by the entertaining Jive Aces). Oh how I wished for a Bit of Buble.........or something like (which could span the Swing-MJ experience).
The dancing experience:
Now this was an interesting challenge. It took me back to California last year - where I faced the same challenge: how to transfer modern jive into a Lindy/Swing setting? Well.....here goes.....
.....I felt slightly nervous: I didn't know anyone at all - how would they take to an English guy doing some odd dancing.....? I waited a couple of tracks - then asked a woman: oh-oh in 10 seconds I realised this was going to be a challenge - not from a Lindy perspective - but more the fact she was a complete beginner - and it was quite a fast track - and she was bouncing around like a weeble - quite difficult to control. I had a couple more like that - just luck of the drawer I guess. Then I forgot the 1st rule of trying to dance in this situation: DON'T DANCE TO THE FAST ONES! Oooops - I messed up about 2-3 times (not good - felt like a complete beginner messing up) before I remembered John Sweeneys advice: wait for a slower track - AND explain to your partner that you do MJ.......
When I did this ...........hey presto! it worked! First up Layla : wasn't sure how she felt until the end of the track - when she asked for another......and I think we danced about 5 times. Ylva also got it - very well indeed and we had a good chat about dancing: apparently my dancing is close to Boogie in Sweden (or at least, how they did it 15 years ago......haha!) - well that's how she described it. A couple of others also 'got it' ok - still, I had to keep it to simple moves: 1st move, basket, sway, man spin, lady spin...those kind of basics. So a mixed night - which got better towards the end as I got into it. I felt a bit restricted because of the music - so I was probably hitting about 30% of the tracks.
Had a nice chat with Svante when I went outside to cool off (it was still warm outside - nice evening) - who was telling me a bit about the dance scene. Ladies don't ask that often he said (although someone said the opposite later). This was just about the only venue - so he knew most people there and we chewed the cud on dancing with beginners....etc....I shared my ideas about this and we kinda agreed that we had a 'duty' to help beginners. The dancers were mostly young - I would say 20-40 with a few old(er) timers - which was good. Oh how I am sure Swedes would take to MJ/Ceroc big time!
Overall
I guess the acid test is: would you go back? Answer - JA! (And maybe ask the DJ for some more MJ type tunes).
The venue:
Vaguely like a 1930's Speakeasy - go downstairs (after leaving your coat at the front desk, Swedish style) - and there is a small bar (doing soft drinks - so you don't need to 'speak easy') and the dance floor straight ahead with DJ booth to the right. Nice dance floor, and a bit crowded overall - which gave it some atmosphere. Hotshots congregated near the DJ booth as far as I could see. Nice to see the hotshot ethos carries across borders.
The music:
When I first came in, I thought someone was either playing an old radio or had put on a 78 on an old Dansette: a very 'thin' sound - and not so loud (in fact the noise from people talking was much louder). It was some 1940's swing stuff. There were quite a few like that during the evening interspersed with some goodies (for me in the 120-140BPM range!) - and towards the end it was almost verging on soul (but not quite........). There were of course some ultra fast tracks - impossible for Jive Lad to dance to (really). The odd thing was the long pause (like 30 secs - 1 min) between each track: I didn't quite understand this - unless it was to clear the floor - and let the next bunch of dancers on.......................
Did I hear 'Take the High Road' - that Scottish folk song (omg.....)? There was the original 'Jumpin' Jive' (I only know the more recnt Joe Jackson version). Likewise, the original (I assume) 'Accentu-ate the positive' (done of course more recently by the entertaining Jive Aces). Oh how I wished for a Bit of Buble.........or something like (which could span the Swing-MJ experience).
The dancing experience:
Now this was an interesting challenge. It took me back to California last year - where I faced the same challenge: how to transfer modern jive into a Lindy/Swing setting? Well.....here goes.....
.....I felt slightly nervous: I didn't know anyone at all - how would they take to an English guy doing some odd dancing.....? I waited a couple of tracks - then asked a woman: oh-oh in 10 seconds I realised this was going to be a challenge - not from a Lindy perspective - but more the fact she was a complete beginner - and it was quite a fast track - and she was bouncing around like a weeble - quite difficult to control. I had a couple more like that - just luck of the drawer I guess. Then I forgot the 1st rule of trying to dance in this situation: DON'T DANCE TO THE FAST ONES! Oooops - I messed up about 2-3 times (not good - felt like a complete beginner messing up) before I remembered John Sweeneys advice: wait for a slower track - AND explain to your partner that you do MJ.......
When I did this ...........hey presto! it worked! First up Layla : wasn't sure how she felt until the end of the track - when she asked for another......and I think we danced about 5 times. Ylva also got it - very well indeed and we had a good chat about dancing: apparently my dancing is close to Boogie in Sweden (or at least, how they did it 15 years ago......haha!) - well that's how she described it. A couple of others also 'got it' ok - still, I had to keep it to simple moves: 1st move, basket, sway, man spin, lady spin...those kind of basics. So a mixed night - which got better towards the end as I got into it. I felt a bit restricted because of the music - so I was probably hitting about 30% of the tracks.
Had a nice chat with Svante when I went outside to cool off (it was still warm outside - nice evening) - who was telling me a bit about the dance scene. Ladies don't ask that often he said (although someone said the opposite later). This was just about the only venue - so he knew most people there and we chewed the cud on dancing with beginners....etc....I shared my ideas about this and we kinda agreed that we had a 'duty' to help beginners. The dancers were mostly young - I would say 20-40 with a few old(er) timers - which was good. Oh how I am sure Swedes would take to MJ/Ceroc big time!
Overall
I guess the acid test is: would you go back? Answer - JA! (And maybe ask the DJ for some more MJ type tunes).
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Bottoms Up!
Rock Bottoms is an organisation who run 'Cheeky Little Weekenders' for dancers. Torquay last weekend was my first experience.............so here goes..................
The Good
1. Workshop
One workshop in particular by Simon and Susie of Jive Nation was really excellent: entitled don't freeze in a freeze (or something like that) - it was basically about 'hitting the breaks'. Very well explained and clear AND practical. I loved it! It's probably what you know anyway: all (most) MJ/Ceroc music is 4/4 - with patterns running thru in 8,16,32....... And the HIT is on the 1 or the 5......so once you know that - you can work things thru to make sure you hit the break (and do whatever you do there (we mostly did semi-dramatic basket type freezes). Simon taught this workshop in an enjoyable and engaging way - and I think most people got it (even if putting it into practice was more difficult).
2. The cabaret
Awesome (to me) routines of great variety by the teachers. All of them were fantastic (actually for me S&S above were probably my favs). From WCS to Balboa to funky/hip-hoppy stuff with great invention and creativity it was all there. Afterwards, though a guy called Mchl (14 years Ceroc) said it was much better last year............well wow - that must have been good.
The Bad
1. Dance floor
Well, I just did not get this: the dance floor set up was just not conducive to asking people to dance! The floor itself was (much) smaller than I expected (eg. half the size of St. Albans) - on 2 tiers - but with no perimeter! There was no place where people could stand if they wanted to be asked to dance - apart from a vague 2m space near the DJ - and even that was essentially a walk way off the floor. This meant that there was nowhere near as much intermingling and dancing with different partners compared to an average freestyle anywhere in the country. This I just did not get! Why go to a venue like this? For me, this is such a basic requirement. The area surrounding the dance floor was tightly packed table and chairs and there was just no way this was set up for a good dance mix.
2. Hotel itself
The feng -shui was not good! It was like a rabbit warren (fellow guest comment - and I agreed). Difficult to see/know where you were - and not enough 'public' space. Up/down/round - a messy design. Lifts out of order, No iron - except in the dodgy 'launderette' downstairs.
The Ugly
The food at the hotel was out of this world. Literally. It came from planet Zog via a cheap 1950's B&B in Blackpool. OMG - Gordon Ramsay and Gillian McKeith would have a field day. This was stuff I would not feed to a dog who was starving. I won't describe it as I do not wish to be reminded of it. How people put up with this **** is beyond me. I knew it was going to be well dodgy after asking for herbal tea on the first morning and getting a bemused look as if I had requested fresh squid ink fused with the blood of fresh wild boar.
The Ok
The dancing was fine - in that when you did get an opportunity to ask someone it worked out - and the music (JB on the decks) was ok - except when they repeated tracks when JB went for a break.......how many times do I really want to hear Barry Manilow's Copacabana? One memorable dance with a Fiona-Fun/Marie type dancer: was she one of the Rock Bottoms posse? Had a good chat with Adr from St. Albans (demonstrator) - and good to meet Mchl and Ily. However, not much more than an average freestyle night in most places....
Well, I guess I won't be going back to the Derwent Hotel in Torquay in a hurry.........
The Good
1. Workshop
One workshop in particular by Simon and Susie of Jive Nation was really excellent: entitled don't freeze in a freeze (or something like that) - it was basically about 'hitting the breaks'. Very well explained and clear AND practical. I loved it! It's probably what you know anyway: all (most) MJ/Ceroc music is 4/4 - with patterns running thru in 8,16,32....... And the HIT is on the 1 or the 5......so once you know that - you can work things thru to make sure you hit the break (and do whatever you do there (we mostly did semi-dramatic basket type freezes). Simon taught this workshop in an enjoyable and engaging way - and I think most people got it (even if putting it into practice was more difficult).
2. The cabaret
Awesome (to me) routines of great variety by the teachers. All of them were fantastic (actually for me S&S above were probably my favs). From WCS to Balboa to funky/hip-hoppy stuff with great invention and creativity it was all there. Afterwards, though a guy called Mchl (14 years Ceroc) said it was much better last year............well wow - that must have been good.
The Bad
1. Dance floor
Well, I just did not get this: the dance floor set up was just not conducive to asking people to dance! The floor itself was (much) smaller than I expected (eg. half the size of St. Albans) - on 2 tiers - but with no perimeter! There was no place where people could stand if they wanted to be asked to dance - apart from a vague 2m space near the DJ - and even that was essentially a walk way off the floor. This meant that there was nowhere near as much intermingling and dancing with different partners compared to an average freestyle anywhere in the country. This I just did not get! Why go to a venue like this? For me, this is such a basic requirement. The area surrounding the dance floor was tightly packed table and chairs and there was just no way this was set up for a good dance mix.
2. Hotel itself
The feng -shui was not good! It was like a rabbit warren (fellow guest comment - and I agreed). Difficult to see/know where you were - and not enough 'public' space. Up/down/round - a messy design. Lifts out of order, No iron - except in the dodgy 'launderette' downstairs.
The Ugly
The food at the hotel was out of this world. Literally. It came from planet Zog via a cheap 1950's B&B in Blackpool. OMG - Gordon Ramsay and Gillian McKeith would have a field day. This was stuff I would not feed to a dog who was starving. I won't describe it as I do not wish to be reminded of it. How people put up with this **** is beyond me. I knew it was going to be well dodgy after asking for herbal tea on the first morning and getting a bemused look as if I had requested fresh squid ink fused with the blood of fresh wild boar.
The Ok
The dancing was fine - in that when you did get an opportunity to ask someone it worked out - and the music (JB on the decks) was ok - except when they repeated tracks when JB went for a break.......how many times do I really want to hear Barry Manilow's Copacabana? One memorable dance with a Fiona-Fun/Marie type dancer: was she one of the Rock Bottoms posse? Had a good chat with Adr from St. Albans (demonstrator) - and good to meet Mchl and Ily. However, not much more than an average freestyle night in most places....
Well, I guess I won't be going back to the Derwent Hotel in Torquay in a hurry.........
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Snorbens Cracker
90 minutes of non-stop fun.......at St. Albans on Thursday night. Raced back from Sweden and got there just as Freestyle commenced. Then danced to every track (maybe missed one?). Great atmosphere, with some additional dancers and famous forumites coming to St. Albans en route to Blaze (weekender in Scotchland): there was Minnie M and I met Mr. Under Par for the first time - nice guys. Dances I remember: Jdy (nice curly hair now - so I asked about her twin) Same-Same M, Crne (we did 'Filthy Gorgeous'), Cnsllr, Berko-Girl (taxi): we did Fever. Woman-who-sings-in-the-bath-lady: 'I just wanna ML to you...'; Annt (2 dances); Km; Krsty; Elly; Woman-who-looks-a-bit-like-Km-but-isn't; 2nd-Woman-ditto; Andr; newbie-girl (1.8 dances); few others -
- including the highlight: Jo asked me to dance! And what a fantabulous dance that was: top drawer!! I was going for it a bit (near the hot shots - and giving it the Jive Lad version of style and musicality tonite: it was fun. Sometimes worked - sometimes I probably looked daft: no matter - it was all good fun!
Permission was granted for an extra 15 minutes at the end: great! (could have gone for another hour would have been fine for me!). Music (Marie) was consistently good - with a few good new ones (for me).
Overall: cracker!
- including the highlight: Jo asked me to dance! And what a fantabulous dance that was: top drawer!! I was going for it a bit (near the hot shots - and giving it the Jive Lad version of style and musicality tonite: it was fun. Sometimes worked - sometimes I probably looked daft: no matter - it was all good fun!
Permission was granted for an extra 15 minutes at the end: great! (could have gone for another hour would have been fine for me!). Music (Marie) was consistently good - with a few good new ones (for me).
Overall: cracker!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Getting the blues (room)
Berkhamstead on Sunday. Decided to take Richard's (Ceroc teacher) advice and start going back to Beginners lessons in order to provide a platform for trying out a few things with my lead. It was a bit quiet to start with - especially as the sound system wasn't working - however, Roy did his best without a head-mic. Roy is a good teacher: very clear and connects well with the group.
Intermediate class came 15 mins later - by which time, the sound system was back up and running (just in time!). The moves were fine (after a slight hiccup for me: going clockwise instead of anti.....and Roy gave me a funny look from the stage (deserved)).
After all that was done and dusted, it down to Freestyle: had a few dances with Krsty, Annt, Pln and a few others, before meandering down to the Blues Room. Empty. Exept for Chris the DJ, standing in for Marc. Had a quick chat as he was setting up, then back to the main room. Grabbed by a girl for Grace Kelly which was fun - despite the limited space on the floor. Then a bit later, went back to the Blues Room - and stayed there most of the night - apart from a few excursions back to the main room. Had some lovely dances and it was nice to see Ch, Anta, Pln, Annt, Krsty and several others..............Stph was fun and does connect well.
Anty was there - (we had a good chat in the afternoon at Ct's party)- and he really helped me to come to terms with the dilemma/issue on 'tension/connection' I have been facing. Thanks!
The music in the Blues Room was top notch - I really enjoyed it........and, dare I say it, perhaps even more than Marc's sets? Well yes - slightly......it seemed to flow very nicely and was very well balanced. Berko is worth going to for the Blues Room alone..........
Intermediate class came 15 mins later - by which time, the sound system was back up and running (just in time!). The moves were fine (after a slight hiccup for me: going clockwise instead of anti.....and Roy gave me a funny look from the stage (deserved)).
After all that was done and dusted, it down to Freestyle: had a few dances with Krsty, Annt, Pln and a few others, before meandering down to the Blues Room. Empty. Exept for Chris the DJ, standing in for Marc. Had a quick chat as he was setting up, then back to the main room. Grabbed by a girl for Grace Kelly which was fun - despite the limited space on the floor. Then a bit later, went back to the Blues Room - and stayed there most of the night - apart from a few excursions back to the main room. Had some lovely dances and it was nice to see Ch, Anta, Pln, Annt, Krsty and several others..............Stph was fun and does connect well.
Anty was there - (we had a good chat in the afternoon at Ct's party)- and he really helped me to come to terms with the dilemma/issue on 'tension/connection' I have been facing. Thanks!
The music in the Blues Room was top notch - I really enjoyed it........and, dare I say it, perhaps even more than Marc's sets? Well yes - slightly......it seemed to flow very nicely and was very well balanced. Berko is worth going to for the Blues Room alone..........
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Moonglowing
.....at Watford on Saturday. Arrived at 10ish and plenty of people there - with some movers and shakers (well kind of). Sat down to get my kit on and the lady to my right said "hello" and asked why I hadn't been to Boxmoor for a (long) while. Good question which I finessed as we had a slightly clunky (on my part) warm-up dance.
Next up was a lady (who had apparently just refused a guy - although I hadn't seen it happen). Anyway, goaded and encouraged by her friend she made it to her feet and it worked out fine despite (I am guessing) just a few weeks into the Ceroc life. (That makes South Korea to add to the 20 or so nationalities danced with).
Third up was a disinguished looking lady with greying hair, who was an absolute joy to dance with. She had such fantastic style and was one of the women who can do their thaaang and strut and style. It worked out well and she said afterwards that I had made her night. My only regret is that I did not find her later for another dance.............did she leave early?
Nice to see Km and I really like her approach: when not dancing she looks slightly bored by the whole thing - then, when she gets up to dance she becomes a beautiful swan and a real joy to dance with. We did Dr. Alban 'Hellelujah' - and I 'hammed' it up a bit - by which I mean, over exagerrating the breaks and the beats. It was funny and we both enjoyed. Km did ask where I got my energy from: actually with arriving at 10, there was plenty in the tank at 11:45 - although I was glowing red hot by that time.
Annt was there in red and is developing into an accomplished dancer with great connection and attitude. She is also learning ballroom - which can only be a good thing for a Ceroc dancer.
Sn I remember from before - and is easy to get on with at different levels. She has been dancing on and off since 1992 (!). Lots of fun and attitude.
Clr as mentioned before is elegant and easy to dance with. I really fluffed one drop - when I just didn't get into position: Sorry! - anyway we got back into the saddle pretty quickly through a repeat with proper positioning and it was fine. She told me she had been dropped (ie dropped) last week - and although no harm done - she was quite shocked by it. Well I managed to avoid that anyway.
Km2 is someone who looks a bit like Km - and could be easily confused as they look and dance in a similar way. She really goes it for on her drops.......right down. Nice smile. For some reason I did the Shenley up and over move which I still haven't perfected yet.....and it was a bit of a 'travelling cock-up' as I said to her (slight laugh).
Music...........distinctly on the average side - and definitely predictable. Desperately needs a fresh DJ for these events!
Next up was a lady (who had apparently just refused a guy - although I hadn't seen it happen). Anyway, goaded and encouraged by her friend she made it to her feet and it worked out fine despite (I am guessing) just a few weeks into the Ceroc life. (That makes South Korea to add to the 20 or so nationalities danced with).
Third up was a disinguished looking lady with greying hair, who was an absolute joy to dance with. She had such fantastic style and was one of the women who can do their thaaang and strut and style. It worked out well and she said afterwards that I had made her night. My only regret is that I did not find her later for another dance.............did she leave early?
Nice to see Km and I really like her approach: when not dancing she looks slightly bored by the whole thing - then, when she gets up to dance she becomes a beautiful swan and a real joy to dance with. We did Dr. Alban 'Hellelujah' - and I 'hammed' it up a bit - by which I mean, over exagerrating the breaks and the beats. It was funny and we both enjoyed. Km did ask where I got my energy from: actually with arriving at 10, there was plenty in the tank at 11:45 - although I was glowing red hot by that time.
Annt was there in red and is developing into an accomplished dancer with great connection and attitude. She is also learning ballroom - which can only be a good thing for a Ceroc dancer.
Sn I remember from before - and is easy to get on with at different levels. She has been dancing on and off since 1992 (!). Lots of fun and attitude.
Clr as mentioned before is elegant and easy to dance with. I really fluffed one drop - when I just didn't get into position: Sorry! - anyway we got back into the saddle pretty quickly through a repeat with proper positioning and it was fine. She told me she had been dropped (ie dropped) last week - and although no harm done - she was quite shocked by it. Well I managed to avoid that anyway.
Km2 is someone who looks a bit like Km - and could be easily confused as they look and dance in a similar way. She really goes it for on her drops.......right down. Nice smile. For some reason I did the Shenley up and over move which I still haven't perfected yet.....and it was a bit of a 'travelling cock-up' as I said to her (slight laugh).
Music...........distinctly on the average side - and definitely predictable. Desperately needs a fresh DJ for these events!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Polyphasic sleep and balance
Returned from Sverige on Friday night after a week of 6am starts - already for the St. Albans Fun Friday Freestyle..................then I thought I'd take a 30 min 'recharging' sleep before going out.
Next thing I was aware of was the dawn chorus and a shaft of sunlight coming through the bedroom window.
A recent thread on the forum had been about how to stay awake during weekenders (which typcially end at 06:00) - and one idea was polyphasic sleep (just having 6 x 20 mins mini-sleeps during a day: it needs training!). Well forget that........I guess my body was saying "sleep" - and in one way I am gald I listened to it - although I would have loved to have been dancing...................still there is Sat and Sun to look forward to.............
Next thing I was aware of was the dawn chorus and a shaft of sunlight coming through the bedroom window.
A recent thread on the forum had been about how to stay awake during weekenders (which typcially end at 06:00) - and one idea was polyphasic sleep (just having 6 x 20 mins mini-sleeps during a day: it needs training!). Well forget that........I guess my body was saying "sleep" - and in one way I am gald I listened to it - although I would have loved to have been dancing...................still there is Sat and Sun to look forward to.............
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Transformations
I've spoken a few times about 'transformation' - and in some ways it is a 'posh' word for change. Whatever: it is fascinating and intrinsically rewarding to see people transform in their dancing: developing new skills and techniques.
This is one of the reasons I see that it is so important to help beginners through their development - and why taxis are a key foundation stone for this. From my experience, there were 3 taxis at St. Albans without whom, I may well have just given up dancing. Their patience - and helping out on the basics was so important (and I tell them at every opportunity (Andi, Natalie and Witty Bird (Becca)).
In addition, fellow dancers are a key part of this and sometimes this doesn't always work out. A more experienced dancer may be too impatient with a beginner, or may simply ignore or refuse to dance with a beginner. I really don't like that kind of attitude - and to me it is not part of the Ceroc/MJ ethos. Each dancer should (and mostly they do!) feel it is part of their duty to help others along - especially beginners. The old cliche "everyone was a beginner once" is a truism - and a useful reminder especially when you become more experienced.
Personally, I know that I did go through a phase of trying to accelerate beginners too quickly - and also not really empathising with them sufficiently. Now, I will (try to) be more patient - and encouraging (which I usually am). The most common thing I say to week 1 beginners is to make sure they come at least 4 or 5 times before deciding whether or not it is their 'thing'. I know after one night for me, I was thinking 'what???? - this is too much' - and it took a bit of perserverance.
Anyway: to all beginners, happy dancing!! You are at the start of something truly joyful and life enhancing!!
This is one of the reasons I see that it is so important to help beginners through their development - and why taxis are a key foundation stone for this. From my experience, there were 3 taxis at St. Albans without whom, I may well have just given up dancing. Their patience - and helping out on the basics was so important (and I tell them at every opportunity (Andi, Natalie and Witty Bird (Becca)).
In addition, fellow dancers are a key part of this and sometimes this doesn't always work out. A more experienced dancer may be too impatient with a beginner, or may simply ignore or refuse to dance with a beginner. I really don't like that kind of attitude - and to me it is not part of the Ceroc/MJ ethos. Each dancer should (and mostly they do!) feel it is part of their duty to help others along - especially beginners. The old cliche "everyone was a beginner once" is a truism - and a useful reminder especially when you become more experienced.
Personally, I know that I did go through a phase of trying to accelerate beginners too quickly - and also not really empathising with them sufficiently. Now, I will (try to) be more patient - and encouraging (which I usually am). The most common thing I say to week 1 beginners is to make sure they come at least 4 or 5 times before deciding whether or not it is their 'thing'. I know after one night for me, I was thinking 'what???? - this is too much' - and it took a bit of perserverance.
Anyway: to all beginners, happy dancing!! You are at the start of something truly joyful and life enhancing!!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Just starting: Luton 27th April
Landed back from Sweden and got back to Snorbens at 19:30 - then quick bite to eat, change and it's off to Luton for a Friday freestyle.
I'd never been to Luton on a freestyle: only to the regular Tuesday evening - which is ok - although never in the epic or fantastic category. The venue is very good - air con (although I still needed to cool off outside) - and music was the usual curate's egg (maybe we should start calling it a 'Ceroc' egg - because almost every Ceroc evening is 'good in parts').
I entered with a couple of renegade ladies from Chesham who were coming for the first time - and I expounded on how good Luton was (being in my positive frame of mind). (And more about 'frame' later).
Well as I came in, my first thought was "This is a tiny place..........." - which by most venues of course it is not. I was suffering 'experience relativitiy': eg. when you are on the motorway doing 70mph - come off and you do 30mph it seems like you are going at walking pace. It's all relative - and my last dance experience had been the huge venues at Prestatyn.
So - first dance - with SueB (and she is such a lovely lady: we chatted later about the impact of 'atmosphere' - and the buzz/vibe you get when you walk in sometimes. We both agreed that this was not one of those of nights - and it was fine - but somewhat flat. Neither of us could explain why............).
Dances which followed were fine, I particularly enjoyed 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' with
Annte - and 'Raindrops keep falling........... ' with Bouncy-Girl (it was of mixed quality on my part (think I trod on her sparkly shoes at one point) - ending up on a high: somehow it all came together for the final flourish - and she smiled and said "that was perfect!" (Phew! - lucky more like with the timing of the music).
The music was done in 'chunks' - which as I've mentioned in previous posts is maybe a good way to structure an evening: so you have the slow swing; the salsa/Latino for 4-5 tracks; the rock'n'roll........etc. It was still a bit predictable............
I danced with a few beginner-y types: which ws fine - an important part of an evening - and a good test of my lead and adaptability.
With one lady I danced with for the first time, I think I did 2 or 3 'travelling cock-ups' and apologised to her at the end. Anyway half an hour later she came up to me and asked for another dance: she said that first dances sometimes don't work out exactly right. She is right - and I like her approach.
Generally, the age bracket seemed to be significantly older than (say) St. Albans - no bad thing in itself (experience is a plus!): perhaps anthropologists may classify 'Luton Lady' at some stage.
Chatted with 2 experienced guys: Ptr and Jn. Both had ballroom experience - and lots (10+ years) Ceroc under their belts. I tapped their brains on the frame-tension-connection conundrum which has been going round my brain since Chill. No clear answers (plenty og good points made) - although one interesting reaction from Jn was when heard how long I had been dancing: "You've only just started!". Well - how right he is!
I'd never been to Luton on a freestyle: only to the regular Tuesday evening - which is ok - although never in the epic or fantastic category. The venue is very good - air con (although I still needed to cool off outside) - and music was the usual curate's egg (maybe we should start calling it a 'Ceroc' egg - because almost every Ceroc evening is 'good in parts').
I entered with a couple of renegade ladies from Chesham who were coming for the first time - and I expounded on how good Luton was (being in my positive frame of mind). (And more about 'frame' later).
Well as I came in, my first thought was "This is a tiny place..........." - which by most venues of course it is not. I was suffering 'experience relativitiy': eg. when you are on the motorway doing 70mph - come off and you do 30mph it seems like you are going at walking pace. It's all relative - and my last dance experience had been the huge venues at Prestatyn.
So - first dance - with SueB (and she is such a lovely lady: we chatted later about the impact of 'atmosphere' - and the buzz/vibe you get when you walk in sometimes. We both agreed that this was not one of those of nights - and it was fine - but somewhat flat. Neither of us could explain why............).
Dances which followed were fine, I particularly enjoyed 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' with
Annte - and 'Raindrops keep falling........... ' with Bouncy-Girl (it was of mixed quality on my part (think I trod on her sparkly shoes at one point) - ending up on a high: somehow it all came together for the final flourish - and she smiled and said "that was perfect!" (Phew! - lucky more like with the timing of the music).
The music was done in 'chunks' - which as I've mentioned in previous posts is maybe a good way to structure an evening: so you have the slow swing; the salsa/Latino for 4-5 tracks; the rock'n'roll........etc. It was still a bit predictable............
I danced with a few beginner-y types: which ws fine - an important part of an evening - and a good test of my lead and adaptability.
With one lady I danced with for the first time, I think I did 2 or 3 'travelling cock-ups' and apologised to her at the end. Anyway half an hour later she came up to me and asked for another dance: she said that first dances sometimes don't work out exactly right. She is right - and I like her approach.
Generally, the age bracket seemed to be significantly older than (say) St. Albans - no bad thing in itself (experience is a plus!): perhaps anthropologists may classify 'Luton Lady' at some stage.
Chatted with 2 experienced guys: Ptr and Jn. Both had ballroom experience - and lots (10+ years) Ceroc under their belts. I tapped their brains on the frame-tension-connection conundrum which has been going round my brain since Chill. No clear answers (plenty og good points made) - although one interesting reaction from Jn was when heard how long I had been dancing: "You've only just started!". Well - how right he is!
Chill Part 4 - The 1:1 lesson
Oh ****! This was a video lesson for 1 hour with Richard (possibly my fav. Ceroc teacher).
First lesson is this (thanks to David F. on the forum for this quote): When you see yourself on video for the first time, you should have a professional instructor with you. Not to point out your mistakes or give a critique; simply to stop you from giving up dancing then and there!
Oh - how true! My head was in my hands whilst the video was replayed: how could anyone ever want to dance with me? A sobering experience - and realisation that yes: I am a Beginner (in the larger scheme of things........).
Richard's analysis was interesting: he felt I did not have enough tension, so my frame was breaking and I ended up leading with my shoulder and my posture susbsequently is lost. Added to that my 'bouncy steps' (dancing as Ceroc used to be 5 years, apparently) - and even a basic Frist Move is not being done correctly. Then just practicing a First Move - and trying to do it properly is actually quite a challenge..............what an eye-opener! Glad I did the lesson now -so I have time to address all this.
Anyway, one discussion we had at some length (and also following the lesson) was about the degree of tension. I put to Richard, the John Sweeney view of 'zero tension' in his brilliant DVD (Modern Jive Toolkit). This seemed to be quite different from Richard's view of the amount of tension (which is to start lifting dumbells, drop them and keep the muscle tension (between wrist and elbow) that you have. Hmmmm - that is quite a strain! I watched John' DVD again - and I thnk I mis-represented his view about tension: in fact, the zero tension is just at the start; from there, John says you need "just enough tension to be able to complete the move successfully" - and that this varies with each move. At the same time, John's lead is clearly 'gentler' than Richard's from my observations - and is perhaps more aligned to my approach. Anyway loads to learn.................in the next 10 years.
First lesson is this (thanks to David F. on the forum for this quote): When you see yourself on video for the first time, you should have a professional instructor with you. Not to point out your mistakes or give a critique; simply to stop you from giving up dancing then and there!
Oh - how true! My head was in my hands whilst the video was replayed: how could anyone ever want to dance with me? A sobering experience - and realisation that yes: I am a Beginner (in the larger scheme of things........).
Richard's analysis was interesting: he felt I did not have enough tension, so my frame was breaking and I ended up leading with my shoulder and my posture susbsequently is lost. Added to that my 'bouncy steps' (dancing as Ceroc used to be 5 years, apparently) - and even a basic Frist Move is not being done correctly. Then just practicing a First Move - and trying to do it properly is actually quite a challenge..............what an eye-opener! Glad I did the lesson now -so I have time to address all this.
Anyway, one discussion we had at some length (and also following the lesson) was about the degree of tension. I put to Richard, the John Sweeney view of 'zero tension' in his brilliant DVD (Modern Jive Toolkit). This seemed to be quite different from Richard's view of the amount of tension (which is to start lifting dumbells, drop them and keep the muscle tension (between wrist and elbow) that you have. Hmmmm - that is quite a strain! I watched John' DVD again - and I thnk I mis-represented his view about tension: in fact, the zero tension is just at the start; from there, John says you need "just enough tension to be able to complete the move successfully" - and that this varies with each move. At the same time, John's lead is clearly 'gentler' than Richard's from my observations - and is perhaps more aligned to my approach. Anyway loads to learn.................in the next 10 years.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Chill Part 3 - The Blues Room: tickled pink
Saturday night at Chill in the Blues Room ('Cyclone') was a 'transformational' experience for me. I had only ever danced in the (relatively) tiny Blues Room at Berkhamstead (Berko) a couple of times (and thoroughly enjoyed the last time).
I had stayed in the other room on Friday - and so made my move in on Saturday. Had one dance which was fine - then I just went for it. 2nd up was Elne who was wearing her Ceroc-Pole Dancing chic: fishnets, leotard/WonderWoman-esque: (gulp) - dare I even ask her? Well, I did - as if it is the kind of thing I do everyday - and what a great dance! I let her strut her stuff - and boy could she strut! There then followed a purple patch where I just stayed on the dance floor - and a series of great ladies came up and asked me just as I was sitting down on the stage (is that 'hotshot territory'? - oooops). It was gret because I just got into the dancing - and I found it to be sooo enjoyable. With no kind of pressure to 'meet the beat' (or at least a different kind of timing) - it felt more expressive - and certainly was great fun.
The technique for 'getting close' had always eluded me a bit - depsite going to a couple of the Blues Classes at Berko - and the way I handled this was to come down from an 'Hallelujah' move into a natual interlocked close position.
At that point it was all about smooth, slow in time with music and partner - which worked ok most of the time. There was some GREAT music! Sunday was just as good - and one highlight was The-Lady-With-Pink-Hat - who asked me for a 'consecutive' - she was just lovely to dance with - AND she helped me out sooo nicely with one move. Hmmm thanks!
I had stayed in the other room on Friday - and so made my move in on Saturday. Had one dance which was fine - then I just went for it. 2nd up was Elne who was wearing her Ceroc-Pole Dancing chic: fishnets, leotard/WonderWoman-esque: (gulp) - dare I even ask her? Well, I did - as if it is the kind of thing I do everyday - and what a great dance! I let her strut her stuff - and boy could she strut! There then followed a purple patch where I just stayed on the dance floor - and a series of great ladies came up and asked me just as I was sitting down on the stage (is that 'hotshot territory'? - oooops). It was gret because I just got into the dancing - and I found it to be sooo enjoyable. With no kind of pressure to 'meet the beat' (or at least a different kind of timing) - it felt more expressive - and certainly was great fun.
The technique for 'getting close' had always eluded me a bit - depsite going to a couple of the Blues Classes at Berko - and the way I handled this was to come down from an 'Hallelujah' move into a natual interlocked close position.
At that point it was all about smooth, slow in time with music and partner - which worked ok most of the time. There was some GREAT music! Sunday was just as good - and one highlight was The-Lady-With-Pink-Hat - who asked me for a 'consecutive' - she was just lovely to dance with - AND she helped me out sooo nicely with one move. Hmmm thanks!
So why was it transformational? Well I got into it - and could do it fine I think and did the Anty - type smooch and I just felt quite at home and relaxed with it all, which I never expected.
Blues Dancing Rocks!
Blues Dancing Rocks!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Chill Part 2 - Workshops (plus Cerocus Interruptus)
I did 3 workshops in total and my favourite was the 'Sabotage' workshop run by Alex (everyone loves Alex) from Luton. This was a very well thought out set out moves - which worked! Full marks to Alex for doing this - and for teaching it in a way that (mostly) everyone got.
Sabotage moves are where the follower 'sabotages' a planned move which then takes it in a different direction. I like these moves (as previously posted). Here was something silly I said in the workshop:
JiveLad: after completing a routine with a lady: "You make a great sabotager!"
Lady: "Do you mean saboteur?"
Jive Lad: cringe.....
The 'smooth' workshop run by Richard B. was for me less successful. It started ok - but went downhill a bit. This was partly me - and partly the fact that as it was men on I moved down the line and it gradually kept getting tighter and more squashed till at the back end there was no space at all! Then, to cap it all, the lady right at the end of the line started using her mobile while we were doing a move with the class - so we had to break off: very annoying. Then she did it again - and I made my apologies and left her to it............Cerocus Interruptus.
The other workshop has completely slipped my mind - but it was on the Saturday morning - and I think it was a good one.
Sabotage moves are where the follower 'sabotages' a planned move which then takes it in a different direction. I like these moves (as previously posted). Here was something silly I said in the workshop:
JiveLad: after completing a routine with a lady: "You make a great sabotager!"
Lady: "Do you mean saboteur?"
Jive Lad: cringe.....
The 'smooth' workshop run by Richard B. was for me less successful. It started ok - but went downhill a bit. This was partly me - and partly the fact that as it was men on I moved down the line and it gradually kept getting tighter and more squashed till at the back end there was no space at all! Then, to cap it all, the lady right at the end of the line started using her mobile while we were doing a move with the class - so we had to break off: very annoying. Then she did it again - and I made my apologies and left her to it............Cerocus Interruptus.
The other workshop has completely slipped my mind - but it was on the Saturday morning - and I think it was a good one.
Chill Part 1 - General
Easy well organised check in to our 'Club' class accommodation: 'Club' meant we were privileged to have 'Dove' shower gel dispenser in the bathroom - and not too far to walk to the main complex (good). There were 2 main rooms - both splendid and a big plus was the stadium type seats looking on to the floor in the main room: this gave a fantastic view of all the dancing.
Free water from coolers was easily available - kept refilled (very good!).
Free water from coolers was easily available - kept refilled (very good!).
Monday, April 23, 2007
Chilled
Loads to report on the Chill Weekend- and I'll probably break it down into the following series of posts
1. General
2. Workshops
3. Blues room
4. The 1-1 lesson (an "oh my god") experience
In brief: great organisation by the Ceroc team all the way through. A few hiccups - but nothing to detract from a fantastic event. Great, friendly dancers and people all through. Dance venue itself was awesome - especially the seating arrangements. Accommodation - well that was the downside - compared to (say) Warmwell. We were in Club Class - and oh - well you had to laugh (we did - almost non-stop in our 'chalet').
All in all: Chill was Hot............more follows.
1. General
2. Workshops
3. Blues room
4. The 1-1 lesson (an "oh my god") experience
In brief: great organisation by the Ceroc team all the way through. A few hiccups - but nothing to detract from a fantastic event. Great, friendly dancers and people all through. Dance venue itself was awesome - especially the seating arrangements. Accommodation - well that was the downside - compared to (say) Warmwell. We were in Club Class - and oh - well you had to laugh (we did - almost non-stop in our 'chalet').
All in all: Chill was Hot............more follows.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
24 hours to go..............
.........to 'Chill'. Well - I am, dare it say, it, 'excited'! Not in a girlie kind of way of course, but a very English, urbane and understated manner. Ok - yeah I am so looking forward to this - like I never thought I would/could look forward to an event such as this. (The use of the word 'so' in that sentence was probably a corruption from our TransAtlantic friends, however, it so works for me in that clause).
And........it all happened quite suddenly, one moment I was just, potentially going to go on Sunday only (hmmm.....how much fun would that be?) - and now (yippeee!) - it's the whole weekend.
What to bring? Clothes (it's an '80's theme on Saturday...(?) - so what does that mean for me? Dunno......we'll see. Food: plenty - especially for post-dancing munchies.
How to get there? Jivemobile. Stacked with CDs. Good company - and off we'll go!!
Passports required? This is Wales after all........not sure if I need to bring it.
Attitude: I'm in the mood. Maybe take it steady on Friday - and go more full out on Saturday.
Workshops: Musicality/style type ones for me.
Go go go go!
And........it all happened quite suddenly, one moment I was just, potentially going to go on Sunday only (hmmm.....how much fun would that be?) - and now (yippeee!) - it's the whole weekend.
What to bring? Clothes (it's an '80's theme on Saturday...(?) - so what does that mean for me? Dunno......we'll see. Food: plenty - especially for post-dancing munchies.
How to get there? Jivemobile. Stacked with CDs. Good company - and off we'll go!!
Passports required? This is Wales after all........not sure if I need to bring it.
Attitude: I'm in the mood. Maybe take it steady on Friday - and go more full out on Saturday.
Workshops: Musicality/style type ones for me.
Go go go go!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
So hot - but the Big Chill is coming!
Ok - so St. Albans was like a sauna on Saturday (without the birch whipping): no fans available (arrangements are not yet in place to store the fans on site). Phew.....every 3 or 4 dances I stepped outside to cool off.....as did a few others so it was nice to chat for a bit.
One highlight was dancing with Km (about 4 times I think) - and just amazed that she was sitting down quite a bit - when she is such a delightful/top dancer: premier league for both slow, medium and fast tracks. She said I restored her faith in dance after she had just had a somewhat unpleasant dance - which was a nice thing to say.
Loads of the usual crowd there.......dancing and chatting with Dne about why cows milk is not good for many people (see here for why Milk Sucks!). She commented on how unusual (or refreshing - haha) to have an intellectual conversation about dairy products. (Actually I tend to get on a podium when the subject comes up and have a bit of a rant at the dairy industry.....).
What else? - Lots probably -but my mind has gone blank - it's my 100th post (is that some kind of blogging milestone? Maybe I'll crack open a beer later).
Anyway St. Albans may be hot.........but the Big Chill is coming..............oooooh........Prestatyn ahoy!
One highlight was dancing with Km (about 4 times I think) - and just amazed that she was sitting down quite a bit - when she is such a delightful/top dancer: premier league for both slow, medium and fast tracks. She said I restored her faith in dance after she had just had a somewhat unpleasant dance - which was a nice thing to say.
Loads of the usual crowd there.......dancing and chatting with Dne about why cows milk is not good for many people (see here for why Milk Sucks!). She commented on how unusual (or refreshing - haha) to have an intellectual conversation about dairy products. (Actually I tend to get on a podium when the subject comes up and have a bit of a rant at the dairy industry.....).
What else? - Lots probably -but my mind has gone blank - it's my 100th post (is that some kind of blogging milestone? Maybe I'll crack open a beer later).
Anyway St. Albans may be hot.........but the Big Chill is coming..............oooooh........Prestatyn ahoy!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Do you do drops?
My new 'protocol' (haha) has been to ask, where appropriate, at the beginning of a dance: "Do you do drops?". This has resulted in the following vignettes over the past week of dancing:
1. A delightful American lady looked at me slightly bemused, and then became quite amused by my question. Maybe it was the way I had phrased it.... Anyway, I asked her for a 2nd dance later, and quick as a flash she said to me: "Do you do drops?". I found that very funny - and we both laughed. Tres amusant for a TransAtlantic friend. (Great dancer as well).
2. A lady at Cheshunt: gave me a quizzical look following my question. I repeated the words. She then replayed them to me: "Do I do TROTS?!". Obviously my crisp enunciation of the English language had deserted me - or was it drowned out by the music? Either way, we had a good laugh about that one............
1. A delightful American lady looked at me slightly bemused, and then became quite amused by my question. Maybe it was the way I had phrased it.... Anyway, I asked her for a 2nd dance later, and quick as a flash she said to me: "Do you do drops?". I found that very funny - and we both laughed. Tres amusant for a TransAtlantic friend. (Great dancer as well).
2. A lady at Cheshunt: gave me a quizzical look following my question. I repeated the words. She then replayed them to me: "Do I do TROTS?!". Obviously my crisp enunciation of the English language had deserted me - or was it drowned out by the music? Either way, we had a good laugh about that one............
3. A slightly larger lady: she proceeded to say nothing, instead, stopped moving and started to squeeze my biceps. And again. Then she looked at me as a mother would to a child who had just requested an extra scoop of ice-cream when it wasn't there. Well, she was probably being kind to me - although my musk-uls aren't that puny..........
Now I have varied it a bit to: "Are you ok with drops?".
Either way, I'm only do 1st Move seducers, so it's not really a big deal. Fun nevertheless.
Either way, I'm only do 1st Move seducers, so it's not really a big deal. Fun nevertheless.
Smooth jive, smooth drive?
I considered whether all the dancing (+ tai-chi) would improve my golf game - so ventured out to hit some small white (or pink in the case of my playing partner (it was for charity)) round things across some grass for a few hours.The verdict?
1. Relax. At the 14th hole (after an attempt to hit the ball with record-breaking ferocity, which went about 10 yards) I remembered the wise words of fellow dancer Anty - about relaxation. On the next hole, I decided to relax - and just 'let it happen' on the backswing (yeah......I guess 'SWING' is the dance connection here) - and it came good: so much smoother! I got 2 pars and was hitting it quite smoothly - including a memorable one on the 17th. On reflection, earlier in the round, I was just trying too hard (a bit like dancing and trying to put all 37 moves into 3 minutes) - much better to keep it simple and not over extend.
2. Rhythm
With pitching wedge/9-iron I relearnt the importance of a rhytmic tempo to the swing: 1-ah-2 - and some of these shots were quite nice. Backswing-Downswing........Down Beat - Up Beat. There are quite a few analogies...................balance, poise....these are all important. Can the Tiger tango?
With pitching wedge/9-iron I relearnt the importance of a rhytmic tempo to the swing: 1-ah-2 - and some of these shots were quite nice. Backswing-Downswing........Down Beat - Up Beat. There are quite a few analogies...................balance, poise....these are all important. Can the Tiger tango?
A really enjoyable day in the sunshine, followed by a nice dance evening (Cheshunt - with the (ahem) old-timers). Where is Michelle Wie when you need her?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Salsa in a day
Salsa - as some people may realise is NOT my favourite dance style. Could that be about to change? Well, if I am going to be able to dance during the week over the next few weeks then maybe yes, as I'll be in Stockholm (that's Stockholm, Sweden - not Stockholm, Papa New Guinea).How do you get up to speed in salsa in 5 days? Answer: with difficulty - especially if fancy footwork is not your forte (this is Jive Lad's current position).
Options:
1. Try out the Hatfield beginners sessions on Wed night - someone mentioned to me last week.
2. Go to the Havana Club, St. Albans on Thursday (gulp...)
3. Watch a few YouTube salsa lessons
4. Finding a willing partner/expert able to 'break me in' for a few hours.......
5. Forget it - and explore the Swedish Swing scene - and see if it has moved on from last year, when it didn't really happen for me.
Anyway, now I have a contact in Stockholm (thanks to coolchiq (see link to right)) - who can at least tell me the clubs in Stockholm where it could be ok for me.....................we'll see......
Monday, April 09, 2007
Musical digression................
Music is a fundamental part of a Ceroc/MJ evening. For some (see for example this post on the forum) music is the driving force that through the human fuse drives the dance - as Dylan (Thomas that is - not Robert Zimmerframe) might say.
I see music as the foundation of a good and great evening. So, now, down to the nitty gritty details of the parameters of a good evening's music (apologies in advance to any DJ's - most of whom know a lot more about this than I do - that's why they are DJs). This is the view from Jive Lad. One thing to be aware of is that through Ceroc, I have experienced and thoroughly enjoyed music that I would not otherwise listen to - and interestingly, my tastes (for MJ music to dance to) have evolved: in the beginning - see my early posts I was all for 'let's have more Soul/Motown' and why is there is so much rubbish......and now I've come off that a bit (although Northern Soul is still one of the missing links in most evenings (see recent post on 'Do I love it......'. I see my initial views were somewhat misguided and lacked the full appreciation of Ceroc/MJ evenings. Anyway, these are my ingredients for a perfect music evening at Ceroc/MJ.
1. Variety and balance
Variety is a no-brainer - and is satisfied at most evenings. It then becomes a question of balance between the potential sub-genres - give them whatever labels you want....my are something like: Swing, Latino (ie salsa-esque), Meaty-house, Disco-Soul, Bluesy, Pop, R&R
Most of these are self-explanatory (in my little world) - although I guess quite a few people would question these categories..............however, as I often say: "taxonomy is a notoriously difficult subject".
For me, the breakdown for a perfect evening (say 50 tracks) would be (circa)
Swing 20%, Latino 8%, Meaty-house 25%, Disco-soul 20%, Bluesy 10%, Pop 15%, R%R 2%
I guess the main takeaway from that is my taste is less oriented to Latino and Rock'n'roll!
2. Momentum
Keeping me/us on the dance floor......which is obviously related to number 1. And also of course the mixing and tempo (BPM) of the tracks. For me, the best 'momentum' evening was a few weeks back at Hatfield when the DJ (is she called 'Jo'?) did the best opening set ever - and one of the reasons was the tracks flowed beautfully which made me want to stay on the dance floor. Obviously DJs can see and spot what is happening - and the 'mood' of the evening to calibrate things (or just ignore.........) and respond to their 'sense' of what is happening.
3. Fresh and new (to me!)
This goes back to the point of hearing new stuff that I have missed or would not otherwise hear. For me this is one of the joys of Ceroc/MJ. The master DJ in hitting this for me has been Jon Brett - and I there are just so many tracks - going right back to the early days of my dancing which Jon played - and they have become part of my 'all-time greats'. This continues....eg. I had not picked up on 'Life's a beach' until the last few weeks......
One difficult are is that of the 'life' of a track - when does a 'standard' become a cliche? Tricky - and there is no easy because taste comes into it. Interesting to note that Scissor Sisters 'I don't feel like dancin' is hardly played these days..........and to be honest, I don't really miss it - for me 'Filthy Gorgeous' beats it hands down. 'Brown eyed girl' will probably (rightly in my view) continue forever - it's just not possible to tire of it. However, 'Stuck on you' for me is done and dusted - time to move on.......!
4. Structure
By this I mean how the evening builds...the ups, downs, twists and turns. For me, I like the structures where (for example) there are 3-5 'Swing' tracks in a row - so you can et on a roll. And at the end,my preference is for a 'slowie' - although it can be quite refreshing with something unexpectedly uptempo.
Anyway, hats off to the DJs who in some ways have a tuff job - it's difficult to please everyone!!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Wonderful Woking (mostly)
.........and lo! the crowds descended on Woking. About 300 (Jive Lad crowd-estimation) there - and it is Jive Lad's 1st outing to Woking. Going to a new venue is always fun: what is the floor going to be like? who will be there? what music will it be?
Anyway all the of those questions had positive responses - except on the floor (more later). 95% of people I had not seen before - there were 4 I knew (ex-Chesham/Berko....) and I danced with 3 of them: Ndy, Lv-Pps-2, Blnd-Q - and they are all top drawer. Remaining dances were a bit of a lottery - and boy did I hit the full range of Ceroc's rich tapestry of followers!
At the lower end of the spectrum were: (i) a woman who looked at the floor for the whole time. This became annoying. Is the floor more interesting than a human being? Perhaps she had been reading William Blake (....to see a world in grain of sand) - o. Towards the end, I ducked down so my face was in her line of vision - and this point she looked up and had a big smile.........then back down to the floor. (ii) A different lady: 'stiff' does not do justice to this lady's arms - this was top grade concrete. To handle this, I decided to just go lighter and more relaxed - and then maybe she would feel the difference. She didn't. I said thank you at the end - and moved on.
The top end included: (i) Mu-ree who I had been toying with the idea of asking - and I'm glad I did - as she was fun-tastic: moved like an angel, sang like a... well she sang, full on 'into it' and 100% commitment - this is my kind of dancer. I forgive here the ultra short and slightly cheap looking skirt (or was it shorts) - that is a trivial detail. This was one self-actualised dance dame (as Sj Perelman might say after reading Maslow).
(ii) Tll-lgy-drk - another random dance which was to one of the slow/bluesy songs. This worked so well - I gave her her head from the start and it just continued - she doing her thaang with me - and we mixed it up so well (I thought). This was probably the first time I'd done anything quite like that - hmmmm, it worked!
Music was ok - plently of cliches for those who like them. A few naff and way too fast ones (for me - I wasn't in the mood for ultra-fast).
The floor caused a problem, as it has a ridge running through (presumably for a runner...) and one lady got her shoe caught in it and mangled her ankle - then had to be carried off. Why don;t they warn you about this - or more to the point, fix it with some temporary filling for the duration of the dance? It looked fairly serious.........
Anyway, overall, this is a good venue, packed with dancers - and I didn't even venture down the left hand side - so many people. Happy Easter!
Anyway all the of those questions had positive responses - except on the floor (more later). 95% of people I had not seen before - there were 4 I knew (ex-Chesham/Berko....) and I danced with 3 of them: Ndy, Lv-Pps-2, Blnd-Q - and they are all top drawer. Remaining dances were a bit of a lottery - and boy did I hit the full range of Ceroc's rich tapestry of followers!
At the lower end of the spectrum were: (i) a woman who looked at the floor for the whole time. This became annoying. Is the floor more interesting than a human being? Perhaps she had been reading William Blake (....to see a world in grain of sand) - o. Towards the end, I ducked down so my face was in her line of vision - and this point she looked up and had a big smile.........then back down to the floor. (ii) A different lady: 'stiff' does not do justice to this lady's arms - this was top grade concrete. To handle this, I decided to just go lighter and more relaxed - and then maybe she would feel the difference. She didn't. I said thank you at the end - and moved on.
The top end included: (i) Mu-ree who I had been toying with the idea of asking - and I'm glad I did - as she was fun-tastic: moved like an angel, sang like a... well she sang, full on 'into it' and 100% commitment - this is my kind of dancer. I forgive here the ultra short and slightly cheap looking skirt (or was it shorts) - that is a trivial detail. This was one self-actualised dance dame (as Sj Perelman might say after reading Maslow).
(ii) Tll-lgy-drk - another random dance which was to one of the slow/bluesy songs. This worked so well - I gave her her head from the start and it just continued - she doing her thaang with me - and we mixed it up so well (I thought). This was probably the first time I'd done anything quite like that - hmmmm, it worked!
Music was ok - plently of cliches for those who like them. A few naff and way too fast ones (for me - I wasn't in the mood for ultra-fast).
The floor caused a problem, as it has a ridge running through (presumably for a runner...) and one lady got her shoe caught in it and mangled her ankle - then had to be carried off. Why don;t they warn you about this - or more to the point, fix it with some temporary filling for the duration of the dance? It looked fairly serious.........
Anyway, overall, this is a good venue, packed with dancers - and I didn't even venture down the left hand side - so many people. Happy Easter!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Do I love it?...........(Indeed I do)
Ashtons, Friday at about midnight and ten. An historic moment. In a split second, as the opening bars of a track start up, I feel a surge of energy coursing through my body, my eyes widen, the hairs on my arms are standing on end and a I feel surge of excitement. No! It can't be possible! It is! What??!! It is!!!! 'Do I love you (Indeed I do)' by Frank Wilson is being played! I can't believe it. I find a lady as soon as possible..............proximity takes precedence and it happens to be a Monroe-was-my-heroine type lady who became quite amused (I guess) by my enthusiasm. Well there was probably no way she wasn't going to sense my love for this song and my enthusiasm for it and we just went for it together - nothing fancy, just simple moves and probably me with a big grin most of the time.
What a memorable moment! Then after the track I went over to the DJ and after he had finished his cueing up, I said "Thanks, great track"........didn't really get any response, so I said: "Do you have any other Northern Soul tracks?". "Yes. Loads" came the reply (with a slightly sub-textual "Now, go away"). Whatever, it happened - and it demonstrated a couple of things to me: (1) it (Northern Soul) works and it lifts (for me anyway!) the evening into a new dimension and (ii) the BPM sweet spot for me is 130-140 (I make this one at 133).
Phew...........that was an evening-maker moment - as were a few other dances. Where to start? Perhaps from the end............top left were some younger hotshot-ettes and one I danced twice with (Blu-Shrts) was Ms. Musicality - and sooooooo happy in her dancing from start to end. I like it when my partner is confident to do her thaaang and interpret how she feels. I broke frame a couple of times just to let her (and me) do some stuff...........and....err.....I probably just stood there looking at her (need to get some Woodchip stuff embedded for these situations I think).
Plenty of women there I knew from Stevo, Cheshunt, Chesham, Watford, St. Albans - and they were mostly the Premier League selection - GREAT! Maybe my favourite right now is Sml-Blnd-Spnr - so easy to lead, with fantastic spinning. Well all her cohorts were fantastic dancers as well - and I know I don[t really do them justice - nevertheless very enjoyable. I had a couple of beginners (not at the same time) which were fine, then one duffer who I guessed had not been on any lessons. She managed to lead me for most of the dance. I smiled politely, not sure if she understood English (which I guess could explain things if she had been to a lesson). The Russian girl (Moscow-chick) was more competent - fine in fact. As for the guys, met Rch - nice bloke - why haven't I met him before at Snorbens? 5-Danish-Anty doing his stuff - so unasuming, so effective, Banana - he is a good bloke - and I enjoy watching him: while he was splayed out on my seat, I went up and jokingly asked him to dance, then we had a chat about musicality etc and I don't think he realises how good he is...........anyway it was interesting to hear him say that when he danced with the same partner for a year it was very detrimental to his lead - and he had to re-learn how to lead.
Who else? Annte, of course - (innnnn, ojdf!) in her red outfit, which required me to retie the bow after one dance. Then she went off and on came Mika - and it was time to go totally overboard which is my (now) standard interpretation for this (great) track.
Overall - top night, not as busy or crowded as before, which was fine. To all DJs - more Frank Wilson pleeez!!
What a memorable moment! Then after the track I went over to the DJ and after he had finished his cueing up, I said "Thanks, great track"........didn't really get any response, so I said: "Do you have any other Northern Soul tracks?". "Yes. Loads" came the reply (with a slightly sub-textual "Now, go away"). Whatever, it happened - and it demonstrated a couple of things to me: (1) it (Northern Soul) works and it lifts (for me anyway!) the evening into a new dimension and (ii) the BPM sweet spot for me is 130-140 (I make this one at 133).
Phew...........that was an evening-maker moment - as were a few other dances. Where to start? Perhaps from the end............top left were some younger hotshot-ettes and one I danced twice with (Blu-Shrts) was Ms. Musicality - and sooooooo happy in her dancing from start to end. I like it when my partner is confident to do her thaaang and interpret how she feels. I broke frame a couple of times just to let her (and me) do some stuff...........and....err.....I probably just stood there looking at her (need to get some Woodchip stuff embedded for these situations I think).
Plenty of women there I knew from Stevo, Cheshunt, Chesham, Watford, St. Albans - and they were mostly the Premier League selection - GREAT! Maybe my favourite right now is Sml-Blnd-Spnr - so easy to lead, with fantastic spinning. Well all her cohorts were fantastic dancers as well - and I know I don[t really do them justice - nevertheless very enjoyable. I had a couple of beginners (not at the same time) which were fine, then one duffer who I guessed had not been on any lessons. She managed to lead me for most of the dance. I smiled politely, not sure if she understood English (which I guess could explain things if she had been to a lesson). The Russian girl (Moscow-chick) was more competent - fine in fact. As for the guys, met Rch - nice bloke - why haven't I met him before at Snorbens? 5-Danish-Anty doing his stuff - so unasuming, so effective, Banana - he is a good bloke - and I enjoy watching him: while he was splayed out on my seat, I went up and jokingly asked him to dance, then we had a chat about musicality etc and I don't think he realises how good he is...........anyway it was interesting to hear him say that when he danced with the same partner for a year it was very detrimental to his lead - and he had to re-learn how to lead.
Who else? Annte, of course - (innnnn, ojdf!) in her red outfit, which required me to retie the bow after one dance. Then she went off and on came Mika - and it was time to go totally overboard which is my (now) standard interpretation for this (great) track.
Overall - top night, not as busy or crowded as before, which was fine. To all DJs - more Frank Wilson pleeez!!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Back in the St. Albans groove
After a few days in Helsinki (interesting dance stories there: you've got to have a dance partner with you before you can go dancing - so the social dancing a la Ceroc is missing :-( however I think they have some fantastic dancers, although the Finnish-tango axis is (apparently) overstated) - it's 7 o'clock and I consider the usual dilemma for Thursday: Hatfield or St. Albans? Both are great nights and I decide for Snorbens based on...................proximity. The only drawback is the short amount of free style: 75 mins for £5 - that's £1 every 15 minutes - or maybe 20p a song. Well........that's cheaper than iTunes although you don't get to replay your dances on yer iPod....just yet.
I arrive at 9.45 to be greeted by Bry in his leather hat desperate for some change. Ha - I'm so considerate, and unload £5 of shrapnel into his grateful hand. Arriving at the same time, just ahead, is a lady (Wndy) who I haven't seen before, who is greeted like a homecoming by Bry - so I clock that she is probably a hotshot.
Into the hall and I take my time to get my Blochs on - a bit of extra tightness on the laces as they came undone a couple of times recently. Sitting near me is Newbie-1 - so I ask her towards the end of a dance and we have a delightful 1.37 dances. She is a great follower - perhaps I will try a few more stretching moves - sure she'll be fine. Next on to Wndy - and it turns out she is back after injury (ligaments). She feels quite a 'strong' follower (my definition - I'll explain in a future post). I considerthat maybe a 2nd dance will be good to get to know each other's style - but she wants to sort her cardigan/thing out. So, dances follow with: Mary-N, (she tells me that Trish-the-dish has a bad foot, and some AGM thingy - so hasn't been dancing - but I guess she'll be back at some stage). Same-same-M is back and we do some Scissor Sisters - it's funny how we always seem to hit it on grreat tracks! Have a nice dance with S-d-hrd-g to 'Grace Kelly' and then she asks for another so we continue. Crn and I dance to some heavy rock track 'All Night Long' and she asks "Is this one by Slade?". Hmm - yes darling - well I tell her it was by AC/DC. (by the way - it is crap to dance to...........who decided to put that on? I think there were a few people lurking around JB - so maybe he got a request from a biker who took a wrong turning).
Newbie-2 is friends with Newbie-1 - and an equally good dancer although I mess it up a couple of times (stooopid me) - trying to do clever moves without listening to the music. Dance with Clr and it isn't quite as smooth as before.......dunno why - she seems slightly on edge about something. A 1st nighter has the pleasure of dancing with me (ha!) - and as I ask her to dance, her friend/partner(?) started clapping (like: yeah baby you've got a dance!). Anyway, it was halfway through - so we end up having another - and fortunately they both have nice mid-tempo beats. For a 1st night, she is superb - and a natural follower - and she say "great". Good! - hope she continues! Dance at the end with Annte: one fast, one slow (Jack Johnson). Well, one delightful suprise is the Trouble-esque pick up from my kneel! (Ha! - then I twig she had read it here........no here....see previous post.).
Anyway, as usual, over too soon. Roll on the Freestlye on April 14th.
PS One new track to me was v.v.v.good - lyrics were something 'Cool, cool me.....blah blah' - anyway, it worked really well. Hope to hear it again.
I arrive at 9.45 to be greeted by Bry in his leather hat desperate for some change. Ha - I'm so considerate, and unload £5 of shrapnel into his grateful hand. Arriving at the same time, just ahead, is a lady (Wndy) who I haven't seen before, who is greeted like a homecoming by Bry - so I clock that she is probably a hotshot.
Into the hall and I take my time to get my Blochs on - a bit of extra tightness on the laces as they came undone a couple of times recently. Sitting near me is Newbie-1 - so I ask her towards the end of a dance and we have a delightful 1.37 dances. She is a great follower - perhaps I will try a few more stretching moves - sure she'll be fine. Next on to Wndy - and it turns out she is back after injury (ligaments). She feels quite a 'strong' follower (my definition - I'll explain in a future post). I considerthat maybe a 2nd dance will be good to get to know each other's style - but she wants to sort her cardigan/thing out. So, dances follow with: Mary-N, (she tells me that Trish-the-dish has a bad foot, and some AGM thingy - so hasn't been dancing - but I guess she'll be back at some stage). Same-same-M is back and we do some Scissor Sisters - it's funny how we always seem to hit it on grreat tracks! Have a nice dance with S-d-hrd-g to 'Grace Kelly' and then she asks for another so we continue. Crn and I dance to some heavy rock track 'All Night Long' and she asks "Is this one by Slade?". Hmm - yes darling - well I tell her it was by AC/DC. (by the way - it is crap to dance to...........who decided to put that on? I think there were a few people lurking around JB - so maybe he got a request from a biker who took a wrong turning).
Newbie-2 is friends with Newbie-1 - and an equally good dancer although I mess it up a couple of times (stooopid me) - trying to do clever moves without listening to the music. Dance with Clr and it isn't quite as smooth as before.......dunno why - she seems slightly on edge about something. A 1st nighter has the pleasure of dancing with me (ha!) - and as I ask her to dance, her friend/partner(?) started clapping (like: yeah baby you've got a dance!). Anyway, it was halfway through - so we end up having another - and fortunately they both have nice mid-tempo beats. For a 1st night, she is superb - and a natural follower - and she say "great". Good! - hope she continues! Dance at the end with Annte: one fast, one slow (Jack Johnson). Well, one delightful suprise is the Trouble-esque pick up from my kneel! (Ha! - then I twig she had read it here........no here....see previous post.).
Anyway, as usual, over too soon. Roll on the Freestlye on April 14th.
PS One new track to me was v.v.v.good - lyrics were something 'Cool, cool me.....blah blah' - anyway, it worked really well. Hope to hear it again.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Dropping and breaking a few rules
Chesham on Friday has always been consistently good - and sometimes in the Fantastic bracket - (although not last night). Nevertheless it was a learning experience: so what did I learn?
1. Drops
(a) I introduced the 1st Move Seducer - and in fact, now I remember, I was taught it yonks ago at Boxmoor Beat (Hemel) in my very early days - and I remember Sue-PC spending time with me after the lesson to help me out on it (how amazingly kind!). So I did it several times last night - and with Annte, several times in the same song (she was kind and forgiving that I wasn't yet as smooth as I want it to be). There was one time when I just did it too fast and wasn't in position correctly (as per the John Sweeney workshop) - and although it wasn't dangerous - it was definitely a bit clunky. So lesson: take my time, make sure I'm in the position and my partner is too.
(b) Remember to ask! I know on a few occasions I just forgot.........
(c) The idea of just introducing just 1 or 2 moves into my repertoire works fine. So 1 or 2 at a time. With all the JS workshop moves to introduce - that'll probably take me the rest of the year...................hmmm.
(d) The inside turn with the intention of leading to a lean can be confusing the lady - sometimes she thinks it is a 1st move seducer............need to make sure positioning is correct.
2. Musicality
(a) Early, that favourite old chesnut of mine 'Ain't No Other Man' Christina Aguilera came on. A lady asked me - and I did mention it was the most challenging record to interpret......I tried to hold it on the breaks and I must have been (ok - I was) pulling some funny and weird facial expression 'cos my parter was p%^&&£)" herself laughing. It was fun - and I was messing it up big style (in a good way of course). Face stuff works.
(b) Ely asked me to dance to one of her favs...........a fast modern track.......almost techno. Several times in the dance I just broke the frame and we did little jigs like at the disco.........seemed to work out fine and was a bit different. Hmm - maybe do this more!
(c) Several dances where I ended up on my knees. I said to one woman "you'll have to get me up" ........meaning in a Trouble kind of way.....ie fingertip under the chin and gently "come here boy" style............ha! well this woman just grabbed my arm and yanked me up.....well, I suppose it worked. Hmm - need to work out a better routine for this.
Music was................ok - well credit to the DJ - (Joe?) - he did play 2 of my requests. There were a few duff tracks though.............pleeeez bring back Lawrence!!
Anyway...............now I'm off to Helsinki so no dancing for a few days :-(
PS - And Denmark gets added to the list of 'countries' danced with.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Sweet Things of St. Albans
Well they didn't actually play 'Sweet Thing' from Astral Weeks (now that would be a beautiful track to play) - but JB did (of course) play 'Brown Eyed Girl' (who I was dancing with at the time). However, it was such a sweet night - just sooooo enjoyable.
I decided to miss the classes because my mind was choc-full of moves from the workshop - so I arrived at 9:30 expecting the Advanced class to be finishing. Hmmm - not so - and in fact it went on till about 9:50(!). Anyway I spent a bit of time chatting to Barry and the crew on the door (winding them up some times and just chewing the Ceroc-cud: moves versus techniques, value of weekenders.............etc.)
Then..........freestyle starts and so I ask the girl next to me for a dance (see Mystery's 'proximity' method) - never seen her before - and she says "no-no I'm a beginner - I don't dance". So........yikes - I thought I could persaude her - but instead moved to my other side - and got the same story "we're just watching"..............well I was once like that - so I know how they must feel. I could have stayed and chatted - or even persuade them - but time to dance - so off I go in search of the 1st dance and found Ely - with Mr Hunk - and I just whipped her away (hmm - hope he did't mind tooo much - well he does spend most of his time with her) . After that, then I danced to every track right to the end. FAN-bldy-TASTIC!! music and dances. Funny that it was the same DJ (JB) - not a dis-similar venue from Stevenage - however it was twice as good...........why??? Dunno.....atmosphere? dancers? Perhaps? Overall maybe Stevenage is a bit more serious minded........St. Albans seems a bit more easy going and fun. Guess it comes down to the dancers......
Ok 75 mins of freestlye is not that much but managed 3 dances with Brown-Eyed Girl (new alias), 2 dances with Jdy - what a stunning looking girl and dancer! - she will make someone very happy. I had to ask her if she was in love - because she looked as though she was (not with me!) - and she thought she was - and we chatted a bit about it. Anyway, she was kind enough to tell me I had 'come on a lot'......we had fun with 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' - quite apt really.
It was nice to see Mry-N back (see previous post Where Have All the Flowers Gone?) - she's not been so well apparently. Crn and Grgy were amazing fun - I hope they continue dancing. Grgy and I danced to a version of Fever and I gave her ample opportunity to strut her stuff which she did with a aplomb. In fact I did that quite a lot as the 1st Move 'Invitation' walk. One thing I've got to sort out is getting in to a closer position on slower dances - I'll practice tomorrow at Chesham. What else?: Sue-DrkH : we did a fast number; NewGirl - she is going to be one helluva dancer I reckon. Hijack-1 is always good - we did 'All Shook Up' and she does her stuff - great. Phew.......plenty more I think - but can't quite remember. All over too quickly!
I decided to miss the classes because my mind was choc-full of moves from the workshop - so I arrived at 9:30 expecting the Advanced class to be finishing. Hmmm - not so - and in fact it went on till about 9:50(!). Anyway I spent a bit of time chatting to Barry and the crew on the door (winding them up some times and just chewing the Ceroc-cud: moves versus techniques, value of weekenders.............etc.)
Then..........freestyle starts and so I ask the girl next to me for a dance (see Mystery's 'proximity' method) - never seen her before - and she says "no-no I'm a beginner - I don't dance". So........yikes - I thought I could persaude her - but instead moved to my other side - and got the same story "we're just watching"..............well I was once like that - so I know how they must feel. I could have stayed and chatted - or even persuade them - but time to dance - so off I go in search of the 1st dance and found Ely - with Mr Hunk - and I just whipped her away (hmm - hope he did't mind tooo much - well he does spend most of his time with her) . After that, then I danced to every track right to the end. FAN-bldy-TASTIC!! music and dances. Funny that it was the same DJ (JB) - not a dis-similar venue from Stevenage - however it was twice as good...........why??? Dunno.....atmosphere? dancers? Perhaps? Overall maybe Stevenage is a bit more serious minded........St. Albans seems a bit more easy going and fun. Guess it comes down to the dancers......
Ok 75 mins of freestlye is not that much but managed 3 dances with Brown-Eyed Girl (new alias), 2 dances with Jdy - what a stunning looking girl and dancer! - she will make someone very happy. I had to ask her if she was in love - because she looked as though she was (not with me!) - and she thought she was - and we chatted a bit about it. Anyway, she was kind enough to tell me I had 'come on a lot'......we had fun with 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' - quite apt really.
It was nice to see Mry-N back (see previous post Where Have All the Flowers Gone?) - she's not been so well apparently. Crn and Grgy were amazing fun - I hope they continue dancing. Grgy and I danced to a version of Fever and I gave her ample opportunity to strut her stuff which she did with a aplomb. In fact I did that quite a lot as the 1st Move 'Invitation' walk. One thing I've got to sort out is getting in to a closer position on slower dances - I'll practice tomorrow at Chesham. What else?: Sue-DrkH : we did a fast number; NewGirl - she is going to be one helluva dancer I reckon. Hijack-1 is always good - we did 'All Shook Up' and she does her stuff - great. Phew.......plenty more I think - but can't quite remember. All over too quickly!
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