robd
4th-July-2005, 11:21 AM
Just wondered if anyone else made it along to the recent MJC at Bisley?
It's the first event of its kind I have been to, though I only attended the Saturday and didn't stay over. I really enjoyed it and feel it has helped me improve my dancing both through the classes/workshops and the evening freestyle. I didn't fare too well in the first class - Beginners Lindy with Nathalie and Yuval - as I found I was getting dizzy on the turns which was probably a combination of the time of day and my spinning inexperience but did perk up for an interesting MJ routine with Alex and Emma. One annoyance at this was a couple who were not rotating (no problem in that) positioning themselves at the head of the last row thus completely confusing everyone who was rotating. Isn't the etiquette for non-rotaters to move out of the rows entirely? Nonetheless still a nice routine. A brief but enjoyable 2 Step class with Cat and Amir (late stand-in though you wouldn't know it) followed before a welcome respite for lunch.
Lunch meant I missed an advanced MJ class with Simon Borland though was back in time to watch the end of it. I did get in the intermediate MJ class that followed with some interesting moves (aerial yo-yos, towels, etc) that were different to the usual stuff we get in class. It took some acclimatising and I didn't find some of it too smooth but I am now using a couple of bits regularly in freestyle and really like them. I liked Simon's teaching style too.
The day ended with a class in styling from Amir and various tips on posture and movement. The class was v well attended and certainly gave much food for thought.
Freestyle was preceded by a Jango lesson from Will and Kate that my partner and I both enjoyed a great deal. Freestyle itself was fine, a good mix of abilities there so I did not feel too intimidated (have only been dancing 6 months) and asked a good number of ladies to dance. Some dances went well, others less so but it's all good practice.
The showcase started around 11 o clock and was a good mix - Nicky Haslam and co did a couple of routines and Will and Kate did the one they had done at the Championships though it seemed snappier to me this time around but the real highlight was Nathalie and Yuval who did 2 routines both of which were jaw-droppingly sensational (there is footage of them doing a similar routine somewhere on the web but that's nothing like the impact of seeing it live). They brought a whole new meaning to the word aerial. Seeing this performance alone made the day worthwhile.
In terms of the reason for posting this, I guess I want to know if more seasoned eventgoers had the same impressions and what other similar events I should look out for to further my dance education?
Robert
It's the first event of its kind I have been to, though I only attended the Saturday and didn't stay over. I really enjoyed it and feel it has helped me improve my dancing both through the classes/workshops and the evening freestyle. I didn't fare too well in the first class - Beginners Lindy with Nathalie and Yuval - as I found I was getting dizzy on the turns which was probably a combination of the time of day and my spinning inexperience but did perk up for an interesting MJ routine with Alex and Emma. One annoyance at this was a couple who were not rotating (no problem in that) positioning themselves at the head of the last row thus completely confusing everyone who was rotating. Isn't the etiquette for non-rotaters to move out of the rows entirely? Nonetheless still a nice routine. A brief but enjoyable 2 Step class with Cat and Amir (late stand-in though you wouldn't know it) followed before a welcome respite for lunch.
Lunch meant I missed an advanced MJ class with Simon Borland though was back in time to watch the end of it. I did get in the intermediate MJ class that followed with some interesting moves (aerial yo-yos, towels, etc) that were different to the usual stuff we get in class. It took some acclimatising and I didn't find some of it too smooth but I am now using a couple of bits regularly in freestyle and really like them. I liked Simon's teaching style too.
The day ended with a class in styling from Amir and various tips on posture and movement. The class was v well attended and certainly gave much food for thought.
Freestyle was preceded by a Jango lesson from Will and Kate that my partner and I both enjoyed a great deal. Freestyle itself was fine, a good mix of abilities there so I did not feel too intimidated (have only been dancing 6 months) and asked a good number of ladies to dance. Some dances went well, others less so but it's all good practice.
The showcase started around 11 o clock and was a good mix - Nicky Haslam and co did a couple of routines and Will and Kate did the one they had done at the Championships though it seemed snappier to me this time around but the real highlight was Nathalie and Yuval who did 2 routines both of which were jaw-droppingly sensational (there is footage of them doing a similar routine somewhere on the web but that's nothing like the impact of seeing it live). They brought a whole new meaning to the word aerial. Seeing this performance alone made the day worthwhile.
In terms of the reason for posting this, I guess I want to know if more seasoned eventgoers had the same impressions and what other similar events I should look out for to further my dance education?
Robert