PDA

View Full Version : Camber timetable - recommendations?



David Bailey
9th-November-2005, 11:36 AM
OK, here's the draft timetable from the website:
-------------------------------------
Friday 11th Main Venue
19.00-20.00 Ice Breaker Welcome Class. Mikey
20.00-21.00 Bachata, super sexy latin dance. Alina

Saturday 12th, Main Venue
10.00-11.15 Latin Passion (VERY Risqué). Mikey & Tonia
11.15-12.30 Advanced Jive (brand new moves). Nelson & Karen
12.30-14.00 Modern Jive Freestyle. Mike Mariner
14.00-15.15 Shim Sham. James & Bridget
15.15-16.30 Latin Styled Jive. Adam & Hollie
16.30-17.45 Tango Jive in Harlem. David & Madeline
17.45-19.00 Ladies' Styling (ladies only). Alina
19.00-20.00 Advanced Jive Techniques. Mikey
21.30-04.00 Gala. Mainly modern music.

Saturday 12th, Lower Venue
10.00-11.15 Cha Cha. Roi & Anna
11.15-12.30 Double Trouble. John, Karen and Linda
12.30-14.00 Blues & Swing Freestyle.
14.00-15.15 Mini Aerials. Nelson & Karen
15.15-16.30 Strictly Smooth Jiving. Jim & Nicky
16.30-17.45 Lindy For Jivers. James & Bridget
17.45-19.00 Men's Styling (men only). Viktor
19.00-20.00 Hip Hop Solo. Dan
20.00-21.00 Break
21.00-23.00 Salsa Class & Salsa Freestyle. Viktor
23.00-06.00 Gala. Mainly Blues, Smooth & Swing music.

Sunday 13th, Main Venue
10 – 11.15 Jango, Amir
11.15 – 12.30 Charleston, James & Bridget
14.00 – 15.15 Advanced Jive, Nigel & Nina
16.30 – 17.45 Bump n Grind, Jim & Nicky
1745 – 19.00 Blues, Nigel & Nina
19.00 – 20.00 Strictly Sinful (VERY Risque), Mikey & Marianne

Sunday 13th, Lower Room
10.00 – 11.15 Cuban Rumba, Roi & Anna
11.15 – 12.30 West Coast Swing, Cat and Paul
14.00 – 15.15 Spins and Style for Modern Jive, Amir
15.15 – 16.30 Dips & Tricks, Alina
16.30 – 17.45 West Coast Swing, Advanced, Cat and Paul
17.45 – 19.00 Locks, Stops and Morps, James & Bridget
19.00 – 20.00 Hip Hop (partners) Dan & Kim
21.00 – 23.00 Salsa, Viktor
-------------------------------------

I like the sound of Tango Jive in Harlem, Spins and Style for Modern Jive, Cuban Rumba and of course the Salsa Class, but I've got an open mind otherwise.

So, any recommendations?

Msfab
9th-November-2005, 11:50 AM
Does anyone know what the Locks, Stops and Morps class is all about on Sunday? :confused:

David Franklin
9th-November-2005, 11:51 AM
I think Nelson and Karen are fantastic teachers, so I'd expect their advanced jive class to be good. I'm not keen on aerials classes at big weekenders though.

I'd expect Paul/Cat's WCS classes to be very good, even if only to watch.

I'm intrigued to see what happens in the Men's styling class as well.

I'm not keen on the risque classes myself, but if it floats your boat...

I would have thought Amir's Jango class might appeal to you, but it is in the graveyard shift...

From your expressed opinions, I would guess James/Bridget's style wouldn't work for you (strong Lindy influence).

Do you know if it's Dan Baines or Dan Slope?

David Bailey
9th-November-2005, 12:00 PM
I would have thought Amir's Jango class might appeal to you, but it is in the graveyard shift...
Actually, I am interested in that, but yes, it;s early and it clashes with Rumba :(


Do you know if it's Dan Baines or Dan Slope?
Not a clue, I just cut&pasted...

David Franklin
9th-November-2005, 12:03 PM
Does anyone know what the Locks, Stops and Morps class is all about on Sunday? :confused:It was nearly 5 years ago, but I've done this class of James/Bridget's before, or at least something of a very similar name. I'm guessing there's a typo by the way, and that it should be 'Locks, Stops, and Morphs'. Assuming the class is the same:

It is not a class on breakdance and/or hip-hop style popping and locking (which was what I was expecting from the name!). I have to say, I don't remember what the Locks and Stops referred to, but it wasn't popping.

Morphs referred to joining (morphing) the first half of one "standard" move to the last half of another "standard" move - so you might do something like a hatch-back entry into a yo-yo (that's a horrible example, but I can't think of a better one right now!)

Be warned they have quite a different style from most MJ teachers - I have to say it doesn't really work for me.

David Franklin
9th-November-2005, 12:09 PM
Do you know if it's Dan Baines or Dan Slope?

Not a clue, I just cut&pasted...
As Gus has said, Dan Baines is one of the most outstanding individual dancers we've ever had in MJ (he's a professional West End perfromer now). His classes can be outstanding and inspirational, though I think he often doesn't realise how limited the average dancer is compared with him. And he is a bit of a MJ legend after his 1999 showcase. :worthy: Worth going to once, even if hip-hop isn't your thing.

DavidB
9th-November-2005, 12:30 PM
19.00 – 20.00 Hip Hop (partners) Dan & Kim

Do you know if it's Dan Baines or Dan Slope?Given that Dan Slape & Kim Little came second in the Ceroc Champs Showcase, it is probably going to be them.

JonD
9th-November-2005, 12:43 PM
I think Nelson and Karen are fantastic teachers, so I'd expect their advanced jive class to be good
Being a soft southern jessie I'm not going to Camber - I'll try and get a sneak preview of the advanced jive stuff tomorrow night!

I'm not keen on aerials classes at big weekenders thoughI agree, but at least with Nelson & Karen you know they'll keep it as safe as possible. Nelson's acrobalance/circus skills background means he really knows what he's talking about when it comes to safety and he isn't afraid of sorting out people who don't listen! They'll keep it to small and usable moves.

Shame that Jenny & Ricardo aren't doing a Tango class - they were brilliant last year.

Have a great time everyone. (It's at this point that I start to regret that I won't be there!)

ChrisA
9th-November-2005, 12:57 PM
As Gus has said, Dan Baines is one of the most outstanding individual dancers we've ever had in MJ (he's a professional West End perfromer now). His classes can be outstanding and inspirational, though I think he often doesn't realise how limited the average dancer is compared with him. And he is a bit of a MJ legend after his 1999 showcase. :worthy: Worth going to once, even if hip-hop isn't your thing.
I've been to a couple of his "modern jive" classes, and they go like this:

- demo of the routine (looks great)
- lesson starts, he does the beginning of a move (ok, so far)
- he says 'now you just do "this"', and demonstrates it...

... where "this" is one of his extremely cool-looking funky bits of superbly coordinated body isolation, which, unless you can already do it or things very much like it, is completely impossible.

- he then gets the class to do it. :tears:

The class acquires a "rabbit in headlights" look about it in one second flat, and then the room turns into an embarrassing display of how us blokes can look like lumbering uncoordinated elephants, rather than the super-slick advanced dancers we all are. :innocent: :what:

I've ended up feeling like I'm from another species, and it's very dispiriting.

What I find really, really annoying about his classes, as Dave says, is that since he doesn't realise how limited the average dancer is compared with him, he doesn't teach what he's doing. :mad: He just demonstrates it and expects you to do it, which of course, very few people can.

If he'd only break down the movements into their component parts, maybe people would get more out of his lessons. :mad: So for my money, although what he does is very cool, I'm less than impressed by the quality of his teaching.

I'll give you an example of breaking something apparently difficult down into its component parts... take the Michael Jackson "moonwalk" thing. Because people mostly don't realise what's actually going on, they can't "just do it" when they see it demonstrated.

I decided some time ago that I wanted to learn how to do it, so I hunted around on the internet for some instructions, and then taught myself.

Believe me, it is EASY - I had the basics down in about five minutes, and I've since taught other people to do it in about that time. It's not easy to do it brilliantly after five minutes, but you don't expect that from a dance class anyway.

It's all about isolating what needs to be taught, teaching it in bite-sized, accessible pieces, and then getting people to practice it, stringing the bits together in sequence.

If the Dan Baines of this world would teach a bit more like that, what they do would become a bit more accessible.

Paul F
9th-November-2005, 01:00 PM
Believe me, it is EASY - I had the basics down in about five minutes, and I've since taught other people to do it in about that time.
.

I see a T-Jive cabaret coming on :wink:

ChrisA
9th-November-2005, 01:04 PM
I see a T-Jive cabaret coming on :wink:
Bah...

I'll tell you what isn't easy, though, and that is doing a backwards moonwalk, and at the same time continuing to lead whatever you would have led, so that the lady doesn't feel any difference, but the whole thing still looks cool.

And I'll tell you why...

... it's because you can't practice it somewhere quiet where there's no one to laugh when you look like a complete muppet. :whistle:

David Franklin
9th-November-2005, 01:24 PM
What I find really, really annoying about his classes, as Dave says, is that since he doesn't realise how limited the average dancer is compared with him, he doesn't teach what he's doing. :mad: He just demonstrates it and expects you to do it, which of course, very few people can.

If he'd only break down the movements into their component parts, maybe people would get more out of his lessons. :mad: So for my money, although what he does is very cool, I'm less than impressed by the quality of his teaching.
Thanks for the feedback - I suspected that might be the case, and there was a reason I said "can be outstanding". He did a few street dance classes that I (and some other jivers went to), and we were a lot more able to pin him down with "how, exactly do you do that?" than would be the case at, say, Camber.

But to me, part of the appeal of going to Dan's classes is to get some idea of what is possible - as you say, there's a fair gap between that and what you actually get taught. But at least you get to see what it should look like!

There was one amazing thing he did once, where the move was basically: starting from a crouch, get up and do a single turn. And he did it once just "going through the motions", and once as a "performer" would, explaining the elements involved (i.e. keep looking down until this highlight in the music, then snap up and open eyes wide, etc...) The difference in how it looked was astouding, and it was a genuine revelation to me. It was definitely one of those epiphany moments. The fact that I can't do it myself is neither here nor there...

Russell Saxby
9th-November-2005, 02:06 PM
so you might do something like a hatch-back entry into a yo-yo (that's a horrible example, but I can't think of a better one right now

How about a wurlitzer into catapult?

Might stick my head in and see wot it is all about, but then again I am way too lazy, so probably not

RachD
9th-November-2005, 02:14 PM
....anyone going to the Lindy class on Saturday?

Gojive
9th-November-2005, 02:18 PM
....anyone going to the Lindy class on Saturday?

I think there's a good chance I'll be at that one. I think using some Lindy style moves in Jive, offers a great way to cope with fast music :)

RachD
9th-November-2005, 02:24 PM
I think there's a good chance I'll be at that one. I think using some Lindy style moves in Jive, offers a great way to cope with fast music :)


So true! Makes it all the more enjoyable too! :nice:

Minnie M
9th-November-2005, 02:25 PM
Don't forget I will be taking booking for private lessons for any of the teachers.

The lessons will take place in a new room (Pontin's has just got this room finished after sectioning the old snooker area). The room is on the right hand side to the remaining snooker area.

PM me for more details or if you want an advance booking