PDA

View Full Version : You're at a Muggles Dinner Dance.....



RogerR
16th-January-2005, 06:52 PM
OK, you and yours jive, you are at a muggles dinner dance, you want to show off/enjoy yourself . What music would you like the DJ to play? Within the bounds of corporate partying but pleasure for you to MJ.

I've player so many corporate parties and seen many people try to jive but if I play a good jive tune all the rest sit down the jivers see they're on their own and hide, -- floor clear bad rep for the DJ.

Minnie M
16th-January-2005, 07:02 PM
OK, you and yours jive, you are at a muggles dinner dance, you want to show off/enjoy yourself . What music would you like the DJ to play? Within the bounds of corporate partying but pleasure for you to MJ.


Personally, when entertaining Muggles at a dinner dance, I would prefer stuff like "wade in the water" - pleasant to listen to and easy to dance to :yeah:

djtrev
16th-January-2005, 08:02 PM
Where does the word 'muggle' come from.It sounds terribly derogatory.

djtrev
16th-January-2005, 08:04 PM
Surely by playing 'party' tracks people can dance to them as easily as those that MJ to them.

under par
16th-January-2005, 08:07 PM
Where does the word 'muggle' come from.It sounds terribly derogatory.

Harry Potter books/films........those people who are not "in" people re magic or in dance context those that don't MJ

RogerR
16th-January-2005, 08:41 PM
Muggle - those that dont do magic/jive. Remember platform 9 3/4 is between 4 and 5

bobgadjet
16th-January-2005, 09:09 PM
Surely by playing 'party' tracks people can dance to them as easily as those that MJ to them.
Danger of using a "party" song is that most of the mugglers will also get up.
Most corperate/party dance floors are about the size of you smallest bedroom, so there goes your dancing space.

So, either pick a middle of the road Wade in the water type song, or go for something inspiring, that you can REALY show off with. Tango Flamenco - Paco de Lucia comes to mind.

djtrev
17th-January-2005, 03:50 PM
Quote;
go for something inspiring, that you can REALY show off with. Tango Flamenco - Paco de Lucia comes to mind.

Oh thats inspiring alright!!That ought to clear the floor enough to give you room 'to show off how good you are'.

On the other hand if I was your corporate/party booker I would want to know why you are playing stuff that only two people want to dance to. :wink: :wink:

Chef
17th-January-2005, 04:26 PM
At the end of my first year of MJ I spent the whole of the run up to Xmas being taken to small and big company dinner and dances as dance partners to ladies that didn't have people to dance with at these events. It was the wildest, cheapest and most tiring December I had ever spent.

It did lead to a couple of weird moment though when collegues would ask these women where their husbands/partners were and the reply was along the lines "he doesn't dance so I left him at home".

A big characteristic of dancing at a Muggles party is that no one wants to get on the dance floor first. The MJs will dance at the drop of a hat. So you get up there wow everyone with your dancing (which is really easy on muggles), the lady that invited you along feels ten feet tall in front of her collegues, and you play the attentive partner during the rest of the evening. All you have to do is MJ to music that the target audience would like anyway (if possible). After about 20 minutes of MJ the shock has worn off and everyone starts getting on the floor and then it is impossible to MJ on the floor.

It did spark a thought in my mind though.

Is there a place for dancers to be employed as corporate dance "kickers off"? :waycool:

Once you have been first on the floor and the rest have gotten off of their seats you could just pick up a fee and go out for your saturday night dance.

Job done. MJ gets a few flyers out to the muggles, you get a meal/fee and then you carry on with your saturday night dance pretty much as normal.

Any thoughts?

Happy dancing.

bobgadjet
17th-January-2005, 04:34 PM
Quote;
go for something inspiring, that you can REALY show off with. Tango Flamenco - Paco de Lucia comes to mind.

Oh thats inspiring alright!!That ought to clear the floor enough to give you room 'to show off how good you are'.

On the other hand if I was your corporate/party booker I would want to know why you are playing stuff that only two people want to dance to. :wink: :wink:
to get to show off, of course :cool:

bobgadjet
17th-January-2005, 04:38 PM
It did spark a thought in my mind though.

Is there a place for dancers to be employed as corporate dance "kickers off"? :waycool:

Once you have been first on the floor and the rest have gotten off of their seats you could just pick up a fee and go out for your saturday night dance.

Job done. MJ gets a few flyers out to the muggles, you get a meal/fee and then you carry on with your saturday night dance pretty much as normal.

And the queue starts just behind me, I think :grin:

Gimme some of that, YES :cool:

Feeling good already, BRING IT ON

ChrisA
17th-January-2005, 04:45 PM
Is there a place for dancers to be employed as corporate dance "kickers off"? :waycool:

Any thoughts?

Not if one wanted to enter Blackpool Intermediates, or any of the other comps except at Open level :innocent:

Rhythm King
17th-January-2005, 04:55 PM
snip~
It did spark a thought in my mind though.

Is there a place for dancers to be employed as corporate dance "kickers off"? :waycool:

Once you have been first on the floor and the rest have gotten off of their seats you could just pick up a fee and go out for your saturday night dance.

Job done. MJ gets a few flyers out to the muggles, you get a meal/fee and then you carry on with your saturday night dance pretty much as normal.

Any thoughts?

Happy dancing.

In a word - yes.

When I taxied in the Ceroc Central region, the franchise was hired to attend various party nights for companies/individuals. These would consist of a demo, followed by a beginner's class, put on by a teacher. They would also take a gaggle of taxi dancers to drag up the muggles to dance after the lesson and act in the normal taxi role for an hour, or so, until the ice was broken (ie for as long as the organisers had paid for us to attend). The franchise usually also provided the disco. Needless to say, flyers were also circulated. Sometimes we left after the taxi period and sometimes we were invited to stay, depending on the event. I think we used to get an "admit one" and a drink or two for our efforts.

I haven't taxied for a while and have changed areas, so I wouldn't know if this activity continues.

R-K

Little Monkey
17th-January-2005, 05:05 PM
Three years running, I went to the St.Andrews' Pipe Band Dance at the Old Course Hotel (St.A, obviously).... My partner was an ok MJer, and compared to the Muggles, he was fab! We would always be the first people on the floor, and the last off, and didn't care that half the people there would stop what they were doing to stare at us..

The second year we were there, the band all of a sudden announced a track specially for "Fred & Ginger"....... My partner an I sat there, looking around to see who these people were, until we realised everyone were looking at US, waiting for us to enter the floor! :rofl: It was great fun (and slightly embarrasing, too), and loads of people came up to us afterward to ask where we'd learnt to dance....

So, where's my sponsorship fee? :whistle: :rofl:

Monkey

bigdjiver
17th-January-2005, 06:30 PM
...Is there a place for dancers to be employed as corporate dance "kickers off"? :waycool: IMO Major opportunity. Every week there are exhibitions / conventions at major hotels. There is usually a predominantly male attendance, but there are female businesswomen, and there are usually "dolly-bird" demonstrators involved. There is usually a reception and buffet meal and in the evening where some form of entertainment would be welcomed. An MJ demonstration by a predominantly female formation team, followed by a beginners lesson would IMO go down superbly with the attendees. It might need a species of female MJ dancer that could deal with being hit-on and groped, and male MJ'ers that could act as non-violent minders. The event may allow a generous allocation of taxi-dancers, and the whole thing could be a paid-for promotion for modern jive, and a free, or even paid-for, dance event for the crew. Most of the business people would be in spectate, drink and talk business mode.

Ceroc Central still runs party nights for various organisations, like singles clubs, and fundraising for schools.

foxylady
17th-January-2005, 06:37 PM
It did lead to a couple of weird moment though when collegues would ask these women where their husbands/partners were and the reply was along the lines "he doesn't dance so I left him at home".


I've done this on many an occasion. I usually also say I've brought my gigolo instead !! My husband would prefer I took someone with me who wanted to dance, than got grumpy with him for the whole evening because he won't ! ONly time I can't do it is when its one of his corporate do's... :sad:



Is there a place for dancers to be employed as corporate dance "kickers off"? :waycool:

Once you have been first on the floor and the rest have gotten off of their seats you could just pick up a fee and go out for your saturday night dance.

Job done. MJ gets a few flyers out to the muggles, you get a meal/fee and then you carry on with your saturday night dance pretty much as normal.

Any thoughts?

Happy dancing.

When you book ceroc to run a party for you, they normally provide teachers, & taxi dancers to do just that. For an extra fee they'll do the music too. I've used them for an event 3 years running now.

Foxy

Chef
17th-January-2005, 07:00 PM
When you book ceroc to run a party for you, they normally provide teachers, & taxi dancers to do just that. For an extra fee they'll do the music too. I've used them for an event 3 years running now.

Foxy

I did have in mind that it would be a small thing like a couple that was brought in for a short time to just get over that awkward "empty dancefloor at the start of the evening" thing. A little bit of flash to make it a bit of a show and a bit of gentle stuff to show it was within the reach of everyone. Then once the dance floor was filled because people had gotten over the idea that they would be the first onto the dance floor your job was done.

Whenever my partner and I have been invited to birthday parties and the like (sometimes for people we don't even know) then we do a bit of flash/wow stuff because the floor is empty and we know we have been invited for that purpose in front of a largely non-dancing crowd and then some gentle/ non scary stuff just to stop the dance floor from looking empty (an to avoid intimidating people). It never fails. Within 3 tracks the floor is full of little circles of people having a great time (although I would be eternally grateful if I never had to hear "Hi Ho Silver lining", YMCA" or "Congratulations" ever again). :sad:

From our point of view the rest of the evening is a complete dancing waste because the music rarely fits dancing and the space is gone but that is not what we were there for.

I can see the big event with teachers\taxi dancers\ DJ and the whole shabang must be a great hoot and introduction to MJ but an organiser must be fairly confident it will go down well before splashing the cash.

Happy Dancing

RogerR
19th-January-2005, 10:25 PM
Lets come back to the topic. I play about 100 dinner dances a year, mainly for the handbag crowd. If you and yours are there how will I know to play something for you, and what would you like.

I've been the DJ and separately there are dancers booked to start the night, last time it turned out to be Simon Selman and Taina, they did 9 minutes but they waited an hour for their call time.

Graham
21st-January-2005, 12:47 AM
I did have in mind that it would be a small thing like a couple that was brought in for a short time to just get over that awkward "empty dancefloor at the start of the evening" thing. A little bit of flash to make it a bit of a show and a bit of gentle stuff to show it was within the reach of everyone. Then once the dance floor was filled because people had gotten over the idea that they would be the first onto the dance floor your job was done.
I have actually done this, and it worked very well. Although it felt a bit strange, I am a little surprised that more people don't arrange this for their parties/events, and not necessarily with modern jive dancers. Very few muggles (sober ones anyway) want to be the first on the dancefloor.

bobgadjet
21st-January-2005, 01:19 AM
I have actually done this, and it worked very well. Although it felt a bit strange, I am a little surprised that more people don't arrange this for their parties/events, and not necessarily with modern jive dancers. Very few muggles (sober ones anyway) want to be the first on the dancefloor.

This would be useful at some weddings.
The number of those L O N G events I've done where the main meal starts about 2pm, eats to about 4pm, another hour for speaches and coffee, then somebody thinks a great idea for the B&G to start the dancing (until waiting for later in the evening when all the guests arfe there).... when everybody is stuffed full, feeling very mellow, but not enough booze effect to make them want to dance.
The happy couple start off, all the relatives join in, then three tracks later they are back at their tables having "done their bit" with cronick indigestion cos they've eaten too much and not drunk enough.
Perfect time for a bit of a floor show before the evening guests come in to fill the room a bit more.



If only ! !!

RogerR
21st-January-2005, 09:03 AM
I've DJed for weddings and dinner dances and would have a use for cabaret couples but few of the dancers I know are pro enough though most are good enough. Most lack the ability to turn their dancing into an entertaining performance. Also most dancers are unable to convince a major london agency of their professionalism.

The last couple I worked with was Simon and Taina they were good and very pro, and on a london agency and not even slightly average.

The aim of this post was to find the tunes and artists you want the dj to play.

Zebra Woman
21st-January-2005, 10:50 AM
Tough question Roger.....

I would jive to these if I was at a dinner dance....

Do Your Thing - Chantz
Rapture - iio
Mustang Sally - The Commitments
Red Alert - Basement Jaxx
Outside - George Michael
Car Wash - Sharks's tale/Rose Royce
What A Feeling - DJ Bobo & Irene Cara
Knock On Wood - Anita Ward
Pull Up To The Bumper - Grace Jones
Stupid Cupid - Connie Francis

There a loads more. I will actually jive to ANYTHING at a dinner dance if the tempo is within range. :blush: :blush:

What's harder to judge is what the 'muggles' want , I would have thought. :what:

ZW :hug:

Note - I didn't say 'Sexbomb'

bobgadjet
21st-January-2005, 12:33 PM
Note - I didn't say 'Sexbomb'
I wouldhave thought that would have been taken as read :flower:

Almost a playlist for tonight ! :whistle:

RogerR
21st-January-2005, 08:25 PM
Tough question Roger.....

I will actually jive to ANYTHING at a dinner dance if the tempo is within range. :blush: :blush:

What's harder to judge is what the 'muggles' want , I would have thought. :what:

ZW :hug:

Note - I didn't say 'Sexbomb'
Great list thanks ZW
I did several corporates over the party season and saw several couples trying to jive to half suitable music from the muggles/handbag set so I would play Brown Eyed Girl and Love Shack and the MJers left the floor. Muggles are easy to please cos they dance to the drink its the MJers who dance to the music. If anyone feels they are good enough and pro enough to cabaret for money PM me but I will take some convincing, and the work is still not guaranteed or regular.

David Franklin
21st-January-2005, 08:42 PM
If anyone feels they are good enough and pro enough to cabaret for moneyThe perception I get from those "in the biz" is that MJ can't be taken seriously; in that context, it would be great if you could explain what you mean by "pro enough".

Dave

RogerR
21st-January-2005, 09:07 PM
MJ isnt taken seriously, its a street style. Le Roc is the first mj style to be codified and published and is recognised by the UKA one of the learned bodies of dance. The trouble is that the dance has already progressed on the street faster than the syllabus has progressed. Ceroc is fully codified but it is not published the name is well known the rights owners have to keep the name and the good name in the public eye to retain the corporate value.

Pro enough includes, Appearance, Radiant charm, and ability to arrive early enough and wait around til exactly the right moment then do about 10 mins in mixed styles. and prob mosy of all RELIABILITY.

djtrev
22nd-January-2005, 01:51 PM
I have been a DJ for years and I cant honestly remember doing a gig where somebody actually got up and did MJ to any tracks I was playing.RnR,yes but not MJ.
Quote;
What's harder to judge is what the 'muggles' want , I would have thought.
Spot on ZW
Sometimes DJing for a 'muggles'(its no good, I really do dislike that word) night can be very soul destroying for a DJ.Whereas a MJ night is always easy.MJ parties are dance parties first and foremost whereas birthday/anniversary parties are more of a social occasion.Some of the sorry tales of bad nights from mobile DJ's that I know, sometimes make you wonder why we do it.
I deliberately left weddings out there because these are approached a slightly different way and are usually good nights.
Quote;
then we do a bit of flash/wow stuff because the floor is empty and we know we have been invited for that purpose in front of a largely non-dancing crowd
If the organiser of the party wants the floor to fill up why get someone in to do a routine (MJ) that probably 90/95% of the audience cant do.Wouldnt it be better to get in some 'handbag' dancers.
Quote;
flash/wow stuff
Why do some people on this forum feel the need to show off how good they think they are at dancing,to the crowd.Cant you just go out and do your thing without having to worry about who you are impressing or if you have been noticed.The chances are that if you try to impress too much these muggles may just think what an arrogant prat you are.
Sorry rant over.