Feedback on Club nights [Archive] - Ceroc Scotland Forum

David Bailey

6th-October-2005, 10:00 AM

OK, here's my review of ISH from way back:

-----------------------------------

So, I went to ISH (Great Portland Street, central London) on Tuesday 17th May.

The teacher was Simon, the demo was a certain foxy lady (!), but I only caught the last few minutes of the intermediate class, due to getting lost in Maida Vale for 15 minutes.

I got slightly confused when entering the place, as there was a very small room in front of me, with a class going on, and I had a horrible moment when I thought “Is this it?”. It turns out that this was the consolidation class, held in the bar area, duh.

The main class was in the main hall, which I eventually found after fumbling around trying to open a couple of wrong doors. Good thing I have no sense of embarrassment then; yep, that was me, fumble fumble. …

From what saw of the class, it was an extremely long and complex routine – but I understand from later comments that this was a revision class or something… People generally seemed to be very familiar with the routine, so that explains it.

So, onto the freestyle. There were lots of good dancers, it was a friendly crowd, and I’ve no reason to believe this was unusual.

The dance floor was excellent, one of the best I’ve encountered recently.

The number of dancers was also perfect – enough to fill the floor, not enough to be crowded, so there was plenty of space to move.

Music was also great, at least in my subjective opinion – certainly I had no problems dancing to pretty much all the tracks.

Unfortunately, it finished at 10.30 – I was certainly up for another half-hour, but I assume that the early finish is due to the venue rules and regulations. On the plus side, the teacher actively encouraged dancers to go to the venue bar upstairs, which is great for socialising and building up friendships (ah, reminds me of the old Central Club, nostalgia trip…)

Overall, great night, good to try somewhere new, but a bit too far from my normal haunts (and finishing a bit too early) to be a regular session.

-----------------------------------

I think I did a review of Finchley, I'll see if I can dig it up...

alex

6th-October-2005, 02:28 PM

only just started dancing again after a long injury layoff. these were my impressions of the first places I went back to.

ish, maybe a month ago

nice enough venue, and close to the tube. nice floor, no queue at the bar, and reasonably priced drinks. enough seating, which is important when your leg hasnt recovered as much as you thought. having the beginners revision class in the entrance does make it a bit difficult getting in, but i doubt they have any option. maybe they could put the desk upstairs?

caught the last 30 minutes of the intermediate class. it looked too complicated for me to try to catch up on, so i sat and watched. noone else seemed capable of doing it either, so maybe i shouldnt have worried. the teacher was an aussie (simon?) and gave plenty of advice and detail on the moves. it just seemed that noone was listening. you cant fault his enthusiasm though.

the freestyle was too busy until they opened up the divider to the bar area. no problems after they did that. nice mix of music. a little bit of everything, and not too much of anything. it seemed like a very young crowd, with few familiar faces.

it finished way too early. id go back if it went on until 11, but not while it stays at 10:30

ashtons on friday
nice big carpark! very friendly and efficient on the door. got there late so cant comment on the class. (dont even know if there was one). quiet at first, then got very busy. at one point it was too busy to dance, but that suited me because my leg needed a rest. not sure i'd feel the same way if i was healthy.

the crowd was definitely older than ish. surprising then that it was the first venue ive been to for years where my ears were ringing. way too loud.

the music itself was ok at first. after midnight i didnt like it as much. too much latin, to the exclusion of everything else. is this amount of latin normal now? some people obviously loved it, but i left after what seemed like 30 minutes of nonstop latin and went home.

almost certainly wont go back

alex

Minnie M

25th-October-2005, 11:42 AM

Rutherglen Town Hall
Northants Girly and I went there last Thursday evening .......

Parking
The very lovely Claire S gave us a lift and we didn't appear to have any problem there.

Venue
Fantastic ..
Good size hall, sprung floor and just right for dancing, separate bar and chill out area and what a bar :worthy: and jugs of water freely available.

Teaching
Mairie (sp?) - can't fault the lady, although I did think the Salsa warm-up a little strange :confused:

Music
One of the best 'Ceroc class sets' I have heard

Natives
Fantastic, warm and very friendly

The standard of dancing was beginner to intermediate but all keen and they all stayed to the end of the evening ............ not many beginners do that down south :yeah:

Will definitely revisit if I get a chance .... thank you guys :flower:

Minnie M

25th-October-2005, 02:23 PM

Rutherglen Town Hall
........./snip/..Music
forgot to mention - acustics were good too :clap:

stewart38

30th-November-2005, 12:50 PM

I went to Finchley for the first time on Monday

Ok I still think a strong wind could blow the place down and lack of loo paper etc (ok too much detail)

But I had a great night

A wide range of dancers, ok many more women but :whistle:

Friendly and cosy. Ill be going back,if my Taxi driver is :whistle:

:yeah:

LMC

23rd-January-2006, 12:58 AM

Sunday Nights at Chigwell

Where's that, asked a central London forumite earlier. It's Essex innit - but inside the M25, not far from Theydon Bois/Epping.

Chigwell (Ceroc Metro) venue is in the David Lloyd leisure centre. If you don't know where it is, it is a b***h to get to, and the walk from reception to the dance studio will warm you up nicely. Plenty of parking, but getting out of the carpark was entertaining because all the one way arrows were pointing towards a dead end. (Follow the other cars... honestly, anyone would think I'm blonde.) BTW WB, we tgok the scenic route back to the M25 :blush: - sorry, but glad I managed a bit of seat-of-pants navigation to get us back on track rather than having to turn around and get lost again!

Anyhow, once actually in the venue...

It's a dance studio, so the floor is lovely, fully sprung, not too slippy or sticky and clean. Think there were about 120 people there - reasonable amount of space and thinned out considerably by about 10 pm. The studio is air-conditioned, but the a/c couldn't quite cope with the numbers. The temperature was fine with the doors open but I suspect this venue will be a sweaty one in the the summer months.

Music - Robin's, so excellent :waycool:

Teacher Tony encourages people to introduce themselves in the class line, but despite his frequent reminders to let the guys lead, just about every woman backled me through the intermediate class :rolleyes: . He and his demo stayed and danced with people all evening. The standard of dancing is generally not that high. That's not hot-shotism, it's true. The venue numbers dropped to a drastic low until Tezi took over management sometime in the last half of last year IIRC - so it is a credit to the insistence on a friendly environment and Robin's music that the numbers are up to such good levels now. Floorcraft is not bad, considering - I've been bumped far more at Finchley.

Water is free from the fountain outside. The bar is excellent, very comfortable - a good place to cool down with a drink for 20 minutes when the night has ended.

On the whole, a nice change for a Sunday night and I will almost certainly go back - but probably not on a regular basis at the moment.

WittyBird

23rd-January-2006, 01:12 AM

BTW WB, we tgok the scenic route back to the M25 :blush: - sorry, but glad I managed a bit of seat-of-pants navigation to get us back on track rather than having to turn around and get lost again!..

I noticed :whistle: but you did an excellent job!

Anyhow, once actually in the venue...
It's a dance studio, so the floor is lovely, fully sprung, not too slippy or sticky and clean. ..

Great venue *diary note agreed with LMC*:eek:

Music - Robin's, so excellent :waycool:
Absolutely **and again**

The standard of dancing is generally not that high. That's not hot-shotism, it's true..No Sh1t Sherlock I didn't think there was a 'standard':whistle:

The bar is excellent, very comfortable - a good place to cool down with a drink for 20 minutes when the night has ended..

Best bit of the evening IMHO was our catch up afterwards

On the whole, a nice change for a Sunday night and I will almost certainly go back - but probably not on a regular basis at the moment.

:rofl:

LMC

30th-January-2006, 01:23 AM

Milton Keynes (well, Bletchley)

The venue, Wilton Hall, is a bit of a bu**er to find, but roads/roundabouts are well labelled/signed, so not as bad as, for instance, Chigwell (put it this way, I didn't get lost this week!). Plenty of parking, and the hall is lovely, with a good floor and a full bar set back from the dance floor - a real chill out zone. Ceroc runs there on Wednesdays IIRC, and there is a tea dance every 3 months or so - 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm (lesson at 5.45, then freestyle all the way). Unusually for a tea dance, tea/coffee and cake are not free. But the water is - plenty of jugs on the bar.

Plenty of room on the floor and some lovely dancers - a few familiar faces from other venues, think the tea dances get lots of visitors. WB and I got told off by someone for sitting on "their chairs" - 'Our stuff is there'. Since they didn't sit down on said chairs after we'd moved, I found that exceedingly odd! Otherwise, everyone was just lovely - the last tea-dance I went to at this venue was one of the friendliest events I've ever been to - and this one was just as good, no problems getting a dance and some nice chats with people I've not met before.

DJ was Dave Archer and he played some unusual tracks which was nice. A lot of fast tracks, but the music would have been good overall, except that many of the tracks seemed to be played at odd speeds and there was WAY too much bass. On everything.

Unfortunately, although less than 40 miles from home, it takes an hour for me to get to Bletchley through Luton and Dumpstable (is there anywhere grimmer?). So Wednesday nights are out, but as the venue is wonderful and there is a good 4 hours freestyle after the lesson, the tea dances here are definitely worth the effort. If the music had been better, then I would be really sad that these events are so infrequent - as it is, I had a lovely night, will almost certainly go to and enjoy the next one - but once every three months is plenty.

azande

30th-January-2006, 09:38 AM

snip ...many of the tracks seemed to be played at odd speeds and there was WAY too much bass. On [B]everything.

:whistle:

...
There's a certain something missing that the treble can't erase
I know you can tell just by looking at my face
A word about my weakness
I'm totally addicted to bass
Wow woah ho
Totally addicted to bass
Wow woah ho
...

WittyBird

30th-January-2006, 10:55 AM

WB and I got told off by someone for sitting on "their chairs"

Nah not I surely :rolleyes: I was home alone drinking cocoa all night :innocent:

LMC

17th-March-2006, 09:50 PM

Bow

A relatively new venue, so the numbers are fewish (and it empties out quite early) and the average standard beginnerish. But it is a credit to Dan and Russ's teaching and the standard of the review classes (:worthy: taxis) that I enjoyed every single dance I had last night. Even the bouncy hand one, which was not down to Dan and Russ - because I know the guy concerned has been intermediate for longer than I have - so I followed the lead :innocent: (and it was bloody knackering, thanks for the lovely dance straight afterwards Dan :hug: )

The venue is on the first floor of Jongleurs, which seems to be a leisure complex? - about 15 mins walk from Mile End (there are buses). The room has a full bar and there is a bar and food served downstairs (as mentioned on the Bow thread). Can't comment on food quality, but did gulp a bit at £1.60 for a bottle of water :eek: - still better than warm eau de tap from Ashtons though.

The floor is nice, although possibly a little sticky round the edges? - might just have been my shoes. And Eric the DJ played a very good set, MOR-ish but of a variety and quality well above the standard of many other MOR sets I've heard. The room itself is not large (Berko size probably), and the layout is not ideal from the point of view of people seeing the teacher/demo - the stage is on one of the "long sides" which means shorter and more rows, with the end ones frequently having their backs to the stage. This results in some leads following what the teacher is saying, not watching what the teacher is doing and therefore jumping ahead... sorry :blush: - seriously, if it can be done without making a big deal of it, it might be worth making sure that first-timer guys are in the middle rows directly in front of the stage so they can always see.

Best of all, it's a very friendly venue - perfect in many ways for the first-timer from my office who came along with me (and naughtily insisted on doing the intermediate class, because she's done salsa and ceroc is easy in comparison 'cos there's no footwork :rolleyes: - I did try :tears: ). And the numbers of followers and leaders were relatively even - a few extra women (of course) but not so many as to make getting dances stressful.

Bad bits?
The chippie (proper English fish'n'chips) noted on the way to the venue was closed on the way back to the tube :mad:

Missing my train and not getting home until 1.45 am :tears: - will definitely be back to Bow, but will have to skip the last two or three tracks next time sorry folks.

Overall - a venue with potential to become really really special - but hopefully not too special, or it'll be overcrowded :D. Only 10-15 minutes from Bank on the Central line, well worth the trip :nice:

Russell Saxby

18th-March-2006, 12:30 AM

Bowfirst-timer from my office who came along with me (and naughtily insisted on doing the intermediate class, because she's done salsa and ceroc is easy in comparison 'cos there's no footwork :rolleyes: - I did try :tears: ).

I will let you off.... Grace has bags of potential she just needs whipping into shape... any volunteers or does this job sit with me

Paul F

18th-March-2006, 05:31 AM

All the way home from St. Neots tonight I was thinking "Should I post a review, should I post a review". It then occurred to me that maybe I was asking myself the wrong question. Maybe I should have been asking myself (i talk to myself a lot :) ) "Am I able to post a review?"
I mused about whether it would be fair for me to post a review given that I am spoiled by the Jango's, Funky Lush's and WCS events of this world.
I wondered whether it would be fair that, because of this exposure to 'non-usual ceroc stuff' nights I would not really be the type of person they would look to attract.

Then I thought sod it so apologies for any blatant contradictions or complete changes in direction.

GOOD POINTS
Nice venue. Tidy, clean venue with plenty of nearby parking.

Decent floor. Not the best but certainly not the worst. Level surface with no holes (from what i could see). Medium to fast in my flattened suede soles.

Good layout inside. Fair few tables just inside the entrance. This possibly added to the problem below of overcrowding but it did give people places to sit and even stand without directly interfering with the dancers (ooer!)

A nice light machine at the corner of the dancefloor.

Video projection of various things onto the stage back wall. Pointless but its something different.

People. Really nice people. On the point of people I want to say a HUGE thankyou to all the forumites (and non) who I had a chance to chat to tonight. It was the first time I had actually got to chat to a couple of people and I have to say it was worth the drive just to chat to you :hug: We really do have some of the best people in our little dancing world
:hug: :hug: :hug: and a :cheers: for the boys :nice:

Nice bar and nice staff. Friendly, courteous and efficient. Top marks.

BAD POINTS
n.b. saving major rant to the end

Stage Lighting. There were 2 lighting units sitting at the back of the stage pointing directly into the eyes of the dancers dancing in the vacinity. The one time I risked it I simply could not see. Flashing lights right in the eyes is NOT a good idea.

Overcrowded. Too many of the really nice people.

Floorcraft. If one more of the really nice people backed into me, shoved me or generally walked right in front of me they would have been treating really nice people in the local hospital. People doing dips and drops on a totally packed floor. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: I hate it. Not as much as the big rant at the end of this post but I hate it.

Ok, lets not beat around the bush any longer.

MUSIC

(this is a long one so be prepared)

Its often said that its difficult being a Ceroc/MJ DJ. It is often said that DJs will judge the floor and play to the current conditions/dancers.
These are things I realise and will contemplate towards the end of this wee section.
First I will give my opinion as a dancer then I will look at it from the DJs point of view so hold your fire.

There is a modern phrase that has been coined that goes something like
"Same s**t, different day" when referring to mundane repetative work.
I will sum the music up tonight by using a re-work of this oft' used phrase.

"Same set, different building"

The music tonight was the most uninspiring, lifeless, mundane, repetative load of rubbish I have heard in a long time. If it wasnt for the lovely people there I would have stayed all of 20 minutes. As it was I gave it until 12:10am until I gave up.
Maybe I am being harsh. Let me give you a flavour of some of the audible pleasantries to eminate from yonder speakers (mixture of titles, artists or lyrics. Couldnt be bothered looking them up):

Starlight - Supermen lovers
Mavericks - dance the night away
Safri Duo - bongo song
Barry white - First, last, my everything
? - I love the rainy nights
? - Spirit in the sky

Interspersed between these beauties were some of the most tired, worn out tracks heard in MJ venues for the past 10 years. However it doesnt stop there!!
Along with these masterpieces we got an barrel load of banging nighclub (house) tracks. No essence for motivation or dance discovery here. Oh no. A couple of times the DJ even slipped in one of the things I hate more than anything......
stitched tracks - one into the other :mad: Shackled to your partner for another 3 minutes. Luckily the times he did this I was enjoying my dances but you're not always that lucky.

What im trying (badly) to get at is that the set played tonight could have been the exact same set that was played in Milton Keynes, Manchester, Cardiff or Slough. Same set, same tracks, different building.
Oh, apart from 11:55pm and 12:04am the latter of which he played a samba track which was challenging but people were smiling while having a go rather than just going through the motions. It was something different.

I had hoped that was the start of the final half hour of interesting music. I was wrong. Right back after we were right back to the thump-thump-thump of the emotionless nightclub music.

OK. now you can disregard everything I have just said because it is obviously a load of crap why?

The night was packed,
The floor was packed,
I have different requirements for what I want to hear at a venue,
Im a picky git,
Ceroc central made lots of lovely dosh

Obviously I am wrong to criticise this DJ(s). The floor was heaving all night. The people who were there must have loved it and I am talking out of my somethings.
I realise this is an issue that has plagued DJs all over the land but, in this case, why not save some cash and stick a cd in a player. Voila! Music all night long. Why read the floor when you can just play what is played over and over and over and over again.

Whats my solution? At least try a few tracks that are not usually played - even if it is just 3 in a whole night. A few different genres. On the way home there was a song on the radio as I was thinking about this post. It had the line "Owner of a lonely heart". Not a favourite song of mine but I listened to it and thought, "yeah" why not play this. It is strict tempo. Its not exactly a challenging song but its just something a little different than bloody kylie, buble et al.
How long did it take me to come up with a possible inclusion into tonights ridiculous playlist - about 2 seconds.

Bottom line:
Great people but I wont be going back. Dont think it will worry too many people but this is just MY opinion.

Paul F

18th-March-2006, 05:46 AM

I cannot identify versions, but I can remember dancing to "Smooth operator", "Beautiful", nu-tango tracks and "Sweet home Alabama". We have a few MJ'ers that do Tango along to the regular classes, including the venue organiser, and we get one or two MJ'able tango'able tracks in the normal set, and often a nice Tango as the "coats on" track, with 5 pairs Tangoing to it on one ocassion.

I will print the list and pass it on - without its source - and hopefully post his reaction Friday.

:what: :what: :what: :what: :what: :what: :rofl:

I left at 12:10am. Im afraid that unless all these unusual, moderately played tracks came on in the last 20 minutes I find your overview of past nights is in no way comparable to what I heard toinight.

At this rate the lovely people of st. neots and surrounds (and woking) will be dancing to the same tracks year in, year out.

Paul F

18th-March-2006, 05:49 AM

AND (not finished yet)

What happened to a certain Senorita? I was looking forward to my dances. :sad:

I hope it wasn't your back. If it was, get well soon :hug:

ChrisA

18th-March-2006, 11:03 AM

The music tonight was the most uninspiring, lifeless, mundane, repetative load of rubbish I have heard in a long time.
At least it wasn't slightly more tango-y (just as a one-off) than usual, Paul, you had a lucky escape there....

:na: :na: :na:

tsh

18th-March-2006, 11:35 AM

All the way home from St. Neots tonight I was thinking "Should I post a review, should I post a review".

Thanks... I was starting to wonder it it was just me. I am not particularly good at reccognising a 'good' set, I just notice when the music isn't interesting - but it's nice to see it's not just me.

I very nearly said 'don't bother, it'll be too busy' but I thought that might be alittle unfair, since I've not even been there for a while. The problem is, that's the best it gets round here - hence I'll be trecking over to Oxford tonight, I think...

Sean

TheTramp

18th-March-2006, 11:42 AM

St. Neots
MUSIC

I've been to the Friday night freestyle a couple of times this year. And totally agree with everything that PaulF said.

The music has been totally uninspiring. I've not got anything against a number of "classics" being played - it's what a lot of the people want. But there has to be something (surely) for people who want something more. Just the occasional challenging, different track played.

However, given that so many people are turning up, then yes, the floor will be full. It'd be hard NOT to fill the floor. People go to dance, so given the two options, dance to the usual stuff, or sit out, then people will dance.

But, the people are lovely, and I've had acceptable nights there because of the people, rather than the dance-ability of the night.

Oh, and I got to meet Senorita! :flower:

Tazmanian Devil

18th-March-2006, 11:52 AM

Lory

18th-March-2006, 12:11 PM

The music tonight was the most uninspiring, lifeless, mundane, repetative load of rubbish I have heard in a long time.
You should have come out with me last night, I went 'muggle' dancing with a couple of friends and believe me, my night was worse! :sick:

The music was the same set as I used to dance to 20years ago :eek: There was no such thing as floor craft at all and they only have to be aware of their OWN bodies! :angry:

Half the people were so legless that they were just staggering around (or maybe thats just their style? :rofl: )

I came home stinking of smoke! I'd completely forgotten how discusting smoke filled air is. :sick: :mad: :sick: :mad: :sick:

I did have a little giggle to myself though, some of the dancing was so BAAD :really: it was very entertaining! :D *smug smiley*

So there, I hope you all feel a lot better now! :hug:

WittyBird

18th-March-2006, 12:16 PM

So there, I hope you all feel a lot better now! :hug:

Can't be as bad as mine believe me :eek:
Went to Cheshunt last night :rolleyes:
Had 1 bloke try to kiss me after dancing with me which came as quite a shock
Had another who I thought was having a fit whilst I was dancing with him very odd.
Although the music was good it wasn't up to the usual standard :(

Oh well Hammersmith tonite :clap:

Andy McGregor

18th-March-2006, 12:19 PM

..agreeing with PaulF about St Neots ...:yeah:

Been once, great people, great venue, tired music, won't be back.

And, I did hear that the DJ reacts badly if you suggest he plays something different.

Andy McGregor

18th-March-2006, 12:20 PM

Had 1 bloke try to kiss meSlow night ... :wink:

WittyBird

18th-March-2006, 01:03 PM

Slow night ... :wink:

Well, now you come to mention it :whistle:

Cruella

18th-March-2006, 01:20 PM

All the way home from St. Neots tonight I was thinking "Should I post a review, should I post a review".
Blimey, i'm glad you did, you put it all so well!!

Oh, apart from 11:55pm
:clap: I was lucky enough to be dancing with you at this time.:flower:
I posted about the night on a different thread so have copied it onto here.

St Neots (cringe Smiley) The music was dreadful, thump thump thump! The women predatory! I stood in disbelief watching a large number of women running onto the dance floor and grabbing men before they had even taken a breath after the previous dance! So crowded ( but was warned of this). A good floor though, lovely and fast. Thank heavens for Dirty D, PaulF, Dave Hancock, LittleEm, Taz and Robd. If you guys hadn't been there it would have been awful but the laughs and dances meant it wasn't a wasted journey. Paul, Dwain we'll have to practice the Tales of the Unexpected styling next time. xx

Georgious dancer

18th-March-2006, 01:32 PM

You should have come out with me last night, I went 'muggle' dancing with a couple of friends and believe me, my night was worse! :sick:

It was 'muggle' dancing for me to! I had my cousins 18th birthday party last night!

She had a sit down meal to start with and then music after. It was quite a posh affair costing over £3000:eek: (I dread to think what her wedding will be like!) but was incredibly dull. It started at 7:30 and dinner wasn't finished till 10:30. However, the DJ played some brilliant very MJable tracks, but alas I had no partner, so I had to settle for dancing alone:sad: !

At the time I kept thinkning I would much rather have been at St Neots, but from what I have read I didn't miss much.

Highlight of my evening....being the designated driver and watching my parents get drunk, it doesn't happen often but it was so entertaining!!!!:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Anyway after my night of 'muggle' dancing I am looking forward to Hammersmith!:clap:

ChrisU

18th-March-2006, 02:46 PM

:yeah:

Been once, great people, great venue, tired music, won't be back.

And, I did hear that the DJ reacts badly if you suggest he plays something different.

It happens sometimes. DJ's can get stuck in a groove. They don't take the time to keep up to date. Make sure you let the organisers know your feelings about the music.

DJs are replacable a good audience sometimes isn't. Never forget you are the customer.

Regards

DJ Chris Uren:wink:

Leeds today is cold and overcast.

Paul F

18th-March-2006, 03:23 PM

Make sure you let the organisers know your feelings about the music.

Thats a good point mate. I am guilty of never letting the DJs or organisers know I dislike a particular thing. I just dont go back which is what will happen in this case.
Of course I may lose out on this as they may switch DJs. Its a similar thing to my teaching. I always used to try and convince people to leave feedback about the classes etc. Very few people did.

Paul F

18th-March-2006, 03:29 PM

At least it wasn't slightly more tango-y (just as a one-off) than usual, Paul, you had a lucky escape there....

:na: :na: :na:

I would have given my right arm for tango-y stuff :grin:

Paul F

18th-March-2006, 03:30 PM

The music was the same set as I used to dance to 20years ago :eek:

*clears throat*

"Show me the way to amarillo" < thump thump > ..........

Ironically I would have enjoyed that last night :sick:

ChrisU

18th-March-2006, 03:33 PM

Thats a good point mate. I am guilty of never letting the DJs or organisers know I dislike a particular thing. I just dont go back which is what will happen in this case.
Of course I may lose out on this as they may switch DJs. Its a similar thing to my teaching. I always used to try and convince people to leave feedback about the classes etc. Very few people did.

I know its difficult to get feedback. After DJing I then try to talk to people at a lesson night and find out what the did or didn't like. But blood from a stone sometimes come to mind.

In your case the only loser is the organisor. Nothing wrong with hurting them in the pocket. And if the DJ changes if he has any gumption he will sing it from the houses to get you back.

Regards

DJ Chris Uren

Dan Hudson

18th-March-2006, 06:01 PM

Bow

The venue is on the first floor of Jongleurs, which seems to be a leisure complex? - about 15 mins walk from Mile End (there are buses). The room has a full bar and there is a bar and food served downstairs (as mentioned on the Bow thread). Can't comment on food quality, but did gulp a bit at £1.60 for a bottle of water :eek: - still better than warm eau de tap from Ashtons though.

But there is FREE tap water available....:what: with ice!:D :worthy:

thanks for the feedback LMC:cheers:

:clap: :clap: :respect: for the lack of bouncy hands

robd

18th-March-2006, 06:14 PM

:yeah:

Been once, great people, great venue, tired music, won't be back.

And, I did hear that the DJ reacts badly if you suggest he plays something different.

It was a different DJ to the night you visited Andy - doesn't change the fact that lots of people thought it was tired music and I have no idea how this DJ would react to requests since I have never asked him for one.

Robert

robd

18th-March-2006, 06:15 PM

I would have given my right arm for tango-y stuff :grin:

Would make for interesting leading technique :grin:

ChrisA

18th-March-2006, 06:30 PM

lots of people thought it was tired music
Regrettably, the likelihood is that "lots" isn't really the case - or at least not "lots" enough.

It is a sad fact of life (well, sad for those of us that are fussy about the music) that if the floor is heaving from one end of the night to the other, both the organiser and DJ are likely to believe that they're doing the right thing.

and I have no idea how this DJ would react to requests since I have never asked him for one.
Equally regrettably, if the DJ at a night like the one Paul describes played a few requested tracks of the sort that I know Paul would like, the chances are that those tracks would thin the floor considerably (and probably generate some complaints), and the DJ would conclude that playing the requests had been a mistake.

In recent times, from talking to a great many dancers, and quite a few DJs, I've come to the conclusion that slower, more interesting music will never go down particularly well at mainstream modern jive nights.

And the reason for this, like it or not, is very simple:

Most modern jive venues don't have enough dancers that would prefer a significant amount of such music.

robd

18th-March-2006, 06:37 PM

{Lots and lots about the quality of the music at St Neots}

I agree with your opinion on a number of aspects of last night's music but would say that the DJ on the night was a late stand-in for somebody else so perhaps he wasn't feeling most inspired. He's not my least favourite DJ in this region (double negative :what: ) but he has had better nights. I was also chatting with a friend of his at last week's freestyle when she was approached by 2 separate people asking her to pass on their thanks and appreciation to him for the set he was playing. Different strokes.....
I think you were also on point when you mentioned that if you are used to FL, Jango et al then you are going to feel let down by a set that is much more mass market and I believe that any of the Ceroc Central DJs (other than Marc but I don't believe he counts in that category) would have delivered something along those lines. Some of my friends had your experience in reverse at the Polar Freezestyle - they are so used to the Ceroc Central music formula that they really struggled with the challenging nature of the music there.
I agree with whoever else it was that posted saying that there would have been a full dance floor regardless of the music style - this venue is a bit of a victim of its own circumstance - its location makes it reasonably travellable for regulars at so many of the ceroc central venues that it ends up overcrowded every time and with an overload of women it's no great suprise that they would prefer to dance to BANG BANG BANG than to register their protest by sitting out.
My personal opinion is that I didn't find the music in any way inspiring or memorable but I also didn't actively dislike it. I have had nights around here where I have hated the music especially one fella who insists on playing mad euro pop versions of eighties songs - urrgghhhh. I suspect the music is less of an issue for me than for some people - I tend to concentrate on the interaction with my partner (and too much talking to them whilst dancing) and the music gets pushed to the background. If I ever get near the standard of musicality that people such as PaulF attain then it may well be a different matter.
And just as a final note, as with Paul, I don't like tracks that segue straight into one another either :sad:

Robert

robd

18th-March-2006, 06:42 PM

Regrettably, the likelihood is that "lots" isn't really the case - or at least not "lots" enough.

True, true. Caught making the mistaken assumption again that the forum is representative of the average Ceroc Central jiver (not that I want to start a debate to define that................)

Robert

ChrisU

18th-March-2006, 07:06 PM

Interesting discussion for myself as a DJ.

I am fairly new to MJ but I have found the principles that worked for me over a number of years and styles to work ok.

New music has to be tried out (Even new old from the box). When I do the freestyle after a lesson I always through in a "dare to be different track" then watch the dance floor. Just 1 at each session.

Sometimes they bomb :sick: and get cut short but about 50% of the time I get asked "Whats That". :grin: It might be a bit of blues or latin or an oldie. At a long freestyle I managed about 4 tracks and got a good response.

As for asking the DJ - Get in there - If I do not have a track I say so and get the person to write it down with a promise that I will have it next time. Then I hassle the DJ's on this forum for help!!!!

A rare night off tonight so a bottle of scotch has been cracked open.

Regards and keep dancin to the tunes

DJ Chris Uren :wink:

LMC

18th-March-2006, 07:50 PM

But there is FREE tap water available....:what: with ice!:D :worthy:
Where? :tears: - didn't quite like to ask at the bar because some won't dish out tap water - and couldn't see any jugs :o (I'm blonde, remember)

El Salsero Gringo

18th-March-2006, 08:42 PM

if the floor is heaving from one end of the night to the other, both the organiser and DJ are likely to believe that they're doing the right thing.Um... perhaps they *are* doing the right thing?
if the DJ at a night like the one Paul describes played a few requested tracks of the sort that I know Paul would like, the chances are that those tracks would thin the floor considerably (and probably generate some complaints), and the DJ would conclude that playing the requests had been a mistake.If the floor thins and there are complaints - in what sense would you consider that *not* to have been a mistake???

bigdjiver

18th-March-2006, 09:47 PM

Apologies, the St Neots DJ was Rob, not Roy. I too hated the modern thumpy tracks and segues and flashing lights in my eyes. I loved bouncing to "Spirit in the sky" dancing to "Rainy Nights" and even enjoyed my dance to the Mavericks. It was the first time I had heard that track at a Ceroc venue for a long time. I operated in funfair mode nearly all evening, and I too wanted more "quality" tracks and did not manage a "real" dance all night.

St Neots was unusually quiet (sic), and the removal of 20 or so from the floor for the auditions was a Godsend, although we lost many quality dancers.

Look and learn. Why would Michaela, who was a Latin Ballroom dancer, draw attention to her demos "crap" styling? Why would she have the class waving their hands about like lunatics to "Tales of the Unexpected"? Could it be to relax people and create a party atmosphere? Could it be that if the dancers are not afraid to look like idiots, then they will not be afraid to look like idiots whilst they are learning not to? I keep coming back to my theory, that in general classes getting the many to enjoy learning is more important than teaching the few to dance really well.

Another move that she taught, the dip and slide, was aimed at style dancers, and accounted for the number of dips seen on the floor as people practised it. I was asked by two partners for that move, but refused. I thought it too dangerous for the situation. There were some on the floor that had little or no previous dance experience, as well as the over-keen, so bumps were almost inevitable.

Some highlights of the evening - meeting Taz, exiting the floor with a "Travelling Koala", a long-standing ambition, and my dances with an attractive lady that I danced with at the last freestyle, her first MJ experience. Last time I took her through the beginner moves and onto dips and lifts, and worried I may have gone too far. She wanted more and I obliged. Afterwards it transpired this was only her second night.

lowlight - persuading another "never done it" onto the floor, and failing to convert her.

I have had good nights dancing on cork flooring, bowed decks, grass, and broken glass, and to worse music. For some of us it is the quality of the relationships with our partners that makes the night. I had an absolutely brill night at St Neots, and could not sleep because I was so high.

ChrisA

18th-March-2006, 09:49 PM

Um... perhaps they *are* doing the right thing?

If the floor thins and there are complaints - in what sense would you consider that *not* to have been a mistake???
:huge yawn:

This isn't really up to your usual standard, Alec.

Read what I wrote again. Did I say that they weren't doing the right thing? Or that they were making a mistake?

Obviously, as we've discussed lots of times, their agenda is different from mine.

When I say "regrettably", I mean it (as well you know) subjectively, for myself and those that share my tastes in music.

Andy McGregor

19th-March-2006, 09:17 PM

Leeds today is cold and overcast.:rofl:

Made me laugh out loud - I'm not sure why :confused:

Andy McGregor

19th-March-2006, 09:19 PM

I would have given my right arm for tango-y stuff :grin:I think it's like the k-y stuff but with an orange-y aftertaste :sick:

Cruella

20th-March-2006, 03:46 PM

Apologies, the St Neots DJ was Rob, not Roy.

Oh i thought it was Chris?

Another move that she taught, the dip and slide, was aimed at style dancers, and accounted for the number of dips seen on the floor as people practised it. I was asked by two partners for that move, but refused. I thought it too dangerous for the situation.

Last time I took her through the beginner moves and onto dips and lifts, and worried I may have gone too far. She wanted more and I obliged.
I'm presuming that you obliged with the dips and lifts on the previous freestyle? Not this one, otherwise there is a contradiction in these two quotes.

I had an absolutely brill night at St Neots, and could not sleep because I was so high.
Different strokes for different folks.:flower:

bigdjiver

20th-March-2006, 06:28 PM

Oh i thought it was Chris?It was indeed:blush: , that was why I was revisiting this thread.

I'm presuming that you obliged with the dips and lifts on the previous freestyle? Not this one, otherwise there is a contradiction in these two quotes.No contradiction. I was asked for the dip and slide in the middle of the floor, and declined because it was too dangerous. I had leather soled shoes on, and they were not secure enough on that floor. That was why I would not do the slide in the class. I did other dips lift and a "through the legs" in a safe corner.
I love doing sliding dips, but only if the partner and situation is right. It almost never is. Very few ladies feel secure doing them.

:flower: and apologies to Rob.

Almost an Angel

27th-March-2006, 10:17 AM

Ok Well a one armed Angel has been hiding up north for a week, and though I'm not dancing much (still following off my left I'm afraid guys) I 've been to vist a couple of places so here's my feedback upon the venues;

Tuesday night at Chester Guildhall.

Overall very positive. Managed to find the venue without too much trouble (apart from me taking the wrong turn!!) and although there wasn't free parking the nice car park right behind the Guildhall was reasonable (£1) (I'm sure there are free places but I was only visiting so don't know where they are).
Lots of very friendly and welcoming people at the front door, which made a good impression and who were also very happy to chat. Venue was good, not too large to lose people but big enough once everyone had arrived to have enough space. Bar was reasonable and had enough staff (big bonus).
Didn't make it in time for the beginners class so sorry can't comment about that, However I was treated to the intermediate class, which I enjoyed and was IMHO well taught. I liked the moves as they were on the more usual side, although personally I'm not sure I would have put those moves together or would use them in the future that way, it was good to see them and see how other people link moves.
Music was very good I really enjoyed the set, only downside was me not being able to dance much to it, (guys a few more of you need to learn how to cope with ladies following off the left hand) however as I was enjoying the music the night didn't seem to drag as much. I did manage a couple of left handed dances (Thank you :hug: ) and I even managed the last dance of the night to Fire :drool:
Also managed to meet the lovely Donna and Ste, :hug: who were fab, and very enjoyable to watch - Thanks for the chat guys I will try and make it up when I'm actually back following off my right hand again.
On the down side - IMHO there were a few too many move monsters in evidence, content to drag ladies through the moves regardless of the ability :mad: - however as I have an inane dislike of these kinds of people my judgement could be a little clouded, and other than a few people showing a lack in floorcraft had no real complaints.

Thursday at Cinnamon Club, Bowden

Overall comment would be OK, teaching great, music not completely to my taste.
Venue was great, free parking at the venue (always good) nice large hall, good dance floor, though it was a little cold towards the entrance and the resting area, (possibly as there was a function upstairs) but as most people were dancing they probably didn't notice as much as I did. Didn't find the door staff quite as welcoming but were helpful when asked, however did manage to find lots of friendly locals to chat to, which helped pass the night.
I managed to see both the classes here, the beginners class was pitched at the right level and pace and the majority followed the class. Intermediates, was a good if challenging routine, with the moves flowing well. Teacher was excellent, the routine that was demoed was shortened (although many would not have noticed) to keep pace with the class, ensuring they could lead the moves, and to keep the lesson to time. Also :respect: to the teacher who patiently managed to go through one tricky move 9 times. IMO very well done not sure I would have had the patience myself.
Now bad points - I have to say this, the music! I'm sorry but it really wasn't to my taste at all, I have been to a wide range of places but IMHO the music was barely OK, probably one out of every 3-4 tracks I would have considered dancing to. Music was either very retro (which isn't necessarily bad I do like a wide range of music) or club based - I just didn't enjoy the choices made by the DJ, there were a few inbetween and good tracks- just not enough of them IMHO. Saying that though, people were dancing to the music and were enjoying themselves, with only normal levels of people sat out and chatting. So although I may not have rated the music others seemed to be fine with it.
Again managed to end the night with a left handed dance!!! :hug:

Overall I would head back to Chester and Bowden again, although I enjoyed the music in Chester more, I would like to try Bowden again as one night can be misrepresentative of the whole (plus the teaching was great :wink: ).

I'll let you know the outcome next time work sends me up north.

Angel xxx

Donna

27th-March-2006, 10:57 AM

[QUOTE]Venue was good, not too large to lose people but big enough once everyone had arrived to have enough space.

Hey you should try the freestyle nights! :eek: No room to swing a cat!

Bar was reasonable and had enough staff (big bonus).

:yeah: I agree! The bar staff are great and are such a good laugh!

However I was treated to the intermediate class, which I enjoyed and was IMHO well taught. I liked the moves as they were on the more usual side, although personally I'm not sure I would have put those moves together or would use them in the future that way, it was good to see them and see how other people link moves.

A few people I've met from down south have commented on the way people are taught up here. People down south dance on a higher level than up North so would have to keep the moves fairly simple (even in an intermediate) so that everybody can cope and ensure they have an enjoyable night. Also a few peeps up here who have been down south said the lessons were much more fun and the dancers are much better. I think down south you get a younger age group so they tend to pick things up quicker. Up here, most are middle aged and have most probably MJ is their first partner dance experience.

(guys a few more of you need to learn how to cope with ladies following off the left hand)

:rofl:

and I even managed the last dance of the night to Fire :drool:

The perfect track to end the night! :drool:

Also managed to meet the lovely Donna and Ste, :hug: who were fab, and very enjoyable to watch - Thanks for the chat guys I will try and make it up when I'm actually back following off my right hand again.

Aww thanks! It was lovely to meet you too and hope to see you up here again soon. :hug:

Hope your hand gets better soon too!

Take care

Donna. x

Daisy Chain

27th-March-2006, 12:11 PM

Donna

27th-March-2006, 12:59 PM

How very dare you? :mad: You'll be OLD one day

Daisy

(An Offended Middle Aged Little Flower).

Em.. ur.. yikes! :blush: Well, I wasn't saying AALLL middle aged people find things hard to pick up, but we have to face facts that some do and it's natural. I know I'm going to get old one day, and I might be one of them. You sure get some hot middle aged dancers though! I'm sure you are! :flower: :flower:

Zebra Woman

27th-March-2006, 01:38 PM

I think down south you get a younger age group so they tend to pick things up quicker. Up here, most are middle aged and have most probably MJ is their first partner dance experience.

Huh? :confused:

I don't think age has anything to do with it Donna.

I think it's entirely down to the individual. People who care about the dance experience they are giving their partner, work on their own dancing and improve themselves. Simple as that.

Down south I am pleased to say we have loads of middle aged dancers who do care and have improved at a phenomenal rate.

Whether people have experienced other dance forms before MJ also to me seems independent of age. :confused:

FYI I myself and all of my favourite dancers are, as you say, 'middle aged' (although we don't ever use that phrase :sick: ). IMO it is a great age to be, we have a sense of humour, and mature perspective that adds so much extra to the dance.

And we can be so patronising when we want to. :whistle:

ZW

Donna

27th-March-2006, 01:58 PM

I think it's entirely down to the individual. People who care about the dance experience they are giving their partner, work on their own dancing and improve themselves. Simple as that.

You have got a point there ZW. I think those who really do care about their dancing are those who pick up on it fast and are good at it. Depends how determined you are.

What is it then, that makes the standard of dancing up here lower than down there? It seems to me that its more of the older dancers down south that pick it up better than those up here. Why is this? It's like Almost An Angel said,

I liked the moves as they were on the more usual side, although personally I'm not sure I would have put those moves together or would use them in the future that way,

It's the way they are taught then. I don't do the lessons up here anymore just the freestyle. Even though you can get some good moves, I don't think I benefit from it for comps so watch videos and stick to ballroom lessons instead.

Down south I am pleased to say we have loads of middle aged dancers who do care and have improved at a phenomenal rate.

FYI I myself and all of my favourite dancers are, as you say, 'middle aged' (although we don't ever use that phrase :sick: ).

What phrase do you use then? :nice:

IMO it is a great age to be, we have a sense of humour, and mature perspective that adds so much extra to the dance.

And er, younger people don't? :eek:

Whitebeard

27th-March-2006, 02:22 PM

Now bad points - I have to say this, the music!

So often my lament on the MJ front - though I accept that it's largely just another "age related" problem.

Went to a local freestyle put on by a lindy crew the other night. Was deliberately rather late as freestyles are usually slow to warm up, but overdid it as the car park was full and there was little vacant seating left around the floor. Quite a nice venue with some welcoming touches like tablecloths on the tables and coloured candles floating in bowls. There was a generous seating area by the bar where a pint was a reasonable £2. The dancers were already in full swing, which looked pretty fast and furious and apart from a few honourable exceptions was very bouncy. A few faces were vaugely familiar but there was only one lady with whom I had previously danced so I had even fewer dances during the evening than is my wont. The 'ladies asking culture' wasn't much in evidence except for the lady I already knew. Didn't mind though as, for a change, I really enjoyed most of the music and was quite content to sit there listening and supping my beer. Nelly Lutcher, Creedence Clearwater, Katie Melua; can't be bad. There seemed to be about the same proportion of nice slow tracks as at my normal venues. Though, now I think back, there was little if any latiny stuff. So for me, musicwise, quite a treat, and at the same time it seemed to me that the age demographic was much the same as the MJ normal and that there does not have to be a preponderance of thump-thump stuff to attract and retain the younger ones.

Donna

27th-March-2006, 02:27 PM

So often my lament on the MJ front - though I accept that it's largely just another "age related" problem.

Went to a local freestyle put on by a lindy crew the other night. Was deliberately rather late as freestyles are usually slow to warm up, but overdid it as the car park was full and there was little vacant seating left around the floor. Quite a nice venue with some welcoming touches like tablecloths on the tables and coloured candles floating in bowls. There was a generous seating area by the bar where a pint was a reasonable £2. The dancers were already in full swing, which looked pretty fast and furious and apart from a few honourable exceptions was very bouncy. A few faces were vaugely familiar but there was only one lady with whom I had previously danced so I had even fewer dances during the evening than is my wont. The 'ladies asking culture' wasn't much in evidence except for the lady I already knew. Didn't mind though as, for a change, I really enjoyed most of the music and was quite content to sit there listening and supping my beer. Nelly Lutcher, Creedence Clearwater, Katie Melua; can't be bad. There seemed to be about the same proportion of nice slow tracks as at my normal venues. Though, now I think back, there was little if any latiny stuff. So for me, musicwise, quite a treat, and at the same time it seemed to me that the age demographic was much the same as the MJ normal and that there does not have to be a preponderance of thump-thump stuff to attract and retain the younger ones.

IMO it is very important that they play all types of music to suit all age groups to ensure everybody has a good night! For me, the dance music and Latin does it! :drool:

jivecat

27th-March-2006, 02:58 PM

Em.. ur.. yikes! :blush: Well, I wasn't saying AALLL middle aged people find things hard to pick up, but we have to face facts that some do and it's natural.

No it ain't. I've still got stacks of brain cells in reserve and so has everyone else my age. Some people choose not to use them, though. What will you do when you're middle-aged? Are you planning on giving up learning new things because it's unnatural?

Come to that, I've seen a fair few 20 somethings that find jive hard to pick up as well.

Donna

27th-March-2006, 03:12 PM

No it ain't. I've still got stacks of brain cells in reserve and so has everyone else my age.

Ahem yes of course you have...because you're a women! :D Sorry guys!!! :rofl:

Some people choose not to use them, though.

Yeah.. :angry: Irritating.

What will you do when you're middle-aged?

Erm, use them the best I possibly can, providing I don't get Alzheimer’s or something! Em, sorry what was I saying? :grin:

Are you planning on giving up learning new things because it's unnatural?

Me?! Not a chance! I'm always up for a challenge! I take after my Mum.

Zebra Woman

27th-March-2006, 03:12 PM

You have got a point there ZW. I think those who really do care about their dancing are those who pick up on it fast and are good at it. Depends how determined you are.

Yes, us 'middle aged' types can be very determined.....and caring. :wink:

What is it then, that makes the standard of dancing up here lower than down there? It seems to me that its more of the older dancers down south that pick it up better than those up here. Why is this? It's like Almost An Angel said,

Well Donna, I can only speak from my own very personal experience.

Local dancing:

I danced only locally for 5 years, never going to London or on any weekenders. The teachers were way better than all the local dancers but after a while I like you I stopped doing the classes because they weren't helping me to improve my dancing . There seemed to be no way to get better, I felt my dancing had completely plateaud, plus I hated the ceroc music, very fast and poppy, nothing older than 5 years old until after 10PM. So many of my favourite male leads left ceroc for salsa, Lindy and tango. I also did 5 years of salsa. The last two years that I danced locally I felt more and more despondent, I was missing so many friends who had given up Ceroc, and hating the music, and worst of all not feeling any improvement in my dancing despite being acutely aware that there was still a massive room for improvement.
When I left to dance in London it was with a very very heavy heart and after years of wrangling with the local DJs. I still miss my local dance mates terribly :tears: . Fortunately many of them join me for car trips to London or meet me there.

London Dancing:

It's not perfect but as you say there seems to be a slightly higher proportion of good dancers in London. People for whom dancing is their main hobby, you can tell easily - when football is on the telly, they don't have to stay in and watch it. Why this is I do not know :confused: ..I if I could put something into the water supply here to make more of the the local guys put dancing first I would.

Anyway, once I settled in to dancing in London I felt far more at home, than I have ever felt locally. I prefer the music as it's more adventurous and there seems to be a higher proportion of like minded people who just want to dance. As you know, in London Nigel and Nina and Amir have taught smooth, stylish and musical dancing, I think this has helped focus people on their lead and follow and the look and feel of their dance more than just the moves. I'm sure this is going on all over the country in little pockets and I know some of the ceroc teachers in the sticks also teach smooth dancing (Paul Harris for one), but the sheer number of 'keen to be smooth and musical' dancers in London swings it for me.

There also seems to be a fantastic added element of friends helping each other. KevF and Lory took time to sort out my wrong cha cha step yesterday at the T jive, only 2 minutes but I really appreciated their help. Andreas, ESG, SilverFox, ChrisA,and DJ have all made helpful suggestions from time to time, which I really appreciate. Thank you all :flower: I feel honoured to be part of a dance community that is improving by a kind of internal self help independent of Ceroc lessons. There are some very lucky dancers who have joined this community from the off and they are much better dancers after 2 years than I was after 6.

What phrase do you use then? :nice:

Mature.

And er, younger people don't? :eek:

Oh no they do!:innocent: It's...er...just..... not quite the same IMHO :wink:

ZW

jivecat

27th-March-2006, 03:18 PM

I went to Stockport Town Hall last Saturday, I think it was Blitz night. I have only been once before, several years ago, and was looking forward to going again as the venue has a good reputation. It took a considerable effort to get there, at least 2 & a half hours of driving each way, some of it shared, luckily.

The venue itself was as lovely as I remembered it, but the music was a HUGE disappointment. There were hours of frenzied thump thump thump, only relieved by some heavy blues stuff. Near the end of the night they played some more subtle stuff but I can only remember about half a dozen tracks all evening that I considered really danceable. I think the worst bit of the set was done by a guest DJ and someone else took over at about midnight.

My own personal preference would be for the kind of smooth blues set played by Marc Forster and others. But if that's not available (and it usually isn't :tears: :tears: ) then I'm happy to hear a mixed selection of standard jive classics - tracks you can have a good time to even if they're not that subtle. But these were not in evidence, either. Many of the tracks I had never heard before, and I was amazed at the regional difference between the music played there and in the Midlands.

I asked a number of people what they thought of the music (deliberately phrased to not be a leading question) and the most common one-word answer was "cr*p".

The event finished at 12:45 but a lot of people had left before this. The dance floor was full at 11 and I think more people would have been there until the end if the music had been more dancer-friendly. It was eardrum- shatteringly loud, as well. But, hey, the organisers had got their money by then, who cares what time the punters go home.

So I won't be rushing back there.

ChrisA

27th-March-2006, 03:22 PM

Mature.

God forbid :eek: :eek: :eek:

"Experienced", please...

Donna

27th-March-2006, 03:27 PM

The last two years that I danced locally I felt more and more despondent, I was missing so many friends who had given up Ceroc, and hating the music, and worst of all not feeling any improvement in my dancing despite being acutely aware that there was still a massive room for improvement.

I know exactly how you feel. It's a shame when that happens at a time when you're so getting into it and know there is room for improvement. I went through that phase of people I was close to suddenly disappearing but now they've all returned again. A couple died, some went on long holidays and some just decide to give it a break, start having withdrawal symptoms and come back again.

When I left to dance in London it was with a very very heavy heart and after years of wrangling with the local DJs. I still miss my local dance mates terribly :tears: . Fortunately many of them join me for car trips to London or meet me there.

Well it's nice to know you keep in contact. I can imagine how it feels to have let go of everything that you were so used to but things change. That's life I suppose but glad you're enjoying London. I just love the whole atmosphere down there.... one reason I'd like to move from here....:sick:

It's not perfect but as you say there seems to be a slightly higher proportion of good dancers in London.

I know it's not perfect but I'm sure it's a whole lot better than up here.

People for whom dancing is their main hobby, you can tell easily - when football is on the telly, they don't have to stay in and watch it. Why this is I do not know :confused: ..I if I could put something into the water supply here to make more of the the local guys put dancing first I would.

Yeah!! :rofl: It's really annoying when you're expecting a full house to liven up the atmosphere only to find it totally dead... and why? Foootballl! :rolleyes:

Anyway, once I settled in to dancing in London I felt far more at home, than I have ever felt locally. I prefer the music as it's more adventurous and there seems to be a higher proportion of like minded people who just want to dance.

Obviously with more of what you enjoy doing going on down there, you feel a stronger connection with people and of course you would feel at home.

As you know, in London Nigel and Nina and Amir have taught smooth, stylish and musical dancing, I think this has helped focus people on their lead and follow and the look and feel of their dance more than just the moves. I'm sure this is going on all over the country in little pockets and I know some of the ceroc teachers in the sticks also teach smooth dancing (Paul Harris for one), but the sheer number of 'keen to be smooth and musical' dancers in London swings it for me.

Hmmm we simply don't get enough of here though unfortunately. It's just moves moves and more blummin moves. :sad: Ok you get workshops, but it's not enough.

Zebra Woman

27th-March-2006, 03:33 PM

God forbid :eek: :eek: :eek:

"Experienced", please...

Of course Chris :rofl:

'Mature' was a joke ( keeping in with my 'patronising' theme) :whistle:

I left it there deliberately to tempt an immature experienced person like your good self to nip in and correct it.

On the ball as ever :worthy:

ZW

Sparkles

27th-March-2006, 03:38 PM

So if you're 'middle aged' does that also make you 'experienced'?

(shall I just run and hide again now?)

Donna

27th-March-2006, 03:39 PM

So if you're 'middle aged' does that also make you 'experienced'?

(shall I just run and hide again now?)

He he. :devil: *Runs off and joins sparkles!*

Sparkles

27th-March-2006, 03:43 PM

*Runs off and joins sparkles!*
Oi! Get your elbow out of my eye!
I don't think there's enough room in here for both of us - go find your own hiding place...

Zebra Woman

27th-March-2006, 03:43 PM

So if you're 'middle aged' does that also make you 'experienced'?

(shall I just run and hide again now?)

I think some of us are far more experienced than others...but I tell you the 1 hour car journeys to and from London have sure filled in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge.

Thanks girls :rofl:

ZW:devil:

Sparkles

27th-March-2006, 03:45 PM

I think some of us are far more experienced than others...but I tell you the 1 hour car journeys to and from London have sure filled in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge.
Hey, maybe it's worth moving north so that I could make the trip too - something tells me I've a lot to learn :what:

ChrisA

27th-March-2006, 03:48 PM

So if you're 'middle aged' does that also make you 'experienced'?

They're not really related.

"Middle-aged" is a neutral concept.

"Experienced" is positive.

"Mature" is a distinct negative, and quite unnecessary as an accompaniment to growing older. In fact I think the truly well-balanced use their experience to ensure that they don't get too mature.

Donna

27th-March-2006, 03:50 PM

Oi! Get your elbow out of my eye!
I don't think there's enough room in here for both of us - go find your own hiding place...

Aawww! :( *Wonders off in a state of panic...ok! hides under the table whilst listening to Chris A trying to back us up*

Zebra Woman

27th-March-2006, 03:52 PM

Hey, maybe it's worth moving north so that I could make the trip too - something tells me I've a lot to learn :what:

Yeah anytime Sarah :hug: we've got some fantastic roadworks now. The widening of the M1 is making for some really long journeys...Already I have noticed the conversations have been getting very long and incredibly detailed. :eek:

Fortunately I managed NOT TO STALL THE CAR, but it has been close at times.

ZW

Feelingpink

27th-March-2006, 03:53 PM

They're not really related.

"Middle-aged" is a neutral concept.

"Experienced" is positive.

"Mature" is a distinct negative, and quite unnecessary as an accompaniment to growing older. In fact I think the truly well-balanced use their experience to ensure that they don't get too mature.Really? If I use the term "mature" to describe perhaps someone who is 20, I mean it as a huge compliment. It doesn't mean the person is lacking a sense of fun or is boring, but is grown-up enough to be sensible enough about the stuff they need to be sensible about. Oh and mature cheese .... :drool:

Donna

27th-March-2006, 03:54 PM

Really? If I use the term "mature" to describe perhaps someone who is 20, I mean it as a huge compliment. It doesn't mean the person is lacking a sense of fun or is boring, but is grown-up enough to be sensible enough about the stuff they need to be sensible about. Oh and mature cheese .... :drool:

:yeah:

Cruella

27th-March-2006, 03:55 PM

Sparkles

27th-March-2006, 04:01 PM

They're not really related.
That was kinda my point. :rolleyes:

Cruella

27th-March-2006, 04:05 PM

Fortunately I managed NOT TO STALL THE CAR, but it has been close at times.

ZW
No but you did manage to cut someone up, eh SF?:rofl:

ducasi

27th-March-2006, 04:14 PM

Yeah!! :rofl: It's really annoying when you're expecting a full house to liven up the atmosphere only to find it totally dead... and why? Foootballl! :rolleyes: Funny, round these parts it's the women who seem to be absent when there's football on...

:confused:

Gus

27th-March-2006, 04:58 PM

My own personal preference would be for the kind of smooth blues set played by Marc Forster and others. But if that's not available (and it usually isn't :tears: :tears: ) then I'm happy to hear a mixed selection of standard jive classics - tracks you can have a good time to even if they're not that subtle.
I'm not sure that there are many Marc clones about but there ARE a fair few competent DJs in the North than can entertain. DJ Gary in the N East has a good rep and the main DJ for Blitz Chester, Neil, plays some sublime and varied sets ... though maybe not as Bluesy as you may want.

But these were not in evidence, either. Many of the tracks I had never heard before, and I was amazed at the regional difference between the music played there and in the Midlands. Please don't take this one night at Stockport as an indication of 'North West' music. I'm not saying its the best on the planet but it is varied.

So I won't be rushing back there.Shame .... I'm DJing at the next Stockport freestyle. Come and see if it still sucks. If it does, then I'll pay for your ticket ... how does that sound?

Donna

27th-March-2006, 05:05 PM

[QUOTE=Gus]I'm not sure that there are many Marc clones about but there ARE a fair few competent DJs in the North than can entertain. DJ Gary in the N East has a good rep and the main DJ for Blitz Chester, Neil, plays some sublime and varied sets ... though maybe not as Bluesy as you may want.

How about cloning Alex from Chester? Now he plays some good music! (Damn I'm going to get a slap here:blush: ) The last couple of times he's played at nantwich have been spot on though and he's had some great comments. Of course, the best DJ award goes to......... drum rooollllll

Of course it's the lovely Gus! :hug:

Gus

27th-March-2006, 05:12 PM

How about cloning Alex from Chester? Now he plays some good music! (Damn I'm going to get a slap here:blush: ) The last couple of times he's played at nantwich have been spot on though and he's had some great comments.

Urrrrrrr ... its Alec that all the complaints (see JiveCat) were about ..... :blush: :whistle:

Donna

27th-March-2006, 05:18 PM

Urrrrrrr ... its Alec that all the complaints (see JiveCat) were about ..... :blush: :whistle:

Oh... funny that. Must be something wrong with the air conditioning still at Nantwich.. gets him on a high you know?

ducasi

27th-March-2006, 06:11 PM

...
Couldn't stay away, eh? :wink:

Daisy Chain

27th-March-2006, 07:25 PM

Gerry is one of the new Bowden DJs. I like his music and would recommend him (even though he hasn't played The Mavericks yet)

Daisy

(An Appreciative Little FLower)

jivecat

27th-March-2006, 07:31 PM

I'm not sure that there are many Marc clones about but there ARE a fair few competent DJs in the North than can entertain. DJ Gary in the N East has a good rep and the main DJ for Blitz Chester, Neil, plays some sublime and varied sets ... though maybe not as Bluesy as you may want.
It's true I like the bluesy/latin/smooth stuff and I don't know if I make enough allowances for the variations in people's taste - I was aghast to discover (at the Polar Freezestyle for example) that there are people who just don't like it. It's beyond my comprehension why they don't! So all my comments had a strong personal bias.

Please don't take this one night at Stockport as an indication of 'North West' music. I'm not saying its the best on the planet but it is varied.Yes, I was being a bit unreasonable to judge on the basis of just one night.

Shame .... I'm DJing at the next Stockport freestyle. Come and see if it still sucks. If it does, then I'll pay for your ticket ... how does that sound?
You're a gent, Gus. I wouldn't dream of taking you up on it, though - I'll probably be on holiday for one thing, and, as I said, Stockport is way off my regular patch anyway. Stockport is not exactly losing a lot by lack of my attendance, I've only been twice in as many years. But thanks for the offer - and I hope I get to hear you DJing one day!

If it's any comfort I also enjoy a good moan about music at Midlands venues, too.:rolleyes:

Tazmanian Devil

28th-March-2006, 12:40 AM

O.k pull up a chair, make a hot drink of your choice this could be a long one :eek:

*takes deep breath*

Warmwell weekender

On arrival there was no wait for the keys to the lodge, nice welcome and absolutley gorgeous complex!

Lodge Very nice indeed (photos at bottom) Joint living room and kitchen area very spacious, table and chairs in the kitchen area large enough for 6 people to sit around comfortably :clap: and living area had a 2 and 3 seater sofa and an arm chair very comfortable area indeed. 3 large bedrooms and a spacious bathroom/toilet (which had a shower and bath that could easily fit 3 people in awaits comments as I know what you lot are like)
Definately 10/10 for accomodation :clap: :clap:

Night 1 Very disappointed that there was only 1 hall to dance in which actually had a carpeted walkway through the middle of it :what: although it still wasn't too packed to dance. :clap: The 2 bands great their music was by no means too fast or slow. DJ's AWFUL :mad: Clubby music all night from them, I have never been so happy for a band to come on ever!! I even left the hall early to return to the lodge as I couldn't stand it any longer :mad:

Saturday Did none of the 6 classes available due to going into weymouth town centre on a 3hr hunt for a swim suit, so I couldn't possibly comment on the class quality :flower:
NightDance with a stranger competition early evening was a good laugh with all 3 winners getting a trophy :clap:
Music tonight was top quality by both dj's and both Bands :clap: :clap: I barely sat a track out all night. Then to finish the evening they had songs like Cha-cha slide, Tiger Feet and Nellie the elephant which everybody joined in with nellie the elephant being the funniest I had tears strolling down my face watching them fly round the hall :rofl: :rofl:
This was followed by Battle of the sexes which was also quite funny (this is the greese remix) The guys stand one side of the hall and the ladies the other and they have to roleplay the entire track but you are not allowed to touch anybody of the opposite sex, very funny indeed :rofl: :rofl:

SundayAgain I did none of the 5 classes available, but I did go up for the afternoon freestyle which was a band called The alley Cats :clap: :clap: Very good bad (coming from someone who generally doesn't like dancing to bands) :grin:
NightDj 1 Great selection of music :clap: followed by Fancy dress competition which I must say was done very well every individual, and group was introduced they could have music or a script done which made it all good fun :clap: there was even a mini showcase from one of the fancy dress groups which was Fab (they won and they so deserved it) :clap: :clap:
Band 1 :angry: Awful, Reminded me why I don't like dancing to bands :angry:
Dj and Band 2 great blend of tracks :clap: :worthy: DJ 3:angry: Grrr the likes of Take that was being played throughout the whole set :what:
Again they finished the night with tracks like Tigerfeet, YMCA, etc etc where everyone joined in :clap:

Freestyle went on till 2am each day which does seem a little early but for this type of holiday it is just right and people had parties in their lodges anyway! :clap:

Prices Very good I though at: -
£1 Jug of water or 25p a glass
£3 Jug of juice or 75p a glass
£2.60 Pint of beer
Food was also resonably priced and nice quality.

Good Points
Complex is gorgeous (I know I already said that) :respect:
Plenty of activities to do during the day like Swimming, Dry ski-ing, or snowboarding, Golf, Badminton, Nature reserve etc etc. :flower:
You can take your children and non dancing family members.
Very friendly atmosphere :flower:
Professional photograther going round all weekend taking picies of people freestyling, they were available to buy and take away with you there and then, prices starting at £5 :clap:
Wild birds on your doorstep in the morning (picies at bottom) :D

Bad points
As mentioned above certain DJ's and Bands Friday was a big disappointment.
No saturday lunchtime freestyle,
Quite far to walk if your lodge is the other side of the complex although it would be a nice walk it actually rained all weekend so most people drove upto the main hall.

O.K to finish off!! If you want a typical dance holiday where you can slog it out all weekend then this is not the holiday for you. But if you want a really nice break with the added bonus of dancing available then this holiday is for you :clap: I will certainly go back

I do hope I haven't missed anything

robd

28th-March-2006, 08:58 AM

Wild birds on your doorstep in the morning

That's all the incentive some fellas will need to go along.

foxylady

28th-March-2006, 09:25 AM

Hey, maybe it's worth moving north so that I could make the trip too - something tells me I've a lot to learn :what:

Oh yes ! :whistle:

Dreadful Scathe

28th-March-2006, 09:58 AM

God forbid :eek: :eek: :eek:

"Experienced", please...

When can I call myself mature ? Im not sure experienced covers it, far too general. :)

bigdjiver

28th-March-2006, 10:31 AM

I am more experienced at being young.

Donna

28th-March-2006, 11:44 AM

When can I call myself mature ? Im not sure experienced covers it, far too general. :)

Smurfs? :what: Mature?:D

Dreadful Scathe

28th-March-2006, 12:01 PM

Smurfs? :what: Mature?:D

thats why i asked :)

tsh

28th-March-2006, 12:22 PM

O.k pull up a chair, make a hot drink of your choice this could be a long one :eek:

I was thinking about posting something about this - third time I've been, and now that I've seen a few alternatives, I still think this is a very good weekender. Nice mix of people, classes and music (in general).

I did all the classes except line dancing on Sunday morning after the clocks went forward. First class was best, even though it was supposed to be beginners jive - Taught by a couple from Kent? with some nice WCS style moves. The Lindy class (Graeme & Ann) seemed to work quite well, clearly lindy, but simple enough that people seemed to be able to pick it up. 2 convincing salsa and Cha-Cha-Cha classes, and a couple of 'musical interpretation' classes from Micky (2nd being fixed partner only, so it was lucky the numbers were balanced!). I was less impressed by the Swing (20's charleston) and blues classes, which I felt were over complicated and not very useful, or the 'intermediate' jive - which was a normal ceroc style demo of a routine with no teaching.

Definately agree with the comments about the DJ's music - quite a contrast to the bands which were mostly very good, if a little fast sometimes. A friendly and relaxed weekend...

Sean

Tazmanian Devil

28th-March-2006, 01:52 PM

First class was best, even though it was supposed to be beginners jive - Taught by a couple from Kent? with some nice WCS style moves.
That would be Chicklet and her husband from Dance Riviera :flower:

Glad you put something about the classes as I didn't even watch them :blush:

Dreadful Scathe

28th-March-2006, 02:44 PM

That would be Chicklet and her husband from Dance Riviera :flower:

Did someone inform Chicklet that she was married ? :eek:

Tazmanian Devil

28th-March-2006, 02:50 PM

Did someone inform Chicklet that she was married ? :eek:
:rofl: :rofl: :blush: Sorry Chicklet :blush: I meant Chicky :rofl: :rofl:

clevedonboy

28th-March-2006, 03:14 PM

The Lindy class (Graeme & Ann) seemed to work quite well, clearly lindy, but simple enough that people seemed to be able to pick it up.

G&A are our Lindy teachers in Bristol :worthy: . They were a bit miffed to say the least when I spoke to them last night - apparently the Jive Aces cancelled late in the day (decided that a gig in the USA was better for them) & the replacement band on Sunday was too slow

Lory

28th-March-2006, 05:26 PM

Warmwell weekender

On arrival there was no wait for the keys to the lodge, nice welcome and absolutley gorgeous complex!

I've been there on a couple of 'non dancing' :really: weekends, with family and friends and I agree, it's lovely :nice:

Do they still have the big round Jacuzzi's in the lodges? :drool: And the wave machine in the pool? And Roller skating? And Sauna's?

One place I loved when I was down there, was Durdle door, it's only about 15minutes away and well worth a visit! :waycool:

Tazmanian Devil

28th-March-2006, 05:32 PM

I've been there on a couple of 'non dancing' :really: weekends, with family and friends and I agree, it's lovely :nice:

Do they still have the big round Jacuzzi's in the lodges? :drool: And the wave machine in the pool? And Roller skating? And Sauna's?

One place I loved when I was down there, was Durdle door, it's only about 15minutes away and well worth a visit! :waycool:

Unsure about the jacuzzi's but yes to the rest!! I couldn't believe how beautiful the complex was :clap: :clap:

Shame I didn't get to see Durdle door it looks amazing :sad:

Donna

28th-March-2006, 05:38 PM

I've been there on a couple of 'non dancing' :really: weekends, with family and friends and I agree, it's lovely :nice:

Do they still have the big round Jacuzzi's in the lodges? :drool: And the wave machine in the pool? And Roller skating? And Sauna's?

One place I loved when I was down there, was Durdle door, it's only about 15minutes away and well worth a visit! :waycool:

Wow, want to make me do the Mary Poppins thing and jump into it!!! (I NEED A HOLIDAY!!!!:tears: ) Ok I'm actually considering going on one of the ceroc holidays now. Would love that. Sun, Sea, Sand, getting into that bikini and drinking cocktails and dance all night...what more can you ask for! :drool:

TheTramp

29th-March-2006, 12:44 AM

getting into that bikini ...what more can you ask for! :drool:

The photos?? :innocent:

Donna

29th-March-2006, 10:50 AM

The photos?? :innocent:

Oi u!:blush: I'm sure you seen enough of that when you were life guarding in America!

TheTramp

29th-March-2006, 12:24 PM

Oi u!:blush: I'm sure you seen enough of that when you were life guarding in America!

You were there in a bikini when I was lifeguarding in America?? That was about 13 years ago. I'm sure that would have been just wrong... :what:

Donna

29th-March-2006, 12:26 PM

You were there in a bikini when I was lifeguarding in America?? That was about 13 years ago. I'm sure that would have been just wrong... :what:

You told me that remember?

Yes there wouldn't really have been to look at! :rofl:

Trousers

30th-March-2006, 12:22 AM

Urrrrrrr ... its Alec that all the complaints (see JiveCat) were about ..... :blush: :whistle:
I've not seen that bloke at Chester and over the last 9 months (oooh i could have had a baby by now) I've become a hardened Chesterite.
The normal guy who took over at midnite is a regular in that area I know that much.

Gus I think you need to to put your money where your mouth is on this one pay for Jivecat anyway - It's a bloody long way from Leicester for a dance.
She (Jivecat) was correct, the first bloke whomever he may or may not be was rubbish. I don't know how others feel but some nights you only need one great dance - good tune with the right partner to make it a GOOD night. That night was pants I had one reasonable dance with a lady but it was a rock n roller and if I'd have had my choice I'd have danced it with some one else. but apart from that nothing was inspiring. There were a couple of blusey bits but when they came on pesonally I'd hit a low point and found it difficult to move my arse off the steps.

The point Jivecat made about the numbers dropping was spot on too. I didn't really think much about it but looking back it is soooooooo out of character on a Stockport Big Night Out to loose punters like that. Maybe I didn't notice cos I bottle at 12.5 anyway - It just wasn't worth another 45 mins of my time.

If i can throw the Trousers acme Twp Penneth into the pot at this junture too - Tell Mr Blitz he needs some more speakers. Two on Stockport stage and none down by the bar just does not work. If you are Mr Dee Jay next time make them bring two more speakers and stands and some bloody long leads.
The last 3 times I have been there the quality of sound (without reference to the tracks here) is awful from half way up the room to the bar. Echo's, Fuzz add that to rubbish tracks and i went home like Jivecat wondering why I bothered. Unluckily I was at work in Ellesmere port on Sunday so luckily I only drove back to Chester (although that took 1.5 hours but thats another story)

Go on Gus sort 'em out.

Donna

30th-March-2006, 10:59 AM

If i can throw the Trousers acme Twp Penneth into the pot at this junture too - Tell Mr Blitz he needs some more speakers. Two on Stockport stage and none down by the bar just does not work. If you are Mr Dee Jay next time make them bring two more speakers and stands and some bloody long leads.

This is the only problem with Stockport, is the sound quality. You're right, it's just fuzzy and can't be heard properly from the centre of the hall towards the bar. In a hall of that size, you need so surround the hall with speakers!

Trousers

30th-March-2006, 01:24 PM

This is the only problem with Stockport, is the sound quality. You're right, it's just fuzzy and can't be heard properly from the centre of the hall towards the bar. In a hall of that size, you need so surround the hall with speakers!

'snot the only problem Donna.
Although I will say it's better of late but the bar service sucks more than an electrolux.
And people walk about with drinks inside the perimeter set by the outermost dancers - this being me most times. and when they eventually get knocked the drinks are always left on the floor!

Hu Hu wassatallaboutthen hu?

But on the whole apart from law and order, wine and the roads it aint a bad place to dance.

Donna

30th-March-2006, 01:40 PM

'snot the only problem Donna.
Although I will say it's better of late but the bar service sucks more than an electrolux.
And people walk about with drinks inside the perimeter set by the outermost dancers - this being me most times. and when they eventually get knocked the drinks are always left on the floor!

Hu Hu wassatallaboutthen hu?

But on the whole apart from law and order, wine and the roads it aint a bad place to dance.

It's a beautiful venue and I think, the best one in the North West. It's just such amagnificent ballroom and has a gorgeous marble staircase and ceiling. In case anybody is interested in coming along....here's a couple of pics. :nice:

4983

4984

Gus

30th-March-2006, 02:12 PM

Tell Mr Blitz he needs some more speakers. Two on Stockport stage and none down by the bar just does not work. If you are Mr Dee Jay next time make them bring two more speakers and stands and some bloody long leads.Funny you should mention that ....

When I first started DJing at Stockport (two yaers ago) we used two sets of speaskers as you said. Recently, the lovely Stockport people went to the trouble of putting in 3 pairs of serious speakers down the walls and some serious sound decks to boot. On a weekly class, Wednesdays, Blitz use the in-house system, sometimes supported by a pair of indepedant speakers on stage. This seems to work fine, despite the size of the place. I've no idea why this configuration wan't used at the last freestyle, but as my butt is on the line for the next freestyle I will make damm sure that I know what configuration will be used.

Re your feedback, keep it coming. I'm not part of Blitz (I'm merely a DJ harlot, working for whoever pays me :cool: ) but I know that Mr Blitz (aka Marc) and associates have had their attention drawn to this thread and are taking on board the feedback.

Trousers

30th-March-2006, 02:14 PM

Anyone else here work for the Stockport Tourist Agency or is it just Donna? :devil:

sorry:flower:

Trousers

30th-March-2006, 02:23 PM

but as my butt is on the line for the next freestyle I will make damm sure that I know what configuration will be used.

Ah well if we all get to see your Butt on the line we should organise an Impromtu BFG.
Fill the place up even more.
When is your night then Gus.

can you put Rockaria on for me then?

Oh and if Mr Blitz is watching - the two people who take the money are lovely. I don't think there's a nicer door team to give money to anywhere.

Donna

30th-March-2006, 02:27 PM

Anyone else here work for the Stockport Tourist Agency or is it just Donna? :devil:

sorry:flower:

:devil: :rofl:

Dazzle

31st-March-2006, 01:49 AM

This is the only problem with Stockport

?????

Trousers

31st-March-2006, 12:59 PM

If people do take note of whats said in here like Gus says Mr Blitz does then maybe its time the franchise owners on some of these venues found better accommodation. Or started a second night. They may take a hit on revenue for a few weeks but personally i like to think they are trying to find the best places/music/dj's/teachers continually not just putting up with crap because they still get feet thru the door.

Lets have some venues produce questionaires - How did we do? what went wrong etc. or suggestion boxes. Or just even invite a few regulars to discuss possibilities with someone who can change things - i.e the franchisee not the night staff but then to act on the information received.

I know sometime I feel like the franchises have us over a barrel. It's like drugs - our friends who suddenly we find out are users get us into to the ****. We go a few times saying I can handle it, I'm not addicted. Then suddenly 6 years have gone by and you're planning your life from one dance to the next. Go on holiday or get sick a while and you start getting nervous and irritable go without for a little longer and hit cold turkey. We end up dancing with a broken wrist, sprained ankle we've all done it. We are all addicts.
And the franchisee's know this - we only need the thought that there will be other addicts in a room with music and we'll turn up - Take busking for instance - who before they started dancing would have stood in the middle of a shopping centre and frankly made so much of a spectacle of themselves to cause people to stop and stare at them?
And we do it for free! we do it because it's a bloody free dance! We don't care whether there are new addicts watching preparing to inject that first lesson of jiving. We just do it becasue we can't stop anymore.
So our dealers (the franchisee) start cutting the product - making it weaker (venues become too full or dirty floor or crap Dj or teacher) - we start needing more hits (so we go to other venues too). But the dealer doesn't care he still sells his **** and we still lap it up.

Maybe we should get our chemistry sets out and make a product ourselves. Maybe a few non profit venues by the people for the people would wake them up a little.
Power to the people?

Maybe I do live in no. 9 Cloud Cuckoo avenue but I'm looking to move to Hope Avenue via Righteous Indignation street!

Someone make it better! Please!

Donna

31st-March-2006, 04:59 PM

Lets have some venues produce questionaires - How did we do? what went wrong etc. or suggestion boxes. Or just even invite a few regulars to discuss possibilities with someone who can change things - i.e the franchisee not the night staff but then to act on the information received.

Now THIS is an excellent idea! I have only ever come across one venue that has done that before and that was Ceroc Nantwich. I gave them top marks. I used to go there for the lessons every Tuesday but instead go to Chester now. Now I go every month without fail for the freestyles. Beautiful floor and venue. Well air conditioned.(Especially on one part of the floor where its blowing like mad and everybody tries to hogg that space... including me!:D ) Great music played. Excellent atmosphere.

Gus

31st-March-2006, 05:12 PM

Lets have some venues produce questionaires - How did we do? what went wrong etc. or suggestion boxes. Or just even invite a few regulars to discuss possibilities with someone who can change things - i.e the franchisee not the night staff but then to act on the information received.[ODA MODE]Why should a Franchisee care? Put me in the role of a franchisee with a packed venue. Every week I have hordes of dancers coming to my venue. They complain about it being too packed, the teacher being up his own ar**e and the music sucks ... BUT ... they all come back next week. Dont blame me, blame the morons who come week in week out, give me their money for something they then complain about. Go figure!

ChrisU

31st-March-2006, 05:14 PM

Lets have some venues produce questionaires - How did we do? what went wrong etc. or suggestion boxes. Or just even invite a few regulars to discuss possibilities with someone who can change things - i.e the franchisee not the night staff but then to act on the information received.

Maybe I do live in no. 9 Cloud Cuckoo avenue but I'm looking to move to Hope Avenue via Righteous Indignation street!

Someone make it better! Please!

Feedback should be the life blood of any business. So any venue should test its facilities etc against a feedback questionaire. :really:

DJ Chris Uren :wink:

Donna

31st-March-2006, 05:15 PM

[ODA MODE]Why should a Franchisee care? Put me in the role of a franchisee with a packed venue. Every week I have hordes of dancers coming to my venue. They complain about it being too packed, the teacher being up his own ar**e and the music sucks ... BUT ... they all come back next week. Dont blame me, blame the morons who come week in week out, give me their money for something they then complain about. Go figure!

I'm sure all franchisees out there get no end of complaints. Why? Because nobody is ever satified no matter how good the venue may be. Maybe the person complaining finds that it didn't suit them.. so why not move on and find somewhere else that does. So long as there is good music, dance floor, air con, atmosphere.. what more do people need to have a good time?

Gus

31st-March-2006, 05:26 PM

I'm sure all franchisees out there get no end of complaints. Why? Because nobody is ever satified no matter how good the venue may be. Maybe the person complaining finds that it didn't suit them.. so why not move on and find somewhere else that does. So long as there is good music, dance floor, air con, atmosphere.. what more do people need to have a good time?In theory yes ... but being a franchisee is a business ... if you get money without having to bother ... why bother? Lots of real life examples of this happening, in the face of business logic. Its up to the punters to vote with their feet. Alos, very few people complain, even when the night has been awefull. While the sheep continue to throw money at undeserving clubs, the abuse continues.

Dazzle

31st-March-2006, 06:23 PM

Feedback should be the life blood of any business. So any venue should test its facilities etc against a feedback questionaire. :really:

DJ Chris Uren :wink:

Been there, done that, got the doodles on the forms. Writing feedback takes too much effort away from dancing! :whistle: Only a few rare individual dancers care enough to bother and they generally say it to your face. :D

People just like to complain, whatever, you just take it and carry on. I stopped listening to what people said to me a long time ago, because it never means anything. "Please keep this venue open, we love it, we will support it". Rubbish, weeks or months later you shut, with a bank balance a few thousand lighter because you "listened" to someone. Unless people vote, not with just their feet, but lets face it, with their cash, NOTHING will ever be done. And why should they when those on the inside who try to make a difference get ostracised in public anyway!:angry:

This is a fickle business and no matter how hard you try you are still up against places, that have no atmosphere, crap music and you are totally unappreciated but people continue to go "cos my friends go"! Nuff said. :mad:

ChrisU

31st-March-2006, 07:24 PM

Been there, done that, got the doodles on the forms. Writing feedback takes too much effort away from dancing! :whistle: Only a few rare individual dancers care enough to bother and they generally say it to your face. :D

People just like to complain, whatever, you just take it and carry on. I stopped listening to what people said to me a long time ago, because it never means anything. "Please keep this venue open, we love it, we will support it". Rubbish, weeks or months later you shut, with a bank balance a few thousand lighter because you "listened" to someone. Unless people vote, not with just their feet, but lets face it, with their cash, NOTHING will ever be done. And why should they when those on the inside who try to make a difference get ostracised in public anyway!:angry:

This is a fickle business and no matter how hard you try you are still up against places, that have no atmosphere, crap music and you are totally unappreciated but people continue to go "cos my friends go"! Nuff said. :mad:

All businesses are fickle in some way when you deal with the public. But............................... I detect a note of bitterness. Ignore the customer at your peril.:what:

Perhaps the popularity will continue to increase - Greater competition - Better dancing...Cream always rises to the top.

Regards

DJ Chris Uren :wink:

clevedonboy

31st-March-2006, 08:35 PM

Cream always rises to the top.

erm ther's something else that floats ..........

Let's face it people are stupid - they go with the herd. I had someone tell me that they go to a venue in spite of the fact that they know the teaching is poor - barmy. Get people to support a new venture - little chance after all they don't want to look stupid.

Me, tired of MJ? ........................

Paul F

31st-March-2006, 09:56 PM

This is a fickle business and no matter how hard you try you are still up against places, that have no atmosphere, crap music and you are totally unappreciated but people continue to go "cos my friends go"! Nuff said. :mad:

:yeah:

Interesting posts so far.

I have to totally agree with the majority of views. I have seen it a few times now. A good venue stops operating while another venue of questionable quality thrives. I am of course talking about Stockport Town Hall. Seeing how I am not teaching around there any more I will give my opinion (yeah ,like thats ever stopped me before !) :)

Stockport Town Hall has, to me, always been a vastly over-rated night. The building itself is great but that has no reflection of the quality of the night. The floor, last time i went, was awful. I like a fast floor and found it to be anything but.
The bar service was laughable. I queued up for a good 10 minutes. May not sound a lot but when you are stood there it is :mad:
On a couple of occasions they had all the perimeter speakers on which meant you could hear it but it wasnt really worth hearing. A walkman and two pairs of headphones would have been preferable. One time they had 2 speakers on the stage - I walked out after an hour.
Lighting. The lighting was non-existent. They had a red ceiling illuminating light on and a bright white wall light near the bar that was so sterile it was completely unnecessary. It provided no ambience whatsoever.

YET...

It was packed :rolleyes:

People go because people go. :confused: A ludicrous statement but one that must be so hard to compete against.

-------
Im about to go off on a tangent. Buckle up.
-------

On the issue Gus mentioned (great to have you back BTW mate. I missed you :cheers: ). The point about people not voting with their feet and still handing over their cash, I feel the same way about footballers' wages.

One of my biggest pet hates, something that makes me boil up inside with rage is the amount footballers get paid. How can we stop it? Easy, people just have to stop going to watch them.

Fat chance :mad:

Ok. Im done. Back to the dancing.

Dazzle

1st-April-2006, 03:46 PM

All businesses are fickle in some way when you deal with the public. But............................... I detect a note of bitterness. Ignore the customer at your peril.:what:

Perhaps the popularity will continue to increase - Greater competition - Better dancing...Cream always rises to the top.

There are times to listen and times to pay lip service. The average customer in this business has no idea of the amount of input versus reward you getin MJ. They see the money handed over at the Front Desk and that is it. Nothing of the huge overheads! Without wanting to teach anyone to suck eggs, the MJ scene is NOT the same as commercial DJ work in any way shape or form, and a lot less well paid! MJ is more fickle than most, there is no one success formula and no manual or principles to follow, a free for all.

I am not bitter, with one exception, resigned to reality, but this Forum is meant to be a sounding board or moaning platform! :whistle:

Competition in my area counts for nothing except dilution and survival absolutely nothing to do with quality.

Right, I'm off to collude with Clevedonboy and PaulF!

ChrisU

1st-April-2006, 03:57 PM

There are times to listen and times to pay lip service. The average customer in this business has no idea of the amount of input versus reward you getin MJ. They see the money handed over at the Front Desk and that is it. Nothing of the huge overheads! Without wanting to teach anyone to suck eggs, the MJ scene is NOT the same as commercial DJ work in any way shape or form, and a lot less well paid! MJ is more fickle than most, there is no one success formula and no manual or principles to follow, a free for all.

I am not bitter, with one exception, resigned to reality, but this Forum is meant to be a sounding board or moaning platform! :whistle:

Competition in my area counts for nothing except dilution and survival absolutely nothing to do with quality.

Right, I'm off to collude with Clevedonboy and PaulF!

Why should the customer care!! You really are bitter.

Accept the fact IT IS A BUSINESS. I worked in R&R when it was the biggest thing to teach and earn money from. But it died because people didn't take it seriously.

No business has a fixed formula. Make your own formula and make that work. If you don't then out of business people will go. And most of the time that would be deserved.

Dazzle

1st-April-2006, 04:07 PM

Why should the customer care!! You really are bitter.

Accept the fact IT IS A BUSINESS. I worked in R&R when it was the biggest thing to teach and earn money from. But it died because people didn't take it seriously.

No business has a fixed formula. Make your own formula and make that work. If you don't then out of business people will go. And most of the time that would be deserved.

OK then Chris I will say it, until you know what you are talking about I would suggest you refrain from such rude replies, especially when you don't actually know the member you are talking to. I don't care how long you have DJ'd in other areas, this is not the same. At least I am using my own formula and not riding on the back of someone elses and continually pushing for free advice from those who have learned the hard way on here.

Take some of your own advice before dishing it!

ChrisU

1st-April-2006, 04:23 PM

OK then Chris I will say it, until you know what you are talking about I would suggest you refrain from such rude replies, especially when you don't actually know the member you are talking to. I don't care how long you have DJ'd in other areas, this is not the same. At least I am using my own formula and not riding on the back of someone elses and continually pushing for free advice from those who have learned the hard way on here.

Take some of your own advice before dishing it!

First clearly other people are not entitled to an opinion. And I only stated what I believe to be a fact. Do not see that as rude.

Second - Yes I am prepared to learn from others. Been DJing for 30 years. Very successfully and changed my image / style 5 or six times to cope with changes in the business. And still DJing very successfully. I have met lots of very successful people in MJ and I note that many of them have arrisen from different genres. I asked them how they did it. Havn't yet had one person not prepared to talk to me about their business. Good or Bad. Now I work for some of them.

Third No I don't know which member I am talking to. Why is that relevant. Its a discussion forum. You know very little about me, but feel the need to cut at me.

Perhaps we should end it there. I have nothing personal and would happily shake your hand and continue the discussion when we meet. Hope you have a good MJ night tonight.

Regards

DJ Chris Uren :wink:

Dazzle

1st-April-2006, 04:48 PM

[QUOTE=ChrisU] Now I work for some of them.[QUOTE]

It's easy to say that Chris. You work for them. You turn up, you get paid and you leave. When you are the first person there, may or may not get paid, put a lot of your own money on the line and are the last to leave, you may feel differently.

Learning from others is all well and good. I am sure they talk generally and would never divulge ground basics and financials. Getting others to do the hard work and benefiting from it is something else. I know it goes on and I am not suggesting that is what you are doing merely higlighting that goes on a lot and I have been a victim of it myself.

I only cut when discussions descend to that level.:mad:

Happy to leave it there too, but I think saying someone is bitter is a personal comment and not a fact. Opinions are fine and I am all for expressing them, but I don't class that as one. :waycool:

ChrisU

1st-April-2006, 05:10 PM

Well I look forward to meeting you some day and we can discuss the business over a couple of beers.

I will have to make the trip over as your Freestyles are well regarded. They are nice venue's, but not worked them in a long time. Bet I might learn something.

And apologies if I upset you in any way. Not my intention. But I do like a lively discussion.

DJ Chris Uren

Dazzle

2nd-April-2006, 04:19 AM

Beer always an accepted currency! :cheers: Tonight proved to me I still don't know anything about this game :confused: !

robd

3rd-April-2006, 11:17 AM

My personal opinion is that I didn't find the music in any way inspiring or memorable but I also didn't actively dislike it. I have had nights around here where I have hated the music especially one fella who insists on playing mad euro pop versions of eighties songs - urrgghhhh. I suspect the music is less of an issue for me than for some people - I tend to concentrate on the interaction with my partner (and too much talking to them whilst dancing) and the music gets pushed to the background.

Well, having, if not exactly defended the music at St Neots a few weeks ago on this thread, been less judgemental than most, I have to say that I now empathise more with that POV. I had the misfortune of going to Milton Keynes yesterday and the "fella who insists on playing mad euro pop versions of eighties songs" was DJing. There was barely a handful of smoother, slower tracks amidst the constant bang, bang, bang which over the course of 4 hours on a Sunday night is just too much. It really did ruin the night for me. Unfortunately I don't think there's an easy way of finding out who is DJing at the Ceroc Central freestyles in advance because if I knew this person was playing it would make me seriously reconsider attending even if I knew that the venue was nice (MK is, could be bigger but is OK) and I'd be among familiar, friendly faces (which I was yesterday).

:sad:

Lou

3rd-April-2006, 11:39 AM

Let's face it people are stupid - they go with the herd. I had someone tell me that they go to a venue in spite of the fact that they know the teaching is poor - barmy.

It's not always that people are stupid, it's just that your average punter has different needs to be serviced from an MJ night.

I've also had someone tell me that she goes to a venue where she admits that the teaching is poor. We're probably thinking of the same place. However, she tells me that she goes because of the atmosphere & that a lot of her friends go, too. OK, so you & I probably value the music, teaching & standard of other dancers as important. She has her own preferences. She might be wrong, but she isn't stupid! :wink:

Chef

4th-April-2006, 12:18 AM

Unfortunately I don't think there's an easy way of finding out who is DJing at the Ceroc Central freestyles in advance because if I knew this person was playing it would make me seriously reconsider attending even if I knew that the venue was nice (MK is, could be bigger but is OK) and I'd be among familiar, friendly faces (which I was yesterday).

:sad:

A group of friends had a similar problem with one DJ in our area - we didn't like his choice of music and he was the roving Dj that filled in for absences of the rgular DJs.

We decided that we would all form a text messaging group. If one person in the group heard of, or arrived at a venue where he was DJ for the evening then we would send a text message to all the others. What you did with that information was up to you. Some were too far into a journey to turn back or divert to an alternative venue. Most just decided to stay at home.

Just a thought.

ChrisU

4th-April-2006, 08:02 AM

A group of friends had a similar problem with one DJ in our area - we didn't like his choice of music and he was the roving Dj that filled in for absences of the rgular DJs.

We decided that we would all form a text messaging group. If one person in the group heard of, or arrived at a venue where he was DJ for the evening then we would send a text message to all the others. What you did with that information was up to you. Some were too far into a journey to turn back or divert to an alternative venue. Most just decided to stay at home.

Just a thought.

Wouldn't it have been easier to just complain to the organisers about the DJ!!

I am sure they would have been pleased to find out so they could ADJUST their business to hopefully provide what you wanted.

Regards

ChrisU

jivecat

4th-April-2006, 10:11 AM

Wouldn't it have been easier to just complain to the organisers about the DJ!!

I am sure they would have been pleased to find out so they could ADJUST their business to hopefully provide what you wanted.

Regards

ChrisU

Well, yes, except it's unlikely to make much impact unless a number of other people also make complaints. If the floor is full most of the evening and only one person makes a complaint there is no reason why that complaint need be taken very seriously by the organisers, as far as I can see. Most punters wouldn't dream of commenting on the music and the handful that do so are easily dismissed. As has been said so many times before, the idea of what is "good" or "appropriate" music is highly subjective anyway.

It's also not particularly easy to approach a strange DJ and introduce the subject of his/her cr*p music choices in a friendly & non-judgemental sort of way. Much easier for me (and apparently more productive :clap: ) to have a good whine about it behind their back on the forum.:rolleyes: :sick:

Tactically, I think it's probably better to praise what has been good about the music rather than endlessly criticise, especially if it's a venue that I'm likely to be returning to often.

Because complaining is not easy, I would like to see feedback forms for music available at every venue. Nobody would HAVE to fill them in but it would be nice to have the option to comment on the overall set and any particular tracks that worked or didn't work. There is still the likelihood of bias because the opinions of a small but vocal minority, who care a lot about the music, would probably dominate. But I'd have no problem with that as long as their opinions were the same as mine!:wink:

Chef

4th-April-2006, 10:16 AM

Wouldn't it have been easier to just complain to the organisers about the DJ!!

I am sure they would have been pleased to find out so they could ADJUST their business to hopefully provide what you wanted.

Regards

ChrisU

Yes, complaining to the organiser was the easiest and first course of action. Since this DJ was the partner and father of the organisers baby he could do no wrong. He still took our monthly friday night freestyle from 300 attendees to 24 in the space of 3 dance nights though.

All we were looking for was a varied mix of music so that there was something for everyone. The music that was played made us feel that we were in a goth teenagers bedroom. After my encounter with people at a weekender it would seem that the dancers in the MoJive area (Bournemouth) also suffer from a musical monoculture.

I am glad to say though that was about 3 years ago and he plays a much more varied mix of music now. I still don't go to his nights though because in the intervening years my musical tastes have changed and I dance at other places as a result. The West Coast Swing class at Dartford that I go to on a thursday clashes with his regular night.

Lou

4th-April-2006, 12:05 PM

The music that was played made us feel that we were in a goth teenagers [sic] bedroom.

I'd die for a freestyle like that (well, if I wasn't already undead....) :rolleyes:

Donna

4th-April-2006, 12:07 PM

[QUOTE=Chef]The music that was played made us feel that we were in a goth teenagers bedroom.

:rofl: I can imagine!

Trousers

12th-April-2006, 12:08 PM

Positive Feedback again. . . . . .

Rob at Northampton - bloody great musik last night.

rolled from the ordinary stuff thats so easy dance to you can chat with your partner into blusey and out via rock n roll.

oh and jack johnson

oooooooh it was smooth. good nite. cheers rob. :clap:

minor niggle - cliquey talenteds all practicing for showcases makes them look aloof and too good for the rest of us. boooooooo! (only a minor niggle tho - much better to dance with people that want to dance with you i think)

tsh

12th-April-2006, 01:12 PM

I had the misfortune of going to Milton Keynes yesterday and the "fella who insists on playing mad euro pop versions of eighties songs" was DJing.

That's a shame, Milton Keynes is now the only Ceroc Cental venue I consider worth making an effort to go to, since Marc's teaching does seem to have enough of a beneficial effect on the locals that I enjoy dancing with a significant proportion of them.

Fortunately we have a new local organiser, Fridays at Huntingdon and Sundays at St Neots (not at the priory centre), where the music is good (i.e. less pop/club stuff) and most of the people I used to have to go to Ceroc venues to see also seem to dance. The venues are small, but the floors are good. A few more people turning up wouldn't do any harm though!

Sean

robd

12th-April-2006, 01:28 PM

That's a shame, Milton Keynes is now the only Ceroc Cental venue I consider worth making an effort to go to, since Marc's teaching does seem to have enough of a beneficial effect on the locals that I enjoy dancing with a significant proportion of them.

Fortunately we have a new local organiser, Fridays at Huntingdon and Sundays at St Neots (not at the priory centre), where the music is good (i.e. less pop/club stuff) and most of the people I used to have to go to Ceroc venues to see also seem to dance. The venues are small, but the floors are good. A few more people turning up wouldn't do any harm though!

Sean

The MK I went to was a tea dance and Marc wasn't teaching. Don't know if that same DJ (**** Dave) does the regular MK nights too.

I cede to no-one in my admiration for Marc as a teacher but I am not sure I have experienced the effects you describe at other venues where he has taught for a while - there are still similar proportions of good, bad and indifferent dancers there. And there are people who do not like Marc's style of teaching - they're not necessarily people I wish to dance with but they do exist.

On the other point I have been to a number of Sara's Sunday classes and generally enjoyed them though in my experience it's often pretty much the same faces as you'll see at ceroc (and jivevibe and basically anywhere there's a chance to dance :nice: ). Interesting that Ceroc Central have now decided to put on more tea dances on Sundays in that area (Bedford, St Ives, etc) - surely they're not worried of the competition??

Robert

Lou

12th-April-2006, 02:27 PM

I went to Blitz in Chester for the first ever time on Monday.

I really liked the venue. It's in a great location - very central, and easy to find. And the building is beautiful. The guy on the door was welcoming, and extremely honest & gave me the correct change, as I'd accidently given him £20 instead of the tenner I thought that it was.

The beginners class was pretty straightforward. The only thing that felt awkward to me was going into a lady spin, straight after a return. That always feels odd to a LeRoc lady, as it's two spins in the same direction (we'd prefer either a spin, or a return, not both together!). The people were friendly, and exchanged names and chatted as we rotated, which is always nice. The intermediate class was very popular, however it did seem pitched at a slightly higher level than the majority of the male dancers, as whilst it was a nice routine, it contained some quite tricky moves which would require quite advanced leading techniques (or a partner who knew what was expected of her ;) ).

The music during the freestyles was a standard mix of what you'd expect pretty much anywhere. If anything, there were a few too many clubby tunes for my particular taste, but that's just my preference. It seemed like the DJ was keeping it pretty varied, to cater for everyone, which was safe, but not too inspiring.

The one thing that struck me, was that there are A LOT of bouncy dancers in Chester. Far more than at any of my regular haunts. I danced with a fair few men there, and even the better dancers were bouncy. The only person I danced with who was smooth was our lovely Gus (despite the fact that he was somewhat the worse for wear and a little confused as to who I was!). With them being that bouncy, it did mean that I wasn't really able to relax & enjoy the dances as much as I'd like. And I did keep myself on guard for the particularly bouncy ones, although I didn't get yanked.

I have a theory that the bouncing comes from a bizarre exagerated swaying-from-side-to-side movement that everyone did during the 5-6-7-8 count. The only other place I've ever encountered it was in Swindon. :rolleyes:

On the whole, it was a positive experience, although I don't think I'd make an effort to go back. But if I did find myself in Chester on a Monday, I'd definitely go along again.

Donna

12th-April-2006, 02:36 PM

I went to Blitz in Chester for the first ever time on Monday.

Tut! Awww! Met a couple of forumites there already and missed one! I don't usually go there on a Monday as too packed out(especially when you need all the practice you can get, it's not such a good place to practice) I always go on the Tuesday night. Anyhow, glad you did enjoy it. The guy on the door is Steve. Yes nice bloke. The venue is fab, great floor ( at least it's not as slippy as it used to be)

And the building is beautiful.

:yeah:

it contained some quite tricky moves which would require quite advanced leading techniques (or a partner who knew what was expected of her ;) ).

I take it Paula was teaching? Always up for a challenge that one!

The music during the freestyles was a standard mix of what you'd expect pretty much anywhere. If anything, there were a few too many clubby tunes for my particular taste, but that's just my preference. It seemed like the DJ was keeping it pretty varied, to cater for everyone, which was safe, but not too inspiring.

It was more Jive and Blues music being played last night. Even though I quite like that stuff, I'd have preferred a bit more dance and latin.

The one thing that struck me, was that there are A LOT of bouncy dancers in Chester.

Veeery bouncy! Imagine if everybody in this country danced like that at the same time?! This island would sink! :rofl:

The only person I danced with who was smooth was our lovely Gus

:worthy: Lurvley dancer. :drool:

Russell Saxby

12th-April-2006, 02:42 PM

The beginners class was pretty straightforward. The only thing that felt awkward to me was going into a lady spin, straight after a return. That always feels odd to a LeRoc lady, as it's two spins in the same direction (we'd prefer either a spin, or a return, not both together!)

:confused:

Return - anti-clockwise
Ladyspin - clockwise

Wot am I missing? :flower:

Lou

12th-April-2006, 02:48 PM

:confused:

Return - anti-clockwise
Ladyspin - clockwise

Wot am I missing? :flower:

It's that block before the ladyspin. We're turning in an anti-clockwise direction before the block, and if you put it straight after the anticlockwise return, it feels odd.

You're right - the actual spin is indeed clockwise.

Trousers

12th-April-2006, 04:45 PM

I went to Blitz in Chester for the first ever time on Monday.

I like Donna obviously missed you too - but i was there :confused:

Hey Ho!

Lots of newish people there of late thats why they are bouncing I think; well apart from Scoobie as they call him.

Some cracking ladies there

Lou

12th-April-2006, 04:53 PM

I like Donna obviously missed you too - but i was there :confused:
Ah! We may have met. How would I recognise you?

Donna

12th-April-2006, 04:55 PM

I like Donna obviously missed you too - but i was there :confused:

Hey Ho!

Lots of newish people there of late thats why they are bouncing I think; well apart from Scoobie as they call him.

Some cracking ladies there

There was 140 in Chester Monday night you know! They usually get that amount on a freestyle night! That's why I stick to Tuesdays (even though that's busy) it's not so stressful.

Donna

12th-April-2006, 04:56 PM

Ah! We may have met. How would I recognise you?

He wears the loudest trousers on the planet! :na: :rofl:

Lou

12th-April-2006, 05:19 PM

He wears the loudest trousers on the planet! :na: :rofl:
Trust me. I always make a point of asking the man with the most interesting trousers in the room for a dance. :rolleyes: I definitely did at Chester! :grin: Cheers Donna! I think I know who you are, Trousers! :wink: And we did dance....

Donna

12th-April-2006, 05:22 PM

Trust me. I always make a point of asking the man with the most interesting trousers in the room for a dance. :rolleyes: I definitely did at Chester! :grin: Cheers Donna! I think I know who you are, Trousers! :wink: And we did dance....

don't worry... i didn't know who he was until he mentioned his trousers either!:rofl:

WittyBird

16th-April-2006, 01:03 AM

I went to Chiswick tonight.............

Had a truely appauling evening. Felt like I couldn't dance.

Then I spoke to others who said the same..

Left with Taz and DJ and also while we were leaving the lovely Tessalicious and ESG left saying the same thing. Shame really...........

Crap night at Chiswick :angry:

Paul F

16th-April-2006, 01:22 AM

Ta- ta ta ta - ta - ta -ta -taaaaaa

Its review time!!!!!

Tonights review is brought to you by the letter M :grin:

Just got back from Ceroc London's first freestyle at Chiswick town hall.

Bottom Line (for those who dont want to read my drivel):
Very poor night.

I wanted so much for this freestyle night to work as its a reasonably easy drive for me being right on the A4 and all.
I have tried hard to balance out the pro's and con's below but, ultimately, failed.

Pro's

- 80p for cans of coke/7up etc. Not a bad price at all.

- Music. I found Eric's music in the blues room to be excellent. Some really nice tracks. Such ashame I couldnt dance to them :( (see below)

- As I have commented on how difficult it is, for me, to get to other venues I will add as a positive how nice and easy this one is for me. Down the A4 a little way then turn left. Easy!!

Im afraid thats it for the positives.

Con's

- Heat. It was quite a chilly night outside tonight yet inside Chiswick Town Hall it was absolutely boiling. It has been quite a while since I have danced in a venue and found it stupidly hot. Alas, this is how I found it tonight.

- Packed. Far too many people in the blues room to enjoy any dancing whatsoever. Thinned out around 11:50 ish but, by then, I had pretty much given up hope due to all the other problems. There was a bit of space at the very end of the main room but as you couldnt hear the music up there it didnt really matter :(

- Sound quality (main room). As said above the volume of music under the lower part of the main room was terrible. Barely audible causing that sensation of hearing people talking. Weird as most of the time you cant hear people at all.

- Floorcraft. This was obviously made worse by the fact that it was so packed in the blues room. There were 1 or 2 guys (but only 2 that i saw) that were doing drops. You know, it wouldnt worry me if the guys doing them would fracture a bone or two but its the fact that they could hurt others that worries me.

- Floor quality. Woooah. This is a big one !! The floor in the main room was ok but i didnt spend much time dancing in there. (spent lots of time standing watching).
The floor in the blues room was one of the worst I have danced on in a while. Firstly, it slopes :sick: The whole floor seems to slope towards the stage. It meant that people were tracking towards the stage while dancing and it didnt half play havoc with my spinning. This is fine if you have plenty of time to dance on it as you can adapt. As the night was so poor, I didnt get chance to get much dance time in on it.
Secondly, The top part of the floor wasnt just sticky. It wasnt as if someone had spilled something and it not having been cleaned up. It was just as if the wood wasn't meant as a dancefloor. It was totally different the further away from the stage you went. Terrible terrible condition.

- Fixtures and fittings. Firstly, the gents toilet had no working hand towels. I couldnt see any way of drying your hands. Pretty important to me when it comes to hygiene.
Secondly, the floor in the gents when I went in (about 11:30) was soaking wet and increadibly sticky. A comment was made that, previously, it had been slippy in there. Whether it was treated or just through misuse but it made my shoes extra sticky which compounded the floor issues later on in the night.
Thirdly, there was not one table I could see to put drinks on. 3 times I got a can from the foyer area, 3 times i flapped like a weirdo when asked to dance as I had nowhere to put my drink :(

Well, I am afraid that is my review. Another upside was some of the dances I had. I am not putting this as a Pro though as, to be honest, I would enjoy dancing with some people no matter what the conditions. :hug:

Conclusion
As a venue, this just doesnt work for me. Far too many things that would need to be corrected to make it a feasible freestyle night. ITs fair to say many of the things are outside of Ceroc's control. However, they did decide to use Chiswick town hall.
The possibility was there with Ceroc's marketing prowess and some fine DJ's but, Im truly sorry to say, it was simply a very very poor night.

Tazmanian Devil

16th-April-2006, 01:24 AM

O.K my views on Chiswick :angry:

Too Hot:angry:
Too Packed :angry:
Floor sloped :angry:

:worthy: :worthy: Erick Nice tunes mate and if it wasn't for standing chatting with you all evening my whole night would have been a disaster:angry:

Attempted on having some dances with DJ, WB, Russell, ESG, Dirty D, Barry S, and GD but felt they were plain awful due to the lack of floorcraft, and the slope!!!:angry:

I don't think I have ever been bashed about in 12 dances in my life!! Yes 12 dances all night it was that bad!!!!!!!!!:angry:

:worthy: :worthy: Thankyou DJ for taking me back to wittys you are a diamond gezzar :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

Paul F

16th-April-2006, 01:28 AM

What I found spoke volumes was not how many people were struggling with the dancing but rather how many people were stood about watching !

Says a lot.

WittyBird

16th-April-2006, 01:41 AM

I left early and in tears because of this. Taz spent most of the night talking to Erick on the decks because of this. It made me feel like the worlds worst dancer, but having spoke to a few people ( who I class to be sh1t hot) they said the same.

Thank you to the beautiful Taz and Tessalicous for holding me when I was sobbing my heart out. :love:

It was truly appauling I had lost the will to live with it all :eek:

Like I said in my earlier post I felt like the worst dancer on the planet.......
And that aint me.

Sh1te night, not to be repeated...............:mad:

Gus

16th-April-2006, 09:09 AM

ITs fair to say many of the things are outside of Ceroc's control. However, they did decide to use Chiswick town hall.Curious about that statement. I've always found Chiswick town hall to be a great venue. I used to DJ there when Chis Vessey used to run the popular Dance Crazy events in the late 90's. I think Mike Ellard also used to run events there some time back. The Swinging the Blues nights are held there and are alwys a success.

Sorry, but with a venue like that any team should be able to run a good night. The Ceroc London team can hardly be called amateurs, they are a professional team and have pulled off some great nights. I find it hard to understand how they could have got it so badly wrong.

Also .. if Erik was banished to the Blues room, who was playing in the main room?

Tazmanian Devil

16th-April-2006, 10:10 AM

Curious about that statement. I've always found Chiswick town hall to be a great venue. I used to DJ there when Chis Vessey used to run the popular Dance Crazy events in the late 90's. I think Mike Ellard also used to run events there some time back. The Swinging the Blues nights are held there and are alwys a success.

Sorry, but with a venue like that any team should be able to run a good night. The Ceroc London team can hardly be called amateurs, they are a professional team and have pulled off some great nights. I find it hard to understand how they could have got it so badly wrong.
I don't blame ceroc London at all, especially with the list of sucessful events that have been at this venue!! Obviously it's all trial and error when it comes to opening a new freestyle/class night, unfortuately for them this wasn't the best one :sad: Fair play to the crew for giving it a go though!!

Also .. if Erik was banished to the Blues room, who was playing in the main room?
That will have been Annette :nice:

Gus

16th-April-2006, 10:32 AM

I don't blame ceroc London at all, especially with the list of sucessful events that have been at this venue!! Sorry, but not sure if I understand what you are saying. If many other teams have run good events at Chiswick, why should Ceroc London fail? Any organiser knows that once you've sorted the marketing (often the hardest aspect), its down to getting the Music, dancefloor, facilities and drinks sorted, probably in that order.

The acoustics are fine at the venue so there is no excuse for not getting the sound balance right in either room. I know previously there have been trouble getting the floor right ... the venue management previously did Dance Crazy a 'favour' of polishing the main floor so much it was an ice rink (think the night had to be abandoned) ... so you always carry out inspections to make the floor is right. Toilets ... well sorry, bit most organisers I know now go the lengths of making sure free deodorant is provided and their are regular inspections.

These are BASICS! Nothing new. I'm only going on what you guys said. If the team screwed up on the night, then say it. Its only feedback. This thread has been excellent in praising events for getting it right, it should be equally robust in feeding back where organisers haven’t been so successful, like people were about the Marconi freestyle last week.

Zebra Woman

16th-April-2006, 10:43 AM

What sad reading..:sad:

I was really hoping that Chiswick was going to work as a regular blues night in London. I think a lot of us would like that. I must admit the 12.30 finish doesn't sit well with Blues, IMO a 2AM finish would be much better.

I was gutted to miss it, but now I don't feel so bad.

One question.

How come no one has ever noticed the sloping floor until now? The annual Chiswick blues nights in January run by Nigel and Nina have had many of the same problems mentioned here; heat, overcrowding etc. but I don't remember anyone mentioning a sloping floor before.

I think Marc in Blues room at Hammersmith Town Hall, is the best way forward for me. That really worked:clap: .

Tazmanian Devil

16th-April-2006, 10:48 AM

Sorry, but not sure if I understand what you are saying. If many other teams have run good events at Chiswick, why should Ceroc London fail? Any organiser knows that once you've sorted the marketing (often the hardest aspect), its down to getting the Music, dancefloor, facilities and drinks sorted, probably in that order.

These are BASICS! Nothing new. I'm only going on what you guys said. If the team screwed up on the night, then say it. Its only feedback. This thread has been excellent in praising events for getting it right, it should be equally robust in feeding back where organisers haven’t been so successful, like people were about the Marconi freestyle last week.

The night was awful granted, I have already said that. I only know of 3 people who had a great night, but i think that was for personal reasons as opposed to the enjoying the venue itself!!

I know I have cut the team some slack but this is because it was their first night at this particlar venue.
Their drinks was of a resonable price, they did have big fans dotted around all over the place,(although it still didn't help with the heat) music was fab from Erick :worthy: Cannot commet on Annett as I didn't spend any time in that room. so IMHO they tried thier best to make it a good one but it just didn't work out!!! The only things I will blame them for is allowing too many people through the door!! :sad: (typical problem) and even considering using a room that has a sloping floor :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

I totally agree that this thread should be used for both positive ad negative feedback, and it is nice to see it being used for this instead of of subject drivel like it has been of late.

Jive Brummie

16th-April-2006, 10:55 AM

Have not read all the thread so apologies in advance:blush: ,

but has anyone given any feedback on the clubnights north of the border yet?

....or are you all tooooo scared:rofl: .

It's just that all the forementioned reasons for haveing good/bad nights all happen up here to. Some more than others and so I thought it might be nice if somebody...anybody, made mention of them.

For me, locality is always a biggy and so my regular venue would be Perth. Not Dundee. Dundee has a high turnover of punters and so many of them are beginners. Now nothing against beginners...but I don't want to dance with them all night. If I'm paying my hard earned 7 quid, I want to dance with great dancers...blah, blah, blah....

The Invercarse is a very grand looking venue, well, at least from the inside but I find the floor to be a bit binding on the shoes. In other words, it's a bit minging and you can guarantee (sp?) that at the end of the night, if you've been wearing suede sole shoes, you'll be spending a good 20 minutes brushing them clean!

Perth (my old venue...so I'm a bit biased:blush: ) has just had a refurb and the decor is lovely. The floor has been enlarged. Admittedly not by much but anything is better than nowt. Lighting is good, supply of free water is great, although it does run out quite quickly sometimes, but the bar staff are happy to refill. The floor in my opinion is the big draw to this venue. quite a fast one, and they're the ones I like. Not too many beginners at this venue, so things like floor craft are better than say, at Dundee. Not that that's the fault of the beginner IMO. Oh yeah, and the Perth mob always seem to be that bit friendlier than 'others'. (Lights blue touch paper, stands back and waits!)

Although the dance community up here is quite close...the venue's aren't really. Yeah, we've got Dundee, Perth and Brechin locally but anything else and it's an hour drive (at least). I know that's not much, but if the venue you're going to is questionable and you've been at work all day, the prospect of the drive isn't very appealing.

Ceroc is the big boy up here and appears to have the 'market share' but I have noticed more independants opening up over the past few months. To me this is all to the benefit of the punter (you and me). We end up getting more for our dosh, (Nigel & Nina workshop £20 per person...cheers easy!) and you often find the atmosphere at these other events is very different from the Ceroc ones.

Both do a good job though, so it's up to the individual as to where they go...
.....it is nice to be different though.

JB.

p.s. Fellow north of the border-ers...please give us your experiences of your venue's so we can all have a better idea of where to go and why.:cheers:

p.p.s I've only been to Lisa's classes a couple of times, but always, always found them to be really good, challenging and fun to learn without getting the patronising tones from the stage. Nice one Lisa. That's Aberdeen by the way:wink:

wayaay bird

16th-April-2006, 11:46 AM

I had a brilliant night as chiswick last night, floor was lovely in the main room, lots of space to dance nearer the end of the night. i had a lot of good dances with people i'd never danced with before.

I agree about having no tables to put drinks down though and the blue's room was too hot and crowded! :sick:

Me and Rosie posie noticed Nick Cotton from eastenders was there so we made sure we got a dance with him, he is only a beginner but wasn't doing too bad.

Would definately go again!

Xxx

Paul F

16th-April-2006, 12:02 PM

These are BASICS! Nothing new. I'm only going on what you guys said. If the team screwed up on the night, then say it. Its only feedback. This thread has been excellent in praising events for getting it right, it should be equally robust in feeding back where organisers haven’t been so successful, like people were about the Marconi freestyle last week.

I see what you are saying mate. Im fairly hesitant on blaming an organiser for specifics. I usually blame then for choosing a venue as most will not take each area and deal with it as necessary. The things I mentioned in my review may well have been overcome given much work but I think most of them were inherent to a very poor venue.
It is strange how you have previously enjoyed it there. I remember back to to the blues weekend thing and I didnt particularly enjoy it then either.
Im afraid I will just have to put it down to a bad choice of venue.

I had a brilliant night as chiswick last night, floor was lovely in the main room, lots of space to dance nearer the end of the night. i had a lot of good dances with people i'd never danced with before.

I agree about having no tables to put drinks down though and the blue's room was too hot and crowded! :sick:

Would definately go again!

Xxx

Im glad you enjoyed the night.

As i said in my post, I agree the floor in the main room was ok and the music, if you were not at the back, was plenty audible and had some good tracks.
It was definately crowded until late late on. The last time I got such a battering was at St Neots a while ago. :tears:

Gus

16th-April-2006, 12:09 PM

Interesting that Paul and Wayaay Bird can have such different experiences at the same event. It would suggest that different people go for different things and its always going to be hard to please everyone. Maybe some of the earlier 'condemnation' was a bit harsh ... but then again if thats people's perceptions then, for them at least, its reality.

The thing that really does puzzle me is the acoustics. If I remember correctly, in the old days we just had a pair of bog-standard 250w speakers on stage and the sound was AOK. Can see why there would have been problem getting a good sound balance. Its a fairly standard sized room, a lot smaller than the main hall events we have in the N West. Would be nice to get Erik's view of events?

Paul F

16th-April-2006, 12:36 PM

Interesting that Paul and Wayaay Bird can have such different experiences at the same event. It would suggest that different people go for different things and its always going to be hard to please everyone. Maybe some of the earlier 'condemnation' was a bit harsh ... but then again if thats people's perceptions then, for them at least, its reality.

I think me and Wayaay Bird agreed on most things except for the outcome.
My review is obviously going to be based more from dancing in the blues room. As it sounds as though WB danced mainly in the main room, and also agreeing about tables and space, it would probably follow that her perception would be different from mine.

With regard to the sound, I have no idea how its overcome. All I know is that, when you moved to the back the sound level dropped considerably.

wayaay bird

16th-April-2006, 12:42 PM

I think me and Wayaay Bird agreed on most things except for the outcome.
My review is obviously going to be based more from dancing in the blues room. As it sounds as though WB danced mainly in the main room, and also agreeing about tables and space, it would probably follow that her perception would be different from mine.

With regard to the sound, I have no idea how its overcome. All I know is that, when you moved to the back the sound level dropped considerably.

I only had about 4 dances in the blues room but then i always prefer to be in the main room, i dont mind a bit of blue's but not all night.

There's always going to be ups and downs anywhere you go, you cant please everyone all the time.

Xxx

Chicklet

16th-April-2006, 12:47 PM

but has anyone given any feedback on the clubnights north of the border yet?
....or are you all tooooo scared:rofl:
I wonder if the thing that puts some folk off from reviewing venues in this way is the fact that is often just such a personal thing, and therefore subjective and hard to be objective and therefore "fair". Ie the thing I'd be scared of is imposing my view from a bad night for me and having someone else avoid a venue because of it.

For example, I went to the GUU on Wed last for the freestlye and had a ball, this had nothing in particular to do with the DJ, (heard him before, know his style), nothing in particular to do with the the venue (but admittedly I do like the fast floor), nothing in particular to do with the clientele, I knew fewer than 10 people in the place due to having been "out injured" for so long, but had everything to do with the fact that I personally was up for it.

On the other hand I've had some really crappy nights in the same place when others were obviously having a great time.

So my input would always be, if you're in the mood come 7pm of an evening, suck it and see, if it's not great, don't worry too much, one of the great things about dance world is that there's always another night coming up.

disclaimer, obviously there are places on the extremes where consitantly poor floor and folk are going to pull you down off your high, but, in the main, this is my view

Lynn

16th-April-2006, 02:35 PM

Can I just say I'm glad to hear other people not being happy with venues and conditions at a venue in terms of floor, sound, overcrowding etc, being detrimental to their enjoyment of a night out.

One of the main reasons why I don't dance salsa has been the venues, sticky floors with broken glass, excessively smoky, poor sound quality and volume too high, extremely bad floorcraft etc. When I mention these things to local dancers they look at me as if I'm slightly crazy. (When I mentioned them on a local dance forum one salsa teacher had a dig at me even wanting to wear dance shoes.)

Thank you, I feel slightly less mad now. :flower:

Lost Leader

16th-April-2006, 05:39 PM

I cannot claim to have a wide experience of many venues but for me the following things matter;

- convenient / adequate / safe parking
- nice clean floor, preferably square rather than long and thin
- high ceiling
- good air conditioning
- plenty of tables and chairs around the dance floor
- not too crowded
- decent sound system and lights
- friendly people to dance with
- good DJ
- reasonble balance of the sexes
- nice if there are some very good dancers there to watch whilst you are taking a break

Trousers

17th-April-2006, 01:02 PM

Trust me. I always make a point of asking the man with the most interesting trousers in the room for a dance. :rolleyes: I definitely did at Chester! :grin: Cheers Donna! I think I know who you are, Trousers! :wink: And we did dance....
Oh **** was I crap?

I know I was distracted by the number on the floor.

Hope I wasn't toooooooooooo distracted

lemme know when u are mids way again and I will try and do better

Barry Shnikov

17th-April-2006, 11:32 PM

Attempted on having some dances with DJ, WB, Russell, ESG, Dirty D, Barry S, and GD but felt they were plain awful due to the lack of floorcraft, and the slope!!!:angry:

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy our dances, Taz, I did. Especially the smiles, which I thought seemed mischievous but I now realise were probably pained.:tears:

I also enjoyed my dances with WB though it was clear she was upset and therefore not on top form...her usual smiles were almost missing altogether.

Barry Shnikov

17th-April-2006, 11:38 PM

Chiswick generally, I enjoyed.

Yes, it was hot, and they could have used more ventilation. Yes it was crowded, though I personally did not suffer from much in the way of crushed feet, rugby tackles, etc. Yes, it took a long time for most people to realise the floor sloped in the blues room (meaning that 'unaware' couples could start dancing by the door to the bar and end the next song tripping over the stage). Worst of all, the bar sucked big time.

But I had some really fabulous dances, some very pleasant compliments, the music was 100% better than what we get subjected to down here in South Hampshire, and of course met and danced and chatted with forumites - something else in short supply down here.

I just sent an e-mail to David Bradley about crewing for the Champs and I gave him 9½ out of 10.

Barry Shnikov

17th-April-2006, 11:43 PM

- Floor quality. Woooah. This is a big one !! The floor in the main room was ok but i didnt spend much time dancing in there. (spent lots of time standing watching).
The floor in the blues room was one of the worst I have danced on in a while. Firstly, it slopes :sick: The whole floor seems to slope towards the stage. It meant that people were tracking towards the stage while dancing and it didnt half play havoc with my spinning. This is fine if you have plenty of time to dance on it as you can adapt. As the night was so poor, I didnt get chance to get much dance time in on it.

Yeah, there was something wrong with the floor in the blues room, it was not properly prepared in patches all over.

But there were - to my recollection - always parts where you could dance without being crushed and without too much of a problem floor. I found best for both purposes was near the door to the outside (which Mike Ellard opened from time to time to get some cold air in).

But they would need to ensure that the floor was not in such a poor state the next time they have a freestyle there.

WittyBird

18th-April-2006, 12:04 AM

I also enjoyed my dances with WB though it was clear she was upset and therefore not on top form...her usual smiles were almost missing altogether.

Thank you & I'm sorry :flower:

Lou

18th-April-2006, 07:10 AM

Oh **** was I crap?

I know I was distracted by the number on the floor.
Oh no! You weren't crap at all! I thought we had a lovely dance. :hug: You're one of the better dancers there, by far. And yes, you were distracted by the others, but that's a fantastic thing, because you were looking out for trouble. Please don't change! :hug:

(btw, before I get slated by ESG, etc., this isn't just forum gushing - I do mean it).

Tazmanian Devil

18th-April-2006, 08:42 AM

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy our dances, Taz, I did.
:blush: Sorry sweetie :blush: The dance's themselves were lovley I just had a really bad night :sad:
Hope to dance with you again soon :hug:

Especially the smiles, which I thought seemed mischievous but I now realise were probably pained.:tears:
I have been told alot lately that I look mischivieous when I dance!! I don't mean to :confused: But have also been told that it's nice so don't think I will bother trying to change it!! :devil:

Gus

29th-April-2006, 01:32 PM

Taken me four years, but finally managed to make it to the Thursday night at the Octel club.

Interest Notice - This Organisation is actually a competitor to the clubs where I teach

Venue - easy to find, good car parking. Reasonable sized venue for the numbers there and seating off to the side.

Lesson - Chris Avison is ex-CTA, think he's the most experienced teacher in the North. The moves were pretty good and he had a clear, friendly delivery. Wasn't as 'technical' as I would like, but could easily understand what he was doing. Despite me being totally useless in lessons (never can remember the moves) I only went wrong a few times which is a record for me).

Dancers - Surprisingly a fair few of the dancers dropped out of the lesson. Some of the moves were slightly challenging but a lot friendlier than routines I've seen taught elsewhere. In the freestyle, seemed to be a pretty friendly bunch. Not being know there was an advantage as I got asked to dance as many times as I asked. A few cases of bouncing hands/body .. but no one tried pulling my arms off.

Good age range, from 18 to bus-pass age. Standard was average club standard ... though little Blues experience. Had to 'sacrifice' myself to teaching a couple of the younger lasses the basics of Blues (:rolleyes: ).

Music - for a standard club, pretty good. Very little new stuff, and Mavericks and DJ Otzi did feature (:sick: ) .. but the main part of the playlist was pretty good, though Latin music was in a minority ... unusual for the N West.

The real surprise was the lighting. Firstly, the DJs set up was great, nice set of lights configured to illuminate the dance space nicely without blinding the dancers. BUT ... the venue has a full set of UV light! Haven't seen those since the 80's. Could be a surprise for any visiting ladies wearing white underwear ... but gave me an excuse to wear my UV friendly cyberdog top which I happened to have in my kit bag.:grin:

So .. overall I'd say it was a pretty good night. Definitely better than most of the clubs I’ve been to ... probably only Chester on a Monday ahead of it. Quite an achievement for an independent.

ChrisU

29th-April-2006, 01:55 PM

Hi. Just a quick post to thank all the great people at the The Cinammon Club in Bowden on Thursday night. It was great to DJ somewhere different and with a nice knowledgable crowd. Hope to get back there soon.

DJ Chris Uren:wink:

ChrisU

5th-May-2006, 10:42 AM

I am doing the miles at the moment.

Visited the lovely crowd at Newquay Jive last night.

Nice venue at Indian Queens working Mens club. Some fun and relaxed teaching and a great and very friendly crowd.

If your in the area on a Thursday then recomend you drop in for a dance.

DJ Chris Uren

Tazmanian Devil

29th-July-2006, 11:15 PM

Don't know if this Venue has been covered yet but I will post my findings anyway :D

Last night I went to Gatwick airport with Wayaay Bird to drop her brother off and we decided to try out one of the venues in that area. We ended up at Crawley 7 mins drive from the airport according to RAC.co.uk :rolleyes: 15 mins real time :rolleyes:

The hall was quite small in comparrison to the venues I am used to going to, but there was not that many people there (50-60 people) the size wasn't really an issue. It's a lovely little venue with a great spinny floor :clap: :clap:

There was free water available, as well as a mini bar, the drinks were of reasonable prices 80p a bottle of Water, £1.50 J2O, 80p Half a pint of cordial with lemonade, Coke etc and £1.20 a pint. No Alcohol was available (seeing as I don't drink that wasn't a problem for me).

Music.................... Well what can I say.........................
........It was a little like walking into a time warp :eek: alot of the tunes that were played reminded me of when I first started dancing four and a half years ago (although it was nice to dance to them tracks again this time on beat). :wink:

The regulars were very nice, they made us feel very welcome, as were the runners of the evening, The teacher asked both me and Wayaay bird to dance, the DJ was also very nice (and played our request) :clap: :clap:

All the staff at this venue had very different uniform to what I am used to seeing, mauve polo shirts with the ceroc logo on. I thought they were very nice :clap: and it certainly made you notice who the organisers/taxi's were :clap: :clap:

I had a really nice evening, yes it was different but pleasently different :clap:

Seahorse

29th-July-2006, 11:25 PM

I have been told alot lately that I look mischivieous when I dance!! I don't mean to :confused: But have also been told that it's nice so don't think I will bother trying to change it!! :devil:

It's amusing though I would have a rethink on the tongue flicking (at Hammersmith...) :wink:

Seahorse

29th-July-2006, 11:48 PM

So then guys - I hope you're all still out there strutting your stuff as there's another hours freestyle as I sit and scribble this... what's the gossip on this months Chiswick freestyle? Are we happy?

Does it beat last thursday at Fulham - with the presence of Mrs&Mr Under Par, Mr&Mrs Latinlover, SilverFox, CeeCee and Franck???? That was a blinder! :respect:

I've got a weekend babysitting for nephews (handful at 2 & 5yrs :devil: ) and am itching to be back in town dancing. Spicey has pointed out that something has gone seriously askew with my planning as I'll also miss the Jango T Jive tomorrow afternoon. :what:

I heard that SF would be sharing the throne in Blues room with Dave... turn me green and tell me how good it was :tears:

LMC

30th-July-2006, 01:02 PM

Liberty Ballroom, Greenham Park (Ginger Jive/last night of Beach Boogie)

Good

Fab music from Jon Brett & ?Keiron, could have done with a few more bluesy numbers as it was hot, but a really good mix. Don't know what the regular music is like.

Cabaret was "short and sweet" and fairly early - 10.30 - which was just about right for being able to cool off a bit and still left a couple of hours dancing time.

Aircon :clap: - plus fans. Still very hot, but Chiswick last time was worse.

Very nice slippy sprung floor, and lots of seating (chairs and tables) with plenty of room to walk round (well, relatively)

Two dances with Adam (of Adam & Taz) :drool:

Reasonable bar - bottled water £1.00 and well chilled.

Everyone very friendly and didn't have a bad dance all night. A few familiar faces who also don't normally go there but were at Beach Boogie, which was nice. Plenty of room on the floor for most of the evening.

(UP, look away now) It only took me 1h 10 to get home, even though I had to divert through Hatfield with A1(M) being closed for roadworks. This venue is really not all that far from Twyford - and closer to the motorway so doesn't take much longer to get to.

Bad

Smoking allowed - but people stayed away from the dancefloor and the aircon seemed to cope.

Bag searches at the door for contraband water.

No announcement of bar closing half an hour before the end. No water supply once bar closed. To be fair, I understand that there is normally a "last orders" announcement.

Occasional floorcraft issues, despite there being plenty of room. Let's be charitable and assume that it was just that so many people were obviously knackered after a week at Beach Boogie!

Other

:respect: to the one couple who entered the aerials competition and to everyone who did the group cabaret - very funny.

Overall: if there is no nearer attractive alternative on a Saturday night, definitely worth the drive.

Tazmanian Devil

30th-July-2006, 08:39 PM

I would have a rethink on the tongue flicking (at Hammersmith...) :wink:

*cough* Ditto :wink:

Gus

23rd-October-2006, 11:33 AM

Totton Freestyle

Was down visiting in the area so decided to call in at the only event on. Have heard many rumours about Mo'Jive in the past but nothing concrete,. It seems to be a black hold of MJ, nothing comes out. Never met any DJs or Teachers form there and since the famous breakaway from Ceroc in '98 it all seems to have gone on its own path.

The ‘isolation’ seems to have manifested itself in the dance style. For the first time in a long time I saw Lindy style moves incorporated into the MJ, as was the prevalent style back in the 1990’s. Also, there was a severe lack of Blues style dancing, even to the (rare) slower tracks. The area where the ‘time-warp’ effect was most noticeable was the music. I only recognised a few ‘modern’ tracks.

Having said that it was a good dnace experience. Though there were few obvious stars, the standard of dancing was excellent. Looking over the dance floor I’d say the average standard was better than any freestyle I’ve seen in my area. Floorcraft seemed to be very good, few people doing bad drops and there was plenty of room to dance despite their being about 120+. There was one lass in particular who was SUPERB. She’d been on a few Rock Bottoms weekender and it showed. She’s hopefully visiting London soon so I’ve pointed her in the direction of Jango which I’m sure will be right up her street.

However, the real revelation was the newer dancers I came across. Danced with 3 lasses who’d been dancing less than 6 months. They were great. Followed wonderfully, great balance, good tension … couldn’t fault them. I don’t know what the Mo’Jive teachers do but I’d suggested that every MJ teacher gets down there because they obviously doing something very, very right! The male dancers were also very courteous and my partner was regularly asked to dance.

The only downside was the music. The only tracks of note plated all night was “Into My Soul”. The music was uniformly 120 to 130 bpm, with the biggest atrocity of the night being “Fire” speeded up to fit that speed range.

Having said that, an excellent night (though £8 is a bit much for a community hall) and if I’m ever in the area again I’d be eager to do again.

Trousers

24th-October-2006, 12:29 PM

Did the HG Wells (OOOOOOh LAAAaaaaaaa) Centre last night.
First time since Ms Baxter decided to do something more interesting for her (RebelRoc).

No idea who the teacher was but god talk about labour it!

I make a pretty big assumtion here that he did infact start the class on time 9.00 but I couldn't quite work out why he was still droning on at 9.45.
Made doubly annoying because the girl on the desk charged me full price to get in at 9.28 (hmmmmm).

Standard of dancers is so much lower than when the Green shirts ruled but had a few nice dances. Didn't see many guys that I thought were reasonable either.

Music absolutely *****!

It was obviously prewritten onto a disk and the pauses (oh we do like pauses) but these were too long! There was enough of a hiatus between each track to start to wonder 'Oh is that it then?' and feel you'd just made an arse of yourself for asking for a dance after the end of the night.
As far as I'm concerned a DJ is there to play decent dancable music and keep people entertained. But a good DJ lays down the tracks in a way to pique your interest and get you on the floor almost before you realise it by playing tracks in a way that he feels work for that night and that crowd. They read the crowd and the night and try and find good tracks to stick on in my opinion. You can't stuff in a cd and walkaway, Actually you can and it won't work and that will be Woking Mondays then.

So in essence Lesson tooooooo long, Freestyle in response too short, Music Dire.

Good Points . . . . . .

Car park is free!

I'd like to ask how you could take a rockin venue like Woking was under RebelRoc and do that to it? But I better not. . . .

TA Guy

24th-October-2006, 01:52 PM

I WAS AT THAT FREESTYLE !!!

Agree with everything you say.
At 9-9:30 me and a mate who'd been to another freestyle the night before was chatting about how uninspiring the night was compared to the friday one, and how the DJ had just played a long batch of swing songs (so many not normal) that left the dance floor underused.
I'm glad to say the night started to pick up almost immediately. Must try more moaning. LOL. Turned into an okay Totton, had a really good time in the end.

Totton Freestyle

Was down visiting in the area so decided to call in at the only event on. Have heard many rumours about Mo'Jive in the past but nothing concrete,. It seems to be a black hold of MJ, nothing comes out. Never met any DJs or Teachers form there and since the famous breakaway from Ceroc in '98 it all seems to have gone on its own path.

The ‘isolation’ seems to have manifested itself in the dance style. For the first time in a long time I saw Lindy style moves incorporated into the MJ, as was the prevalent style back in the 1990’s. Also, there was a severe lack of Blues style dancing, even to the (rare) slower tracks. The area where the ‘time-warp’ effect was most noticeable was the music. I only recognised a few ‘modern’ tracks.

Having said that it was a good dnace experience. Though there were few obvious stars, the standard of dancing was excellent. Looking over the dance floor I’d say the average standard was better than any freestyle I’ve seen in my area. Floorcraft seemed to be very good, few people doing bad drops and there was plenty of room to dance despite their being about 120+. There was one lass in particular who was SUPERB. She’d been on a few Rock Bottoms weekender and it showed. She’s hopefully visiting London soon so I’ve pointed her in the direction of Jango which I’m sure will be right up her street.

However, the real revelation was the newer dancers I came across. Danced with 3 lasses who’d been dancing less than 6 months. They were great. Followed wonderfully, great balance, good tension … couldn’t fault them. I don’t know what the Mo’Jive teachers do but I’d suggested that every MJ teacher gets down there because they obviously doing something very, very right! The male dancers were also very courteous and my partner was regularly asked to dance.

The only downside was the music. The only tracks of note plated all night was “Into My Soul”. The music was uniformly 120 to 130 bpm, with the biggest atrocity of the night being “Fire” speeded up to fit that speed range.

Having said that, an excellent night (though £8 is a bit much for a community hall) and if I’m ever in the area again I’d be eager to do again.

tiger

25th-October-2006, 04:35 PM

......

Tazmanian Devil

31st-October-2006, 06:02 PM

......

I agree totally :rofl:

robd

16th-November-2006, 04:01 PM

Went to the regular Ceroc class at Milton Keynes last night.

It's a lovely venue at Wilton Hall - very plush toilets! I have been there twice before for tea dances but the music at both those was dreadful and hence not a greatly enjoyable time. The DJ last night was same name, different fella and he played what, to me, seemed like a reasonable mix. Bar prices for a pint seemed reasonable. I took my own water so didn't check what the provision is for this there. Plenty of chairs if a rest was needed and a good sized crowd (though were a few women over - surprise, surprise)

I had a really fun night. Marc Forster was on top form teaching and both the beginners and intermediates routines flowed smoothly. Lots of charisma (and some innuendo) from the stage - he even interrupted intermediate class to jump offstage and give Rachel (who'd been away for a few days and just arrived back) a big hug. What a charmer :grin:

Floor was reasonable size and not too fast and I danced for virtually all the freestyle. Had lovely dances with ZW, Rachel and HelenB from the forum plus others whose names I don't know but also danced with a wide range of abilities. One dance with a beginner featured more yoyos than Hamleys :D but we got there in the end. A tribute to the intermediate class (and I find this is consistent with other intermediate classes I have done taught by Marc) is that I could easily lead the whole routine quite seamlessly in the freestyle with a number of different partners.

Had one difficult moment in beginner's class where I stopped leading as the lady was backleading/anticipating so strongly. 'Can you let me lead it' I asked. 'Well, you're going slower than the teacher'(I had deliberately dropped back a beat to try and stop her pulling me through). An awkward silence ensued for a minute or so until she said 'I am sorry. You're right' and proceeded to allow herself to be lead. Now, this has happened to me many times in classes and I have very rarely said or done anything about it before now precisely because of the potential for awkwardness so I was pleased that things worked out alright in the end but I still have my doubts about the wisdom of saying anything in this situation.

In summary, would definitely recommend a visit if you're in the area.

Robert

Zebra Woman

16th-November-2006, 04:45 PM

Yes to all of that. I a great night and some :drool: dances, thanks RobD (or should I call you Bambi? :devil:) .

I would just add:

Water - there were jugs of free water at the bar.

Working the room - It means a lot to me to see the teacher and demo really work the room after their class. They did:clap: . I have to add that Rachel is most diligent about this when she is there. I have her to thank for her quiet work encouraging the MK men to leading smoothly and gently. Thank you Rachel :hug: .

The Floor - Sprung maple, that floor is my favourite in the country :drool: .

The Music - It was fairly good overall. OK, now I'm going to try and describe it! It started with unidentifiable remixed pop with a heavy club beat to start, then very lightweight Matt Bianco-ish phase in the middle, finishing with stuff I like. There was a bonus quickstep track at the end, I felt this was the wrong type of track for pushing the envelope for jivers as it was so fast. IMO a foxtrot or (something else slow )would have satisfied more dancers.

Floorcraft - I was very busy and floorcraft wasn't excellent but people were polite and avoided repeat collisions .

Had one difficult moment in beginner's class where I stopped leading as the lady was backleading/anticipating so strongly. 'Can you let me lead it' I asked. 'Well, you're going slower than the teacher'(I had deliberately dropped back a beat to try and stop her pulling me through). An awkward silence ensued for a minute or so until she said 'I am sorry. You're right' and proceeded to allow herself to be lead. Now, this has happened to me many times in classes and I have very rarely said or done anything about it before now precisely because of the potential for awkwardness so I was pleased that things worked out alright in the end but I still have my doubts about the wisdom of saying anything in this situation.

Hmmmm...

I often contemplate the wisdom of saying something - I usually tell a strong leader I have a shoulder injury and ask them to lead me gently. I find this works really well :grin: . Last night as an experiment I didn't say anything and had a 3 minute strongly led, slightly ahead of the music, dance. Only one dance but I have a very sore shoulder today. So I'm afraid I have no choice I have to speak up.

All in all a good night :clap:

robd

16th-November-2006, 04:49 PM

I a great night and some :drool: dances, thanks RobD (or should I call you Bambi? :devil:) .

I told ZW if she called me Bambi I'd thump 'er.

Zebra Woman

16th-November-2006, 05:26 PM

I told ZW if she called me Bambi I'd thump 'er.

You'd have to catch me first Rob

and in those shoes?

I don't think so!

:rofl:

HelenB

16th-November-2006, 05:37 PM

Would agree with both ZW and robd, a good night at MK last night :clap:

The floor is, indeed, one of the best. Especially compared to Buckingham which is particularly icey at the moment :eek:

I haven't been to MK in a while as found that there was often a large number of women over :sad: However last night was a good balance for me and I'm glad I went.

Marc's classes were really good :respect: and included some :yum: moves

Last night as an experiment I didn't say anything and had a 3 minute strongly led, slightly ahead of the music, dance.

Think I danced with him too. Unfortunately it was just after a dance with robd so felt even worse than normal :sad: .

Generally though, some great dances and a great night :D

(as for the quickstep at the end, attempted it but not sure my partner had as much fun :rolleyes: , must have been the shoes)

Lost Leader

16th-November-2006, 07:08 PM

MK - I was not there last night but I have been there a few times and have one or two general comments:

venue - agree that Wilton Hall is indeed a very nice venue. The toilets as stated above are very spacious and plush and there is a nice starry celing. There is also free parking right outside and, perhaps best of all it has air conditioning that actually works and is switched on - a real boon in the summer months. It can get hot and stuffy in the winter though.

Floor - agree again, very good but it can get a little crowded.

Teaching - since Marc and Rachel took over things have improved. I find Marc an especially good teacher for leaders and both he and Rachel are very good at working the floor during free-style and creating a relaxed, fun atmosphere.

Music - it has in the past been poor but now seems to have improved in the classes at least (unfortunately I have missed the last couple of free-styles here). Perhaps Marc has had an influence here.

Bar / drinks - very good service, cheap prices and free water :grin: .

Gender balance - last time I went to a class back in the summer it was surprisingly fairly even. Free-styles are probably less so.

I am thinking about attending the free-style at Wellingborough tomorrow - have not been there before so would be interested to hear from anyone who has.

David Bailey

19th-November-2006, 11:03 AM

Aylesbury, 17th November

This is a JivePlus night, their second freestyle night I believe, and ran on the same night as the Amersham freestyle. So I went to Aylesbury, figuring that if it was poor, Amersham was only 15 mins down the road anyway

(A couple of others I spoke to said they'd planned the same :rofl: -always good to have a Plan B)

Anyway, in the end it turned out not to be needed. There were 2 rooms, one mainstream (with John Brett DJ-ing), and one Swing - I thought it's be mellow swing, but it was more Lindy-style, alas.

It was a friendly crowd, very friendly in fact - I occasionally hear that local venues are less friendly than Central London ones, but that's not my experience. The floor was fine, and there were some nice dancers, what more could you want?

Actually, one minor niggle was the drinks prices, which were a little OTT for a school hall bar - but then, I'm used to Ashtons, anything seems good after that.

:clap: to John for playing both Santa maria and Lola - and there was space to tango, which always makes it nicer.

clevedonboy

19th-November-2006, 11:24 AM

Aylesbury, 17th November

(with John Brett DJ-ing)

Jon Brett's talents never cease to amaze me - I'm sure that on the 17th of November I saw him in Gloucester Djing at the Swinging Vegas charity bash - so not only is he a great DJ but he has the ability to be in two places at once :worthy:

Minnie M

19th-November-2006, 11:26 AM

Thanks for finding this thread David - can transport this from the 'venues' one

Thursday 16 November 2006
I arranged a union of the Brighton Belles (original female dancers from Graham LeClerc days) shame TiggTours wasn't there !

We went to Shoreham Community Centre (Andy McGregor's event) - normal class night - but boy was it buzzing, Nigel was doing a class.

Great floor, good music, top teaching and lots of happy friendly faces AND the gender balance was good (even with us extra girlies) - Loads of free parking - nice chill out area and friendly caretaker :D

It was packed (but not uncomfortably) and both Andy and Nigel never left the floor, between them they must have danced with all the ladies

Although Shoreham is outside of Brighton, it only takes 15 minutes to get to from central Brighton (only 10 mins for me as I live in Hove actually)

David Bailey

19th-November-2006, 11:38 AM

Jon Brett's talents never cease to amaze me - I'm sure that on the 17th of November I saw him in Gloucester Djing at the Swinging Vegas charity bash - so not only is he a great DJ but he has the ability to be in two places at once :worthy:
Oops - obviously, I meant 18th November. :blush:

Duh....

Trousers

19th-December-2006, 08:38 AM

Took a really really long drive out to Haywards Heath (Sussex, not that far from Brighton I noticed) for their Bond themed Crimbo do.

Spot on!

No Mr Bond I expect you to Dance!

Great venue, lots of people, parking.

I had a really good evening so I thought I'd big up Haywards Heath because we never hear about it.

I've been a few times now and always have a good time there. Louise runs a really friendly venue.

:cheers: :flower:

Dance Demon

24th-January-2007, 10:55 AM

Managed to drag myself away from the paint & wallpaper :whistle: to take a wee jaunt over the Forth Road Bridge to Fife Jive last night , which is run by BTC Bill and the lovely Fran. It's not the first time Mrs DD and me have been there, and it certainly won't be the last. The dancers are mostly beginner/intermediate level, but what a warm friendly bunch they are. I also enjoyed the intermediate class, and I really like the way Fran goes through all the ladies steps and style points :waycool: . Sweets on the front desk, bottle of diluting juice with jugs of water free of charge..(nice touch guys) . Not a hugely busy night, but very enjoyable, run by two of Scotland's most experienced and respected dancers... ( and not a hotshot to be seen:wink: )
Bill & Fran :respect: :respect:

robd

24th-January-2007, 11:37 AM

I went to St Neots last night and had a really fun night. The music played there has been criticised on this thread before but last night Roy played a really good set. Encountered a very good follower who I had not danced with before and had fun dances with many other people. A good way to unwind after a busy day at work. :grin:

Robert

Lost Leader

27th-January-2007, 10:29 PM

I went to Milton Keynes on Wedmesday - as has been said before it is a very nice venue indeed, I had not ventured there for a while (my most regular venue is Daventry) but I am intending to make more visits over the coming months.

I had a good night and some very enjoyable dances. The floor is very good (fast but not too fast) and it was not too crowded. Marc F. I thought did a great job with the beginner class managing to cram in all sorts of useful tips about posture and spinning technique amongst other things whilst still keeping things relaxed and fun :respect:

The only slight negative for me was that some of the music played, especially early on, was not to my taste (there was a bit too much fast Latin stuff I thought) That said I will certainly be coming back.

jivecat

28th-February-2007, 10:41 PM

I went to JustDance's new night at Market Harborough last night. Dance venues are a bit sparse over in East Leicestershire so I was delighted when this one opened up only 20 minutes drive from my house and promised smooth jive, latin and WCS into the bargain. I wasn't disappointed. Even on the opening night there was a good balance of beginners to experienced dancers and I chatted to one new leader who was clearly bitten by the bug - I did TRY to tell him about the spiralling descent into helpless addiction that he would fall victim to! There was a really friendly, welcoming atmosphere with a number of old friends there that I was surprised but pleased to see - special thanks to the forum's own JiveP for his patient help with my WCS, greatly appreciated. He didn't just work the floor but gave several ladies mini WCS workshops as well. :grin:

The venue is in a large hall adjoining a church - nice floor, roomy, plenty of atmosphere, lots of free parking. I especially liked the religious slogans hanging on banners round the wall, nice touch. Soft drinks & tea/coffee being sold at modest prices at the bar.

I've been missing an easily accessible weeknight with decent music - one's turned up at last. Thanks, JD.

robd

1st-March-2007, 10:19 AM

special thanks to the forum's own JiveP for his patient help with my WCS, greatly appreciated. He didn't just work the floor but gave several ladies mini WCS workshops as well. :grin:

That's a bit size-ist jivecat :whistle:

edward hopkins

1st-March-2007, 07:26 PM

DJBunnie

1st-March-2007, 07:57 PM

How about trying Maidstone one Thursday night.Sadly Gordon and Sally have gone,replaced
by Cliff and Penny who are excellent teachers and not forgetting DJ Richard.If you dont
enjoy yourself hear your dead from the waist down.
eddie.:nice: :cheers: :)

Ah yes but we are strutting our funky stuff at a great night in Sittingbourne on Wednesdays - do come and join us....

G&S...xxx

Gus

2nd-March-2007, 12:01 AM

So, the exile in Leicester commences and as a welcome alternative to going stir crazy in a the obligatory hotel room, I’m faced with 4 weeks or so to visit the 12 or so clubs within 40 minutes drive.

So far the hit list has been

Tuesday – Want to Dance - Melton
Well, actually it should have been Jive Nights at Oakham, but some idiot put the wrong postcode into the TomTom. :tears:

Quick run down. The venue was pleasant enough. Room for about 80 dancers. Good floor

I think that the best way to describe the club is ‘pretty average’. Nice bunch of people but nothing for the more experienced dancers. What did put the mockers on the night was the music. Apparently they’ve just lost their DJ and whoever was supplying the music was definitely NOT doing a good job.

So, nothing too bad but not somewhere I’d venture back to.

Wednesday – Ceroc Central – Leicester

OK. I NOW I was warned not to go, but I was tired and the club is only about 5 miles from my hotel. Bit disappointed that Alex F wasn’t teaching, Heard the rep, wanted to see for myself.

Liked the venue, excellent lighting, good big floor and sound system to match. Didn’t see the lesson. There were a fair few beginners and only one taxi dancer so I ended up helping to coach the beginners. Back n the freestyle the problems soon became apparent. The DJ was awful. Totally inconsistent music, a number of tracks that were lindy speed despite the fact the vast majority of dancers were newish. Talking to the few experienced dancers it seems that the club used to be good until a year ago … then most of the good dancers just stopped coming. To be honest though, I really enjoyed myself. A number of really nice female dancers …. But I need to find out who the DJ was so I can make every effort to avoid him in the future.

So ….. 10 or so more venues to visit. Really looking forward to seeing Marc teach and visiting my old hunting ground of Nottingham. Time permitting hope to get across to the club where it all started for me, Peterborough

sidney

2nd-March-2007, 04:23 PM

Wednesday – Ceroc Central – Leicester

[...]

Liked the venue, excellent lighting, good big floor and sound system to match. Didn’t see the lesson. There were a fair few beginners and only one taxi dancer so I ended up helping to coach the beginners. Back n the freestyle the problems soon became apparent. The DJ was awful. Totally inconsistent music, a number of tracks that were lindy speed despite the fact the vast majority of dancers were newish. Talking to the few experienced dancers it seems that the club used to be good until a year ago … then most of the good dancers just stopped coming. To be honest though, I really enjoyed myself. A number of really nice female dancers …. But I need to find out who the DJ was so I can make every effort to avoid him in the future. Don't worry about the DJ, he only plays there, thank god. When I used to go I was forever complaining about the music and to him, but he would shrug his shoulders and smirk, his excuse was I only play what i am told by ceroc central. He was only there for the money and did not give two hoots for the punter. It's a shame I and my friends missed you but maybe if you go to the new one Jivecat went to on tues we might get that dance.:flower:

jivecat

2nd-March-2007, 06:00 PM

Wednesday – Ceroc Central – Leicester

OK. I NOW I was warned not to go, but I was tired and the club is only about 5 miles from my hotel. Bit disappointed that Alex F wasn’t teaching, Heard the rep, wanted to see for myself.

Liked the venue, excellent lighting, good big floor and sound system to match. Didn’t see the lesson. There were a fair few beginners and only one taxi dancer so I ended up helping to coach the beginners. Back n the freestyle the problems soon became apparent. The DJ was awful. Totally inconsistent music, a number of tracks that were lindy speed despite the fact the vast majority of dancers were newish. Talking to the few experienced dancers it seems that the club used to be good until a year ago … then most of the good dancers just stopped coming. To be honest though, I really enjoyed myself. A number of really nice female dancers …. But I need to find out who the DJ was so I can make every effort to avoid him in the future.

Sorry you had a bad time, Gus, but your story did make me laugh, just a bit. I haven't been to the Leicester venue since last September when I had a row with the DJ :blush: for playing Christmas music! Did he play Zoot Suit Riot?? I bet anything he played ZSR.

It used to be a fab night until about 2 years ago with people coming from far and wide, and extremely successful freestyles. But that DJ, plus a constantly changing procession of teachers, some of whom did not work the floor very consistently, has driven away the experienced clientele, who became angry at the weekly waste of £7.

The complacency of Ceroc Central management in the face of this has amazed me. Why have they been content to see profits go down at this venue? Why has nobody dealt with the DJ?

Gus

2nd-March-2007, 06:37 PM

Did he play Zoot Suit Riot?? I bet anything he played ZSR.Oh yes he did .... the horror ... the horror

It used to be a fab night until about 2 years ago with people coming from far and wide, and extremely successful freestyles. But that DJ, plus a constantly changing procession of teachers, some of whom did not work the floor very consistently, has driven away the experienced clientele, who became angry at the weekly waste of £7.?I think I got charged £8 ... a bit steep considering I ended up being a taxi dancer and the music was so bad. I tried to hide for several dances due to some REALLY bad tracks but the venue was so short of male dancers that I got hunted down and invited onto the floor ... you cant say no can you :( Easy to see why the club is suffering. Less easy to see why a very successfull businesman like Phil is letting it do so.

DavidY

5th-March-2007, 09:48 PM

Don't worry about the DJ, he only plays there, thank god. If it's who I think it is... doesn't he play West Bridgford on Thursdays as well? It's a while since I've been there though.

sidney

6th-March-2007, 05:31 PM

If it's who I think it is... doesn't he play West Bridgford on Thursdays as well? It's a while since I've been there though.That's right he does, but I don't go there, and will never go while he plays there. I don't even remember his name that's how unforgatable he is.:mad:

Trousers

10th-March-2007, 01:22 PM

Well the impromptu UK Dance tour I embarked on eight (eek) years or so ago hit another New To Me Venue last night.

I went to St Albans.

Not seeing the point of wending my way west bound on the M4 to go home only to return east bound moments later and as I have carte blanche to bag some overtime I left work at 7.30. I took a leisurely hack around the M25 Orbital Car park arriving at the Marlborough School at about 8.40 after finding a McDonalds and a Sainsbury's for crap food and weak lager.

Carlsberg C2 and pitiful 2% alcohol yet tastes fine

The car park, well it was exactly that there was my car in it.
You know that sinking feeling you get when the doctor looks inquisitively at his nails and idly inquires if your life insurance is up to date, or the dentist smiles down at you and in a pointed Germanic accent asks "Is it safe"?

I sat there and considered the options - Drive back to Chesham (where I had nearly diverted to anyhow), Go home get bladdered, pop my head in the door and check it out. . . . I hadn't changed into the obligatory Stupid Fcuking Trousers by this time so was more or less incognito - so popping in won the day.

It was going to be ok, I started to think, when I saw Jon Brett and thought it can't be that bad if he's dj'ing . . . . . . . . . . . . can it . . . . . . . . . .really?
But then I couldn't find my Ceroc Fishing Licence, and was buggered royally if I was going to search my car for it in the dark in the empty car park - well there could have been anyone running around out there 'cos none of 'em were in here! Then as I'm doing name spelling games with the bloke on the desk (Blokes on the desk - yet another omen) two people walked out, coats on! and kept going!
The thought "Ist est safe?" was rattling panicky through my head but was herded up and pushed into the corner by the Girls phone numbers section by the thought "hey they must be teachers!" and shored up by the other thought "I hope they were teachers". "Aww well" came another thought (it was getting busy in my head at least) "It's only £7 quid!"

So Money Spent, Trousers Unworn I walked hesitantly through one door. . . . . Well there was music. . . . Through a second door . . . . . .yep that was definitely music. There were 8 people.

That was nearly a quid each and some of them were blokes!

A stream of expletives ran amok in my head looking for the *$#!@ key and Bo!!ocks slipped quietly from my lips (in a verbal sense you understand I hadn't gulped extremely hard and pulled anything clinically dangerous!).

Ok £7 down, an empty dance floor, some women (well four, possibly five I didn't get too close to be absolutely certain). The court orders forgotten I just grabbed the first woman that I came across :blush:
One down - It wasn't too bad (actually quite a nice dance)
Number two - Hmm pretty thing Nice dancer. No that’s unfair! A good dancer had another one (you know some women are like maltesers One isn't going to be enough! Out of the corner of my eye my shark sense detected a new victim . . . .Da da . . . . . Da da (think Jaws ok!)!
I must highlight at this time that the music was Jon Brettish, Slow, Swingy, Never heardy beforey in allee my Lifey! But there I was in the middle of the dance for Incognito doing my best not to scare anyone!
On to Victim Three - 'slike a serial killer recounting init? Not so good Nice but didn't gel.
Sniff sniff . . . more of the Sharking Super Senses started tingling! hmmmm more people Flooding in well if flooding can be considered to be 3 more people in 4 tracks then they flooded in all 3 of them!

A track came on and I considered it too avant-garde so I thought I'd try the Carlsberg C2 I'd bought at Sainsbury’s. Some more people . . . . Mr Optimistic inside my head started to get a bit above himself but went away again and Ohhh I got asked to dance a few time on the trot.

The room was actually starting to look there was a dance on and it wasn't really Eleanor Rigby's wake.
Had another couple of dances and Mr Vanity and Mr Optimistic had a chat in the back of my head and decided to invite my body to Change into the Stupid Fcuking Trousers. There was obviously a huge row when the my body realised that Mr embarrassment if he'd been asked his opinion would have suggested moving to the gents prior to doing this but Hey! live n learn (I made that bit up ok?)

Anyway on returning to the Dance Hall (it deserves capitalisation now as it was one) the room was nicely full. Unfortunately as I now resumed dancing albeit not incognito anymore, yet more people came in and then still more.

It got marginally tight! although not as the proverbial Mouse’s ear'ole. Yet the floor craft was under par (no insult intended there UP). There were a number of moments when I wanted to say to people that were stood chatting in the middle of the floor where they had stopped dancing half a track ago "Oi Dance or Bugger Off!" and then there was the I'm going to walk across the floor 'cos it's the shortest distance brigade . . . . :what:

JB played some really good music, Nothing to really stretch you (bar the stuff at the beggining) but was a good jive set - You know most of the tracks you can really laydown well and probably know the words to. I wonder what the women thought of my singing actually because I sang to most of them !!

All in all I had a very good night - some cracking dances and some wicked flirting. It must have been a good night because I was knackered and quite ready to go at the end.
Next time I go - I think there will be a next time and that is the best compliment a venue could get I reckon (not just from me but any one who returns), I will make a point of being fashionably late!

Oh one point they do have a Cliquey Talented corner by the DJ and Stage.
It's heart-warming to see these old customs being kept up!
:(

Down side - floor dirty as my girlfriend! (as the saying goes). However it works for girls not for dance floors!

Worth a visit if you can't get or don't want to Utopia!

David Bailey

10th-March-2007, 02:19 PM

{ snip hilarious review }
:rofl: :worthy: :respect:

Oh one point they do have a Cliquey Talented corner by the DJ and Stage.
It's heart-warming to see these old customs being kept up!
:(
Oh yes, they had that on the first Party night too - I made the mistake of asking someone from there to dance and assuming they could follow some tango-y things. Silly me. :what:

Lost Leader

10th-March-2007, 04:14 PM

Northampton Saints, Tuesday night.

good points

- easy, well lit parking right outside and lots of it
- nice medium speed floor
- Rod Ambridge on the decks
- huge bar (well, it is a Rugby club)
- it is always popular so no risk of having too few people there

bad points

- I don't like the shape of the room or the layout - it is rectangular and most of the tables are up at one end. As a consequence that end of the room gets very hot and crowded but if you chose to sit at the other end (which is cooler and has more space to dance) you have to go hunting for partners - and you need binoculars to see who is stting at the other end of the room.
- view of the stage can be poor due to shape of room, pillars and low stage
- gender imbalance, last time I was there it was something like 18 women over in the class
- nearly always I find it gets too hot, there is supposedly air conditioning but it rarely seems to be switched on or simply cannot cope.

Not my favourite venue then, but I do like Rod A's music.

Gus

10th-March-2007, 05:38 PM

On the recommendation of a friend went to try the 'non-Ceroc' side of Nottingham during my exile in Leicester. Nice venue, good floor let down a bit by the lighting and lack of stage. The latter means that the teacher teaches 'in the round'. I joined the lesson with dread, expecting this method of teaching to cause chaos .... and was wrong. The locals coped well ... mainly due to Paul's eaching style. Though he's not the best technical teacher I've seen, he's very clear and is one of the best 'non-trained' instructors I've seen. The lesson wasn't massivly to my taste but I think that was more a perosnla thing.

To be honest, I found there to be a lack of GOOD female dancers, with a few noticable exceptions (more on that later) ... but I did have a bit of an epihpany ... came to realise that maybe I'm looking for a standard of dance that porbably exists in only very few clubs. Guess I've been spoiled with Chester .. but all three clubs I've danced at since I've been in Leicester have been a similar standard. The locals seem to enjoy them so I its seem obvious that my expectations of standard are flawed:sick:

Re the dnacers there. I danced with a younger dancer a few times ... looked easrly 20s, lovely flowing style easy to leas and a fuller figure to make men drool :drool: Had chance to chat two her and had two shocks. Shes only been dancing 6 months and she only 16:tears: :tears: :tears: Made me feel REALLY uncomfortable dancing with her for a while after that .... BUT if she sticks with it, she will be an awesome dancer.

So .... maybe not the best night I've had out but the punters and Paul were very friendly. If you are in the area its worth a look-see.

David Bailey

19th-March-2007, 10:19 AM

Gus

21st-March-2007, 09:13 PM

For reasons that now escape me, my continuing exile in Leicester resulted in me making TWO trips to Northampton last week, to the Tues and Thurs night classes. When I used to dance at Peterborough (many moons ago) Northampton was where all the GOOD dancers went to .. so much so I never dared venture there:blush: I was keen to see how the club had stood the test of time.

The Tues class at the Rugby club was full of suprises. First of all Emma was on stage ... looking about 9.5 months pregnant. How she manages to spin with that bump beats me. Though I like her style, the class proved to be a bit too much for most of the punters :( Didn't get asked to dance much so spent most of the time prowling ... during which time i spotted several dancers I knew from days gone by .. including Ash (remember him? Was one of the top cabaret performers for a few years). But the MAIN thing was the DJ ... Rob Ambridge :worthy: Never actualy heard him play before and was mightly impressed ... so much so I decided to follw him to the Thursday night

Thursday was at a different venue with lousy parking but the venue itself was really nice. Rob's music again was excellent but the revelation this night was the teacher, Paul. Seen him about before and admired his dancing, but this time I had to admire his teaching ... even if I couldn't get the second move. I was so bad I had a beginner female who was doing the class trying to reverse lead me into the move :tears: :blush: :tears: .

Again, had to fight to get dances but a reasonable night.

Waht struck me afterwards is that Northampton isn't what it used to be. The dancers were at best average, with few 'stars' .... but why? Both clubs has A list instructors and the best music you could ask for ... so why the lack of dancing talent? I left feeling disappointed and puzzled .....

Northants Girly

21st-March-2007, 10:32 PM

Why isn't Northampton like it used to be stuff ..... In a word . . . . . history.

On the nights you went you found what you consider to be 2 excellent teachers, great music and in your opinion good venues.

Unfortunately Northampton has suffered with teachers who don't mingle with the punters, who teach moves that don't suit and the music has often been dire.

I'm surprised you didn't get asked to dance much as I heard that last week at the rugby club there was a surplus of ladies propping up the bar area not being able to find a dance.

As for the venue at St Georges, well that was the main reason I stopped going on Thursdays. I don't like the venue layout. It's also in a very dodgy area of town and as you often can't find a place in the car park it is an issue for us girls.

Sounds like things have improved since I was last there (I know Rob's music is getting much better) but I havn't ventured to St Georges for as long as I can remember and I have to be really desperate for a dance to get off the sofa and go to the rugby club on Tuesdays. :sad:

Gus

21st-March-2007, 10:46 PM

As for the venue at St Georges, well that was the main reason I stopped going on Thursdays. I don't like the venue layout. It's also in a very dodgy area of town and as you often can't find a place in the car park it is an issue for us girlsFair comment ... now that i think about it I did have second thoughts about where i had to leave the car.

Unfortunately Northampton has suffered with teachers who don't mingle with the punters, who teach moves that don't suit and the music has often been dire. Obvioulsy can't comment re Emma in her current state but Paul did work the floor, and not just the star dancers. However, I did notice the male taxi dancers seeming to spend more time with better looking experienced danbcers than the new dancers.

I'm surprised you didn't get asked to dance much as I heard that last week at the rugby club there was a surplus of ladies propping up the bar area not being able to find a dance.Well ... all they had to do was to get off their ample buttocks and ASK!! Must admit that I'm getting a bit fed up of having to ask all the time. Must start using Lynx.

Lost Leader

23rd-March-2007, 06:50 PM

Northampton St. Georges - I have only ventured there once but on the basis of this admittedly limited experience I tend to agree with NHG. I did not like the awkward layout / shape of the room and parking isn't good. Alex F. used to teach there but is currently teaching in Leicester and / or Nottingham I believe. Was it Paul Harris teaching? If so I agreee with Gus that Paul is a very good teacher.

Northampton Saints - very surprised you had trouble getting dances as there is usually a surplus of women there (admittedly a lot are relative beinners so may be a bit shy about asking) but it depends which end of the room you sit at. Yes, Emma P is indeed pregnant but is intending to keep teaching for another month or so. Not surprised you had a bit of trouble with one of her intermediate class moves. Emma likes to include quite a bit of footwork and do a routine which is rather more choreographed than your average class routine. Unless you are particularly adept at being able to pick up such things very quickly you can stuggle a bit (I certainly do). I think the problem is that Emma sometimes tries to be a bit too ambitious. She is so good at being able to instantly replicate a footwork pattern having seen it once or twice that I think she sometimes cannot understand why most other people do not find it quite so easy. She is always great to watch though and I do love her enthusiaism.

As to the reasons why Northamton's standard of dancing is not as good as it used to be (assuming this is true). I suspect that one reason might be that there are now far more venues in this area so the good dancers are more spread out rather than all flocking to Northampton. Rugby and Milton Keynes for example are within 30 minutes drive of Northampton, are both excellent venues and Marc and Rachel teach at both of them.

Gus

27th-March-2007, 07:41 PM

Last night I ventured North to Nottingham, where I really learned to start dancing under the guidance of ‘Boy Robin’ … now sadly lost to the dark side, Lindy.

The Marcus Garvey seemed a lot bigger for some reasons but its hall mark gloom and lousy sound system were just as I remembered. One pleasant change was the music. MG used to have a rep for really bad music … the DJ on Monday wasn’t the best I’ve ever heard but was distinctly a cut above the usual MJ DJs and he played some really nice, if safe, tracks.

The lesson was by Marc, for once not partnered with Rachel. A relatively simple routine but wonderfully put together and some excellent style points to give even the most accomplished dancers something to think about. After the lesson it occurred to me that Marc is probably the best MJ instructor I’ve seen in a long whole. He teaches to the classes level, not to his ego’s level, and has a way of incorporating some nice points to think about him. I think most instructors, myself included, could learn a lot from observing his teaching.

The downside was that most of the good dancers seemed to sit the lesson out. Not sure why. No one there was a stunning dancer, especially the lads, and they could have all have benefited from the class. Puzzled. As it was , there were at about 6 or so nice female dancers … shame I only got to dance with half of them. It did appear to me that there was an ‘elite’ who seemed to stick to themselves … another thing that doesn’t seem to have changed.:tears:

Overall a nice night out. Good to seem some forumites there, incl DavidY, but it would have been nicer if I’d been asked to dance a bit more often and the non-slippy floor hadn’t finished off my knees … probably won’t be dancing for a few days till they stop hurting.:(

Twirly

28th-March-2007, 01:28 PM

I paid one of my occasional trips to Greenwich last night – a friend of mine and her partner have recently started there, so I like to go along to see them and encourage, as well as get a spot of Russell’s lovely teaching (he was teaching at Clapham when I first started :grin: ).

Unfortunately my feet were hurting quite badly :tears: (I was limping) so I knew that my dancing would be somewhat limited. But that didn’t matter too much, as with 14 women over at the start of intermediates, I knew it was going to be a fight to get a dance later! :really:

I really enjoyed Russell’s intermediate class. I’ve not seen it done before, but as part of teaching us a neck break variation, he gave us a few minutes to build it into a freestyle routine of our own choosing – suggesting combining it with first moves, etc. and to try and maintain the lines we were in whilst doing it, without getting in anyone else’s way. It exercised the imagination, and was a sort of practical mini-floorcraft lesson – much more effective than just verbally telling people to watch out for other people. Then we went back to putting it into the class routine.:clap:

Fortunately I was in the mood to go and ask a few guys to dance in freestyle. I’d spotted one guy in the class and noted that I should find him for a dance later as he seemed to move well. I did, and as we started, he asked my how long I’d been dancing. “About 18 months” I replied – he looked horror struck and said he’d been dancing 2 months. Yet he was brilliant! Very good dancer (IMO) and seemed to know quite a few moves already as well. Just give him six months or so and :drool:

Had some lovely dances (thank you MikeyR and Russell amongst others) :D (as well as a couple of, erm, less than lovely ones – including getting my foot trodden on rather hard by a partner, who also appeared to be dancing to a track different to that actually being played :confused: ), just a pity I wasn’t a bit more on form due to the foot :( Lovely to see Taz as well.:hug:

TA Guy

17th-April-2007, 11:07 AM

In my more super keen days, I used to do a lot of visiting strange and wonderful venues. However, reviews from those days wouldn't be much use or fun, except maybe about Bromley, which I can say I visited somewhere in the region of a decade ago, and from the mentions it has gotten on this forum reasonably recently, nothing has changed!!!

Anyway, St Albans, Saturday night freestyle.

Arrived after a six hour train journey, short walk from the Abbey station to the Marlborough School. Sign outside verified it was the right place, no sign inside to indicate which entrance to use (why do franchises always forget that?)

I arrived early and took my seat with around eight other people for the 8:30 start. I just sat recovering from the journey for a bit, but by 8:40 or so, a lovely lady had asked me to dance, so no complaints there then :)
The hall was pleasant and clean. Nice. I would describe the hall as medium-large, with enough space for two badminton courts, but not much space around them. I was expecting larger as it was described as seating 400 people, (they must be small aliens or something :)).

The floor was great, it had just been redone or polished or something, and a couple of the regulars mentioned they were unused to it. On the fairly fast side, and slightly slippy. Yeah!

Overall, I picked up a slight amaturish air about the way it was run, I am used to slick, almost professional work from my franchise, and here they faffed around with the lights, the music just stopped a coupla times leaving us in silence and occasionally track to track changes were too abrupt or badly mixed, too many announcements etc. Gave it a slightly amaturish feel, but absolutely nothing bad enough to detract from the enjoyment of the night.

The standard I will not comment on. I understand there was a Lumpy Mush just up the road in Hatfield, another good freestyle not so far away and Hammersmith. No doubt that pulled away some of the regulars.

The venue was very friendly. No refusals, and I got asked enough that my ego didn't crawl away and shrivel up under a stone.

It was busy in the sense that once it got going, the floor seemed full, but I never had to search too far for a space to dance. Never any chance of an elbow to elbow situation.

Floorcraft actually dancing was fine, no aerials, drops seem to be done with care, nobody took me out :) Floorcraft when not dancing was pretty dire, sorry St. Albans, but if you decide to chat, don't encroach on the dance floor, and definitely don't, as I saw two groups of peeps do, just stand and chat in the middle of the dance floor.

You would think that a venue that included free tea, biscuits and cake would get kudos for that. Maybe they do normally, but on this night, the announcement that tea and biscuits was served in the little hall outside actually started the end of the night. Numbers on the floor dropped significantly when this was announced and never fully recovered. For a hardened dancer like me, that was a shame. That thinning of dancers started at eleven, and by 12:30am, I was on my way to my next destination.

The music. A nice change for me, tracks I haven't heard in a while. For my own personal taste, I would have preferred a larger slice of slower music, but no real complaints. Pretty typical Ceroc freestyle music. Maybe not quite enough variation. Although there were a few Latin, Rock and Roll, Swing, Blues etc, it was very mainly your Ceroc be-bop music. Mind you, as far as your typical 120-130bpm music goes, some of it was quite challenging and plenty of opportunity to do those breaks etc.

Other points, good parking, easy to find, no bar, but vaguely on the expensive side (I think, for the region) soft drinks available to buy (can bring your own tho, always good). Given the overall standard of the dancers and the music, I was impressed by the use of footwork patterns. This must be a much bigger thing up here than down in my franchise. Kudos there.

Overall, I had a really enjoyable night at a very friendly venue. Thank you St. Albans.

Gus

18th-April-2007, 09:51 PM

Tried out the Oakham venue last night (Sara’s Jive Nights). Hadn’t realised that it was a new venue and so principally full of beginners :( . Shouldn’t have worried. Though there were no ‘star’ dancers (excepting the instructor) I didn’t have a bad dance all night. Though the vast majority of the dancers were sub 11 weeks experience, I had some lovely dancers. What really struck me was how friendly the dancers were. It’s the first club where I didn’t need to ask ladies to dance and they were all smiling …. Really a pleasure to be on the floor with.

The music was understandably ‘safer’ than I personally like, but a few really nice tracks were played. One of which I managed to catch the instructor for. What a delight. Sarah is one the of the best dancers I had the pleasure with :worthy: and she’s really :na: :na: as well. No complaints about her teaching either. Only as the intermediate lesson but liked her presentation. It was clear, the routine was balanced to the standard of the dancers and with gentle humour. Most impressive were the safety tips and etiquette. Not heard them for some time and the dancers took the comments to heart.

So, not the most sophisticated dances or music, but it’s one of the few clubs I’ve been to that I’ll definitely be making the effort to visit again.:grin:

Zuhal

7th-June-2007, 12:49 PM

Ceroc Kent Southborough

Very nice room all wood panelling and vaulted ceiling. The floor has a continental shelf 1" about 3m back from the stage which all the locals seemed aware off.

Normal formula to the classes and 7-8 ladies over. I generally do not do talking but absolutely everyone was a happy smiley "my name is" and it gets infectious so I had to speak. Very friendly to visitors

I asked a few people and few asked me. There was plenty of space. Had the most challenging dances with an excellent Lady who was taller than me 6' (She was great ) and someone else who was great fun once she had been prized away from boyfriend.

I was a bit disappointed with the music which was all fast and uptempo except a track near the end. Nothing wrong with it but I prefer a bit of variety.

Another good thing about the venue was a corner behind some pillars where I and my dance partner could practice some simple drops and aerials without fear of passers-by or errant dancers. :clap:

Zuhal

robd

7th-June-2007, 01:07 PM

but absolutely everyone was a happy smiley "my name is"

Did they play any Eminem in the freestyle? :grin:

WittyBird

8th-July-2007, 05:36 PM

Thursday Evening Far, Far away from London......... Not mentioning where as it always seems to get me into trouble :D

Got to this venue, to be greeted with a grimace !!!!:confused:

First of all I heard the teacher (this is halfway thru the first lesson)

5,6,7,8 and don't forget to bounce :confused:

The Music was dire, I thought teachers and demo's were supposed to work the room? She stood with a face like thunder stroking a white dog and looking miserable........ It obviously wasn't a guide dog, but I am allergic to ankle biting rats that like to urinate on the floor :sad:

Also.........

If I'd been a beginner at this venue, I certainly wouldn't return. How demoralising would it be to be given a sticker that you've gotta wear for 6 weeks????? (might do another thread about this)

It was slightly amusing as one guy asked if I'd like to try double trouble :wink: Then proceeded to give me all the rules and told me step by step what to do :rofl:

Oh the thoughts that rushed through my head :na:

All in all I was shocked and disheartened to be in such a backward place, after all the other venues I've been to from this franchise have been truely great.

What a shower of etihs

It was the most unfriendly venue I've ever had the disfortune to go to.

I was dizzy and disorientated after the first dance it was like being on the waltzers at a cheap pikey fairground.

Hey ho onto the next one!!! :waycool:

fletch

8th-July-2007, 07:48 PM

Got to this venue, to be greeted with a grimace !!!!:confused:

First of all I heard the teacher (this is halfway thru the first lesson)

5,6,7,8 and don't forget to bounce :confused:

Also.........

If I'd been a beginner at this venue, I certainly wouldn't return. How demoralising would it be to be given a sticker that you've gotta wear for 6 weeks????? (might do another thread about this)

Then proceeded to give me all the rules and told me step by step what to do :rofl:

Hey ho onto the next one!!! :waycool:

que Lloyd Grossman voice.......so who dances in a venue like this :rolleyes:

All the clues point to the Midlands :na: but which venue :confused:

Whats this about a sticker :eek: what does it say:confused: begginer :(

Do you get a differn't sticker after 6 weeks :confused:

Next time you go can you ask if they have some with 'hotshot' on them, I have a few people I could stick them on :devil:

Andy McGregor

8th-July-2007, 08:18 PM

Whats this about a sticker :eek: what does it say:confused: begginer :(

Do you get a differn't sticker after 6 weeks :confused:

Next time you go can you ask if they have some with 'hotshot' on them, I have a few people I could stick them on :devil:Hey, we use the stickers. Beginners love them and even point to them when more experienced dancers ask them to dance.

But I do like the idea of a "Hotshot" sticker. I'll get some made for the next dance weekender I attend. Who'd like one? :devil:

bigdjiver

8th-July-2007, 09:02 PM

Thursday Evening Far, Far away from London...Not the best night to go, there is a local freestyle the following night, and a lot of the best dancers have planned accordingly.

There are a lot of new dancers, brought in via a local dance festival and a charity dance. The charity dance was for Headway, which deals with people with brain damage. This was organised as a consequence of Frances having suffered a stroke. The venue has lost many her circle of friends, which has damaged it. Her ex-colleague in "Shades" turned up this Thursday. This took a lot of the best dancers there out of circulation "catching up", and took the smile off of many faces.

Got to this venue, to be greeted with a grimace !!!!:confused: More than likely.

First of all I heard the teacher (this is halfway thru the first lesson)

5,6,7,8 and don't forget to bounce :confused:
Up here we call the "In-and-out" without a bounce the "In".

As well as the beginners we had an influx of "once-in-a-while" dancers. The standard of dancers and dancing was well below par, and the DJ "played to the floor". We had nothing like our usual range. He stuck to pretty basic stuff. I did ask most of the beginners and "sometimes" dancers what they thought of the music, and they all said they liked it.

The Music was dire,
The teacher was one of the best in Ceroc. Unfortunately she has paid for too much "working the floor" with back trouble. The venue has paid for her expertise because she has imparted her knowledge and entusiasm to too many, and several of her ex-pupils now run their own venues locally, as well as across the UK. Each time a new venue has opened it has taken a group of our best dancers with it. That, coupled with the migration of better dancers to WCS and to our nearby "star" venue has hurt our venue.

I thought teachers and demo's were supposed to work the room? She stood with a face like thunder ... and looking miserable...Back pain and talking about a seriously ill friend do that.

..... It obviously wasn't a guide dog, but I am allergic to ankle biting rats that like to urinate on the floor :sad: I think you may expect a letter from the dog's solicitors. The dog's position is that allegations of ankle-biting and urinating on the floor are without foundation. It reserves the right to retreat from that position should serious symthoms develop.

I do not think that pets and business mix.
Also.........

If I'd been a beginner at this venue, I certainly wouldn't return. How demoralising would it be to be given a sticker that you've gotta wear for 6 weeks????? (might do another thread about this) Beginners are told that they should wear a sticker for the first six weeks. After two or three weeks most are told that they have progressed far enough not to need them. That does wonders for their confidence. It also hides from visitors just how inexperienced the group are.

It was slightly amusing as one guy asked if I'd like to try double trouble :wink: Then proceeded to give me all the rules and told me step by step what to do :rofl:

Oh the thoughts that rushed through my head :na: Our local DT aficanado is well known for his patience with beginners at normal Ceroc and DT.

All in all I was shocked and disheartened to be in such a backward place, after all the other venues I've been to from this franchise have been truely great.

What a shower of etihsAnd, wearing that judgement on your face in a venue disproportiantely packed with insecure beginners and part-timers, it is no surprise ...
It was the most unfriendly venue I've ever had the disfortune to go to.

I was dizzy and disorientated after the first dance it was like being on the waltzers at a cheap pikey fairground. Welcome to newbie world.

... Next time you go can you ask if they have some with 'hotshot' on them, I have a few people I could stick them on :devil::yeah:

tsh

9th-July-2007, 10:40 AM

The teacher was one of the best in Ceroc. Unfortunately she has paid for too much "working the floor" with back trouble. The venue has paid for her expertise because she has imparted her knowledge and entusiasm to too many, and several of her ex-pupils now run their own venues locally, as well as across the UK. Each time a new venue has opened it has taken a group of our best dancers with it. That, coupled with the migration of better dancers to WCS and to our nearby "star" venue has hurt our venue.

Dunno - I don't remember ever having danced with her. I guessed the venue from WBs description though, so it's obviously not changed much since I went there a year ago. You're wrong about the migration of dancers to other venues though - I have been driven away by the standard of music and the dancing, rather than finding that I don't have time to get to as many venues as I used to. It all started to go downhill when I started going to Amir's classes, and that was only because I couldn't find much interesting locally.

Sean

Northants Girly

9th-July-2007, 11:47 AM

That, coupled with the migration of better dancers to WCS and to our nearby "star" venue has hurt our venue.
Where is this "star" venue BigD? :confused:

Andy McGregor

9th-July-2007, 12:29 PM

Not the best night to go, there is a local freestyle the following night, and a lot of the best dancers have planned accordingly.

-plus loads more excuses-

It strikes me that Witty is right about this venue. All BigDJ has given us is excuses for what she found. People expect to get their money's worth, not excuses or stories. They've come for a night's dancing. You can't control how experienced your dancers are, but you can control how you behave on-stage. When the lights go up, dearie, it's tits and teeth, luvvie, tits and teeth :D Nobody wants to pay for somebody to look glum at them :mad:

It's no wonder the venue down the road has attracted the experienced dancers. New people come through the door because of the advertising. But they soon find out where they will get a smiling teacher and migrate to that class.

I think BigDJ should not be excusing this class. If he really wants to help the class he should print out witty's post and hand it to the owner of the business. And the owner of the business should be mortified and apologise to witty, give her free tickets, offer a nice back rub and generally grovel.

David Bailey

9th-July-2007, 02:30 PM

It strikes me that Witty is right about this venue. All BigDJ has given us is excuses for what she found. People expect to get their money's worth, not excuses or stories. They've come for a night's dancing. You can't control how experienced your dancers are, but you can control how you behave on-stage.
Yes, I agree with this - if that's how it felt to an outsider, that's how it felt - you can't ignore feedback. Teachers are only human, but they should be aware of the fact that they're on display all the time at a class night.

When the lights go up, dearie, it's tits and teeth, luvvie, tits and teeth :D
:eek: I now have a horrible image in my mind of Andy's classes... :sick:

Lee Bartholomew

9th-July-2007, 02:32 PM

:eek: I now have a horrible image in my mind of Andy's classes... :sick:

It's worse than you can possibly imagine. :wink:

fletch

9th-July-2007, 03:09 PM

Hey, we use the stickers. Beginners love them and even point to them when more experienced dancers ask them to dance.

But I do like the idea of a "Hotshot" sticker. I'll get some made for the next dance weekender I attend. Who'd like one? :devil:

well personally I wouldn't have liked it :sick:

I could draw up list for you Andy :wink: :devil:

Dunno - I don't remember ever having danced with her. I guessed the venue from WBs description though, so it's obviously not changed much since I went there a year ago. You're wrong about the migration of dancers to other venues though - I have been driven away by the standard of music and the dancing, rather than finding that I don't have time to get to as many venues as I used to. It all started to go downhill when I started going to Amir's classes, and that was only because I couldn't find much interesting locally.

Sean

good for you :respect:

It takes courage to speak out :worthy:

:flower:

rep on its way

It strikes me that Witty is right about this venue. All BigDJ has given us is excuses for what she found. People expect to get their money's worth, not excuses or stories. They've come for a night's dancing. You can't control how experienced your dancers are, but you can control how you behave on-stage. When the lights go up, dearie, it's tits and teeth, luvvie, tits and teeth :D Nobody wants to pay for somebody to look glum at them :mad:

I think BigDJ should not be excusing this class. If he really wants to help the class he should print out witty's post and hand it to the owner of the business. And the owner of the business should be mortified and apologise to witty, give her free tickets, offer a nice back rub and generally grovel.

good point Andy :flower:

my tits and teeth arn't to bad not they have both been 'done' :wink: :D

:eek: I now have a horrible image in my mind of Andy's classes... :sick:

:rofl:

David Bailey

9th-July-2007, 03:13 PM

my tits and teeth arn't to bad not they have both been 'done' :wink: :D
Wow, you kept that quiet... :D

Lee Bartholomew

9th-July-2007, 03:19 PM

my tits and teeth arn't to bad not they have both been 'done'

Wow, you kept that quiet... :D

yeah but have they got a trophy?

David Bailey

9th-July-2007, 03:20 PM

yeah but have they got a trophy?
More to the point, have they got a thread about them? Hmmm, I think not... :whistle:

David Franklin

9th-July-2007, 03:20 PM

yeah but have they got a trophy?I understood it was more of a cup than a trophy...

Lee Bartholomew

9th-July-2007, 03:26 PM

I understood it was more of a cup than a trophy...

Yeah it was. Im messing with DJ.

Currently full with Haribo Sweets.

bigdjiver

9th-July-2007, 03:30 PM

... You're wrong about the migration of dancers to other venues though - I have been driven away by the standard of music and the dancing, rather than finding that I don't have time to get to as many venues as I used to. It all started to go downhill when I started going to Amir's classes, and that was only because I couldn't find much interesting locally....You admit to migrating to Amirs class, and try to deny migration is a factor in the same post.
It is a dance class aimed at drawing in beginners of all levels of talent, infusing them with a love of dance, and developing them to intermediate level. Real dancers are going to want to develop further, learn more, dance at a higher level, and quite possibly do their own thing and open their own venue. This venue is a victim of the success of this process, and the success of this process owes most to this particular teacher, who was guesting. One of the migration paths is to her regular venue, which uses the same DJ. We get most of the tracks forumites drool about, when there are the dancers to justify them. There were very few such on this night, and they were mostly non-dancing catching-up. The night wasl below par.

David Franklin

9th-July-2007, 03:45 PM

Currently full with Haribo Sweets.I though fletch could fill her cups all by herself... :confused:

bigdjiver

9th-July-2007, 04:07 PM

... People expect to get their money's worth, not excuses or stories. They've come for a night's dancing. You can't control how experienced your dancers are, but you can control how you behave on-stage. When the lights go up, dearie, it's tits and teeth, luvvie, tits and teeth :D.:yeah:

The prior charity dance starred this teacher and her usual demo, It was an exemplary model of "Tit's'n'teeth", humour, clear instruction and everything else I would want to see in a class for a first-time audience. I wished as it was happening that I had a recording of it to show how it should be done. That dance brought back some part-timers and brought in newcomers, some unexpected. There was the long time ballroom dancing couple, probably in their eighties, who thoroughly enjoyed what WB hated.

The glum expression was whilst stroking her dog, why did you assume that was on stage:confused: What are your classes like?:eek:

The glum group were by the front desk, an unfortunate place to be, but they were discussing a stroke victim, and "Tit's n' teeth" would not have been appropriate. The teacher did "glum", the grimace was almost certainly from a different crew member.

It's no wonder the venue down the road has attracted the experienced dancers. One of the 'venues down the road' has this teacher and this DJ as regulars, she was filling in here.

New people come through the door because of the advertising. But they soon find out where they will get a smiling teacher and migrate to that class.There is virtually no advertising, it is one of my gripes. I share the belief that weekly little squares are a waste of money. My theory is that a quarterly "cut out and keep" full page advertising feature showing the quarterly schedule would be the way to go, but it is not my pocket or my call.

I think BigDJ should not be excusing this class. If he really wants to help the class he should print out witty's post and hand it to the owner of the business.The link has been posted to the appropriate people.

...And the owner of the business should be mortified and apologise to witty, give her free tickets, offer a nice back rub and generally grovel...I do not think that will be the reaction ...

It was not a night for good dancing, but I had a lovely time dancing with enthusiastic beginners, shaking the rust off with some occasional dancers, chatting with the veteran ballroom couple, and greeting a couple of third timers in the intermediate class, sans stickers. They did well.

tsh

9th-July-2007, 07:38 PM

You admit to migrating to Amirs class, and try to deny migration is a factor in the same post.

Maybe I wasn't very clear... I found that after 12 months I was starting to look for alternatives that would allow me to learn more, so I'd be dancing on Monday in London, and closer to home on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. More venues, not different ones. Now (a couple of years later) I currently often dance only one night during the week because there is nowhere local that I want to go (unless maybe if Marc is DJing).

Any venue that chooses not to cater for the intermediate level dancer shouldn't expect anyone other than just beginners and people who turn up regularly just for a social chat - just don't complain about the more experienced dancers going off and dancing somewhere else, it's just a natural progression. Start with MJ, move on to lindy or tango or more recently WCS - see many past threads for the discussion...

Sean

Northants Girly

10th-July-2007, 12:30 PM

Where is this "star" venue BigD? :confused:
BigD - Living in the Midlands I'd really like an answer to my question :)

robd

10th-July-2007, 12:35 PM

BigD - Living in the Midlands I'd really like an answer to my question :)

I'm guessing he means St Neots. Haven't been myself for a few months but heard good recent reviews of Tuesdays there.

As for Bedford Thursdays, I have had some really good nights there and some OK ones, never as bad a one as WB seemed to experience.

bigdjiver

10th-July-2007, 02:00 PM

I'm guessing he means St Neots. Haven't been myself for a few months but heard good recent reviews of Tuesdays there.

As for Bedford Thursdays, I have had some really good nights there and some OK ones, never as bad a one as WB seemed to experience.If you want to learn something of the art of teaching absolute beginners St. Neots is one place to go. The lessons are laced with laughter, which makes people relax and bonds them. The instructions are clear, and not redundant. The class is not told not XXX if nobody is XXX'ing. I could go on, but do not want to be moderated into a new thread. The usual team here is Michaela teaching and Roy DJ'ing. :respect:

I love my nights at Bedford too. Mondays has closed for the summer, which I regret but was necessary. Andy McG often talks about competition in Brighton, but the same 50 p covers the same number of dots on the www,modernjive.com map around here, including two at St. Neots, Michaela, and Snow White, who is a very active recruiter. Just escaping the 50p we have Marc at Milton Keynes, also a very active venue. To the north we have active nights at Wellingborough, which I enjoyed last night, and the lure of WCS which has taken away some of our best dancers. Around here Ceroc is under strong competition from Ceroc.

Miss Conduct

10th-July-2007, 10:47 PM

Not the best night to go, there is a local freestyle the following night, and a lot of the best dancers have planned accordingly.

There are a lot of new dancers, brought in via a local dance festival and a charity dance. The charity dance was for Headway, which deals with people with brain damage. This was organised as a consequence of Frances having suffered a stroke. The venue has lost many her circle of friends, which has damaged it. Her ex-colleague in "Shades" turned up this Thursday. This took a lot of the best dancers there out of circulation "catching up", and took the smile off of many faces.

As Fran's 'ex-colleague' in "Shades" I take exception to your comments. I would like to ask:

1/ Who exactly do you think I 'took out of circulation'?

and

2/ Why do you think I 'took the smile off of many faces'?

As I have not been to this venue for some time I knew very few people there, as was pointed out, many of them were beginners. This also means that they did not know me so why would my presence affect anyone else's evening, adversely or otherwise?

I had persuaded Witty to come to this venue as she was visiting me and it was local. She now fully understands why I no longer attend on a regular basis although I very rarely missed a Thursday night for 6 years after I first started dancing. How embarrassed am I??? :blush:

bigdjiver

11th-July-2007, 12:49 AM

As Fran's 'ex-colleague' in "Shades" I take exception to your comments. I would like to ask:

1/ Who exactly do you think I 'took out of circulation'?I saw you by the door talking in a group, which got larger in time and remained static. They remained static and the "glums" even after you left. As I posted I assumed that you were all "catching up." I was really too busy to take note exactly what was happening. I accept that you knew very few there, but those that you did chat to would be the more experienced, who were a scarce resource on the night, and would be a loss to the floor. Absolutely no criticism of you intended in any way whatsoever, and I apologise if I upset you. You were one of the venues major assets always dancing with superb style.

2/ Why do you think I 'took the smile off of many faces'? You took the smile off my face for one. As soon as I saw you I thought of Frances, and that depressed my mood severely for a few minutes, and took something away from the whole evening. There is no criticism of you in that either. It is a circumstance that has to be lived with.

As I have not been to this venue for some time I knew very few people there, as was pointed out, many of them were beginners. This also means that they did not know me so why would my presence affect anyone else's evening, adversely or otherwise? One possibility might be that the grimace that Witty mentioned being greeted with might have been someone else reacting to the association with Frances too, and nothing to do with her.

I
had persuaded Witty to come to this venue as she was visiting me and it was local. She now fully understands why I no longer attend on a regular basis although I very rarely missed a Thursday night for 6 years after I first started dancing. How embarrassed am I??? :blush:You have no reason whatsoever to feel embarrassed. You have outgrown nursery school and moved on. I have no problem with that. The better dancers have far more choice now, that is a good thing, :grin: for them:sad: . We could do with more dancers of quality now as exemplars, like you and Frances were.

KATE500

25th-July-2007, 12:19 PM

Can't take the heat get out of the kitchen

KATE500

25th-July-2007, 12:23 PM

Quite agree,

Spiky Steve

13th-August-2007, 01:57 PM

I went along to Chiswick Town Hall on Saturday - it was 50-50 between that and Chesham, but the two rooms won out in the end.

The place was packed - I took one look at the main room, saw a sea of elbows, and retreated into the "Blues / Chill Out Lounge / Fresh / Whatever" room for most of the rest of the evening.

Despite my whingeing about the dumbo name for The Other Room, I had a lovely time - Chiswick's definitely growing on me. I think it's because they've finally sorted the floor out in the Chill Out Lounge.

That floor used to be diabolical - sticky and slope-y hell, basically. But it's now quite reasonable; a little slower than the main room, but generally OK. It's still a bit slope-y, but generally it feels much nicer than it used to. So :clap: to the organisers for sorting it out. And also to Tessalicious for a very nice set :clap:
on Chgiswick
The Main Room cleared out quite nicely after 11:30 or so, so I ventured back there on occasion. All in all, a good night I felt.

Bad point: drinks are still a bit OTT for a "homemade bar" - £1 for a can of coke, £1.20 for a bottle of water. Twice as expensoive as most other venues, so that seems a bit much.

A brief update on Chiswick as I went there on Saturday. I had a really good night.

Chiswick is also mentioned on page 9 of this thread and not much
changes. I stayed virtually the whole time in the blues room and it was my reason for going there.

The goods.
Excellent blusey music from Tessalicious.:respect:
A selection of spirits have been added to the makeshift bar.

The bad
The floor in the main room is still sticky.
Bar prices: Single Vodka £2.50.
A double vodka and coke is £6.00. £5.00 vodka and a can of coke £1.00.:eek:
It was very hot in the blues room.
It was very hot in the blues room.
It was very hot in the blues room.

Steve

David Bailey

13th-August-2007, 02:28 PM

The bad
The floor in the main room is still sticky.
It's actually worse than the Blues room now - which is weird, coz the BR is hotter :confused:

Bar prices:
:yeah: - plus, £1.20 for a small bottle of water was a bit of a con, they're 50p in Muswell Hill - and in that weather, lots of other venue organisers are providing water free. Free water would have been appreciated...

Connie

23rd-August-2007, 11:59 AM

Zuhal

23rd-August-2007, 12:32 PM

Wimbledon

I dance all over south London and have been to Wimbledon twice in the last six months.

This is a relatively new venue in which the teacher is trying to mold a cohort of new dancers. His energy is brilliant and he certainly worked the floor afterwards.

The general level of experience is commensurate with the age of the venue so the level of floor craft and general avoiding of partners head will not be as good as other local venues.

Crowd control is something that Ceroc is generally good at so I can understand your (Connie) frustration when it doesn't work right. If you want to experience bad rotation just go to a Salsa or a Tango class.

I made allowances (based on giving them the benefit of the doubt) for all the things that you have justifiably highlighted.

My major gripe was a horrible rotating light device set at waist level that shined exactly in your eye nearly everywhere on the dance floor.:devil:

Zuhal

Twirly

23rd-August-2007, 12:56 PM

Connie - doesn't sound like the best of nights. But to be fair, there is only so much that Ceroc can take responsibility for – true they picked the venue, but there probably isn’t much they can do about the floor. Rudeness on the door is not good however. And there have been discussions elsewhere on here about the need to re-register at every new franchise, and it is annoying. However on the plus side, don’t go back again and you’ll probably get a free pass in a few months, by that time the venue might be better established and you might have a better time. :nice:

From your brief description and the part of London, I figured who the teacher probably is, and having checked on the website, I was right. I’ve not been to one of his class nights, but I have done a couple of his workshops and think he’s fantastic. :respect: Paul F gave him praise on here somewhere too, which is quite a compliment! He teaches elsewhere too. Give him another try sometime.

It does sound as though there might be teething problems with the venue – there is some training needed of the dancers in rotation by the sounds of it!

Tiggerbabe

23rd-August-2007, 01:05 PM

Which e-mail address did you use, Connie?

Twirly

23rd-August-2007, 01:09 PM

Which e-mail address did you use, Connie?

You just reminded me... I meant to say Connie, if you copied it off the contacts page, take the zzz off the start of the address. I've had that problem too - it's there to stop spam e-mail or something.

Connie

23rd-August-2007, 01:20 PM

Which e-mail address did you use, Connie?

I sent it to home@jivesalsa.co.uk and ceroc3@ceroclondon.com both bounced for some reason :sick:

Lory

23rd-August-2007, 01:24 PM

If you want to experience bad rotation just go to a Salsa or a Tango class.

I have to strongly disagree with this... the quickest, slickest and best rotation I've ever experienced, was at a recent Salsa class. :worthy:

And the worst, was at a Ballroom class, where there wasn't a set rotation at all, it was a pure 'free for all'! :sick:

Connie

23rd-August-2007, 01:29 PM

Connie - doesn't sound like the best of nights. But to be fair, there is only so much that Ceroc can take responsibility for –
I don't expect them to take responsibility for my enjoyment of their evening, who am I to tell them how to run their business, however I can vote with my feet.

true they picked the venue, but there probably isn’t much they can do about the floor. –
I completely understand that, my comment about the floor was not meant to be a dig at Ceroc London, more as a warning not to wear your best shoes

From your brief description and the part of London, I figured who the teacher probably is, and having checked on the website, I was right. I’ve not been to one of his class nights, but I have done a couple of his workshops and think he’s fantastic. :respect: Paul F gave him praise on here somewhere too, which is quite a compliment! He teaches elsewhere too. Give him another try sometime.–
As I wrote in my review he certainly had great passion and put a lot of himself into his class, I hope it came across that my dissatisfaction with the evening had nothing to do with him dancing or teaching skills(apart from his rotation) oh and maybe his taxi dancer that twaked my head and sprained my wrist.

David Bailey

23rd-August-2007, 02:21 PM

I have to strongly disagree with this... the quickest, slickest and best rotation I've ever experienced, was at a recent Salsa class. :worthy:
Yeah, but that's just dancematrix, most salsa classes are pretty bad - and AT classes are worse.

And the worst, was at a Ballroom class, where there wasn't a set rotation at all, it was a pure 'free for all'! :sick:
Ballroom classes are definitely the worst of all (again, dancematrix excepted) - some don't rotate at all. Which must be fun for the women sitting over for an hour...

David Bailey

23rd-August-2007, 02:24 PM

I completely understand that, my comment about the floor was not meant to be a dig at Ceroc London,
And why not? They pick the venue - what, is the floor irrelevant to them? If it's a poor floor, it's their responsibility.

Don't get me started on venue managers and floors - they just don't give a monkey's in my experience... :mad:

his taxi dancer that twaked my head and sprained my wrist.
Yeah, not exactly what you want from a professional is it :rolleyes:

Lory

23rd-August-2007, 02:31 PM

And why not? They pick the venue - what, is the floor irrelevant to them? If it's a poor floor, it's their responsibility.

Yeah, its a bit like saying, 'you can't expect the floor to be good, cos its held in a cow shed'

Don't hold it in a cow shed then! :whistle: :rofl:

Gojive

23rd-August-2007, 07:32 PM

Yeah, its a bit like saying, 'you can't expect the floor to be good, cos its held in a cow shed'

Don't hold it in a cow shed then! :whistle: :rofl:

Unless you're teaching First Moooove variations :waycool:

David Bailey

24th-August-2007, 09:56 AM

Spiky Steve

24th-August-2007, 12:28 PM

St. Albans

Ceroc metro venue, Thursday nights.

It's a big hall - the dance floor's about the same size as Ashtons - and relatively easy to get to. There were a lot of people, although the class was doing "15 ladies on" so I assume the gender balance was pretty poor.

The floor was good, which makes a pleasant change after Berko and Shenley...

The dance standard was about normal for a Ceroc night I think - I was told that there were lots of good dancers there, but I didn't notice more than normal (possibly they were all avoidng me :) ). I did catch a slight whiff of snootiness, there was an embryonic no-row, but it was trivial compared to Fulham / Hammersmith levels.

Can't think of much else to say - but to quote another review, there was ample car parking :grin:

:yeah:

I have been here a few times of late. The only thing would add to this is that the usual teacher was not here and could well have had an effect on the people turning up.

Mick the usual teacher is excellent. :respect: :respect:

I also like the intromediates set up here of three levels of classes which has been discussed on another thread.

The lesson is taught here with some lovely bluesey music and makes the learning experience relaxing. Then the music goes a bit too rock and roll for me at times.

Steve

David Bailey

24th-August-2007, 12:36 PM

I have been here a few times of late. The only thing would add to this is that the usual teacher was not here and could well have had an effect on the people turning up.

What, making them better dancers you mean? :grin: :whistle:

drathzel

24th-August-2007, 01:25 PM

I have to strongly disagree with this... the quickest, slickest and best rotation I've ever experienced, was at a recent Salsa class. :worthy:

in what way?

David Bailey

24th-August-2007, 01:45 PM

in what way?
I'll answer that - I've done loads of their classes, they're all the same format.

Dancematrix style is to move people along (one) after each practice move, no matter what. So you typically move round more than once a minute.

More to the point, this happens automatically - the people in the class know when to move on, so the teacher doesn't have to spend time in crowd control, asking them to move on one, sorting out the leftovers and so on. So it allows them to focus on teaching.

In my view, the level of Dancematrix teaching in general is better than Ceroc - for all disciplines they teach, although I'm not a fan of the move-heavy focus for their AT classes. However, they're definitely an exception in terms of class rotation - I've never encountered another salsa class which rotates better than Ceroc.

Starbucks

24th-August-2007, 06:07 PM

Hiya connie we appreciate the feedback you have left. As we are still a new venue we are trying our best to improve areas that our members may not be happy with. But as moderaters have said it's not very fair to personally outline people at the venues e.g taxi dancers, teachers or door staff. The crew that works at wimbledon is very close knit and are friendly people. I am sorry your experience was so bad and hope you find a venue that suits you better.
But for the future if a venue does ask you to fill a visitor form again,it is only because ceroc is a "members only" club... we understand this maybe be time consuming but
it is important that we have your detials..... for your security as much as ours.:nice:

Lou

24th-August-2007, 06:20 PM

But as moderaters have said it's not very fair to personally outline people at the venues e.g taxi dancers, teachers or door staff.
:rofl: Which moderators did that, then? Scrolling back, I only noticed one mention the staff, and that was in ....ermmmm... not a particularly flattering light, either. If a member of staff was rude, or injured someone, I would expect the franchisee to want to know about it, and to welcome such constructive criticism, so that they could act on it if necessary.

But for the future if a venue does ask you to fill a visitor form again,it is only because ceroc is a "members only" club... we understand this maybe be time consuming but it is important that we have your detials..... for your security as much as ours.:nice:
I don't think Connie was complaining about having to fill out the form. She's new to Ceroc and unfamiliar with the workings of individual franchises, and so would've been surprised to be asked to re-register. It's not unreasonable for her to ask the person on the door. It IS unreasonable for them to be rude in response (no matter how busy they were). First impressions are important, and door staff should be aware that they are often someone's first impression of Ceroc.

Also, I'd like to know what the security aspects of the cards are. Would you be so kind as to explain what you meant by "for your security as much as ours." :flower:

David Bailey

24th-August-2007, 08:37 PM

Hi Starbucks and welcome!

But as moderaters have said it's not very fair to personally outline people at the venues e.g taxi dancers, teachers or door staff.
Well, unless you really want to :devil: :innocent:

And you guys got off lightly, you should count yourselves lucky that she didn't start speaking Danish to you :grin:

Seriously, it wasn't really a name-and-shame thing, I don't think it's worth getting stressed over.

But I think it's great (if surprising) that people are actually reading the feedback, and responding to it. We could do with some more of that, I think, so :clap: to you for that.

But for the future if a venue does ask you to fill a visitor form again,it is only because ceroc is a "members only" club... we understand this maybe be time consuming but
it is important that we have your detials..... for your security as much as ours.:nice:
As I understand it, I think her complaint was that she'd already filled-in one form to join, but in a different franchise, so why make her fill in another one?

And if so, I think she's got a point - it's not the fault of the members that Ceroc doesn't have a single customer database. One of the main benefits of global membership should be the convenience of having one card that can be used anywhere. Having a Visa card that only worked in your home town would be kind of silly, after all.

Lory

24th-August-2007, 09:04 PM

Hiya connie we appreciate the feedback you have left. As we are still a new venue we are trying our best to improve areas that our members may not be happy with. Great start! :worthy:

But as moderaters have said it's not very fair to personally outline people at the venues e.g taxi dancers, teachers or door staff.Erm, I've re-read Connie's post and AFAIK no names were mentioned?

The crew that works at wimbledon is very close knit and are friendly people. They might be close knit but I'm afraid, from what Connie said, she didn't experience a very 'friendly' response, when she made an reasonable query about her membership card!

I am sorry your experience was so bad and hope you find a venue that suits you better. :cool: Now,this is where you let yourself down IMO :sad:

But for the future if a venue does ask you to fill a visitor form again,it is only because ceroc is a "members only" club... we understand this maybe be time consuming but
it is important that we have your detials..... for your security as much as ours.:nice:
This was probably the simple explanation, Connie was looking for 'on the night';)

Now below, is what IMO is the perfect response, to a valued customers complaint! :worthy:

Hi Twirly,

i am Really sorry about the misunderstanding regarding the start date of the Sunday Squeeze.

We did send out this email on the afternoon of Wednesday 8th which can be seen at Sunday Squeeze HTML (http://www.ceroc.com/CFDB_LDN/email/Sunday_Squeeze/)

The event was supposed to start on Sunday 12th but there was a problem with the ac leaking which the engineers were fixing on that Sunday and they wanted the flexibility of working late to get the job finished so we decided to postpone the start date. The next week meant running only 1 week before the bank holiday and the next week the ‘Sunday Smoove’ is opening at Jongleurs which we did not want to clash with so we decided to delay until Sunday 9th September.

Sorry for the inconvenience. If you PM me with your membership no. I will arrange for you to receive free entry on September 9th. jammy

Lynn

24th-August-2007, 09:07 PM

I am sorry your experience was so bad and hope you find a venue that suits you better.

This is where you let yourself down IMOI thought that too. It may not have been intended, but it did come across to me as a bit 'we'd rather you went somewhere else'. :( Certainly not a 'please come back and we hope you have a better experience the next time'.

Andy McGregor

25th-August-2007, 11:44 AM

I thought that too. It may not have been intended, but it did come across to me as a bit 'we'd rather you went somewhere else'. :( Certainly not a 'please come back and we hope you have a better experience the next time'.:yeah:

I'm with Lynn and Lory on this one. It really did sound like Starbucks has no intention of changing anything. The way I read it was "we like the way we are and if you don't like it, don't come".

I think negative feedback about nights is very useful for the people that run those nights. To me it is a force for change and I would like to get more of it. Even though I feel quite hurt when I get it :tears:

One of the advantages that Ceroc have as an organisation is that they can get "feedback" from many nights. If something really is wrong with their format they will hear the same thing from many sources: this means that they can actually see if something is a real problem or a one-off complaint. In this particular circumstance I believe the problem was an isolated incident and Connie would probably have a great time if she ventured further afield went somewhere like Woking or Guildford Ceroc.

JiveLad

25th-August-2007, 11:57 AM

St. Albans

Ceroc metro venue, Thursday nights.

It's a big hall - the dance floor's about the same size as Ashtons - and relatively easy to get to. There were a lot of people, although the class was doing "15 ladies on" so I assume the gender balance was pretty poor.

The floor was good, which makes a pleasant change after Berko and Shenley...

The dance standard was about normal for a Ceroc night I think - I was told that there were lots of good dancers there, but I didn't notice more than normal (possibly they were all avoidng me :) ). I did catch a slight whiff of snootiness, there was an embryonic no-row, but it was trivial compared to Fulham / Hammersmith levels.

Can't think of much else to say - but to quote another review, there was ample car parking :grin:

David - pleased that you made it to the epicentre of 21st Century Modern Jive/Ceroc. These days, if there is freestyle at Ashtons and St. Albans on the same night - it's a no-brainer: St. Albans wins hands down: the experience is far superior in so many ways (music, dancers - and particularly the ATMOSPHERE).

Lou

25th-August-2007, 12:10 PM

I'm with Lynn and Lory on this one. It really did sound like Starbucks has no intention of changing anything. The way I read it was "we like the way we are and if you don't like it, don't come".
I totally agree. It wasn't a pleasant, or welcoming thing to say. And, as you'll see above, I totally agree that this thread is a place where we can give balanced feedback to organisers. It might not be what they want to hear - but it should be what they need to hear (no matter how hurt their feelings at the time). And Connie did ask the forum before she posted. She asked what was acceptable to write, and she stayed within the advice she was given. :clap:

(And I'd still like to know how that little bit of black plastic makes me more secure... :na: )

David Bailey

25th-August-2007, 01:01 PM

David - pleased that you made it to the epicentre of 21st Century Modern Jive/Ceroc.
I did? :innocent:

That's a bit scary. Maybe I've arrived at last.

Actually, I went there before, for the opening night party thingy (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/social-events/10298-weekend-10th-11th-12th-3.html#post305688).

These days, if there is freestyle at Ashtons and St. Albans on the same night - it's a no-brainer: St. Albans wins hands down: the experience is far superior in so many ways (music, dancers - and particularly the ATMOSPHERE).
Dunno, really - I mean, it was OK, but I didn't think it was the One True Place or anything... :confused:

It's a hall, there are lots of people there dancing, there's music. It's all pretty much the same in my view.

The best night I've had at a Ceroc venue in London in the past few weeks has been at Muswell Hill to be honest - great music, great friendly crowd, space to dance. Before that, it would have been at Bow, and for similar reasons.

spindr

25th-August-2007, 05:28 PM

I'm with Lynn and Lory on this one. It really did sound like Starbucks has no intention of changing anything. The way I read it was "we like the way we are and if you don't like it, don't come".
:yeah:

I was expecting to see something like "Sorry our staff were brusque, but the good news is, since you were kind enough to fill out our local copy of your address/details we can send you a complimentary entry to our venue -- hope to see you soon"

SpinDr

SteveK

26th-August-2007, 03:00 AM

(And I'd still like to know how that little bit of black plastic makes me more secure... :na: )

Having the little bit of black plastic could be a condition of the liability insurance. I'm assuming that you want the venue/teacher to have adequate liability insurance in case of numpties injuring you.

Let's admit that it's a bit poor that Ceroc can't have a central database; I can't remember quite how many members are on the database, but it shouldn't be too difficult to collate & disseminate all the details on say a monthly basis. Live updates probably are probably a bit OTT (but technically feasible), but disseminating databases shouldn't be difficult, and I doubt that there should be any data protection issues?

It could easily be a condition of the liability insurance that the details of everyone attending. Lots of liability issues are determined by the degree of "paper trail" available; it's not whether you took proper care, but whether you can demonstrate that you took proper care. (Also having a permanent record of who attends which venues may help resolve any fradulent claims as well?)

I personally am happy to have rigid procedures as it is an indicator that the venue operator has considered liability issues carefully, and the insurance is more likely to be in place to aid me if I am unlucky enough to be injured by a numpty.

However I'm still surprised with the defensive tone of Starbucks - rather than a "blame culture" approach, the best thing could be to outline how you might ensure that Connie (and all other newbies) has a super time the next time she visits?

JiveLad

26th-August-2007, 09:37 AM

Did anyone go to the Berkhamstead dance last night?

I was wondering how the new venue is (the usual place is "like a banana" after the fire at Cafe Uno).

Lou

26th-August-2007, 09:39 AM

Having the little bit of black plastic could be a condition of the liability insurance. I'm assuming that you want the venue/teacher to have adequate liability insurance in case of numpties injuring you.
It may be... but there are a lot of other independent clubs who manage to take out liability insurance and not have cards. Besides, it protects the organisers more than me. If I were injured, it stops my InjuryLawyersAreUs suing them personally, surely? (But that's not the most important drawback - I'll get onto that in the next bit...)

I can't remember quite how many members are on the database, but it shouldn't be too difficult to collate & disseminate all the details on say a monthly basis.
Ach, now you're talking my language. :D However, what's missing is the reliability of the data. For example, my Ceroc membership card has massively out-of-date details. It was taken out at a Franchise that no longer exists, two marriages ago, and about 4 house moves ago. Relatively recently, I was dancing at four other franchises - in Scotland, the South West and the Midlands - none of them took my details, just my membership number. It's only coming down to London that I've noticed it happening more, with CerrocLondon & CerocMetro in particular. ;)

It could easily be a condition of the liability insurance that the details of everyone attending.
It could possibly be - but I've worked for organisations who have the liability insurance, but no member list, so I would say it's not mandatory for all policies. It strikes me, though, that it's more of an optional marketing extra to be used by Franchisees on whatever basis they choose. :wink: (But I'm a cynic).

Connie

28th-August-2007, 10:16 AM

Hiya Starbucks, and thanks for replying to the feedback I left re Wimbledon. :grin: In response to your reply there is a few things I would like to clearify.

...... But as moderaters have said it's not very fair to personally outline people at the venues e.g taxi dancers, teachers or door staff........

That's actually not what the moderators said

As Caro said, "naming and shaming" - i.e. personal attacks on particular individuals - is not allowed, but apart from that, rants are fine :)

At no point did I personly attack any of the people at your venue, the only person that could be identified would be the teacher, and if you reread my review, you would find that I wrote that he was clearly dedicated and cared greatly about his class. As there was 3 taxi dancers at the evening in question, no-one would know which of them twaked me and sprained my wrist. It's fine by the way :whistle:

I am a bit confused as how to anyone could review a Ceroc evening, without mentioning the people who worked at the venue. :sick: After all if I was to go to the Cinema to watch the new Harry Potter film, and was to desribe the film to my friend, she would be expecting to hear about the plot and the actors, not just the flavour of the popcorn?

The crew that works at wimbledon is very close knit and are friendly people.

I am sure they are, however that is not what I experienced last week. I asked a simple question to the doorstaff about the need to fill in a second registration form. The reason I asked the question was because I didnt know the answer, not to cause the staff member concerned any hassle. A polite explanation would have been "friendly"

I am sorry your experience was so bad and hope you find a venue that suits you better.

Yup, I am still not getting the friendly wibe :whistle:

But for the future if a venue does ask you to fill a visitor form again,it is only because ceroc is a "members only" club... we understand this maybe be time consuming but it is important that we have your detials..... for your security as much as ours.:nice:

That was what I was looking forward when I asked regarding the registration form, an answer.

BTW, your e-mail addresses are still not working.

robd

29th-August-2007, 09:38 AM

I went to the regular Ceroc night at St Neots last night for the first time in a while. It's been getting some very good feedback from friends I know who've been going there regularly so I figured it was worth checking out again.

Venue is spacious (though was busy on the floor) and was hot - the ceiling drapes/marquee was up which didn't help in this respect. Lots of ladies over, both in class and in freestyle. A reasonable spread of abilities throughout the room for a standard ceroc class night. Gary was teaching and is (understandably) a lot more confident now than he used to be though he was a little inconsistent in his routine in beginners (sometimes would do 3 wiggles on a slo comb, sometimes 2). Intermediate routine was fairly forgettable.

Music provided by Roy was, on the whole, faster than I personally enjoy and I was disappointed that the last 2 tracks were the Contours and Elvis/JXL (I think). Indeed, I called it a night when I heard the intro for that last track. I know, it's my look out if I am unable to dance to fast music but a balance of one slow/mid tempo and one fast track for the last two records would have been better IMO. I had a couple of very enjoyable dances with Little Miss and one of my best dances of the year with a lady whose name I can't remember but whom I see around from time to time - one of those where everything works and you feel like you're moving together as one. Unfortunately those were about the only dances I remember with any fondness :sad: I know the theory that a good leader should be able to adapt their lead to accomodate any level of follower but I guess I am too one dimensional in my dancing to accomplish this.

It's a decent enough night and I know the gender balance isn't usually so out. I've heard Roy play better sets but others who were there seemed to like it. Can't say its inspired me to try and get there every Tuesday though.

bigdjiver

29th-August-2007, 11:32 AM

I went to the regular Ceroc night at St Neots ... was hot - the ceiling drapes/marquee was up which didn't help in this respect. For the uninitiated - the venue often hosts events like wedding parties, and for these it erects a marquee inside the hall. This adds a 'different' atmosphere, but does keep in the heat, and can prevent the doors to the riverside being opened hich normally cools the venue.

... Music provided by Roy was, on the whole, faster than I personally enjoy and I was disappointed that the last 2 tracks were the Contours and Elvis/JXL (I think). Indeed, I called it a night when I heard the intro for that last track. I know, it's my look out if I am unable to dance to fast music but a balance of one slow/mid tempo and one fast track for the last two records would have been better IMO... Did you wait for the playout track? Roy, at least in Bedford, having finished the Ceroc night, puts on a slower track for real dancers as the playout. I often have my best dance of the night to those tracks.

Keefy

29th-August-2007, 12:24 PM

Ceroc Nights – Grays Venue

I went down to the Tuesdays Grays venue last night as a couple of things interested me – they have a three classes system and there was a live singer for the freestyle. Nice location only a few miles off the M25, the evening is in a big complex with a sports centre and loads of parking. The big Civic Hall is a lovely venue, it has a separate bar area, a massive dance hall and plenty of room. Door staff were friendly and there was a separate desk for new members, there were several of those there last night. At £7 it’s a fairly standard price for a Ceroc evening.

I would guess there were about 150 people there last night, it wasn’t crowded and there’s some room at the back of the hall that could be used. There were plenty of tables and chairs, they even put on a chocolate fountain later in the evening! The beginners class started pretty much on time with two teachers, Glynn and Karen. They started off working on the floor with a fun little group dance. The beginners class has got to be one of the best I have ever experienced, both Glynn and Karen injected a sense of fun and enthusiasm into the class that really made it buzz. Throughout the class there was humour, there were little style tips, explanations and correction of things they had noticed going wrong. I was a good four move class very well taught IMHO.

After the freestyle break they split the evening three ways : There’s the normal taxi review session in the bar area, the intermediates class in the main hall, and a separate beginners plus/intromediates class in a separate room downstairs. The beginners plus class was billed as for the 6 to 12 week dancer, i.e. for those just out of the taxi review sessions and trying to bridge the gap to intermediate. A preview of the main intermediate was given so that the new intermediates had a choice as to which class would suit them better. Last night was a special ‘smooth operator’ intermediates class, it looked a lovely routine and although I would probably have coped with it my move memory is not brilliant for those long and intricate moves – so I opted for the beginners plus class :blush:

Vicky gave the beginners plus class, the format was the same as a taxi review class with the teacher working in the rotation and giving little hints and tips to those who needed it. There were around 15 or 20 people in the class with a slight shortage of male leads, slotting spare ladies into the rotation rather than the route march approach meant that the class moved on well. Four moves were taught, last night it was the sway, first move with a waltz step, left handed comb and (I think) a yoyo variation that has already got lost in my appalling move memory! It was a full length class, the same as the main intermediates class, again very well taught and explained by Vicky.

The freestyle session was fun, it was nice to be dancing to some live music in the form of Lewis Dixon who did a full one hour set with a variety of tempos to suit all tastes. I had some lovely dances and one or two of my ‘oops’ dances which didn’t quite click (sorry ladies – my fault!), all with people I didn’t know. It was a friendly venue with lots of smiling faces, people were enjoying themselves. A special thanks to the gorgeous Sunnybunny :flower: for putting up with my poor dancing once again, one of the highlights of the evening that dance.

My only real negative comment for the evening was the DJ, I’ve experienced that before with a Ceroc Nights venue at Romford. I don’t think their DJ’s have got anything in their play list at less than 140bmp, smooth and blues seem to be lost on them. Even the freestyle break right after the beginners class jumped straight into some pretty challenging tempos, I didn’t see any of the beginner male leads even attempting them. A bit more of a mix of tempos would be appreciated, especially straight after the classes to consolidate what has been taught without trying to keep up with a night club disco beat.

But overall – a very good night out, one of the best Ceroc evenings I have ever attended. Everything just seemed to click, it was a great venue, a good crowd. The teaching was of a very high standard and splitting the evening to give the new intermediates a full four move lesson that they could cope with worked really well in my view, much better than the three move rush I reviewed at St Albans last week. Grays is a 40 mile/45 minute drive for me but it was worth it, it’s a venue that I will certainly be returning to in the future. In my opinion the whole experience was how a Ceroc evening should be done – well done to the Ceroc Nights team :respect:

jammy

29th-August-2007, 01:33 PM

In my quest to find my favorite local venue I ventured to Wimbledon yesterday which is run by Ceroc London.

The venue is at the YMCA which is conveniently placed 5 minutes walk from the train/tram/underground station. The class was held inside a traditional gym, which looks like it's normally used for basketball/badminton classes. The floor is in a pretty bad nick, very scruffed and quite dirty. If you plan to go here, I would not wear dance shoes but rather trainers.

Along with me was a friend of mine who was along to try out MJ for the first time. I am really sad to say that she will not be going to MJ again, and neither would I if I didnt know from other venue's what a fun positive thing Ceroc is normally.

My friend was quickly registered for her membership (£2) and the class was £8. I presented my membership card together with my attendence fee. The lady asked me to fill in a registration form as I was a member of a different group. I asked her why I was required to register again? and was barked at that they didnt have my details and if I didnt register again I couldnt dance tonight, because they were a franchise and had to also have my details! I was quite taken back by her hostility as I was simply asking a (friendly) question.

The hall didnt have a stage so the teacher was on a small portable stage which was placed centrally so it was easy to see what was be taught by the teacher at all time. The teacher introduced himself, his partner and the DJ at the start of the beginners class.

There wasnt a lot of members when the evening started so we were organised into 2 rows across the width of the room with about 6 couples in each, and the spare ladies were told to "slot" themselves next to a couple.
At the next move all the ladies moved one space, and if you had a "spare" lady next to you, you would move into her "slot"
In theory I can see how this system can work out great, therefore ensuring that time is not wasted while X ladies move X spaces.
In reality what happened was mayhem :mad: as more people started to trickle into the venue the ladies generally tended to slot themselves in row 1 or next to their favorite partners and thus bottlenecks started to occur. So in row 1 you would 6 couples and have 5 ladies "slotted" but in row 2, there might only be one lady in a "slot"
That means if you were a beginner in row 1, you would stand out every second demonstration and be pretty much lost.
As I mentioned we started out with 2 rows, and in the end of the beginners class there was 5, this further added to the general confusion as when a new line was created from the excisting ones, some of the ladies who was slotted next to the couple who moved, was "cheated" out of her place in the rotation.
I also saw that some of the regular/advanced ladies, would step out of the rotation when they happened upon a new beginner man, and move up further in the line and place themselves in a slot next to one of their preferred male dancer partners. I can't see this would do a lot for the confidence of the new males, or indeed for the venues retention rate of new male dancers.

I also think there is a safety issue involved in having so many ladies "slotted" in next to dancing couples, one poor girl ended up on the floor, when a couple failed to reconnect after a shoulder slide and bumped into her.

The teacher was clearly passionate about his class and he did inject some energy into the crowd, which was pretty lifeless in my opinion. But I think that was because everyone was pretty frustrated. He did invite everyone at the venue with him to a bar in Wimbledon after the class for a drink and a chat, so he clearly cared about and gets involved with his class. I cant really comment upon his teaching as I am neither qualified to do so, and I spend to much time moving around from slot to slot, and dodging dancers in my slot to pay much attention.

After the beginners class I had a good dance with a gent I know from a different venue and then danced with one of the taxi dancers. However he didnt lift his arm high enough when he came to "return" me and twaked me in the forehead twice, and in the step in step out, he held on to my fingers so they couldnt glide with the move, and my wrist got sprained. :angry:

I decided with my friend to call it a night at that point and we left

All together it was a very fragmented and frustrating experience, and if I was a new member I would not be going back.

On a positive note I really liked the "Taxi Dancer" poster, where beginners could stand under so the taxi dancers could find them for a dance. What a great idea!

I have written an feedback e-mail to Ceroc London this morning, however the e-mail address they have on their website seems to be incorrect as it was undeliverable.

Hi Connie,

Sorry for the delayed response, I have only just picked up on this thread.

I’m really sorry to hear that you have had a negative experience at Wimbledon.

Your comments have been noted and will be fully investigated.

The matter of the front door person being rude is especially troubling.

Ceroc is a social event open to anyone and should be assessable and welcoming at all times.

I have forwarded the content of your post to the manager and the teacher at Wimbledon for their information.

I understand Tim has responded separately.

I refer to your query with regard to having to fill in a membership form at Wimbledon when you had already joined Ceroc elsewhere.

The Ceroc Network in the UK consists of 36 franchisees all of whom are in effect operating their own businesses in line with the Ceroc standard business model under the umbrella brand of Ceroc. Each operator maintains their own database of members who have joined in their territory and that is the database that we use as individual operators for sending out weekly emails and special promotions etc specific to our businesses. This is the database that sits on the laptop at the venue, so when you arrived at Wimbledon and your membership card was swiped you would have registered as a ‘visitor’ because although you had a membership number your details did not sit on the Ceroc London database. It is a requirement of our Public Liability insurance that we have a record of all attendees at our events and that all attendees are in fact members. This is why you were asked to fill in another form, because we needed to update your details on our database against your unique membership number. In fact the form you would have been given to fill in should have been a photocopied A4 sheet entitled CEROC ENTRY FORM which has an explanation on it! The door staff are instructed to politely ask anyone who queries why they have to fill out their details for whatever reason to read the explanation given on the form. We do not expect our door staff to field queries relating to PLi or membership issues; they are instructed to politely ask that you contact the office using the contact details given on the form should they have specific queries.

With regard to bouncing emails I’m not sure why this has occurred but I have asked our webmaster to investigate.

I am pleased that you have continued to attend Ceroc and I admire your resolve for sticking with it considering your experiences to date!

I echo the comments of others on this thread and hope that you do continue to dance.

Participating in Ceroc can be very beneficial in many ways.

I hope that you experience all of them and that Ceroc becomes a positive and dynamic part of your life.

If you do visit any Ceroc London venues, and I hope that you do, then please come and say hello to me.

All the best

Jamie

dave the scaffolder

29th-August-2007, 02:02 PM

Hi jammy i have been following this discussion with some interest as i have had 2 ocassions where i have been rude to by members of Ceroc Londons staff.

I have a couple of questions for you

1 Who is Starbucks?...He/she has the profile of Lord Lucan. Is there any reason he/she has a blank profile?

2 Who are you? In your profile are you the girl or the boy?

3 What position do you both hold in the organization you are answering for?

Please do not take these questions in the wrong way, as i want to know who you both are, as i dance in your venues and names and faces are always nice.

XXX XXX DTS Dave

jammy

29th-August-2007, 02:07 PM

Dreadful Scathe

29th-August-2007, 02:54 PM

I went to the Glasgow venue last night in Jumping Jacks. After begging one of the taxi dancers to pay me in, I was surprised just how busy it was. By the time I turned up, the intermediate class was on its final move or thereabouts and the beginners were being taken through their paces by some particularly attractive taxi dancers in tight black clothing. The teacher had beautifully feathered hair and highlights, and his cheeky, yet, infectious charm surely infused the room. The 11 ladies going round were always smiling I noticed.

When the class ended, the music was pretty good for the rest of the night, with no sign of a single cheesy french polka. I had some great dances and did not seriously injure anyone. The locals were friendly in the main, even the attractive girl who scared me with her very black moody eye liner did not phase me. Trying to remember any dance moves beyond the "back and forward" type after not dancing much in recent months, did trouble at times, but even with that I gave it a good go and did not embarrass myself overly. I even managed to discuss the merits of the new MAC store with one of the hotshots who turned up late.

Overall, a fruity venue with occasional bouts of spinny genius. Recommended.

;)

FoxyFunkster

29th-August-2007, 02:58 PM

Hi Dave

i Do not Know who Starbucks is as im not much on this Forum much and dont know who 90% of the people are.

I am Jamie (i am the Boy) and i am the Operations manager of Ceroc London.

Regards Jamie

A BOY!!! :eek: :eek: Wasn`t Starbucks in Battlestar Galatica??? didn`t he fight the Cylons

Tiggerbabe

29th-August-2007, 03:08 PM

I even managed to discuss the merits of the new MAC store with one of the hotshots who turned up late
I'm only guessing :wink: but would this be the same hotshot who gave up his Saturday afternoon browsing in said store to help with the busk in Stirling :respect:

Twirly

29th-August-2007, 03:45 PM

I I even managed to discuss the merits of the new MAC store with one of the hotshots who turned up late.

So did you buy any of their sparkly eyeliner then? :wink:

(MAC (http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/home.tmpl?ngextredir=1&ref=77)is one of my favourite make-up brands :na: )

Lynn

29th-August-2007, 03:51 PM

So did you buy any of their sparkly eyeliner then? :wink:

(MAC (http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/home.tmpl?ngextredir=1&ref=77)is one of my favourite make-up brands :na: )Glad I'm not the only one who thought that! :rofl: Girlies vs techies eh?

Tiggerbabe

29th-August-2007, 04:17 PM

Girlies vs techies eh?
Not quite! Make up never even entered my head :rolleyes:

Twirly

29th-August-2007, 04:27 PM

Not quite! Make up never even entered my head :rolleyes:

Am very pleased to hear it - make-up looks much better when applied to your head externally... :na:

(sorry, work is very boring today :blush: )

Tiggerbabe

29th-August-2007, 04:28 PM

No worries, I did wonder how long it would take :wink: :)

Lynn

29th-August-2007, 04:30 PM

Not quite! Make up never even entered my head :rolleyes: Well 'merits' and 'Mac' in the same sentence threw me off the possiblity that it was technology being discussed...

*Ducks and runs. Very, very fast.*

That's me banned from the forum now....

ducasi

29th-August-2007, 04:33 PM

I'm only guessing :wink: but would this be the same hotshot who gave up his Saturday afternoon browsing in said store to help with the busk in Stirling :respect:
Typical hotshot behaviour! :rolleyes:

Mac

31st-August-2007, 06:50 PM

OK since I wrote the last main review and it was not great. I thought I should do this one too :wink: Its only fair after all:D

Ok staring with outside. The Decks rocked! :clap:

and this time I mean the decks really did rock! :clap::clap:

Perfect music, and perfect interpretaion of the mood by mostly Roger C:cheers::clap::clap:

I would have paid the money just to sit in the sun as I did and take in the atmosphere as I did!:waycool::waycool:

The BBQ smoke filled atmosphere in the afternoon added to the ambience :nice:

the blues room played blues wayhey!!:clap::clap:

The other room played M J classics wayhay!:clap::clap:

The restaurant up the road was ab fab!!! wayhay:drool::drool:

I had great dances with lovely people :flower: :flower:

Now not so good :sad:

The food you could buy on site consisted of a hot dog. I didnt buy one personally but was told tha a banger in a dried up roll was 4 quid!! i just so hope that thats not true :angry:

I still think the lights could be improved in all areas!! seek advise and it will be freely given.:waycool:

Closing the floor level room in the middle of the evening for a comic act that we did not have access to was REALLY STUPID!! But im guessing that this was Zulu's doing rather than Jive Nation. :eek: :eek:

( I had a sneaky listen and he was just a racist south african wanna be Comic!!) Apparrently tickets were £22.00! waste of dosh in my view!:rolleyes:

Luckily the numbers seemed a little down and the other rooms (downstairs and Blues room) took the numbers quite well but it was a real chore going from one to the other :na:

The concrete floor downstairs is pants and will ruin good dance shoes instantly :mad:

The lighting downstairs was too dark.:mad:

There that was not so bad was it? :D

Anway, overall it was a million times better than last time:respect::respect:

I dont know how many more they will get in before the sun gives out ( in fact they have been lucky in that they have been the only two sunny days in august!!):waycool:

But I think its well worth going to the next one. :clap::clap::clap:

But guys please work harder on atmosphere inside its the only hurdle left and in my view (not that its worth anything) then you've cracked it!
:clap::clap::clap:

spindr

2nd-September-2007, 11:50 PM

Not much jive round here this w/end.

Went to the first "Last Friday Party" by dance2salsa in the Maidenhead/Windsor/Bracknell triangle -- compact and bijou would be a pretty good description :) The venue at the golf club seemed to have a vaguely medieval theme, plenty of old beams and standards, etc. Good advanced class by Marchant Birch. Floor was pretty good, seemed ok to me, though possibly waxed (?) -- two ladies I was dancing with fell over (of their own volition) -- so I guess a suitable pair of shoes is advisable. Plenty of people there -- so space was at a premium. Floorcraft was a definite requirement -- but keeping things simple seemed to work well. Music was pretty varied -- even getting toward a blues/jazz vibe toward the end of the evening. Overall a great evening -- so much so, that I lost track of time -- leaving after 4.5 hours (!) Bonus was a large patrolled car park.

Then on to Tracie's latin club on Saturday at Chilworth. A straightforward hall -- no bar, but free coffee/tea/water, etc. Good class by Lee Wright -- with his usual flair and panache. Floor good. Seemed to be less crowded, but perhaps less room to dance -- maybe everyone was doing more complicated moves. Music reasonable -- less varied salsa tracks, but an occasional bachata. A reasonable evening -- perhaps I was just too knackered to do it justice.

SpinDr

Trousers

5th-September-2007, 11:12 AM

What's Leicester like nowadays?

Tiggerbabe

5th-September-2007, 12:30 PM

Not technically a review on the club nights, but this (http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=1411462007) was in today's Scotsman.

Stuart M

5th-September-2007, 12:44 PM

Not technically a review on the club nights, but this (http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=1411462007) was in today's Scotsman.
Not like the Scotsman to be completely unaware of Glasgow's existence, eh? :rolleyes:

ducasi

5th-September-2007, 12:51 PM

Not like the Scotsman to be completely unaware of Glasgow's existence, eh? :rolleyes:
Don't know if I've seen Kevin in Glasgow – he's Dundee-based (or thereabouts) AFAIK.

I wonder who was the Glaswegian lady on her way to Aberdeen...

Tiggerbabe

5th-September-2007, 12:54 PM

Don't know if I've seen Kevin in Glasgow – he's Dundee-based (or thereabouts) AFAIK.

He's been at a few of the Glasgow parties, I think the first time I met him was at the BFG. He's Aberdeen based but travels a lot :clap: He was at Kirriemuir on Saturday too :respect:

Tiggerbabe

5th-September-2007, 12:57 PM

I wonder who was the Glaswegian lady on her way to Aberdeen...
I was guessing it might have been Theresa (not sure if that is her name :blush: ) Baldrick's lady. I remember she travelled up to one of the Beach Ballroom weekenders on the train, as the workshops were in the Douglas Hotel that time, which was well handy for the railway station.

Gus

6th-September-2007, 06:51 AM

What's Leicester like nowadays?Thought I wrote a review some months back. Went fairly recently ... was told the club was going through a slump. DJ was pretty poor, several good female dancers, a few more who were inexperienced but nice to dance to ... ok if you were local and had nothing to do but you probably wouldn't travel far to get there. Better clubs easy to get to from there on the M1 ... including the several where Marc teaches :waycool:

Keefy

6th-September-2007, 07:43 AM

Ceroc Metro : Stevenage (Weds)

Just a brief few words about the popular Stevenage venue now back after the summer break. A new teacher (Amy) is on stage, pretty standard Ceroc fare last night. I don't know what it is about Stevenage but it's the only venue I know where about a quarter of the class for intermediates is at the back of the room dancing only with their partner(*), whether that's a good thing or not could be a separate thread.

A word of warning about the Stevenage floor - at the moment it is DIRE. I mean really, really bad. They've refinished it, very recently by the feel of it, you can feel your shoes sticking to it :sick: Give it a few weeks to scuff slightly and get some dust into it and it should be back to normal, Stevenage has always been a good floor.

(*) There was also a couple not joining in for beginners - but as it was DTS and Trouble with DTS dancing the follow we'll forgive them :D

Astro

12th-September-2007, 05:05 PM

Last Tuesday and last night I went to Putney.

The hall is finished!

1. Great fast floor.

2. Sound system is brand new and spot on.

3. Air conditioning.

Highly reccomended by Yours Truly.

They are also hosting the Sunday Squeeze on Sundays. I will be trying that soon.

stewart38

13th-September-2007, 02:07 PM

HelenB

13th-September-2007, 02:38 PM

Went to Bicester ceroc for the first time on Wednesday

Its not one for the hot shots but its small friendly with a large number of beginners and some intermediates

It’s a pity they have to have the beginners , refreshers lesson on the same dance floor as the intermediate lesson but I guess there is no where else

5 beginners moves with one being taught inconsistently didn’t help :sad:

Wednesday? :confused: Isn't Bicester on Tuesday nights??

It is a friendly venue generally though, last time I was there, a woman jumped in front of me in the rotation then glared at me for looking confused :what:

stewart38

13th-September-2007, 04:40 PM

Wednesday? :confused: Isn't Bicester on Tuesday nights??

It is a friendly venue generally though, last time I was there, a woman jumped in front of me in the rotation then glared at me for looking confused :what:

yes sorry Tuesday !

England was wednesday

WittyBird

14th-September-2007, 12:25 AM

Well, I'm typing this and even I don't believe what I'm about to write.

Wolverhampton Pre Southport

OXO's on the decks...
Fantastic music - Huge :worthy: & thanks for the dances :grin:
I think Mr Alsopp has seen sense and realised that the other DJ he had was rubbish. Thanks Mike :flower:

They don't bounce as much as last time I was there. The crew are all really friendly. The teacher, Marie (I think) Patient and thorough in her teaching, had a chat with her at the end of the evening and she was also really friendly - think I persuaded her to come to SP next year :clap:
Taxi dancers were welcoming and they had a sense of humour, mind you working for Mike they have to really :D

Mike was really friendly and chatty and did his best to work the room :cheers:
Thanks for the dance by the way.:waycool:

The lovely Barmpot won the raffle :whistle:
Thank you to Stoke Bloke and his beautiful wife Twirlie Bird for picking me up and taking me to the venue. Thank you for the dances Stokie :clap:

I really enjoyed myself this evening it made a change to dance with different people :yum:

StokeBloke

14th-September-2007, 01:20 AM

Thank you for the dances Stokie :clap:

I really enjoyed myself this evening it made a change to dance with different people :yum:
The pleasure was all mine Witty... you were the only reason I went to that venue tonight; and it was well worth the trip :awe: Great to catch up with you on all your news and gossip :hug:I have to agree about OXOs on the decks..... the music that he played just for the class was better than anything the old 'DJ' used to play all night :eek::eek::eek::eek:

See you at SOUTHPORTTTTTTTTTTTT !!!!!!!!! :clap::clap::clap::clap:

Gus

14th-September-2007, 10:12 AM

Well .. I last went about 2 years ago and was severely unimpressed by the teaching, music and attitude for the dancers. As I was literally passing by last night thought I’d pop in and am very glad I did.

Just missed the lesson but was soon mightily impressed by the standard of dancers. Floor was quite busy but floor craft seemed to be good. There were a number of SUPERB dancers, seemingly heavily influenced by the Aussie style. Spent a fair few tracks just watching them. Near the front there were a number of dancers who may have been in the ‘good but they know it’ category … but what the heck. They were a delight to watch and may I say inspirational. The downside was I was pretty intimidated by some of the lasses there and it will take a fair few months of dance practice before I would feel confident to ask then to dance.:tears:

Of the lasses I did dance with, most were a pure delight, including the two beginners I danced with who both showed great potential and were loving it. Also danced with a Kiwi (Aussie ?) lass ... Nikki I think, who had a really lovely understated style. Worth the trip from Manchester just to dance with her again :awe:.
It’s a lot younger scene than up North, probably an even split across the 20 – 55 age range. Maybe that’s what gave the club its vibrancy. Bur even the older dancers (i.e. my age) were putting in some really smooth dancing.

The music overall was really good.:worthy: Maybe a bit to clubby for my taste, but for the general public I thought it was spot on .. if a little deafening at times.

So … overall, I would recommend Fulham to anyone. If I wanted a target model of what I would want any future club of mine to look like, well I would pick Fulham. What more can I say?

Now need to lie down in dark room after praising a Ceroc London venue :wink:

Almost an Angel

14th-September-2007, 11:06 AM

Now need to lie down in dark room after praising a Ceroc London venue :wink:

Gus are you feeling OK?

Jhutch

14th-September-2007, 03:07 PM

Praising Fulham stuff

Lol, was wondering if i could dare to write a post praising last night but as someone else has done then i will admit that i had a good time there too! I paid my roughly bi-monthly visit and had one of my best nights since i started ceroc. It was less busy than normal, maybe this may have been a factor? Some scary women about though.

Gus

14th-September-2007, 07:51 PM

Some scary women about though.Aye :eek: Would like to think I couold make it next week but a leaving do may take presedence. Having said that, a night of tequilla slammers might give me the confidence, attitude and relaxed dance style to get a ddance with some of these lasses :waycool:

Gus

18th-September-2007, 12:15 PM

Astro

18th-September-2007, 01:45 PM

Last night I was at the Jive Bar.

The DJ is my kind of DJ playing lot of stufff I like, but it's so frustrating because he has to keep the volume low, (my hearing is bad).

Anyone know his name or if he DJ's anywhere else?
He is young and blond.

sunnybunny

18th-September-2007, 04:17 PM

The Bow venue is a really nice little venue, good sound system, lights and floor. All very impressive … unlike the instructor :tears: Luckily I’d spent the last two months watching EastEnders so I managed to translate his patter (I think its called a Sarf Larndan accent) into English. I was disappointed that he wasn’t wearing a Pearly Suit nor were jellied eels on offer, but he did manage to refer to miscellaneous acts of violence against those who failed to watch his instruction so at least on that front I knew he was the genuine article.

OK … joking aside, Young ‘Dan the Man’ taught a pretty good lesson. He’s got the ability to let his irreverent humour come through whilst still clearly explaining the key points. He answered some technical questions very well, even I understood. I thought the routine was pushing the standard of the class (I tend to be risk averse) but there were no fatalities and most of the punters got most of the rather complex routine. Actually, quite liked the routine and just hope I can remember it long enough to use it in the future. Maybe Dan’s move from behind the decks to the stage wasn’t a bad move after all … though his wife is STILL is a more sight on stage than he is.

Actualy I was quite impressed by Dan's teaching but I'd never hear the end of it if I admitted it in public :rolleyes:

The venue was a bit on the quiet side, probably down to the Post-Southport effect, but the natives were friendly and had some nice dances. Of course the whole thing was helped by having young Erik on the decks. Some nice tunes. :waycool:

In summary, a nice venue with good crew. Maybe not a high standard of dancers but friendly ... a good example of what a local Ceroc club shoul be like.

Ah, so that is who the mystery man was ......:awe:

Actually Gus, you beat me to it with your review. I pitched up to Bow last night (after a gap of several months) intent on cramming as much dancing in this week as possible before heading off on holiday on Friday. I was going to rave about Dan's teaching and his ability to run such an "orderly" class with people paying attention to what they were being taught rather than chatting amongst themselves as can often be experienced at other local(ish) venues. It really is amazing how much you can learn when you actually pay attention - some people would do well to take note of this :whistle: He even managed to keep one particular unruly element in check - which is no mean feat!

It really is a shame that more people do not attend this venue - the floor is great with tons of room and, as Gus mentioned, Erik plays some pretty good tunes.

Dan

19th-September-2007, 12:17 AM

I just have to let you know what an amazing evening I have just had in Ealing.

I am not a great fan of Howard and Nicola's blues class or Natasha's music sets (Fulham style) and therefore the last time I went to Ealing was eight months ago.

A lot of the regulars, who only started dancing at this venue have become good dancers. I would guess that some of the familiar MJ faces who I saw there were just attending like me at the first year anniversary of the venue, but I could be wrong.

The music was a perfect complement to the smooth blues style. None of the
"my wife has left with my best friend, my dog has died and i cannot put my head in the oven because the gas has been cut off" stuff. Nor the attempts to please the WCS or the Lindy Hop or the Hip Hop or the Swing or the 'God knows what' crowds. No temperamental music with sudden change in mood.

For the first time in many years I danced every track and I was rather wishing that Natasha would play a dud track so that I could take a nature break. No chance, it was great track after great track and lovely dancer after another.

As you may have guessed after reading this my opinion of Howard's teaching and of Natasha's music have shot up.

I will certainly go again. I suggest that you try it.

Lou

19th-September-2007, 10:03 AM

Watford, last night.

(Have given up on Shenley as I'm fed up with the awful floor, and now that they've dropped the Intromediate class, there's no good reason to go :sad:).

The one way systems of Watford always confuse me, so Craig drove. One drag race with a Neanderthal taxi driver later, we arrived at the carpark next door with the smell of burning rubber still lingering. The Ceroc London website says that the carpark costs 50p. It was actually £2. Still - it seemed pretty safe & it was well lit and only steps from the venue.

The lass on the door was very friendly and welcoming. Which pleasantly surprised me, as I was under the impression that this franchise's doorstaff were trained in the same way that Parisian waiters are trained (my previous experience of a CerocLondon front desk was ESG - which is enough to bias anyone for life! :wink:) Our cards worked perfectly. :D

Beginners class was taken by a very cheery lady. It seemed to be a good mix of technique (I liked the lead & follow Ceroc Essentials at the start) and practice, but she did teach the "Semi-circle and step back". Hey ho. Can't have everything! The class used the slotted in ladies approach, and was very efficiently done too. Numbers were pretty even, with only about 3-4 ladies over.

Richard took the Intermediate class, and again - there was plenty of technical advice. The routine wasn't over-challenging, but there were some very nice moves in there, with a bit of a latin theme. At one point, he came down on from the stage into the middle of the room, to explain how to lead a particular move in more detail. It was very helpful. Also, the Beginners teacher (I think she was called Jo?) was in the rotation for the Intermediate class - which would help the Intermediate men.

What also impressed me was that the DJ continued the latin theme into the freestyle. Not all the tracks were latin-based, but the ones straight after the class were, and there were plenty dotted into the set to allow people to practice the moves. Great idea.

The floor is fabulous. It's a dance studio, so it ought to be! :D

The people were friendly - the dancers were what you expect from your average Ceroc™ class, a wide range of abilities. I didn't encounter any hotshots, and I had some nice dances.

I'll definitely go back.

Dan Hudson

23rd-September-2007, 05:47 PM

Gus

5th-October-2007, 02:53 PM

[Disclaimer: To be honest I've had an issue with Bowden, ever since I was DJing the night Blitz were literally muscled out and the new team took over ... so please excuse me if this is a biased report]

OK ... the only reason(s) I go to Bowden on a Thursday is that its 5 minutes drive away and the floor is pretty empty so its good if I want to practice with someone. As I was REALLY bored last night I still ventured up .. and was very glad I did.

Missed the lesson (George Moss & Jan) but turned out it was a Blues night. Blueshoes was on the decks and to be fair it was a pretty solid set. Nothing too ground breaking but no real wobblies either. There were more numbers than usual and luckily a few of the Chester bunch had come across. These guys stood out a bit as the one thing that struck me was how few dancers were actually doing 'Blues' rather than continuing to do Ceroc (Chester has done a lot of work on Blues dancing over the last few years). Having said that there were a number of good dancers there so had a nice time.

I think the night is on once a month (not sure when) but I hope it continues. Probably not the best night if you are looking for a vast range of good local blues dancers, but if you manage to monopolise one of the good dancers, or even better you 'bring your own' you could be in for a real treat. :waycool:

SimonW

12th-October-2007, 10:14 AM

Ceroc Sheffield - Handsworth Parish Centre - Wednesday

Attendance - DIRE ( 13 People excluding teacher & 2 demo's & 1 taxi)
Venue - Small (but anything bigger would have been a joke considering attendance)

On business in Sheffield I needed something to do. I had arrived too late on Tuesday to attend the night at the Davey Sports Centre, so went to this 'new' venue. I was told it had been going about 4 weeks, and was astounded that the attendance was so low. The barman said that the first week was well attended, but it had dropped each week. Somehow I don't think it will last as a going concern.

The team have clearly not done sufficient marketing, and maybe should have thought about making the 2nd night in a week a further day away from the Tuesday class.

The teacher was enthusiastic, teaching 5 beginner moves, and kept the rotation at 1 lady after each move/moves sequence & walk though etc. The teacher said he would be there to dance with everyone during the freestyle, but didn't go out of his way to make himself available, instead dancing with the demo's and then trying to prepare for the intermediate class.

By the end of the first freestyle I had decided to call it a night and go into Sheffield city to give a Salsa night a try. I had danced with as many beginners as i could, but as there were no experienced dancers I couldn't bring myself to stay.

The intermediate class was a repeat of the beginners class (understandable in the circumstances) but the teacher added some styling to the moves - in my opinion this was ambitious to say the least, as the class were clearly raw recruits and this may have been enough to scare them off!

This also asks - was the intermediate prep necessary? Surely the teacher would have been better off dancing with the customers, improving relationships and hopefully, through this, keep the venue alive, albeit through CPR!

Verdict - not £7 well spent

Gus

12th-October-2007, 10:47 AM

Ceroc Sheffield - Handsworth Parish Centre - Wednesday
Attendance - DIRE ( 13 People excluding teacher & 2 demo's & 1 taxi)
Venue - Small (but anything bigger would have been a joke considering attendance)
Well ... given that Ceroc are trying to muscle in on the established Blitz clubs who have been in Sheffield since Nelson was a cadet ... no wonder they are having a hard time. :rolleyes:

DundeeDancer

12th-October-2007, 03:41 PM

Fulam Thursday 11th October 2007

First time impression overall was good.

Location is very handy from the tube.

Good range of people to dance with from complete novies to experienced.

Majority of people were friendly.

Nice spacious dance floor.

Teachers lesson was easy to follow both beginner and intermediate class.
(Would be cool if anyone could remind me the names of the moves of the intermediate class as they are onces I'll use again)

Bar was a bit of a let down but iced water was on tap so good enough.

Enjoyable night and would go back.

DD.

SteveK

14th-October-2007, 03:29 AM

Watford, last night.

The one way systems of Watford always confuse me, so Craig drove. One drag race with a Neanderthal taxi driver later, we arrived at the carpark next door with the smell of burning rubber still lingering. The Ceroc London website says that the carpark costs 50p. It was actually £2. Still - it seemed pretty safe & it was well lit and only steps from the venue.

I'm glad you had a nice time in Watford - it was where I started. There's a decent floor, excellent teacher (Richard Oliver), and an absence of Hotshots. However the only disadvantage I could think of is that the music used to be a bit samey - there's even a pub over the road, and the venue allows you to bring drinks across.

You don't need to pay the £2 to park in the multi-storey carpark; I used park in the carpark for (I think) the social services office very close by, which lots of the regulars used to use. Anyone wanting directions please PM me.

Steven666

14th-November-2007, 09:58 AM

(I posted this in the wrong thread last night but I'll copy it here for the hell of it)

Right then. Where to start.

I had decided to try out a different venue tonight. Partly because where I normally go wasn't on and my half barred insident so I decided to go to Bowden.

Hmm...

I don't want to slag any place off if I don't have to but I just can't help it after tonight. I'll try and break this up into headings.

Parking - Ample. But that was (almost) the best thing of the night. And even that was scuppered that it's stupidly long and I unknowingly parked miles away from the enterence. Not good on a cold night.

Price - £7 for a class night? Dear god. I've been to cheaper freestyles and you can get much longer then.

Time - I got there about five to 8. I know many venues start before 8 but it does still annoy me as these venues tend to finish what I class as too early. In this case 10:30. After paying £7 I felt somewhat short changed to have to leave so early.

Room layout - Oh dear. The most odd odd odd odd shaped room and sitting arrangement ever if you can call it a sitting arrangement. If you want a social night out then you can almost give up before you start. Three tiny alcoves nowhere near catering for the people that were present. Three alcoves on three sides of the room which where so narrow it would make any clospaphobic (sp?) person panic and you had to fight though people to get remotely near the dancefloor.

The dancefloor - Personally I found it a bit uneven and inconsistant. Some bits were too slippy and some patches were not slippy enough. Always detracts from my night if I don't like the floor. I tried different shoes on it but then just gave up.

Climate - If I wanted a sauna I would have went to a gym or something. Seriously rediculously boiling. No air con. Few fans not making even the lightest bit of difference and in a position where you couldn't even stand in front of them. Urgghhh.

Dancers - A good range from the beginner to the blaintantly good which I do like. A more pleasing aspect of the night. I just wish my dancing could do Sungi justice but I was of the boil (and not good enough for her anyway but I try). She is just simply fantastic and I do like dancing with her.

Numbers - Far too many. And with that room layout, to me, it is almost a fire risk. You hardly had room to breathe. Step forward then attempt to step back and you can't do it as another couple has invaded it, normally by entering the floor. Fortunately my floorcraft is OK (usually).

The lesson - The teacher (sorry if your on the forum but I don't know who you were or who you are) missed some aspects that I feel are vital in any lesson. Not a problem for me as I got the lesson easily but a fair few didn't. That was the case for both lessons. The beginners lesson (that I only watched as I turned up late) only had three moves. One of which was a comb. I just think there should be four but that is just me. But the comb had this extra beat in the middle of it that beginners were simply not going to pick up which meant that almost everyone were dancing at different times to eachother. Something I have never seen. Well not like that. Then the intermediate lesson. It was a nice routine but please please please at least show the moves before we do them rather than go straight in to them. Together with the fact that it wasn't really split into seperate moves (as they interlinked as such) and were stopping ad starting every two or three beats back to the beginning then adding another couple of beats each time. Yet we never knew the final outcome as we were never shown. It was hardly ever done to a normal count either. You went at a disjointed pace just to revert back to the beginning again to add an extra to beats. I picked it up but wheather everyone did I simply don't know. I few follows said they didn't get it so I had to show them what to do. I just feel we should at least see what we are doing before we do it.

Music - not a good set by the DJ. Supprising I have heard many good sets by him in the past. Practically every song was either really quick or really slow. I don't mind quick and slow tracks but when there was nothing at all in between, it annoyed me. I the choices played just felt uninspiring. I wasn't alone in thinking that as someone I know gave a few choice words about it too.

Overall - Will I go back. Take a guess...

Caz

14th-November-2007, 10:06 AM

Ceroc UK Sheffield last night was brilliant! We had the best turn out in ages - lots of good dances had by all and :respect:to Mark for all the fab tunes that he played! I barely sat down all night, actually I think I sat one song out!

Nice intermediate routine taught by Jo - thanx for showing me how to do it the other way round too! You know me I like to be different!

Good night and looking forward to next week already :D

Steven666

15th-November-2007, 11:26 AM

Firstly just to note I forgot to add the extortionate bar prices to my Bowden review. £2.70 for a bitter shandy is rediculous.

Anyways....

Right then. Tried Knutsford last night and was a much much better affair.

Parking - Parked a bit away due to getting a bit lost but the venue is moving in a couple of weeks anyway so that doesn't matter

Price - £5.50. Nice! No complaint especially for the length of the night. It was a bargain.

Time - 7:40ish to 11:15. I great length for a class night. If only other venues took note.

Room layout - Easy access to the dancefloor. Nicely seperated second room for WCS/beginners review lesson.

The dancefloor - I quite liked it. Even and consistant. Not sticky at all.

Climate - About as normal as most otehr venues. Yet I always get too warm anyway. Should have worn a thinner shirt. Oh well.

Dancers - Many I actually recognised even though having not been there before. Had a few fab dances with Rubyred. Class dancer!

Numbers - Not too crowded so your falling over each other which was nice yet full enough not to look anywhere near sparse if you get my drift. Apparantly it was quieter than usual but it seemed fine to me.

The lesson - Same teacher as Bowden but I much more enjoyed the class this time. And it was shown to you before you did it. Also broken down better into more seperate moves rather than the add a few beats method. For the record it was Cha Cha covering the basics. I just wish my feet were more wired to footwork. I'll work on it. Also another fab WCS class by Chris while the beginners class was on even though I was a bit out of my depth. I tried.

Music - A good selection. Nicely paced song with a bit of variety.

Bar price - £2.30 (or £2.40, can't remember) for a pint. Not too bad.

Caberet - I fab show from Blue Shoes & Rubyred. A well deserved retained title.

Overall - Great first impressions!

Mac

16th-November-2007, 11:00 AM

IVE SAID IT BEFORE BUT ITS WORTH SAYING AGAIN LOUD AND CLEAR!
THURSDAY NIGHTS AT SNORBS (St Albans for the uninitiated)

ROCKS!
:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::

Maybe it is because i've missed it so much due to all the week enders that Ive done in the last three months but last night at Snorbs was fantastic. They have an absolutely winning formula which resulted in over 185 punters through the door. It was so damn good the last hour bettered a lot of freestyle nights!:respect:

Mini Mac and I walked in after a six week absence and was greated like long lost friends. Thanks so much guys we love you:waycool:

Mick and Jo do three clases and last nights intermediate class was for all the world an advanced class and although I got it I had to work damn hard with a fixed partner to do so ( Thanks sweetie!) The challange was great fun!

Then for the freestye Jon Brett re affirmed himself as the best M J DJ in the world ever! ( OK he paid me to say that- No he didnt really!) Every track a winner and he was brave enough to try something new that I hated but everyone else seemed to love! Thats a real pro for you!

Why is it so successfull? Well I reckon its a combination of things

1 The crew, DJ and Teachers are all good mates and it shows.:cheers:

2 There is a central core of reguler punters who have attended for a long time and they are fantastic dancers both male and female. and they are so NOT up there own ars**s!:respect:

3 New punters come in and see a great class thats well attended, listen to great music, dance with great dancers, and decide to come again...... and again ....and again. which creates a snowball effect

Last night of the 185 + dancers there was actually 6 men over for the first two classes! But heres the rub Please dont come to Snorbs:what:

THERES NO ROOM!!!:rofl::cheers:

David Bailey

16th-November-2007, 12:40 PM

Interesting... I was at St Albans too, and it wasn't all that for me.

Mick and Jo do three clases and last nights intermediate class was for all the world an advanced class
I saw the class. The first move looked OK, but I didn't see much else that looked very advanced. Lots of turning and twirling, it seemed like - what did I miss? :confused:

Then for the freestye Jon Brett re affirmed himself as the best M J DJ in the world ever!
Hmmm... Jon was in one of his patented "weird moods" again I thought. I liked some stuff, didn't like some others. Which goes to show how variable these things are.

2 There is a central core of reguler punters who have attended for a long time and they are fantastic dancers both male and female. and they are so NOT up there own ars**s!:respect:
Honestly, it seemed like a standard set of Ceroc dancers to me. Some great, some not-so-great. I didn't get a feeling that this was Dance Heaven or anything.

It was also quite crowded, which is good for business but bad for dancing.

I think I'll try the Free Cake place again next time.

Lou

16th-November-2007, 03:55 PM

Last night of the 185 + dancers there was actually 6 men over for the first two classes! But heres the rub Please dont come to Snorbs:what:
Aye. There's the rub. There's always more men than women for the first 2 classes. However..... and this is why I can't love Snorbans (even though I'm trying to)... for the final class, there are always many more ladies. And even more seem to turn up in time for freestyle. Which means that it's bloody hard to get a dance. The ladies haven't quite got to Cheltenham standards, but they're already pretty predatory.

I saw the class. The first move looked OK, but I didn't see much else that looked very advanced. Lots of turning and twirling, it seemed like - what did I miss? :confused:
Well, I was round behind the bike sheds with your friend, so I missed the class & freestyle. But, (speaking as someone who's doing her fair share of Ceroc classes around the country), typically, Mick's Intermediate classes are more difficult than most Ceroc nights. His second class (Intromediates / Improvers / whatever) is about a normal Intermediate level.

Honestly, it seemed like a standard set of Ceroc dancers to me. Some great, some not-so-great. I didn't get a feeling that this was Dance Heaven or anything.
It isn't. As you say - it's much of a muchness. Seen better, seen worse. However, as Mac rightly says - the Crew are particularly friendly.

It was also quite crowded, which is good for business but bad for dancing.
Again - I totally agree. I get very frustrated with how busy it is. And the lack of floorcraft by some dancers.

Now I come to think of it, that's why I left very grumpy, last time I went, and why I'm not in the mood to go back yet. I was doing the class - rotated to this one bloke. He hadn't got any of the moves, but insisted on keeping leading me into the path of both couples next to him, so I stopped dancing. He looked at me, puzzled - so I told him that I was very fed up of being stepped on and kicked. His reply? "It happens"! :eek::rolleyes::eek::rolleyes:

Ironically, as I pointed him out to Craig as we were leaving, he managed to clout his partner as we watched. :tears:

I think I'll try the Free Cake place again next time.
Mmmmm.... cake....

David Bailey

16th-November-2007, 04:05 PM

Well, I was round behind the bike sheds with your friend, so I missed the class & freestyle.
:tears: And I looked for you, too...

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad night - it was, well, OK.

Had better, had worse.

Trouble

16th-November-2007, 04:35 PM

Mac - love you to death but HELLLOO

St Albans was;

1. Too crowded, over crowded to the point of dangerous.
2. I dont find any of the staff friendly apart from the chap on the front desk who ensured there was soap in the loos for me last week but still didn't have soap again this week apart from a crappy old bar that im sure was the same bar he nicked from the mens the night before.
3. Lesson are, granted, challenging which is a good thing but too challenging for the standard at St Albans overall.
4. We attended the beginners class this week to warm up and beginners that i was dancing with were clearly lost, not being paid attention too and not really getting any help and these were valuable men.
5. Beginners who clearly should stay in beginners went into the next class - quite scary really.
6. Aside from a few, most of the dancing was compariable with the kangaroo bop.
7. There was also a near fire that i stopped and have emailed Adam about.

I use St Albans as an exercise night and until they stop loading the punters in,making dancing as uncomfortable as it can be, stop teaching above and beyond capabilities then thats what it will always be. A cheap gym.

dave the scaffolder

16th-November-2007, 09:31 PM

Aye aye then a complete lack of floorcraft seems to be the norm in StAlbans. I was dancing with Min Mac near the stage when this useless ar*e wipe just started to dance in our space. we clashed and when i said sorry he did the usual London thing of giving me a tough boy look.

Let me explain a few things to all of you office boys who think you are tough....YOU ARE NOT, come and work with me for a couple of days and test your manhood, just because your a fat office boy does not make you tough, you are just fat with no floor craft.
The doorman is nice but the rest of the crew cant tell their ar*e from their elbow. The routines are challenging and I must say I enjoy them but I dont know there is something lacking with the atmosphere at this venue.

Saying all of this I still like this venue mainly because of the teaching and the music so I will hang on in the hope that either it or I change.

XXX XXX DTS Dave

robd

16th-November-2007, 09:52 PM

I'd like to see Mick's teaching sometime, the man does seem to have some moves :respect: so maybe I'll pop over to St Albans one week and see how many times a non-regular gets refused :rolleyes:

dave the scaffolder

16th-November-2007, 10:02 PM

I'd like to see Mick's teaching sometime, the man does seem to have some moves :respect: so maybe I'll pop over to St Albans one week and see how many times a non-regular gets refused :rolleyes:

Robd my little cherry bakewell you cannot knock the man for his teaching I think it is one of the best around there is just so much room for improvement in nearly all other aspects of the night.

John Brett is the boll*x as usual, one of my favourite djs.

Take these 2 out of this venue and it would be as popular as a rattle snake in a lucky dip.

XXX XXX DTS Dave

Lory

16th-November-2007, 10:28 PM

St Albans

It was also quite crowded, which is good for business but bad for dancing.

THERES NO ROOM!!!:rofl::cheers:

I get very frustrated with how busy it is.

1. Too crowded, over crowded to the point of dangerous.
2~snip~until they stop loading the punters in,making dancing as uncomfortable as it can be,
I went for the first time a couple of weeks ago and had a great night, BUT I was told, it was a 'quiet night' by usual standards... to me, it looked packed as it was.

I really don't know what the answer is, apart from open another night at the same Venue, which is apparently what Adam is trying to do.

maybe I'll pop over to St Albans one week and see how many times a non-regular gets refused :rolleyes:I didn't get refused at all, quite the opposite. In fact, I even got invited to the pub after and when I got there, it became evident that that was the norm! :yeah:

Mini Mac

17th-November-2007, 06:15 PM

I absolutely love st albans personally it is my fave weekly class, might be why i go to it!:wink: :wink:

Yes it woz very overcrowded, they desperatly need another room if its going to be like that

the light woz very dangerous i must admit, i had a number of people asking me if i could smell burning!

I do remember a person giving u "evils" dave, but ur gonna get it everywhere mate!

I wil continue going to st albans!:D

Because:

Mick and Jo best teachers in my top 5 teachers!

Jon Brett number one joker and dj!

And despite the rude people theyre are some lovely guys and girls i know!

Im sorry you didnt enjoy the whole night guys but i hope you do come along anothet time!

xxxxxxxxx:flower:

dave the scaffolder

18th-November-2007, 12:16 PM

Aye aye sport fans went to Stevenage last night and i must say i had one of the best nights that i have had in a long time.

The DJ was John Brett, same as in St Albans, and a lot of the dancers attend both venues. Therein the similarities ends, i dont know if i just feel comfortable at Stevenage and not at St Albans but it was like attending two venues in completely different worlds.

The bad bits...I didnt arrive until 10 o clock
I didnt have my lovely trouble with me.

The excellent bits...
Music and atmosphere was incredible
The dancers are wonderfull...I really mean that, the standard is top class.
Great dancers...Mini Mac (more about her later), Heather, Jill, Jive Lad, Babs there are many many more but they are not on the forum.

Back to Mini Mac....Mini Mac or Becki has now turned 16 and the change in dancing and whole bearing is a marvell to behold. Dancing with her is like an adventure on the dance floor she is cheeky, imaganitive and has incredible stamina, i am just glad she graces me with the amount of dancing that she does. Mac you should be very proud of the job you have done on this young lady.

Anyway enough sweetness and sugar lets analyse the Stevenage / St Albans debate.

Why do i feel so much at home at Stevenage? And why do i feel so uncomfortable at St Albans?

Is it because i learned to dance at Stevenage? The very first lesson i ever did was at Stevenage taught by the wonderfull Pat and Genna, who run the freestyles on the third Saturday of each month. By the way Ceroc in its infinite stupidity have decided to not run the freestyles anymore so Pat and Genna are going to run them, Some of the decisions taken by Ceroc mystifies me honestly.

Yes blah blah blah it may not be profitable but this venue produces some fantastic and modest dancers, for example ME ME ME.

Anyway back on track...A fantastic night which i urge dancers to attend, all of the crew are right on the ball and everything runs like clockwork.

StAlbans i will continue with in the hope i can get the same vibe as i get from Stevenage.

Love you all keep dancing and if you bump into another dancer apolagise and smile...It happens. (Thats the difference in these 2 venues, manners and floorcraft).

XXX XXX DTS Dave

Mini Mac

18th-November-2007, 03:26 PM

Well what was it to be last night?

Chiswick with the sticky floor?

Or Stevenage where id never been before?

I chose Stevenage and had a fantastic time.

I got there around 9ish and only knew 3 people including Jon Brett..

then more people i knew started turning up including the fabulous and life and soul of the party...

DTS!!

Dave turned up and certainly brought a smile on my face! I had a few dances with him and every single one was memorable! Dave you really are a star with so much enegy and charisma, i never see a frown on your face thankyou for all the wonderful dances!!!

The music was great as usual, JB you legend!

Tea and cakes were served around half 11 and champagne as well!:D

This certainly cheered everybody up!

Food is always a bonus at these freestyles!

I had a fab night thankyou to the crew who made it a very successful evening!:flower: xxxx

Mini Mac

18th-November-2007, 03:33 PM

Music and atmosphere was incredible

Back to Mini Mac....Mini Mac or Becki has now turned 16 and the change in dancing and whole bearing is a marvell to behold. Dancing with her is like an adventure on the dance floor she is cheeky, imaganitive and has incredible stamina, i am just glad she graces me with the amount of dancing that she does. Mac you should be very proud of the job you have done on this young lady.

Thankyou Dave, those words mean a lot to me! I absolutley adore dancing, its like a whole new adventure for me, every freestyle, every weekender brings on something new,, i make new friends everytime and reunite with the old ones.

Im very expressive in my dancing and i always have been in whatever i do, most people find me strange, but id rather be a cheeky individual then a boring copycat!

I would say i have improved a lot and i hope i do continue to do so...

Needless to say i am very very proud of my dad, for being there for me in the last 8 months iv lived with him. He got me into dancing, and now i just cant stop! We are a team, me and him i really dont know what id do without him.

It will be our first christmas together this year, i cant wait!:D

Mini Mac xxx:flower:

Paul F

18th-November-2007, 10:11 PM

Thought I would post a few words on Chiswick last night.

Have to say I really really enjoyed myself. HUGE improvement on the last time I was there.

First off, I have to thank JAmie for sorting out the floor in the blues room. The last time I was there it was pretty abysmal that floor. Apparently he has been on the case with the people who run the town hall so much that eventually they caved and brought someone else in to do the cleaning.

I have to say that the blues room floor was absolutely fantastic! Thanks Jamie. :cheers:

The music too by Groovy Dancer was good fun. Mix of tracks with some real slow ones in there now and again. :nice: Job well done that man.

No idea what the main room was like but it looked good :nice:

I got lots of great dances with people and also really enjoyed my dances with a girl who i have seen before somewhere (i think Southport) called Rebecca. Only danced once before but she is great.

All in all a really good night im pleased to say. Will go back next time.

Roll on Hammersmith this weekend!

jemessex

18th-November-2007, 10:46 PM

Went to Norwich Pinebanks last night:

We generally had a decent night for our 1 1/2 hour journey

PRO's

nice floor
good parking
good instruction ( smooth jive ) thanks Sarah and Nick
Great set of music

CON's

too many dancers ... or floor too small ( we ended up dancing half the moves on a carpet at times)
1130 finish....shame it was not a later finish say midnight or 0100 like some of the other freestyles being held so dancers just stayed on the floor to keep their space as time was short

All in all it was OK but I do not think we will go back unless it was a later finish or numbers were restricted

under par

19th-November-2007, 09:33 AM

Thought i'd add a little review of Maidstone freestyle put on by Dance Riviera.

It was a bit quiet at the venue as far as numbers were concerned probably 60 -70 the upside of that was plenty of room on the dance floor. Jim and Nicky taught their lesson from the dancefloor and it was well received. As quite a few continued practising the moves after the lesson they obviously felt it was worth the effort.

The music was provided by Jag JIve's John Miller, it was advertised as a smooth music and it was an excellent set, found I couldn't sit out a track.

People all very friendly managed to dance with most of the women, and the standard of dancers was quite high,(certainly no bounciness)

Jim and Nicky to there credit worked the floor all evening.

The dance floor was really good, fast and sprung.

The bar was reasonably priced but insisted on plastic glasses:mad:

Saw lots of faces I only normally see at weekenders.:D

Parking in local NCP was £1.50 :D but was advised by bar staff that the car park got locked at 2345 which worried us enough to leave a few minutes early to ensure we got our car out.

All in all a good night although could have done with a few more people there.

Worth the 144 mile round trip. definitely one I will look out for to go again.

Forgot to mention the pile of After Eights on each table.... mmmmmm

Steven666

19th-November-2007, 10:00 AM

Parking in local NCP was £1.50 :D

Why Mr Green? Do people actually pay to park...?

Chef

19th-November-2007, 03:32 PM

Parking in local NCP was £1.50 :D but was advised by bar staff that the car park got locked at 2345 which worried us enough to leave a few minutes early to ensure we got our car out.

We left at about 12:10am. The closure time seems to be the time at which entry to the car park is stopped. There seems to be no restriction upon the time at which you leave.

Astro

19th-November-2007, 03:45 PM

Thought I would post a few words on Chiswick last night.

Have to say I really really enjoyed myself. HUGE improvement on the last time I was there.

First off, I have to thank JAmie for sorting out the floor in the blues room. The last time I was there it was pretty abysmal that floor. Apparently he has been on the case with the people who run the town hall so much that eventually they caved and brought someone else in to do the cleaning. Wow, If only there were more venue managers like Jamie.:worthy:

I have to say that the blues room floor was absolutely fantastic! Thanks Jamie. :cheers:

The music too by Groovy Dancer was good fun. Mix of tracks with some real slow ones in there now and again. :nice: Job well done that man.

No idea what the main room was like but it looked good :nice:

If i had known the floors had been sorted out I would have gone.:tears:

Looking forward now to the next Chiswick.:cheers:

Twirly

19th-November-2007, 04:44 PM

Wow, If only there were more venue managers like Jamie.:worthy:

:yeah:

If i had known the floors had been sorted out I would have gone.:tears:

Looking forward now to the next Chiswick.:cheers:

Well I did report on the major improvements after the last Chiswick infact :whistle:

Very glad to hear that the floor's still good... but wonder about the heat factor?

Paul F

19th-November-2007, 04:58 PM

Very glad to hear that the floor's still good... but wonder about the heat factor?

Thats a good point.

I was watching Top Gear before I went to Chiswick on Saturday and on the show they were driving across the Salt Flats in Botswana in Africa.

I dare say the heat in the blues room on Saturday night would have rivalled that of the African Plains.

It was pretty toasty but it didnt really bother me too much. It actually quietened down about 11ish in the blues room and, as a result, the temperature dropped.

Trouble is no air flow in that venue.

As I say though, I didnt find it unbearable.

JiveLad

19th-November-2007, 05:47 PM

Astro

19th-November-2007, 06:49 PM

Well I did report on the major improvements after the last Chiswick infact :whistle:

Yes, you did Twirly. I can't find that post, but I thought you said the floor became sticky as the night wore on, due to the heat. I may be wrong - my memory is not as good as it was.

David Bailey

26th-November-2007, 12:30 PM

Sun 25th - Berko.

Yes, it's true, last night saw my return to Berko - there were tears, there were cheers, there were tickertape parades...

Firstly, I'm glad to say that the floor in the Blues Room is now OK - not wonderful, but 1,000% better than the Sticky Hell that it was a couple of months ago. So :clap: to the team for sorting that out.

Also, the freestyles seem to be starting well on time - i.e. 8:30pm, rather than 8:45 or later, which used to be the case. So again, that's good - you get 2 hours of freestyle goodness, which allows a bit more relaxation time. Ian even managed to squeeze in an extra track right at the end, so we were dancing right to the limit.

As always, the music was superb - the only problem is that I want to dance in both rooms sometimes. But that's a very very good problem to have. :grin:

I had a couple of gorgeous warm-up dances with Rachel to start with, and that set the tone for the night. In short, it was great.

And the floorcraft and dance attitiudes were fine also - unlike certain venues I could mention... *cough*Hammersmith*cough*

P.S. Marc's now acquired another set of lights, I think he'll need a forklift truck just to transport his lighting system pretty soon now. :grin:

dave the scaffolder

26th-November-2007, 05:30 PM

Aye aye sport fans me and my Trouble went to Sara Whites Jives Night at St Neots last night and had a fab time.

I was lead by the superb Onkar and ended up at the end of the track a complete disorientated wet rag-----How the hell do you girly trouts spin so much?

After Onkar leading me i danced my first dance with the delicous Tor and she basically threw me around as if i was a little girly trout and did an amasing dip on me, one second i am looking her in the eye and the next i am looking up her nose thinking" how the hell did i get here?".

Then Tor did double trouble with me and Onkar, we were following, and what an amazing dance it was.

Well done Tor you are a diamond.

Loads of great dances and a lovely smooth and sexy routine taught by Peter and Sara, well done guys.

All in all an excellent night.

On a personal note just before Michele and i left i set the bread maker to make a white loaf and added some chopped cranberries and coconut, so we came home to hot fresh bread.

A slice of this and a nice cup of tea and Bobs your uncle.

XXX XXX DTS Dave

Mel_and_tonic

26th-November-2007, 05:41 PM

i set the bread maker to make a white loaf and added some chopped cranberries and coconut, so we came home to hot fresh bread.

:yum: OMG that sounds deliiiishhhhhhh!!!!!!! Eat your heart out Nigella!:grin::yum:

HelenB

30th-November-2007, 11:33 PM

I'm always apprehensive about trying out a new venue so was definately feeling butterflies last night when I went to Fulham (especially as I haven't ceroc'd for a while)

I had a good night. I thought the location was good (right opposite the tube station) and if I had been travelling from further afield it was nice to see there was parking close/well lit around the venue. It also felt fairly safe walking back to my hotel (though I did have a lovely chaperone :hug:)

Nice to have a cloakroom but thought it should have been free (especially as the signs everywhere said to use it - ah, I get it :rolleyes:) but the bar prices were less than I was expecting. Tap water - 50p for a pint glass (which I presume was refillable for free)

Dancers wise, a fair spread from the most bouncy cerocer I have ever come across (sorry, it's just not my style :blush:) to some absolutely lovely ones. Generally, of the dances I had, the standard was more to the intermediate/advanced end

Large dance floor with reasonable floorcraft. I saw no major aerial activity. I did get bumped into a few times but think this is fairly unavoidable on a busy night. I only get annoyed when people don't apologise and everyone did.

Lovely to see some friendly faces there who I wasn't expecting to see and to dance with some forumites who I'd never danced with before. They were fab :D I was actually disappointed when the evening ended as I felt like the night was just starting.

Would visit again if I was in the area.

(Most apt comment of the night "You're quite playful" - hmmm, yes, that'll be me then :blush: :whistle: )

under par

5th-December-2007, 02:05 AM

As a regular attendee at Dorking (leroc surrey) on Tuesdays I have taken for granted the quality of the nights provided.

tonight Mrs Par attended and it was the Xmas special. Loads of fun bits added to the normal formula... Fun class, Elvis impersonator, loads of Xmas bits on tables, Xmas songs great team of friendly staff.

Mrs Par and I had a great night..... Dorking Halls has fab floor and is fully airconditioned, loads of free parking, reasonably priced bar with loads of cakes etc and no water /drinks police within the venue.

This is one of a few venues run by this team but i really enjoy Tuesdays at Dorking and tonight was a really great night. Worth a comment on here.:respect:

JiveLad

16th-December-2007, 11:29 AM

Berkhamstead Xmas Party (Saturday 15th Dec)

What went well:

Some great dances and many fun dances and a few funny great ones
Bubbly on arrival as advertised (not to be confused with Bublé - see later)Even better if:

The music in the main room had less hip hop/stacatto tracks - and more 'smooth' dance tracks. To this end, I felt the DJ was mainly playing for himslef - not the paying punters. (I think it was it the teacher who became DJ for the night? -maybe needs a rethink). Where was Van, Bublé, or any number of tracks we have grown to know and love? Too few and far between.
The gender balance was more even. This was probably the most imbalanced I have ever experienced. For the women, it makes things more challenging - and less enjoyable - so a few left early.
The Blues Room had more atmosphere....for some reason, it was very sparsely populated.....was it the temperature (cold?).
The lighting in the main room was less bright. Not sure what happened here - it wasn't like normal.

Minnie M

16th-December-2007, 11:47 AM

..... Dorking Halls has fab floor and is fully airconditioned, loads of free parking, reasonably priced bar with loads of cakes etc and no water /drinks police within the venue.......

I read this wrong, so thought other may too........ (read again to realise this)

In the corner of the bar area there is a water fountain (plumbed in) and a supply of paper cups, and as UP rightly says no 'Water Police' :clap:

Dorking Halls is one of my fave venues, it has everything a good dance hall should have and Colin does a great job of giving it the right atmospher to attract friendly dancers (some good ones too)

In the 'chill out' are (the bar area) there are lots of comfy seats and the bar serves hot and cold drinks as well as booze + yummy food and cakes

JiveLad

17th-December-2007, 12:29 AM

Berkhamstead Sunday 16th December

Vast improvement on the Saturday: gender balance was fine (few men over).......music soooo much better (in both rooms....courtesy Ian and Marc - although I would like to hear a bit more Deep Soul, Blues stuff in the Blues room).

Great nite! Thx guys.

JiveLad

18th-December-2007, 11:01 AM

Letchworth Monday 17th December (Spirella venue)

Great dance hall (although some felt the floor was too fast - it was just right for me)
Music: the usual curate's egg.
Intermediate class was a festive Double Trouble (I gave it a miss as only just arrived).
Good crowd of dancers enjoying it all in festive spirit
The sound system was pretty crap - why not just invest in some decent equipment?

Lory

18th-December-2007, 12:36 PM

WCS Xmas party - Oakwood

There was a good turn out and it was nice to see a few people made the effort to travel quite long distances.

I can't comment on the class, as I didn't get to do it, although I got there in time and had every intention of doing so! :rolleyes:

Lee put on a great cabaret, demoing a line dance with Sidney, a Waltz with Debbie and finally, his solo showcase routine, all of which he's using to compete in the USA in a couple of weeks time!:worthy:

The new floor's great.:clap:

I had some great WCS dances :waycool:and some 'very exhausting' Salsa's! :really:

JiveLad

19th-December-2007, 02:10 AM

Tuesday December 18th -Watford (Moonglow). Xmas St. Trinians Party

Great fun.........! :D

Richard's last night as teacher there (Carol takes over).

Lesson was a complete 'mirror' beginners lesson (eg. First Move begins with man's right to lady's left) - that worked well.

Atmosphere good - a free bar all night.:cheers:

Jack and Jill competition (announcements etc went on a bit toooo long).

Overall a great night.....thx to all who organised it.

Caz

19th-December-2007, 09:18 AM

Just want to say fab night at Davy's - Ceroc UK - Sheffield last night.

Can't believe that it was the last class there now until the new year :really: Gonna have serious withdrawal symptoms ... Got other venues to go to and lots of plans to dance tho over the festive period :D

Just have to say :respect: to Mark :wink: Also fab tunes matey!

x

JiveLad

20th-December-2007, 10:07 AM

Wednesday 19th December - Ashtons

That familiar, slightly musty smell as you enter the building had not changed since my last visit many months ago.

Needed a few more people to get it going - so it was little bit 'flat' overall.

Some good tunes played: 'Santa Baby' is fun to dance to.

...And great to dance with Mel and Tonic - :worthy: :clap: .....thx

sidney

20th-December-2007, 03:27 PM

I went to my old venue Leics last night, to meet up with old friends to swap cards and prezzies, it been 10 months since I last went and sadly not a lot had change, still the same dj who still plays a load of rubbish until the last 20mins or so, the girl who does the classes now seem vey keen but the first class went over by 10mins and the next class 15mins which a few who had come later started to moan as they had paid £8 for one hour of dance at the end of the evening. There was no attempt to make it festive and lack ampmosphere. My friends said at the end of the evening they won't be rushing to come again.

Mini Mac

21st-December-2007, 11:41 AM

after two weeks of hard studying i was able to go to St Albans (snorbs) last night and i must say it was absolutely fantastic!

I got there and Jon Brett was in a huge inflatable santa suit, Mick Wenga taught a beginner's class with a fun twist. Once we'd done the class Mick wanted us all to get in a circle with our partners, do the dance and when it came to the pushspin the men had to swap partners. It was a right giggle!

Instead of an improvers class Mick and Jo taught a fun disco class which was again a right giggle, we all had a lot of fun doing it (elly how could you miss it?)

the last class was intermediate/awesome foursome it was very confusing but very fun.

as well as the fun classes, they're were two cabarets. Jason and Dawn with their fabulous aerials showcase and teacher JO and taxi dancer Laura's amazing chair/street dance which was choregraphed very well! well done all you cabaret guys!!!!

Music was top as usual, a few christmas tunes, some great dances including my first dance with Vicktor. Which was amazing.

I also had an amusing dance with mick and hevmate and then swapped doing double trouble with them, for doing double trouble with vicktor and hevmate!

It was brilliant, a fab night but please in the no year no one turn up wev got too many people as it is!
:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

JiveLad

21st-December-2007, 12:51 PM

emeraldaisle

21st-December-2007, 06:11 PM

I just came back to Scotland after being ' down souf' for a year...and was shocked to find how much the Ceroc scene in Scotland has gone down the pan - eg. Party in Edin 2 years ago : standing room only. Party in Edin now: lucky if 30 people there at end of evening. Glasgow even worse - went there two months ago and at one point counted 10 (yes TEN!) people in the hall . Its a crying shame - I've been an 'addict' since '99 - but at this rate not for much longer. I was at a house party with several kindred Cerocers a few weeks ago and everybody seemed to be of the same opinion - Ceroc party nights are dying. But nobody knows why - music and venues themselves haven't changed - as far as one can asertain..bit of a mystery to us punters!- maybe its the economy on a downturn??:-)
Anyone got any ideas on reasons for poor attendance?

Groovechic

21st-December-2007, 06:50 PM

Aye Hi there emeraldaisle.
Totally agree with you especially Edinburgh party nights AND I think it is the MUSIC that Scott plays - he could be more adventurous. Is he on automatic pilot DJ ing! A smile now and again wouldn't go amiss. However, Glasgow party nights not much better but music okay. Who really knows why the party nights are so dead... Do they advertise enough? Is there any new blood? Does Ceroc appeal to younger people? If not, why not? Anyone got some suggestions, ideas, anything on how we can turn this lack of numbers around.
:whistle:

JiveLad

22nd-December-2007, 12:01 PM

Friday December 21st - Cheshunt (Masked Party Night)

Entertaining evening - busy without being 'bumper-to-bumber' on the dance floor.

A friendly crowd as usual. And nice to see Gav and Double Trouble there, as well as HunnyBunnyFunny - maybe other forumites.....(?).

Wearing masks is - ok - except it does impact your peripheral vision a bit - and it does get a bit hot as well. Mine came off after an hour or so......

Music - generally ok. Nothing special.

Food: cheesey balls, assorted cakes, cream crackers.

And a big thank you to J who hitched her skirt up to enable a particular move to be performed.

Groovechic

27th-December-2007, 01:33 AM

:love:
Fantastic night on Saturday 21 December at Stirling, Albert Hall. Lots of people but a bit boring with the competition which went on and on - takes up too much dancing time. Great nevertheless. Well done.
Will be interesting to see if Edinburgh this Saturday is as good. Cheers :wink:

Scot

28th-December-2007, 12:34 PM

Twirly

30th-January-2008, 03:06 PM

Popped along to Greenwich last night for the first time in a while.

Enjoyed Russell’s intermediate class, clearly taught as per usual, and most of the guys seemed to get most of it. Bit short on leads, so he used the “slotting follows between couples” which worked really well – he seems to have them all well trained :respect: I heard good reports of the beginners review class too, as apparently they went over all the moves done in the last month – about 10 moves, which suited someone I know very well :wink:

Nice touch in the toilets – a basket containing deodorant, air freshner, wipes, tissues, etc. Also in the gents from what I’d heard, though there were one or two who might need to have the use of these items explained :sick: This basket of goodies should become standard Ceroc policy.

Lovely music from Taz :hug: and some lovely dances, including from some very promising beginners. Fewer hotshots and a much friendlier atmosphere than some venues. A good night :nice:

dep

31st-January-2008, 02:22 PM

The Edinburgh Dec & Jan party nights were pretty good.
Scot seems to be successfully trying to vary his music choices to better suit his audience.

Personally I would like to hear/dance to a slightly higher proportion of modern pop. But it must be dance able to suit my limitations.

David Bailey

1st-February-2008, 05:03 PM

JiveLad

1st-February-2008, 06:44 PM

St Albans last night was, well, OK - nothing special.

Busy, with a few kamikazes on the floor demonstrating their floorcraft :rolleyes:

Jon's music was, umm, as eclectic as usual.

The disappointing thing for me was that the freestyle time was so short - the class didn't finish until after 9:50, so we only had just over an hour to dance. Don't most venues have 90 minutes? (Or 2 hours, for Berko)

Yes - both the overcrowded floor and the 1 hour freestyle are ongoing 'issues' I have with St. Albans - which is why I went to Hatfield last night.

5 minutes drive from St. Albans - fantastic floor, plenty of space and 2 hours freestlye after the lesson which combines beginners and intermediate moves.

And the entrance fee is just £6.

And there is a bar.

And plenty of tables and seating around.

dep

3rd-February-2008, 05:31 PM

Dundee's Party night was fab.
Met up with a few I know and many I didn't.
Nice music, lot's of space to be extravagant and such a welcome.

Must do more of this away day thing.

Lost Leader

10th-March-2008, 08:25 PM

Buckden ( just off the A1 near St. Neots), Sunday class night (Sara White's Jive Nights).

Decided on a whim to check out this new venue - regular Sunday dancing is something of a rarity in these parts. So here's my take on the evening:

Good points - modern building, well signed, plenty of parking, decent toilets, nice little bar (cheap prices), free iced water, good floor, well taught and enjoyable lesson, enough experienced dancers, generally friendly crowd, and 2 hours of uninterrupted free-style from 9 to 11 pm :clap:.

Things that could be improved - dance floor is on the small side and could easily get crowded if this venue becomes slightly more popular, however if number of tables was reduced the space for dancing could be enlarged. The music played was on the whole fine but for me there were perhaps just a few too many odd-ball tracks that seemed difficult to dance to and one or two that were rather dull and forgettable IMO.

Sara herself was very welcoming and danced her socks off with just about every punter present - full marks certainly deserved there (and thanks for the fab dance we had BTW.)

In short then for me this was a most enjoyable evening and well worth a visit if you live nearby and have an urge to dance on a Sunday evening. Sadly as I live just over an hour away I won't be able to attend on a regular basis, but if I lived closer I think I would be tempted to turn up pretty regularly.

straycat

13th-March-2008, 12:29 PM

Newcastle Ceroc - went last night, at the Lancastrian Suite. I think it's a temporary venue until the normal one completes refurbishment, although I could be wrong - it's been there a little while now. This is only the second time we've been - first time the sound quality was a bit ropey, but this time there was a vast improvement.

Easy to find, plenty of parking, annoying bar (no tap-water :confused:), nice FAST dancefloor :awe: (tiny bit crowded at times, but not too bad), great music, some lovely dancers, very good atmosphere. Didn't get to sit down at all (managed to escape the dancefloor at one point to buy a drink but didn't have a chance to finish it until the end of the evening.)

Thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Caro

3rd-April-2008, 07:31 PM

I went to Norwich yesterday and I had a great time - I thought the standard of dancing was pretty good too.
There was even a (small) wcs class in the second room :D

Nice fast floor, and some lovely and very welcoming people.

And the music was IMO really good for an MJ night.

It was good (and surprising!) to find Blueshoes there too :nice:

Can't wait to go back next week.

Caro

3rd-April-2008, 11:26 PM

DavidY

4th-April-2008, 12:45 AM

I went to Norwich yesterday and I had a great time
My North-Western adventures cont'ed...So if you're in the North West, could it be Northwich you went to rather than Norwich?:hug:

Whitebeard

4th-April-2008, 12:46 AM

My North-Western adventures cont'ed...

went to Bromborough tonight (or something like that :yum: ) - well it wasn't really to my taste to be honest. Poor floorcraft, music was too dancy/popy for me, and wasn't exactly excited by the dances I had. In fact Gus and Freya aside my best dance was with a beginner who wasn't (yet? :( ) too army or bouncy.

Won't be back next week but judging by the numbers this seems like a pretty successful venue.

Ugh!! Oh dear. That acidic website (French Jive Dancing in Bromborough (http://www.dancenorthwest.co.uk/bromb.htm)) brings tears to the eyes :-((

Women with their more culturalley developed (and possibly genetically enhanced) colour vision must find this even more attrocious than I (do).

Ceroc websites get some stick, but are any as bad as this ?

Lost Leader

10th-June-2008, 08:09 PM

Buckingham, Monday 9th June, regular Ceroc class night

The strange thing about Buckingham is that I have never been there to dance before. I was quite shocked to discover that it is only 12 miles away - it's funny how places that you rarely visit seem further away than they really are.

Venue - modern community centre just off the main street and almost next door to Waitrose. Sign posted and dead easy to find.
Parking - right outside and free after 5:00 pm.
Facilities - all very clean and tidy, nice toilets. Quite classy really. There is no bar but there are several pubs very close by. Free tap water is provided in jugs or bottled water at 50p.
Dance floor - quite large with plenty of chairs and tables. Actual floor extremely good to dance on :clap:, in fact for my money just about perfect. Would quite like to have rolled it up and carried around with me. I had heard that in the past the floor at this venue bordered on the dangerously slippy. If that was so it seems to no longer be the case. I loved it. I also noticed that there is a very nice second room used for the refresher class.
Teacher - Marc F.(who also does the DJ'ing) so it was everything you would expect :nice:. I really liked the intermediate routine.
Dancers - Friendly. Standard of dancing on this particular night, from what I saw, was on the whole not that high (with a few exceptions) but that seemed mostly to be down to a lack of experience as most of the dancers appeared to be relative beginners. There was however a refreshing absence of bad habits and a general eagerness to learn. Attendance was quite reasonable considering it was a very warm evening.

Marc has only been teaching at this venue for a few months and I would anticipate that the standard of dancing here will improve significantly over time. The only major drawback was that the venue was like a sauna on the evening I visited. Admittedly it was one of the warmest days of the year, but even with several fans on the go and some doors being opened onto the car park at the back it really was hot in there. Good if you want to lose weight I suppose. Marc did say that it was not normally that hot.

In spite of the heat I had an enjoyable evening and I am sure it won't be my last visit to the Buckingham venue.

HelenB

10th-June-2008, 11:28 PM

Really glad to hear the floor's been sorted. This is my closest venue but it did get dangerously slippy :sick: so I stopped going regularly

And just a side note on the parking - it's always free, even during the day - if you park in the short stay you have to get a ticket from the machine (for free) or you can park in the long stay without a ticket

You should have let me know you were going... :hug:

Buckingham, Monday 9th June, regular Ceroc class night

The strange thing about Buckingham is that I have never been there to dance before. I was quite shocked to discover that it is only 12 miles away - it's funny how places that you rarely visit seem further away than they really are.

Venue - modern community centre just off the main street and almost next door to Waitrose. Sign posted and dead easy to find.
Parking - right outside and free after 5:00 pm.
Facilities - all very clean and tidy, nice toilets. Quite classy really. There is no bar but there are several pubs very close by. Free tap water is provided in jugs or bottled water at 50p.
Dance floor - quite large with plenty of chairs and tables. Actual floor extremely good to dance on :clap:, in fact for my money just about perfect. Would quite like to have rolled it up and carried around with me. I had heard that in the past the floor at this venue bordered on the dangerously slippy. If that was so it seems to no longer be the case. I loved it. I also noticed that there is a very nice second room used for the refresher class.
Teacher - Marc F.(who also does the DJ'ing) so it was everything you would expect :nice:. I really liked the intermediate routine.
Dancers - Friendly. Standard of dancing on this particular night, from what I saw, was on the whole not that high (with a few exceptions) but that seemed mostly to be down to a lack of experience as most of the dancers appeared to be relative beginners. There was however a refreshing absence of bad habits and a general eagerness to learn. Attendance was quite reasonable considering it was a very warm evening.

Marc has only been teaching at this venue for a few months and I would anticipate that the standard of dancing here will improve significantly over time. The only major drawback was that the venue was like a sauna on the evening I visited. Admittedly it was one of the warmest days of the year, but even with several fans on the go and some doors being opened onto the car park at the back it really was hot in there. Good if you want to lose weight I suppose. Marc did say that it was not normally that hot.

In spite of the heat I had an enjoyable evening and I am sure it won't be my last visit to the Buckingham venue.

Keefy

11th-June-2008, 08:10 AM

Ceroc Metro Ware (Tues) - New Venue

Hot on the heels of Bishops Stortford opening earlier this year another new Ceroc Metro venue opened last night (Tues) at the Ware Priory venue. Ware Priory was introduced as a feestyle venue a month or so ago (I missed it), now it's being used for regular class nights. There's some tough competition in the area, it's less than a mile from the Just Jivin Weds venue and in direct conflict with their very popular Cheshunt venue on a Tuesday just a few miles down the road. But if last night was anything to go by Ware Priory should hopefully establish itself as a friendly little venue slotting in with all of the others and increasing the local dance population.

Venue : Lovely modern venue in its own grounds right by the river. Ample parking, good clean facilities and a bar. The only big negative was the hastily laminated sign on the bar advertising tap water at £1 per pint! There is no need for that, that is just extortionate :angry: The main room is a little strange being long and thin but with a fair amount of space for probably up to 100 dancers. The floor is OK but a bit uneven in some places with little ridges at the edge of the planking. There is a second room (the priory itself) that was used for the review session, I didn't go in there so I cant comment.

Classes : Young James was on the mic last night with his usual energy and enthusiasm. The beginners class was pretty standard (nice that we're back on four moves again now) with a fairly even gender balance and a good mix of new and experienced dancers. The intermediate class was a nice Latin style thing. The room layout for teaching is a bit strange at present with lines parallel to the tiny little portable stage they used last night, that's the type of thing that will shake down as the venue gets used.

Music : I missed the name of the guy on the decks last night but it was one of the few occasions that I went up and thanked the DJ for a great set. I liked the set, it was well balanced with a great mix of style and tempo, definitely something for everyone. Whilst chatting several people commented on how good the music was.

Dances : I'm not really the person to comment on this as I'm still no good :blush: but I had some lovely dances and looking on the floor there were some very good dancers there. People were very friendly, lots of smiles, everybody seemed to be having a good time with the floor pretty full right until the very end.

Summary : I liked the venue, it's a great addition to the local dance scene. It will be interesting to see how it shakes down with all of the local competition but initial indications are good and if you want a friendly club night in the area then it's weal worth a visit.

martingold

11th-June-2008, 08:59 AM

Ceroc Metro Ware (Tues) - New Venue

Venue : Lovely modern venue in its own grounds right by the river. Ample parking, good clean facilities and a bar. The only big negative was the hastily laminated sign on the bar advertising tap water at £1 per pint! There is no need for that, that is just extortionate :angry: The main room is a little strange being long and thin but with a fair amount of space for probably up to 100 dancers. The floor is OK but a bit uneven in some places with little ridges at the edge of the planking. There is a second room (the priory itself) that was used for the review session, I didn't go in there so I cant comment.
As Taxi manager for this venue i am a bit biased having said that i pull no punches
I was a bit worried about the size and shape and agree with keefy on it looking a bit strange
Having said that it worked very well last night we didnt have any complaints so i guess everyone was happy
Obviously this was the oppening night of imho one of the nicest places i have danced in and its very exciting to be in on the ground floor of yet another great cerocmetro venue
The whole place looked and felt stunning last night

Classes : Young James was on the mic last night with his usual energy and enthusiasm. The beginners class was pretty standard (nice that we're back on four moves again now) with a fairly even gender balance and a good mix of new and experienced dancers. The intermediate class was a nice Latin style thing.
James is quite newly qualified and as you say keefy very enthusiastic he also stays right to the end and dances with as many people as possible. Personally i think with experience he will be one of ceroc greats

Music : I missed the name of the guy on the decks last night but it was one of the few occasions that I went up and thanked the DJ for a great set. I liked the set, it was well balanced with a great mix of style and tempo, definitely something for everyone. Whilst chatting several people commented on how good the music was.

Ah now that would be Robin
Nuff said

Summary : I liked the venue, it's a great addition to the local dance scene. It will be interesting to see how it shakes down with all of the local competition but initial indications are good and if you want a friendly club night in the area then it's weal worth a visit.
[/QUOTE]
Couldnt agree more even though as i said i am a bit biased

Keefy

11th-June-2008, 09:28 AM

Couldnt agree more even though as i said i am a bit biasedNo Martin, you're a lot biased :grin: But as you know I'm not and I always post honest reviews :devil: I enjoyed the night, so did Ann who also came over from BS and several people I spoke to had good things to say about it as well, it's somewhere I'll definitely be going back to.

There's little niggles like the stage and the best way to use the layout to sort out but that can only improve with time and experience. You definitely need a bigger stage, there wasn't even enough room for the taxis on it :rofl:. I'm not sure how the trek outside to the Priory will go down in the freezing cold and rain of winter, that walk was one of the comments people made about using the venue for freestyles. Only time will tell on that one.

Is there any way you can talk the venue into allowing a couple of speakers outside on the decking by the river? A few people I spoke to suggested that and it would be a brilliant USP for the venue for both class nights and freestyles.

The only other improvement would be to tattoo 'L' and 'R' onto the back of James's hands, I think he missed that day at school :D

JoannaC

11th-June-2008, 09:52 AM

Buckingham, Monday 9th June, regular Ceroc class night
I also stopped going to this venue because the floor was so slippery. After hearing that Marc Foster was the teacher and DJ I thought it was worth a visit as its just up the road for me.

There were less people there than the last time I went, maybe due to the heat. Really pleased to see Lost Leader there. The floor has improved. Music was excellent. Its going to be a regular for me now. Hope to see you there HelenB and maybe some other local leads too.

martingold

11th-June-2008, 10:02 AM

No Martin, you're a lot biased :grin: But as you know
I'm not and I always post honest reviews :rofl:.
I resemble that remark :rofl:

All joking apart I do try to be honest though as what good would it do to be dishonest about these things you might get someone through the door to try it out then they would never come back
i will always admit to being very loyal to Adam and Cerocmetro as he has always treated me with great respect But you have to realise i am not paid to say this stuff so it is only my opinions i could get unpaid work most places in ceroc but choose to back Adam

I'm not sure how the trek outside to the Priory will go down in the freezing cold and rain of winter, that walk was one of the comments people made about using the venue for freestyles. Only time will tell on that one.

yeah i agree I think Tezi is in talks with the venue owners on that one

Is there any way you can talk the venue into allowing a couple of speakers outside on the decking by the river? A few people I spoke to suggested that and it would be a brilliant USP for the venue for both class nights and freestyles.

Good idea but again one for Tezi or Mitzi and she is the venue manager

The only other improvement would be to tattoo 'L' and 'R' onto the back of James's hands, I think he missed that day at school :D
[/quote]
Now that one i can help with do you want to hold him down while i do it ??:rofl:

Trousers

1st-September-2008, 10:22 AM

Southampton Mojive

This is the purpose built venue down south that a few people have mentioned before.
I've been going there in preference to Winchester (another non ceroc venue) as this one has had quite a large influx of beginners (not bad in it's own right let me say) which has cause the less aware dancers in the venue to bunch up a little but they haven't started to dance smaller moves or try and be more aware, so it's been, to quote old rhombus head, "Murder on the dance floor".

anyway back to Southampton

Yes it's a nice room,
yes at last the place seems to have got a little personality now
yes the parking is still rubbish but that's ok 'cos parking in the big Leisureworld car park means I get to ogle i mean be shocked by the teenyboppers in their short skirts out side the cinema and night clubs there (Really shocked, I had to walk up and down 3 times I was that shocked last time!)
But the sound. . . . .

I think the DJ has broken the sliders on the bass controls and they are all set to max. There is a ridiculous amount of bass coming out of the sound system on some tracks. So much so that it is too difficult to dance with any style at all, just thump thump thump going straight through your chest and brain. It's horrible.

Saturday night they had a Mo-jive meets the 80s do. The music was ok as it wasn't particularly bassy in the first place but then (and I think this was to add realism and try to reach back to the 80s disco vibe) the DJ kept on introducing tracks like Jimmy Saville would have.. . .except his mic was sooo distorted I (and I can only talk for me really) could not understand one word he said. Thus opening his mouth was a completely wasted effort.

One would have thought that a static room where only the punter numbers changed would be quite easy to manage in a sound system sort of way, especially as the sound kit doesn't move around venues either.
But I think that maybe the team have not done a sound check ermmm ever.

I did report my opinion to the host on the door - DJ's don't really like critism, no one does, so I chose to direct my worries to the rest of the team and allow them to quietly comment. I noticed zero response to that and when I go on thursday I expect the same palpitations in my chest from the power in the bass as I got the last 3 thursdays and subsequently I expect to stand out 5-10 tracks because I wouldn't be able to dance wth the expression I would like to put into my dance because I won't be able to hear the melody for the thump thump thump.

TA Guy

1st-September-2008, 02:53 PM

I think the DJ has broken the sliders on the bass controls and they are all set to max. There is a ridiculous amount of bass coming out of the sound system on some tracks. So much so that it is too difficult to dance with any style at all, just thump thump thump going straight through your chest and brain. It's horrible.

You've got me started. Damm. :)

My main beef is the music itself, but I agree about the bass. And that's with new concrete bases for the speakers. I have complained/suggested, whatever, many times and nothing, absolutely nothing is ever done. And I know as a mainly freestyle dancer I am far, far from alone in this.

The biggest problem is that he has had little or no competition for a long time. He has developed this 'formula' and sticks to it religiously. That formula includes the overplayed, overbassed music in a very rigid beat range. The formula gets him great numbers for lessons, and until recently, great numbers for freestyle (and still does in some places), so why should he care ?

Mojive has a lot of very, very good dancers, but there attendance numbers have been dropping month by month at freestyles for a coupla years now. There were barely any there on Saturday. Most of the good dancers I recognised were from Jiveriot, or from up Whitchurch way etc. I.E. Visitors. It's a shame, but he won't try anything even remotely radical like turning the bass down because on a Thursday night, as you will know, 150-200 will pack the hall. Not quite so many, but similar Mon, Tue, Wed mostly.

That Saturday 80's do was a bit of a turning point for me, I actually love that hall, but he's even managed to screw up it's one real outstanding feature, the floor. The floor wasn't actually bad, but after the maintenance last weekend it wasn't as outstanding as it was and even had one or two sticky patches. Jeez. :doh: I really hope he fixes that like NOW.

It is my hope right now that Ceroc, who already run freestyles 5 mins away at Totton, and who are intending to open a central Soton class venue at the end of summer (and one in Portsmouth) will deliver him a well timed kick up the jacksy. I will certainly try them because Mojive just isn't listening to a sizeable percentage of their freestyle punters. With Ceroc shortly offering more and more choices down here, it's going to be interesting...

Anyway, rant over. :)

Astro

1st-September-2008, 03:20 PM

Has anyone been to the new Kentish Town venue in London on Tuesdays?

Lost Leader

1st-September-2008, 05:49 PM

As a recent first time visitor to Mojive I have to agree with the comments above. The venue itself has a lot of good points but the music on the Saturday free style event I attended a couple of weeks ago was pretty disappointing. Considering this is a purpose built MJ venue one might have hoped that after a year of operating the music on offer would be a lot better. The night I was there the DJ even ran all the tracks into one another which as we all know is a crime against MJ.

However as stated above the venue is often packed. Perhaps a little more competition would be a good thing.

DJ Andy

3rd-September-2008, 12:40 AM

Keefy

4th-September-2008, 01:34 AM

Ceroc Central - Shepreth

This is a brand new Wednesday venue for Ceroc Central, it's at The Cambridge Motel in Shepreth, just to the north east of Royston and about 6 miles to the south west of Cambridge. Quite easy to find on the main A10 road, it has a large car park so no problems there. The class is held in the large purpose built function room, there is only a small permanent floor but this was supplemented by a very good temporary floor at least twice the size. Quite a good turn out of Ceroc Central people by all accounts, the catchment area would seem to be from the north and east rather from the south where I'm from down in Ceroc Metro land. But when will Ceroc (in general that is) learn about first nights? Loads of new people, only one desk, not enough pens, big crush at the desk...

A good three move beginners class with Paul on the mic picking up on all kinds of things in the room and very effectively giving loads of little tips and teaching points, a good intermediate class as well. One thing that didn't work, and a few ladies commented on it, was the "12 ladies on, 11 ladies on..." route march, with that number over the slotting technique or moving a handful on each time seems to work better. There were only two taxis on duty, a very small number for a new venue with lots of beginners. There must have been over one hundred people in total, probably around 25% were beginners.

The music was OK ish, it's a very subjective thing but some of the tracks I found weird. Some of the ones in the freestyle break after the beginners class were particularly challenging and were too much for some of the beginners. One thing I hated was he was one of those DJ's who faded and merged each track into one continuous stream, chatting to other dancers I didn't find one person who actually liked that.

In summary... a nice venue, a welcome addition to the local dance scene that fills in quite a big geographical gap up in the M11 corridor. Well worth a visit if you're a local or in that particular area. Not sure I'll go back regularly, I've got a couple of Wednesday venues that are nearer, cheaper and with (in my view) better music and DJ'ing. But it's a venue that's now on my Wednesday list and it will be interesting to revisit it again a few months down the line when it's settled in.

Keefy

12th-September-2008, 10:20 AM

Another week, another new venue :nice: This week it is the turn of -

Ceroc Nights - Brentwood

The venue is the Herongate Athletic Football Club, it's not actually in Brentwood, its to the south east between Brentwood and Basildon. It's approached down a bumpy dirt track into a fair sized gravel car park, not to much fun on those wet and dark winter nights. The venue itself can be summed up in two words - oh dear :sad: It has to be the smallest Ceroc venue I have been to, it is tiny, twenty couples pretty much fill the dance floor. The floor itself is in an awful state, any finish has long since worn off, it has been neglected for years and bits of gaffer tape are needed in places where the edging is breaking up. I'm not sure what's gone wrong here, but this is nowhere near the standard normally set by the excellent Ceroc Nights team.

Glen was on the mic last night with brother Paul back on the decks. He did a brilliant job on the tiny stage with gaffer taped carpet, an excellent four moves beginners class, a very nice intermediate class with all of the standard components in there. I have always enjoyed the Ceroc Nights lessons, they are delivered with a very high level of skill and an infectious enthusiasm. I've always rated their teaching as pretty much the best in the area and last night was no exception.

Paul was back on the decks, music is very subjective but I thought he played a very good and balanced set. I never like the merging of tracks one into another (why do they do that? it leave you stranded on the dance floor) but he didn't do that too much. I didn't stay very late but the floor space in the freestyle was even more restricted with the local hotshots taking up massive amounts of room on an already cramped dance floor. The floor was jam packed with more than half of the people sitting it out.

In summary... due to the venue I will not be going back, even if I lived near it I would probably prefer to travel to dance. Other people may like it, mine could be one unrepresentative opinion. I've always been a fan of Ceroc Nights (see http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/lets-talk-about-dance/6574-feedback-club-nights-16.html#post404753 for what I thought of Grays), I used to be a semi-regular at their excellent Basildon venue, Grays (now closed) was well worth the journey, Romford I'm not a fan of, I thought that was small until I saw this one, Corringham is quite nice but a bit of a haul for me. The excellent Ceroc Nights product is still there, but it is badly let down by the venue in my opinion. YMMV.

TA Guy

23rd-November-2008, 01:50 PM

Went to Bournemouth Pavilion last night. For those that don't know, this is a Mojive freestyle that has been taken over by CerocLive. This was the first 'Ceroc' version.

I wondered in another thread whether the incoming Ceroc franchises would try and change things like a bull in a china store, or more subtly over time? The answer in the case of CerocLive is one great big Bull. BULL in fact.

The 'insane'

The lesson! WHY ? WHY? WHY? Why did we need a 30 minute lesson at 8:30 ?
This isn't an area with limited lesson nights, a Ceroc lesson class is available four weekday nights a week.
Neither is it an area with a large number of beginners who need a lesson to encourage them to come to a freestyle!!!
At 8:30pm, with the dancing just starting to get going and a constant flow incoming, the whole night was brought to a standstill. Twenty minutes later 30 couples were doing the lesson, a fair number only to get out of the cold, and around 150 standing around waiting, shivering and wondering WTH!

Bloody Stupid.

The 'Bad'

The queue. I get that Ceroc has those cards, and likes to collate data on their laptops, so to some extent it's prolly unavoidable, but from 7:30 till around 10pm there was a constant queue. Sometimes quite long. The doors didn't open until just after 8pm either, which didn't help. There basically should have been more people on the desk, maybe even a separate desk for people who needed to 'join' Ceroc. Badly organised and a lot of cheesed off people who had their 'dance time' cut into.

The 'Good'

The Music.

Tricky one for me this. I actually really enjoyed the music. In fact, given Sugarfoot was DJ'ing, I was slightly, tini bit disappointed there wasn't more of the 'educated' music. But, for me, a vast improvement on the dross that Mojive used to serve up at freestyles.

However, I got asked, more times than ever before; "What did you think of the music?". It was a hot topic :)
I think in the end the mojivers mostly went home 'undecided'. Most didn't think it was 'bad', it was just not quite what they are used to.

Good to see WCS at a local freestyle as well :)

The 'Really Good'

Atmosphere.

The hall itself is fantastic, an old style ballroom (where they used to film heats of 'Come Dancing' on the BBC), plenty of comfortable seating and tables. Multiple bars. Air conditioned (actually was too cold when we first arrived, chilly). Just a really nice, sophisticated, place to dance.

The night had a real good buzz. Slightly greater number of dancers than average, Ceroc's first night here, and the mix of Mojivers and Cerocers all made it a buzzing' night. I had a right good night.

In Conclusion
There were a few teething problems at the start, but I guess that can be excused by it being Cerocs first freestyle at this venue for over a decade :) Overall, a success. Dump the lesson, sort out the queuing problems, and I think it'll soon be a "can't miss" freestyle.

Minnie M

23rd-November-2008, 10:43 PM

We do our best to offer an alternative just along the coast!:whistle:

:worthy:

I would definitely recommend the events at Admiral Lord Nelson (Portsmouth) - fab venue and great music !

Sugarfoot

25th-November-2008, 02:36 PM

Went to Bournemouth Pavilion last night.

The 'insane'

The lesson! WHY ? WHY? WHY? Why did we need a 30 minute lesson at 8:30 ?

The 'Good'

The Music.

Tricky one for me this. I actually really enjoyed the music. In fact, given Sugarfoot was DJ'ing, I was slightly, tini bit disappointed there wasn't more of the 'educated' music. But, for me, a vast improvement on the dross that Mojive used to serve up at freestyles.

However, I got asked, more times than ever before; "What did you think of the music?". It was a hot topic :)
I think in the end the mojivers mostly went home 'undecided'. Most didn't think it was 'bad', it was just not quite what they are used to.

Good to see WCS at a local freestyle as well :)

I am pleased you enjoyed the night TA Guy. :flower:

Having DJd at events up and down the country, I can say this was a tough one. I realised that when I witnessed some of the aggressive comments about the warm up class. (I personally think they are a good thing) I remember being very nervous about getting on the floor at my first freestyle. The floor was packed for the class, so some must have wanted it.

I new there would be a large crowd coming who liked the music I play at my own events, but (as you have said before) the ‘X’ Mo’Jive crowd know what they like and are not keen on change.

I ended up playing a safer set than the already safe set I had more or less planned. I did not know in advance that this was a request night, so I ended up playing about 30% requests that were mainly of the pop variety. I tried to keep a good mix going.

This was a first for me (maybe a last). I could only go by what I saw and heard on the night. I had one complaint at the end of the night and a lot of 12 people coming up to say they liked the music. The floor was packed all night and stayed busy until the very end. My previous experiences saw the hall starting to empty at about 11….so I guess it was not bad.

As someone who only goes to the Pavilion maybe a couple of times a year, the music was bound to be different from the usual. Any change has to be gradual, but if change is to take place…there needs to be a bit of courage in the conviction.

emmylou25

26th-November-2008, 12:58 PM

Went to ceroc in Bicester last night for the first time in a while. It's a really small cosy venue (bonus that it's air conditioned and has a cheap bar), and last night the floor was better than previous times when it's had a tendency to vary between sticky & slippy.

As it's a small venue, the number of beginners can seem a high proportion, however in intermediates there were a few people I'd not seen before so good to have some new dances, plus a great mix of music. For some reason there were only 2 (longish) moves in the intermediate class which meant lots more time for freestyle (probably a bit too much for some people so numbers thinned out in the last half hour).

I shall definitely be trying to get back to Bicester more often as it seems to be back to the atmosphere that it used to be when I first started there. (Just needs a few more regular stronger dancers to attract people to come back).

TA Guy

29th-November-2008, 02:23 PM

Went to Minstead last night. For those that don't know, this is a Mojive freestyle that has been taken over by CerocFever. This was the first 'Ceroc' version.

I wondered in another thread whether the incoming Ceroc franchises would try and change things like a bull in a china store, or more subtly over time? The answer in this case is 'No Bull'. There were changes, but subtle. I think they got away with it :)

The 'Bad'

Absolutely nothing.

This was a cracker of a freestyle.
Although a smaller freestyle than that of Bournemouth to the West or Totton to the East, Minstead has the highest standard of dancing for about 3.1415926 lightyears in any direction. OK, that's a lie :) but being located in the middle of nowhere (aka The New Forest) and with no direct feeder class, Minstead has always attracted those dancers prepared to travel just that little bit further and that contributes to a slightly smaller (around 130 I would guess on this night), but higher standard night of fun. With the influx of a new group of travelling dancers from Ceroc, I thought the standard was phenominally high. And even greater fun.

The 'Good'

The music.

Here (I think) they made more of an attempt to play what might be described as pure Mojive music than at the Bournemouth freestyle the week previously. For most of the night anyway. It was a little disappointing for me to be honest, but I think the majority of Mojivers appreciated it.
However, towards the end a bit more variation appeared, and then at 11:30, the "smooth 'n' slow half hour" started. Mojivers are just not exposed to this slower brand of music usually and I expected some to leave. And that did happen, but I was actually surprized at how many stayed (when this has been tried at Mojive in the past, results have not been good). The cynic in me wonders whether they were caught unawares by this new musical development and next time ??? We will see.
Speaking for myself, I am in favour. Loved the last bit.

Admittedly the numbers were much fewer than Bournemouth the previous week, but they had two desks and it coped well with the incoming dancers. No queue.

The 'Really Good'

Atmosphere

This is a tatty little village hall. Dim and dusty. Perfect Blues venue probably :) Does have a good dancefloor tho. A real contrast to the posh swank of Bournemouth Guild Hall.

Like Bournemouth, I thought the atmosphere was really buzzin'. I am sure, as at Bournemouth, that was partly due to this being the first 'Ceroc version' at Minstead, nonetheless, a good omen for the future. Again, I had a right good night.

The 'Fantastic'

No class. Nuff said. :)

In Conclusion
As I said, a cracker of a freestyle. Highly recommended. :)

Lost Leader

8th-December-2008, 08:43 PM

Jive Plus, Sunday evening class, Rover Club, Cowley with Simon and Nicole

This class has been running since late September but it's about an hour away for me so it has taken a little while to check it out. The class runs every Sunday from 7:30 to 10:30 pm. For more details see the Jive Plus web-site

Venue - Club building dating from 1960's within the BMW factory complex at Cowley on the edge of Oxford. It is actually pretty easy to get to (although I did take a wrong turning and got a bit lost) being just off the Oxford ring road. The class runs in the smaller of two ball rooms, the larger one is used for free-styles. It's actually quite a nice room with a good fairly fast wooden floor and plenty of seating. The floor is a little on the small side but was OK for the number attending (around 50 in all). There is a bar with cheap club prices. Car parking is right outside with an overflow area up to the left of the entrance.

Ambiance - very friendly. We were made to feel really welcome.

Teaching - Simon and Nicole did a great job. The class is billed as one aimed mainly at intermediate dancers with the emphasis on improving technique. The beginner class used beginner moves but taught with non standard footwork and great emphasis on maintaining good connection with your partner at all times. If you think you know everything you need to know about beginner moves then then this is definitely the class for you. The intermediate class was pretty challenging but I found the teaching to be very clear and helpful.

Music - very good, most tracks were on the slower side but in a variety of genres and styles with lots of scope to play and interpret the music.

Free-style time - I had a lot of fun. Reasonable gender balance and some very good dancers. I really enjoyed myself. Simon and Nicole were very good at working the floor which was good to see. Nice to be at venue where you are a new face and don't know most of the people there, though there were one or two familiar faces including our very own Revdrop and Judith.

Overall I would thoroughly recommend this night, especially for intermediate dancers who are looking for something a little more challenging and technique based than your average MJ class. Shame that because it is an hour away from my home I wont be able to make it there every week but I certainly intend to return when I can. A very good Sunday alternative to Berko.

Olly

9th-December-2008, 01:50 AM

Thanks for the feed back TA Guy and I am glad you had a good time. This was our first night at running Minstead and, being a request night, about 50% of the music was down to the dancers and our DJ Richard Parks supplied the rest. Richard is a great Dj, and I think it helped that he is also a Ceroc teacher and fab dancer. The last 1/2 hour smooth seesion is hopefull here to stay and is something we introduced at Totton and became more and more popular as people got more exposure to slower tempo music. We have listened to many people and are trying to get a balance with the music between what was played previously whilst introducing other music selections so we can develop the night with something for everyone.

David Bailey

30th-December-2008, 12:47 PM

West Drayton, 22nd December 2008

For a change, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone, and went to West Drayton - just by Heathrow.

They were having a pre-Xmas celeb thing - mince pies, and a couple of exhibition dances.

The venue is quite easy to find, parking wasn't too bad, and it seemed nice and friendly. Tess, the teacher, was very lively and bouncy.

The hall is quite small - about the same as Berko main room, I guess. Floor is fine. Music was normal Ceroc, but the DJ did play a couple of Tangos :respect:

I had some good dances, and an... interesting... one with one particular lady who hijacked me for a move. Me! :eek: 10/10 for effort there, and I think that's the first time it's happened for several years, but it's not the most endearing of traits... :rolleyes:

The exhibitions were fun - a couple, then a group thing.

It's a nice night, but a bit far for me to go to normally.

Trousers

16th-March-2009, 04:46 PM

Anyone know who is teaching in Nottingham now?
Or indeed if it is still at Marcus Garvey?

Any recent opinions?

Trousers

9th-June-2009, 01:52 PM

Yet again it's me. . .

Whats Northampton like now it's moved to Cripps.
Is the venue better - maybe a coat of paint?
Who teaches?
Do all the old crowd still go?

Lost Leader

9th-June-2009, 05:33 PM

Only been once since it moved.

- seemed fairly busy.
- Venue has had a spruce up (better floor, new lights etc.)
- Lot of the old crowd still there
- Same crew, teacher (Emma P.), DJ (The Rev Ambridge)

I wasn't a very regular attender at the Saints venue but it was just a 10 to 15 minute drive for me so I did go from time to time. Cripps is a bit further away (say another 5 minutes) and a slightly more hassley journey for me.

The main problems however are:

- it's too hot, being part of a hospital (thought they now say they have some new huge fans)
- the hassle over parking (see details on Ceroc Passion web site)

It's probably a better than average class night with a pretty much guaranteed goodish level of attendance - certainly better than the other Northampton venue St Georges, which I visited for the first time in years last week, where attendance was pretty thin.

Easily Led

3rd-July-2009, 01:16 PM

This week we went to a one off venue in Milton Keynes for their Wednesday night. It was at the Camp Hill Community Centre (I think) and the floor was fabulous and the building beautifully detailed. There were some very good dancers there including Allez Cat and the music was fine if a little fast for the heat. We only went for the last hour and it was still pretty sweaty in spite of all the doors being open and the couple of fans. Still it was fun.

Last night we went to Rugby class night dreading the possible heat. However, partly because it was a thinner attendance than usual (one man over in the intermediate class!!!), and because of Marc's new high powered fan :respect:, things were bearable and I had some very good dances. Rachel, Marc and Kirk always make an effort to dance with a lot of people so the chances are that if you were there you would have a dance with at least one of them. They all try really hard to make the evening a success and I particularly appreciate Marc's patient efforts to try to teach me some Tango. I think it is an uphill task as I am inredeemably clumsy and slow to pick up moves (as well as fatally wiggly :blush:) - but he keeps trying :worthy: and I'm pretty sure he doesn't get time and a half for it!

Having visited a wider range of venues recently Rugby continues to be a favourite.

Allez-Cat

8th-July-2009, 12:54 AM

...some very good dancers there...

Indeed, but I'm not sure I deserve to be included, EL .... but thank you for the ego boost :hug: and the dances.

The Chrysalis Theatre, part of the Camphill Community in Milton Keynes, was a substitute for the customary Bletchley venue. Wednesday nights are always good fun, the (usual) Wilton Hall is cooler than the Chrysalis, the teaching is relaxed, the music is enjoyable and you'll always get a warm welcome from the venue management.

Lost Leader

15th-July-2009, 07:30 PM

Marc has only been teaching at this venue for a few months and I would anticipate that the standard of dancing here will improve significantly over time.

A year or so ago I posted this when reviewing a class night at Buckingham. Fast forward to last Monday and lo and behold a new career beckons as a soothsayer. This was a slightly different night in that the main focus was on double trouble instead of the normal intermediate class, and a lot of fun it was too. It's one of a series of monthly "party" nights at this venue where the focus is on a different style of dancing.The main thing of interest is that the standard of dancing here certainly has improved over the last 12 months. The floor is one of the very best you could hope for imo. If only it wasn't so hot there - though Marc's big new fan does help.

So a visit to Buckingham on a Monday night is definitely worthwhile, but try to choose a day when the sun hasn't been shining too much!

bigdjiver

15th-July-2009, 08:02 PM

A year or so ago I posted this when reviewing a class night at Buckingham. Fast forward to last Monday and lo and behold a new career beckons as a soothsayer. This was a slightly different night in that the main focus was on double trouble instead of the normal intermediate class, and a lot of fun it was too. It's one of a series of monthly "party" nights at this venue where the focus is on a different style of dancing.The main thing of interest is that the standard of dancing here certainly has improved over the last 12 months. The floor is one of the very best you could hope for imo. If only it wasn't so hot there - though Marc's big new fan does help.

So a visit to Buckingham on a Monday night is definitely worthwhile, but try to choose a day when the sun hasn't been shining too much!I would have loved to have gone to this night but I suspected there might be too many men. I knew of some planning to go who were not taking any women. I really enjoyed the previous party night in Buckinham, and hope to go to the next (Blues). As there was a busk in Cambridge on Saturday I suspected there may be a surge of new ladies, so I went to Cambridge instead. No surge, and I had a good time there.

The party nights in Buckingham bring in a lot of extra dancers, so the standard you saw might not be the usual. However Marc has been doing a great job there, and there are some super dancers that I know are regulars, so it may be the norm.

To satisfy my curiosity, what was the M-F ratio like?

Lost Leader

15th-July-2009, 08:38 PM

The ratio was nearly 2 women to 1 man.

Rachel

16th-July-2009, 01:05 AM

The ratio was nearly 2 women to 1 man.Lovely to see you there! NB: You forgot to mention that Michaela even joined in the class.
R.

Lost Leader

4th-August-2009, 07:22 PM

Just got back from a weeks holiday in the north east plus a brief sojourn in Scotland. Managed to visit several dance venues along the way so here is the first of several short reviews.

Chilled Sunday, Wetherby 26 July

Ok, I know it isn't strictly a club night but...this was my first visit to chilled Sunday. The venue itself is very impressive - there a nice lighting array, really good air conditioning, a good dance floor, comfortable seating, a large balcony area, decent bar and so on. In terms of facilities and ambiance this is really right up there with the best.

As it happens our visit coincided with CJ doing a guest mariachi set and doing a couple of very impressive aerial heavy showcase dances with Yliander. Really enjoyed CJ's set but personally slightly less thrilled by Dr Chill's choice of music. Great to see and dance with Caz and her friend Donna. The turnout was slightly disappointing in terms of numbers - another dozen or so dancers would have been great, but this was still a good afternoon's dancing.

All in all a great way to break the journey up the A1.

Lost Leader

4th-August-2009, 07:33 PM

Darlington Ceroc 27 July

This is a new venue which has only been running for a few weeks. You enter what appears to be a very modern leisure centre off the main market square in Darlington, but having ascended one stair case, cut through the bar, through a corridor and then up another stair case you find yourself in a huge ball room which is obviously much older but now attached to the leisure centre. It's a very grand space indeed with three enormous chandeliers hanging from a very high ceiling and must surely be one of the few ceroc class night venues where the walls have original 19th century oil paintings. There is a decent sized wooden floor which could perhaps do with a bit of a polish.

For a new venue there was a surprisingly good attendence. The teaching was good and I was particularly impressed by the female DJ's taste in music which was well above the norm. A number of good dancers plus the decent music made this a surprisingly good night - recommended.

Lost Leader

4th-August-2009, 07:40 PM

Middlesborough Ceroc 28 July

Made a last minute decision to give this a try, just for second free style. Managed to get lost en route so arrived late which didn't help. The venue is OK, but nothing special. Same DJ as Darlington though so that is a plus point. Can't comment on the teaching as I did not see any. Locals were friendly - one called Barry was asking after Cruella as this used to be one of her old stamping grounds (not literally hopefully :lol: )

Perhaps a little unfair to judge things on such a brief visit but for what it is worth I preferred Darlington.

Lost Leader

4th-August-2009, 07:53 PM

Edinburgh Ceroc 30th July

This time managed to drive to the venue without getting lost and arrived in time for the start of the night. Really looking forward to meeting Franck and Sheena again so was disappointed to discover on arrival that they had to go to Inverness at the last minute to cover another venue. The venue itself has a surprisingly small dance floor so with 50 or so dancers present it did get a little crowded at times.

Full marks to the Scottish dancers for friendliness - we were made to feel very welcome. Had several great dances and even picked up a compliment or two. Finally got to dance with Lulu Baby who more than lived up to expectations.

Having the evening's dancing finish as early as 10:30pm came as a bit of a shock, but this was a very enjoyable night. Thanks to Lulu Baby, Aurion, PMJD (I think) and others for making us feel so welcome.

Lost Leader

4th-August-2009, 08:02 PM

Sara White's 2 August

Look, my excuse was we were almost passing the venue on the way home so it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

Although this was just a class night it certainly cannot be described as ordinary. Whilst not quite reaching the height's of an SW free-style I had some fabulous dances. Enough said - this was a great way to round off our holiday.

Trousers

21st-September-2009, 07:34 AM

Hi folks

Where are the hot places to dance in the Mids/East Mids areas.
Have been off site for a long time and need to get back on the floor.

So where is good to go now?

T

Trousers

9th-November-2009, 01:53 PM

I saw on the 'Who's going where thread' (6, 7 & 8 November) that there was a dance in Halesowen and that it was an opening night for Debbie Attwood.

Hmmmmm thought I. I can probably find something better than that and promptly did nothing. So when friday arrived I hadn't investigated any possibilities and I went looking for a dance pretty late. Obviously the first tool in any roving jivers arsenal is UK-Jive, normally brilliant but there appeared to be zilch that I could sensibly get to or wanted to get to.

Then I remembered seeing that thing about Halesowen.

That wasn't in UK-Jive either.

So I came back in here and yes there was supposedly a dance on.
I had come up with nowt else so thought bugger it I'll give it a try if it's rubbish it was only an hour in the car.

As I drove there I remembered about Halesowen -
It's a Friday night Club Night.
Thus I would not see it in UK-Jive; well not in the events section.

Anyway arrived after avoiding hoardes of hoodies down the road near a rec ground. I assume where there had been fireworks - idiots just milling about in the road. How they ever managed to live that long I am amazed. Remembered to pay the car park fee - don't you hate that but it's worse to forget and then have to pay the fine and it was only 80p.

Climbed the stairs - fortunately I know where the entrance is but I do remember the first time I went not knowing how to get in - a little signage would possibly help, but its not a critism really - and bugger me it was pretty packed.

A number of the usual supsects were on duty and quite a lot of people new to new. I had a very nice time. Had some loverly dances. Floor craft was not too bad if I was honest, there were only moments when I was forced to change direction though wandering couple syndrome but no collisions.

I was too late to see Alex F's lesson but that was ok 'cos it went on till 11.50.
There was poor lady working the bar on her own and she did a good job but I think Debbie acknowleged they would need more staff and she also said the A/C would be working next week.

Floor was ace - not a Southport Blues room floor but slippy enough!

Music was good and Debbies format seems to be to Blues it up for the last hour - Utopia wise. Just don't stand infront of the speakers they were loud!

I can't really compare it to the last time I went to Hellsowen because the previous visit was just naff - the only good thing about that night was a dance with Maja (yeah that's probably an incorrect spelling - sorry).
It didn't get the nick name Hellsowen for nothing though!

On the whole its there again as a posibility for a friday boogie in the Midlands.
But just don't forget it wont be on UK-Jive because its really a club nite.

Nice job Debbie - Hope you keep the numbers up.

Trousers

10th-November-2009, 05:01 PM

I waited before making this review because I don't want people thinking I am the Debbie Attwood Appreciation Society. Which I would join if there was one but as they used to say at the end of Tales of the Riverbank "That's another story" and before I could join I'd have to shave my legs and iron my Cheerleader skirt, oh and I've no idea where I left my Baton!

Anyway Sunday Night, New venue from DA at Cox's Yard (right on the river on the Banbury road just leaving) Stratford upon Avon. Remember the "upon Avon" it is important, else suddenly you will be heading south for London and a long drive.

This is not technically a club night - I think the really tall girl on the desk said every other Sunday. But I think there was a lesson - which I in my normal tardy fashion managed to miss, so I still get no better I'm afraid.

Anyhow I found it.

Parking is available just across the road for £1.60 or so or free if you want a little walk to a bit of road with a single Yellow line. I imagine there are bits like that near the RSC (which you can see) but it is so long since I went to Stratford I'm uncertain. In fact I think the last time I went to Stratford I was 17, out boozing with my mates. I remember that night; 17 year old out drinking, looking for any opportunity to find a girl. Horny Teenager syndrome and If I'm honest the pills the doctor gave me for that did bugger all and I still suffer terribly! We were at one point strolling between boozers, as you do, when I glanced up into a window of a restaurant. As I looked up this young girl, similar age to me, Aphrodite's daughter by the look, looked up from the customer she had been talking too and our eyes locked.
I know you can feel the tension now in my telling of this tale but then the feeling was electric. She was beautiful, a 9 and I was the designated driver so it really was a 9 (I don't believe anyone could be a 10 or a 1 so I always discount those). I was instantly smitten and then she smiled at me; I was lost. In that fleeting moment my life changed I was happily married to a gorgeous brunette with a killer smile, my life was sorted, it would all be ok, I had found the woman of my dreams.
Then I walked into the lamp post.

That relationship thus never evolved which was a shame I feel. But It was Stratford. Hey Ho!

Any how nice venue. Upstairs and downstairs, DA must have brought her own floor which worked well down stairs and outside in the smirting zone. It was a little bijou and picturesque (small) but big enough to work.
Down stairs it was Bluesy stuff - I assume the Utopia type but I could dance to it there, where as when I went to the Winning Post to a Utopia event the Utopia music there was so avantgarde as to be imo unworkable.
Upstairs was normal stuff but I didn't even have a go up there.

There were not that many people but because of the rotation up and down stairs there seemed to be more people than there really were, if get my drift. There were plenty to dance with and I had some very nice (well I enjoyed them - I think some of these women just say lovely and leg it as fast as to get away) dances.

It's another venue just about an hours travel for me, so its just there as an option. Which is what you need I think, lots of options.
I don't know how well it would cope with a coach load of Cerocers turning up but as a small venue playing interesting music it was working for me.

Anyway I bagged that venue in my resumed Ceroc UK tour and found it worthy. So if you are local and the night is running its worth airing the shoes.

T

Lory

10th-November-2009, 05:16 PM

In that fleeting moment my life changed I was happily married to a gorgeous brunette with a killer smile, my life was sorted, it would all be ok, I had found the woman of my dreams.
Then I walked into the lamp post.

:lol:
Aww Trousers, I do LOVE your reviews! :worthy::cheers:

Trousers

20th-December-2009, 04:22 PM

Went to the Rugby Freestyle (Marc n Rach) last night.

It's an odd little venue, in that it is a soul less room and the carpark is about big enough for two smart cars and a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe. Well that's what it feels like if you dare turn up late. But Marc and Rachel have made this venue probably the hottest thing in the Midlands at the moment. I can't include the big Daventry events in that because there aren't enough events.

So in the possession of the knowledge that car parking is the worm and the early birds arrive before 9.00 I arrived at 8.30.
Hmmmm I thought to my self, not only are there car parking spaces but I bagged one infront of the door, It's too cold, too Icey, too Near Christmas kept running through my head as I turned of the GPS (why I still use that to get to Rugby I can't really say), there's no one here arrgghhhhhh.
I sashayed to the door - It was kosher there was no one in the car park to see!
Popped in and hmmm pretty as I expected It was Old Mother Hubbards Cupboard. Oh well it is early maybe some one will turn up I thought as I paid the door fee. Hmmm where shall I dump my bag? I don't normally get much in the way of choice on that one and it was like driving into Sainsburys late on a Suday afternoon - So many space so much choice so much indecision.
Common Sense took over though and I opted for the nearest point to a fire exit! Always have an exit strategy - works in hotels, with women, at dances, Perfect.
As I had payed and walked to the fire exit, I couldn't help but notice that there were only 3 couples on the floor. I had also notice the that the track was diabolically good. Whats bloody going on I wondered. Anyway ripped off my fleece, nonchalantly pulled my T Shirt back on hoping that in the dark no one had noticed my pasty flesh (yes ok eeeuuurrgghhhhhh) and I waited for the next track - I hate dancing to half a track. If its a great track with a great lady dancer its a waste, if its a great track and a rubbish lady dancer it's too short to politely leg it after it finishes. Any way next track starts - Great track grab woman and go for it! I danced pretty much non stop till after nine and Marc playedtrack after track of dancing heaven.
It was bliss - space to move - no numpties stealing my own personal bits of floor.
Anyway by about 9.30 the carpark had filled as had the room and I danced my arse off for the rest of the night. I did need to sit down a bit but I quite enjoyed watching some of the others - One couple I watched made me feel guilty like I was a voyeur (voyeur, guilty I need to retrain that thought process).

On a little more of a personal note I lost my Mojo a while ago and dancing had become something to be wary of, a cause of tension - the blokes will know what I mean:
Can't dance with her, she's a good looker = Tension
Can't dance with her, she's a fantatstic dancer = Tension
Can't dance with her, she spins like a top = Tension

Well the tension has gone and my Mojo has miraculously arrived back and last night I had a blast.

Marcs music was as ever superb, the ladies were mostly more than enough to keep me happy.
I did however get my floor - that's my own personal bit of floor that I have been dancing on for the first half of a huge number of tracks stolen by inconsiderates. Thats par I suppose but it rankles.

Anyway All in All a great night, and the impromtue applause for Marcs set won everyone an extra track at the end

See flattery does work!

Well done M and R

jivecat

21st-December-2009, 12:37 AM

Oooh, now I feel double disgruntled. I was all dressed up and ready to go to this, looked out of the window to see a blizzard swirling past. So I decided it would be really, really stupid to get in the car and drive 30 miles just to dance. WRONG DECISION! Thirty minutes later it had stopped but it seemed a bit late to set out then. :sick:

Glad you had a great time though, and good thing about the mojo!:hug:

Easily Led

21st-December-2009, 09:28 AM

Went to the Rugby Freestyle (Marc n Rach) last night.

Marcs music was as ever superb, the ladies were mostly more than enough to keep me happy.

Anyway All in All a great night, and the impromtue applause for Marcs set won everyone an extra track at the end

See flattery does work!

Well done M and R

I am pretty sure I asked you to dance - you were sitting on the stage and wearing striped trousers? I really enjoyed it and I hope it was ok for you.

We are so lucky at Rugby with Marc and Rachel that it is sometimes easy to forget how good the freestyles are because we get the music every week (sometimes twice if visiting Buckingham too) and Marc always finishes late so it is really worth going even just for the last freestyle of a Thursday club night. Sometimes the actual freestyles are a bit crowded and the Thursday regulars are so good that it often feels to me like I have a better time on the ordinary nights. However, the freestyles do bring in a few stars and it is always a good evening when I get to dance with Rod Ambridge and Ken - as well as more unfamiliar people such as yourself.

Lost Leader

21st-December-2009, 09:35 PM

Glad you enjoyed yourself Trousers - didn't know it was you until afterwards (I should have realized when I saw the trousers I suppose).

The merits of Rugby are becoming ever more appreciated - you never know who is going to turn up and that is one of the beauties of it. It's not a venue where you dance with the same people week after week. Even the class nights sometimes attract surprise guests.

This weekend's free-style was just what you would expect - great music, great dancers, lovely atmosphere, friendly bar, etc. Things you don't find everywhere - yes, we are certainly spoilt rotten at Rugby, but that just means we appreciate all the more.

Trousers

3rd-January-2010, 12:02 PM

Went to Hammersmiff last night.
Hmmmmmm.

It's been a while since I last ventured there. I think I was a little closer the last time. Last night it was a two hour drive. Which was ok I had conversation in the car it was a clear road too so it didn't seem like too bad a proposition to get there and dance.

Well (deep breath). . . . .

What is it with the pay table and Ceroc. How can some venues run really smoothly and there is a seamless transition from outside in the cold, to warm and putting shoes on ready to dance. Not so last night and let me tell you it was cold.
Oh and while I have the Ceroc pay table to mind why can't the franchises share their member databases. I am getting really tits'd off with filling in the "visitor forms" (they've given them a name I noted last night, but they look just like the ordinary membership form <shock>). If you loose your card you are buggered with this system and every time you travel you get the pain of a "visitor form" again. As the franchises are all under the great Ceroc banner why they cant share names and home venue information to Ceroc Central for duplication to all other franchises, rather than forcing us to do the pigging "visitor form" every time we travel out of zone just baffles me. I have taken to just writing my name. I don’t want email from Ceroc, I don’t want texts from Ceroc and unless I am awaiting weekender tickets I don’t want post from Ceroc. So they get my name now - it's my one man protest against their inability to share digital information.

OOhhhhh a rant I haven’t ranted in a while.

Anyway last night -
Long wait at door.
Long wait at door in cold.
Long wait at door in cold because of Visitor forms.
Long wait at door in cold because of Visitor forms and only one desk operative.

Anyhow got in eventually after filling out, sorry partially filling out, well more sort of minimally filling out my visitor form (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr).
It was mostly a typical Hammersmiff night in my opinion.
Clicky Talented corner down by the stage and DJ. Nice to see them all, Haven't seen a clicky talented corner in a while.
Because of Utopia I think the numbers were down a little but you would not have known because the floor seemed just as busy as the last time I went and the floor craft in areas was not to my exacting standards but then not many places are. If I can stay in one area dancing on a slot why . . . . oh bum that's a bloody loosing battle isn’t it?
Possibly just possibly the floor may have been at fault last night. It was shitty dirty. They (Ceroc People) were out mopping parts of it (during the freestyle) because there was that much crud on the floor. I did find that the girls had difficulty spinning in one place with the floor being so bad and tended to wander off centre. So I was constantly redirecting my partners back to our line but that seems to be my personal choice. I think the management last night should have looked at the floor before opening the doors. It looked like there may have been a New Years Eve party on there and making sure the Town Hall staff had cleaned the floor I would have thought was the first job once you were inside. There were some areas that were ok but once u had danced on the crap your shoes were buggered .

I was also surprised to hear some tracks repeated by the DJ. I didn't think that was normally acceptable in the same room in the same Freestyle

I did have a few good dances so it was not all bad but nothing really grabbed me to say "Wow, what a brilliant night" because frankly it wasn't. Not a very auspicious start to 2010 at all.

My Opinion and remember there are other opinions available :-
5/10 Could do better.

bigdjiver

3rd-January-2010, 04:42 PM

...why can't the franchises share their member databases...Because they are separate, competing companies.

... As the franchises are all under the great Ceroc banner why they cant share names and home venue information to Ceroc Central for duplication to all other franchises...Ceroc Central is a franchise based in Bedfordshire. I think you mean HQ

If you have lost your card you can rejoin. You can join other franchises. It bloats the membership numbers. Those numbers impress some people.

Sadly that also artificially lowers the income per member figures. The perceived value of each new member is reduced. This lowers the apparent benefits of advertising. Since Ceroc also does not track how many members each new member brings in Ceroc cannot accurately guage how effective its marketing is, or how effective it could be.

...My Opinion and remember there are other opinions available :-
....The Queens - how many times did they see her face on coins and notes?

zimbabwean

3rd-January-2010, 05:42 PM

My Opinion and remember there are other opinions available :-
5/10 Could do better.

My Reasons for not going there as listed by Trousers :worthy: they have the Venue that could be great but seem to always have issues and with so much comptition around you would think they would get their act together.

BTW Utopia was a Fab night:clap:

FirstMove

3rd-January-2010, 06:42 PM

Because they are separate, competing companies.

More specifically, because it's easier to poach Ceroc dancers from a neighbouring franchise than recruit new dancers from scratch.

Let me tell you a little story, boys and girls. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...

Once upon a time, Ceroc franchise A sent out an email to their members advertising a forthcoming freestyle. As they didn't understand the difference between CC: and BCC: , franchise B also got that list of members. They had a competing freestyle only a few miles away, so they sent-out an email to franchise A's list giving half price entry. Franchise A then responded by giving free entry to anyone who got the email from franchise B.

Good for me, not so good for Ceroc. Now imagine a world where every franchise has access to the whole mailing list: :eek: and :grin:.

Trousers

3rd-January-2010, 09:13 PM

Because they are separate, competing companies. Franchise rules could be written and if you read my post again i suggest the data - names and home venue - cant do much with that can they?

Ceroc Central is a franchise based in Bedfordshire. I think you mean HQ Thankyou But once upon a time I am certain the HQ was known as Central.

If you have lost your card you can rejoin.
Yes you rejoin yes you get a new card yes you have to fill in damn form again - That was what i was trying to express. I'm really sorry you missed my point.

You can join other franchises. W T F? Why would you choose to join more than one franchise? We dont go to a franchise as punters we go to Ceroc as an entity.

Sadly that also artificially lowers the income per member figures. The perceived value of each new member is reduced. This lowers the apparent benefits of advertising. Since Ceroc also does not track how many members each new member brings in Ceroc cannot accurately guage how effective its marketing is, or how effective it could be.
W T F?

The Queens - how many times did they see her face on coins and notes?
W T F?

bigdjiver

4th-January-2010, 02:55 AM

Franchise rules could be written and if you read my post again i suggest the data - names and home venue - cant do much with that can they? No, not even identify someone as a ceroc member. Miss X has become Mrs Y, or William on the joining form now identifies himself as Bill, not to mention mis-spellings. Membership cards exist for good reasons.

Yes you rejoin yes you get a new card yes you have to fill in damn form again - That was what i was trying to express. I'm really sorry you missed my point. I did not miss the point. You hold up the queue because you have lost your card. A) The punish you in the hope you will not do it again. B) If you rejoin the collect extra cash and the organisation looks more successful than it is.

W T F? Why would you choose to join more than one franchise? We dont go to a franchise as punters we go to Ceroc as an entity.No, you go to a venue run by a franchisee.

W T F?

W T F?
You lose & Ceroc loses. Is that simple enough for you?

daveb9000

4th-January-2010, 01:22 PM

... why can't the franchises share their member databases

I'm a member of Ceroc Scotland and have visited classes in Manchester and London and have never had a problem accessing classes and have never had to fill in a visitor form.

emmylou25

4th-January-2010, 05:47 PM

I'm a member of Ceroc Scotland and have visited classes in Manchester and London and have never had a problem accessing classes and have never had to fill in a visitor form.

You're lucky then. I've never been to classes at another franchise from the one I'm a member with, but at Daventry & Hammersmith freestyles on the first attendance I had to complete a visitor form. Didn't at Rugby, but maybe that was because I'd been to Daventry before which is the same franchise.

Have to say I'm with Trousers on this one - it is a pain when there's a huge queue, especially when you may have already signed up to their website newsletter and bought advance tickets!

Our franchise don't have visitor forms to complete (and don't advertise their freestyles etc at other ceroc franchises), but in a way it would be useful to know who was coming to our venue, from where and why.

Trousers

20th-January-2010, 02:13 AM

Just got back from Burton upon Trent.
Thats a Want2Dance venue so basically the Enemy!
Not my enemy - but I know you know what I mean.

I only went because after the fracas in some other thread about them I worked out it was Nikki and Patricia and I have known Nikki for years and years and years :eek:
And after that storm in a tea cup about membership, I realised where they were and decided I would give it a bash, as they say.

Well I'm very glad i did.

I don't think I had a bad dance. There were a couple of beginnerish follows I got but its ok to be a beginner. Well as long as they want to have fun and will at least try to follow my lead. But some of the ladies were understatedly brilliant.
When I say I didn't have a bad dance that's true but actually I also need to say I had some bloody wonderful dances.

Nikki did a Rhumba based bluesy routine which some of the guys may have had difficulty with but it was ok and she did it in the right order - Hardest first.

The room was ok - there are a lot of tables set back from the floor one side which does mean you can be stuck away from the floor and no one is going to venture thru the tables to ask for a dance. But some people like the safety that brings them - can't see it my self, if you are there to dance get on the floor!! or at least lurk near it, I lurk well I feel - Practice has made perfect.

Nice little bar, Very nice little bar maid.

Then there was Nikki
The very first time I danced with her (9 or 10 years ago) we clicked and she is a lovely person to dance with. I must apologise to the regulars becasue I hogged her for three dances, but one dance is never enough when your partner is as easy to dance with as she is.
Also danced with Patricia and she is a wonderful dancer too with a naughty sense of humour and it will get her into trouble if she'll let me!.

Basically I had a ball and
Danced my arse off!

Tuesday for me used to be Northampton and Emma Pettit.
But since they moved venue its not the same.

I do now feel I have somewhere to boogey on a Tuesday.
I will be going back to Burton

Well done Ladies I loved your venue!!!

Lost Leader

10th-August-2010, 06:04 PM

Something is stirring in Buckingham... Yes, Buckingham, formerly the lost child of Ceroc Central, is now the sole venue of a new franchise called Ceroc Smooth. Ceroc Central's main interest was and still is mainly centred on Milton Keynes / Bedford / Luton. Buckingham was just a small fish in large pond which rarely got much attention, but all that now looks set to change.

I'm not a really regular visitor but I had looked in there from time to time over the last year or so. The venue has always had potential IMO. It has a great floor, a nice second room, easy access and plenty of parking. It also has good music and teaching from Marc F. However the potential of the venue hasn't really been fully exploited up to now. Under the new franchise there is hope that things may well start to change for the better and there are already some promising signs.

I went there last night and had a really enjoyable evening's dancing - probably the best I've had there. There were more dancers there than normal and Marc had really pulled the stops out with the ambiance deploying lasers, a smoke machine and even an LED scrolling message display. I also noticed the deployment of additional large fans and the fact that all the doors had been fixed as wide open as possible to try to keep the temperature down. A really nice selection of free biscuits was another nice touch and you can now purchase soft drinks as an alternative to the free water (the venue doesn't have a bar so you are also allowed to bring your own drinks). The evening carried on until 11:00pm and if this could be made the regular finish time (instead of 10:45pm) that would be another bonus.

There is a free-style coming up in September (Howard and Nicola are teaching) which I think will be the first to be held here for quite a while so it will be interesting to see how successful that is. I understand that the new franchisees have a background in marketing and are very keen dancers so that should auger well for the future development of the venue.

This new franchise looks like being good news for dancers in the Buckingham area.

sidney

12th-August-2010, 12:56 AM

So where in bucks is this new venue, as i have moved down there in the last couple of months.

Maxine

12th-August-2010, 09:18 AM

robd

12th-August-2010, 09:55 AM

IJig Wednesday Nights – Hatfield]Can really recommend this as a good mid week night out, has a feel of a freestyle night about it and well worth the 40 minute drive for me

:yeah:

It's about an hour for me though we usually manage a car share which makes things much more palatable. Arrived earlier than usual last night meaning I could join in the Progressive (read 'Intermediate') and Advanced MJ classes taught by Mick and Jo. Both featured smooth and interesting routines with elements that I was able to carry seamlessly through into freestyle which is always a good sign. Jon's music was the usual mix of stuff I really like, stuff I don't mind and stuff I try to sit out for. On the downside the freestyle was very well attended making available floorspace a bit limited but on the upside I still had a number of excellent dances which is ultimately what we go to these things for :grin:

Allez-Cat

12th-August-2010, 10:40 AM

So where in bucks is this new venue

Buckingham Community Centre, Cornwalls Meadows, MK18 1RP - just off the High Street.

See: http://www.cerocsmooth.com

JiveLad

12th-August-2010, 11:02 AM

IJig Wednesday Nights – Hatfield

I have been to IJig on a Wednesday night about 6 times in the last 3 months and have found it to be a consistently good night. I went there primarily as they were running a tango classes in conjunction with running their Jive class. They also run an advance Jive class after the main lessons, which I have done a couple of, they were not bad but I think I prefer to do a bit of freestyle.

After the tango lesson I usually go into the main hall for a bit of jiving. The main hall is really buzzing and very well attended with mainly a good mix of music, mainly upbeat and a good mix of dancers. If I really do not like the music then I can escape into the tango room for the milonga/pratica (plays mainly traditional tango music, which I’m told is an acquired taste, of which I’ve yet to acquire).

Can really recommend this as a good mid week night out, has a feel of a freestyle night about it and well worth the 40 minute drive for me :D:waycool:

Yes - the tectonic plates around here (St. Albans being the epicentre :D) have settled a bit since iJig was formed. iJig is now very clearly the leading venue for dancers round here. This is not just me saying this: I have had so many chats with different people about it.

For comparison, in the past 7 days I have been to Cheshunt Friday, visited Berko on Sunday, Harpenden Monday (Smooth jive), Luton on Tues (previous Tues I did Watford)- and will do Snorbens again on Thursday. None are as good as iJig in terms of atmosphere, depth of dance talent, quality of music. (I am excluding the Berko Blues room from this comparison).

The iJig Wed nights are better than most freestyle nights at other venues.....

Plus (if you are so inclined) you can Tango to your hearts content - and this seems to be proving very popular from what I see - loads of people in there for the lessons.

I wonder if Ceroc will 'up their game' a bit..........

PS And to tie in with another thread...........it seems iJig speakers have good integrity :nice:

robd

12th-August-2010, 11:33 AM

I wonder if Ceroc will 'up their game' a bit..........

It was amusing last night at the start of the Advanced class when a new lady was asked by Mick if she was joining in and she responded 'Is this Ceroc?....' :grin:

Andy McGregor

12th-August-2010, 11:48 AM

It was amusing last night at the start of the Advanced class when a new lady was asked by Mick if she was joining in and she responded 'Is this Ceroc?....' :grin:If he'd said "yes", I'm sure Ceroc HQ would have sent in their team of lawyers.

Maxine

12th-August-2010, 01:24 PM

I wonder if Ceroc will 'up their game' a bit..........

Do they really need to from a business prospective?

I’ve been to the nearest venue in that area (St Albans) a few times (although not been back since I’ve started going to IJig) and that seemed very successful in terms of numbers and quite a good evening but IJig is just that bit better IMHO. I can’t see them trying to up their game unless their venues are suffering.

I would say that I think personally Berko is just as good as IJig for a regular night. It is consistently good, with the benefit of the blues room and the tango pratica (so that is definitely a case where ceroc has upped its game and I think that this proceeded IJig). Anyway both good nights worthy of a long trek for me.

JiveLad

12th-August-2010, 11:45 PM

Do they really need to from a business prospective?

I’ve been to the nearest venue in that area (St Albans) a few times (although not been back since I’ve started going to IJig) and that seemed very successful in terms of numbers and quite a good evening but IJig is just that bit better IMHO. I can’t see them trying to up their game unless their venues are suffering.

I would say that I think personally Berko is just as good as IJig for a regular night. It is consistently good, with the benefit of the blues room and the tango pratica (so that is definitely a case where ceroc has upped its game and I think that this proceeded IJig). Anyway both good nights worthy of a long trek for me.

Well having just returned from St. Albans - it was..........very good indeed! Loads of people.......good music - thx to all for a great nite.

So maybe you are right..........(ijig does just edge it somehow........).

HelenB

13th-August-2010, 12:42 PM