What do we want from Cabarets at weekenders ?

[stewart38]

This got me thinking from Franco

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As far as my profit margin is concerned, I can assure you that with the money I spent hiring Joseph & Sadie, I could have hired 100 water fountains and bought free drinks for a good number of people. I did not have to hire Joseph & Sadie, but I did.
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I saw them they were ok but I could see that on a cruise ship if they cost a lot I wouldn’t bother

With more and more weekenders do we want Cabarets and if so what ?

I like the blebs doing a set routine but that seems to have been stopped now

I don’t like old routines from pass winners , I like the NZ set at a recent weekender many didn't

Its got to be difficult for organisers to strike a balance. For many a first weekender with a cabaret set they have never seen would be great. For other regulars more tiresome

The couple I saw at Bisley who were so far advance of anything else I've seen should be hired (I forget their names)

I think there needs to be a break for the thankyous etc which are often ritually disserved but with what ?

Incidentally

I like the cha cha slide and Madison but it’s a long time since they have been taught and they were not done correctly at Bognor so should they go or be taught again or scrapped ?

[LMC]

I think "who" is doing the cabaret is going to be far more important on a single freestyle night - well, it takes more time as a proportion of the event. So one night might be "sold" more on the basis of who is appearing (Stewart, you are thinking of the awesome Natalie and Yuval :worthy: )

But at a weekender, the cabaret seems to be more of a nice diversion (or for some, an annoying interruption) - people go to dance, spend time with their friends and even maybe learn new stuff from the workshops. Or has anyone been to a weekender *just* because someone famous was in the cabaret - assuming they aren't personal friends with the cabaret performers?

I saw J & S in Burn the Floor - they are good (but would rate N & Y higher) - how much value did they really add to the weekender? - perhaps spending the money on extra water coolers and overtime for the bar staff would make the punters happier.

[Lynn]

What we want from Cabarets? That they are good...and short!

[TheTramp]

The thing I want the most, is another room where there's music playing for dancing to :D

[David Franklin]

Or has anyone been to a weekender *just* because someone famous was in the cabaret - assuming they aren't personal friends with the cabaret performers?Not a weekender, and somewhat borderline because they were teaching as well, but a lot of people went to Rebel Yell to see Robert/Deborah, Jordan/Tatianna and Kyle/Sarah. And I certainly didn't go to a USA weekender last year just to see the Savoys, but they were one of the highlights. Incidentally, that's the only time I've seen Y/N live, and I wasn't particularly impressed - they were a little off that night though.

[under par]

The thing I want the most, is another room where there's music playing for dancing to :D


BIG BIG :yeah: to that !

give me the option to dance at a dance weekend all the time, I sometimes would rather not watch a caberet especially if it goes on a bit.

[tsh]

I can't see much point in paying for a cabaret... Surely there will be teachers there who want to show off a bit? The people who arn't there just to dance are likely to be satisfied by a lower standard/less famous cabaret - which just makes it really a placeholder on the program. It needs to be good to beat just watching other punters who happen to be good enough themselves!

Sean

[Cruella]

BIG BIG :yeah: to that !

give me the option to dance at a dance weekend all the time, I sometimes would rather not watch a caberet especially if it goes on a bit.
It's a good time to get changed into fresh clothes or to avoid queueing at the bar though.:D

[Andybroom]

Totally agree with Thetramp and Underpar. I want to dance myself, not watch others.

Drop the cabarets and the ticket prices!!!!


Andy

[stewart38]

Does anyone like the cabarets :what:

How do you do those vote things :whistle:

[Paul F]

So long as there is an alternative room to dance in for those that want it I dont mind cabarets at all.

To me its like watching DVDs. A study carried out a while back in the USA concluded that while watching performances our brains create new neural patterns which, effectively, means we are experiencing similar brain activity to the performers of the dance. The study suggests that is why we enjoy spectator sports so much.
Ok, we are not going to go and carry out the moves we have seen (without practice) but it really helps a lot of people to become 're-invigorated' about their dancing again. Its called absorption.

In that respect I really value being able to watch pro's and dancers at the top of their field strut their stuff, irrespective of discipline.

BUT

1 or 2 cabarets and then thats it. No raffles, competitions or any other talky-talky bits.
Im a dancer. I want to dance.

[Lynn]

Have we had/should we have a poll about what we want from weekenders? It might be interesting. Personally the thing I want is maximum freestyle time. So daytime freestyle is important. (Good venues, decent floors and available water are of course basic essentials for freestyle.) I'm more influenced by the DJs who will be there than the teachers as I don't tend to do many workshops. (Mainly because I need to sleep for at least a few hours in every 24!) Although you get some top teachers at weekenders I find that my learning is limited in such a large class - but I don't mind paying extra for a private lesson with a top teacher - so that would also be a plus. And I like a gender balanced event.

Other people will be influenced by the level of accomodation perhaps, or the workshops perhaps?

But what really makes a weekender is the people!

[Trousers]

Re the caberet - maybe Franco/John/Wes etc should try an early caberet (8-9.00) - If people go then there must be a demand for it. But I reckon it'd be dead.
To me the timing smacks of captive audience - Lots of folks only ever dance in the main room and thus will just hang about waiting for the caberet to be on it's way some will enjoy it immensely others will enjoy it despite not being able to dance - but they had no real choice in the matter.

I think if there was some one special there - a caberet not expected and impromtu from them is entertaining but Maori dancers ......hmmmm maybe not
But does anyone remember the Monster jive cocktail where David and Lily turned up and were asked to spin out on the floor - that was good.

[ElaineB]

Sorry chaps, I have to disagree here!

I have only been one week-ender and that was Camber a couple of years ago. I had been dancing for about a year and was really keen to learn everything and dance to every track. In the evening, there were three caberets, one being David and Lily. I was completely absorbed by what I saw - flash moves and aeriels of course, but the musical interpretation and the way that Lily moved was amazing. :clap:

I have been to day workshops where the teachers teach interesting moves, but it is only when they are able to dance a caberet that you get the chance to see what they really can do - and I find that inspiring.

Elaine

[Andy McGregor]

I like it all :clap: And at a weekender we can have it all. We can have lessons, we can have more freestyle than we can cope with and we can have inspirational cabarets from great dancers. And you can really have it all at weekenders where you have a choice of halls. If you knew you prefer to dance instead of stop and watch the cabaret you can go to the other hall and dance - rather than sit through the cabaret and then moan about it on here.

On the other hand, a cabaret at a 4 hour freestyle on a Saturday night really eats into the freestyle time and I'd rather be dancing. This is especially relevant when you've got to fit in a lesson as well :mad:

[alex]

give me a good professional cabaret any day

[tsh]

give me a good professional cabaret any day

Yes, if it's free. I hope you don't expect the rest of us to subsidise you through our ticket prices/lack of free water coolers...

I agree that having some of the teachers showing us what we can't even contemplate aspiring to is great motivation though.

Sean

[Minnie M]

......having some of the teachers showing us what we can't even contemplate aspiring to is great motivation though........
:yeah: providing they are BETTER than us :whistle: :yeah:

[robd]

I agree that having some of the teachers showing us what we can't even contemplate aspiring to is great motivation though.

Sean

How can you/we be motivated by something we can't even contemplate aspiring to :confused:

[tsh]

How can you/we be motivated by something we can't even contemplate aspiring to :confused:
Well, if it shows how much better it's possible to be, I can think that even if I only get 10% of the way to where they are, I'll be happy with that.

I don't go in for this modern idea of achievable targets...

Sean