Simon Borland's Party at the Hippodrome, 20/10/06

[Georgious dancer]

Sounds like a good eve. However there is no dancing for me this weekend My cousins flies over from Australia arriving 2moz morning, I haven't seen him in 7 years and am sooooo excited! Have a dance for me everyone!

[El Salsero Gringo]

You gather wrong...
The music will be a fabulous Kenobe mix in keeping with the amazing night club venue

So will you or won't you be playing any Rolf Harris?

[SeriouslyAddicted]

Only 7 hours to go Looking forward to seeing you all there!!

[fletch]

I had a realy good night

The floor was very crowded, to crowded even for me at the begging of the night

It was MJ in a night club, so what do you expect, house music and a very sticky floor..........thats what we got, but despite that I loved it, not so sure about some of the other guys but they will post themselves.

It was high energy all the way, with a bit of latin, FAB

The nibbles were wonderful

The lighting and smoke put a new dimention on Amir and Cat's showcase, it was very dramatic


I had a lovely time and it was well worth the drive

Simon you deserve a


PS, I danced with the 'Refuser' he askes me

[Cruella]

PS, I danced with the 'Refuser' he askes me

Yes, as an excuse not to dance with me!

[Lory]

I had a realy good night

I'm afraid it wasn't my cup of tea at all but then again, i'm OLD

I feel I have the right, to write publicly about this 'private' event, as it actually turned out to be the launch of a new business venture.

Firstly the good things of the night,

It was FREE

At the start of the night, the atmosphere was electric, as people were buzzing with anticipation

Simon and crew stood welcoming everyone at the door and it definitely felt as if we were at some kind of premiere event.

No queuing, a swift name and bag check and we were in! (well almost, see below)

The canapé's were a nice touch!

Cat and Amir's showcase blew me away, I especially liked the entrance. ... they arrived on stage, in a cloud of smoke, via a sunken floor being raised, it was very dramatic and well and truly worthy of a West end show!

It was definitely like the 'who's who' of the dance world, ALL the 'names' were there.

Getting drinks at the bar was quick and efficient and the 'West End prices' came as no surprise

Now for my personal dislikes.

Having to put your coat in the cloakroom, (which I was under the impression was expected of us) took ages and even longer to get it out, we queued for over 20minutes just to get our coats back.

The floor - firstly it was way too small to cope with the amount of dancers there but more than that, it was just YUKK! It wasn't really made up of anything that resembled a 'proper' dance floor. I got chewing gum stuck to the bottom of one of my shoes

The lighting - I couldn't actually SEE anyone, it was like peering into the abyss. It was only when i was practically on top of someone, that I recognised them. And I found the flashing lights to be quite disorientating, added to that was the smoke, nice for atmosphere but I didn't like dancing in it (does it give anyone else a sore throat)?

The music - for ME, it was just toooooo clubby and LOUD! Don't get me wrong, I love the odd club track and I can get funky with the best of them but this was relentless. And, if you couldn't dance (cos its too crowded) it would've be nice to be able to chat instead, which was also nearly impossible. All my favourite dancers were there but I didn't feel inclined to ask any of them, because the music didn't inspire me, plus, I know I'd have been dissapointed in my performance, due to the floor!

Now saying that, I CAN see the business logic to this - I definitely think this new night, might bridge the gap between the 'Club Scene' and the usual MJ format/venue. I think my daughter and her mates would love it and if it got them hooked, they might then graduate to accepting partner dancing as being really cool. Which can only be a good thing!

I wish Simon every success but I can't realistically see people who're passionate about dancing, making it a regular night on their calendar.

At the end of the day, I AM glad I went, just so I could experience it for myself as i'd forever be wondering what I'd missed out on otherwise


p.s. Where was the glitter ball Believe me, I did look for it!





Lorraine x

[DavidY]

Why on earth should there be a conflict? Private party, right? Or is this the start of a new business empire?

I feel I have the right, to write publicly about this 'private' event, as it actually turned out to be the launch of a new business venture.

Good prediction there, ESG...

[Minnie M]

I'm afraid it wasn't my cup of tea at all but then again, i'm OLD ......../I agree with all said/..................I wish Simon every success but I can't realistically see people who're passionate about dancing, making it a regular night on their calendar.

At the end of the day, I AM glad I went, just so I could experience it for myself as i'd forever be wondering what I'd missed out on otherwise...

totall agree - with all your post Lory

I too loved the first hour - it really buzzed and then the disco music and lights started to get on my nerves (would have been OK if I had a drink and hand bag dancing)

Fantastic place and the sound system was amazing the DJs did a great job

Weekly Classes ? : With Seamus & Simon teaching it will certainly be worth the Monday trip - if you decide to drive, there were loads of spaces in the Leicester Square car park - but take a car full and share the cost - splitting £17 for 4 hours isn't that bad.

Good luck with your new venture Simon I wish you and your team all the very best

I am so pleased I went (thank you Simon & Tony for arranging it - and Mr. UP & Rob for driving)

[TurboTomato]

Hi all,

Firstly a big thanks to fletch for introducing me to some of you and witty for introducing me to absolutely everybody else Hopefully if I don't remember your names, I'll at least remember your faces for next time! Got a chance to dance with some forumites as well, really enjoyed it

As for the event itself Lory summed it up pretty well I'd say. Floor was a bit rubbish to dance on, way too small (having never been there before I thought the dance floor was a lot bigger) and the strobe lights were really annoying. But a lot of it was good, and as said before it was free so a big for Simon

Paul

PS Fletch I am soooo sorry for feeling your bits It was witty, she made me do it!!

[Spin dryer]

I concur with everything that Lory said.

It's a sensible idea to have a free promotional evening to get a new night up and running. It was, however, unnecessarily disingenuous to suggest that the primary motivation for the event was Simon's 250th dance lesson when in reality it was a freebie to get people to see the venue and build up a mailing list. There was a faint air of bewilderment in the room when Simon announced that there would be a regular Monday night at the Hippodrome.

Dancing is all about communication and connection and it is impossible to have much of that when 90% of one's energies are devoted to avoiding colliding with other dancers on a dance floor that is far too small for the number of dancers. At a guess, the floor can accommodate comfortably only around 100 dancers, and "Jive Nation" will not make a profit with that number.

I know we all have different tastes in music, but for me and everyone I spoke to it was dire. It was also far too loud.

The strobe lights were on much of the time and were intensely irritating.

On a positive note, I thought that the event was otherwise very well organised and slickly presented. A triumph in fact of presentation over substance.

I wish Simon well in his new venture, but I can't see it working in its current guise.

[El Salsero Gringo]

Good prediction there, ESG...

Speaking personally, I think an approach more along the lines of "I'm opening a new class at the Hippodrome ... please come and enjoy a free launch-night party" would have generated more goodwill than all this faux "we only just decided" stuff, which I guess leaves people feeling a little, um, manipulated?

I'm curious as to whether Amir, Cat, Kenobe, Will and Kate were in the know, seeing as they're very involved with Monday Lush - that's also on a Monday. Perhaps they don't think there's likely to be any cross-over between the two.

[Paul F]

I wasn't going to post a reaction to this night as I viewed it as an independants' special night.
As this was obviously a launch pad for a new business, however, I feel justified in commenting.

Of course this is all just my opinion so should be taken with a monumental pinch of salt. Coupling that with the fact that we left about 11pm so we were not there for the last hour or two.

Conclusion
This was an absolutely atrocious night. Very possibly the worst dance event I have EVER been to.

I will start with my main 2 things I look for in a venue - Music. What the hell was that last night ??????? The music was absolutely dire. I dont mind a few club tracks as it breaks up a night. Too much of 1 genre is too much but last night. OH MY GOD!!!!! I was really hoping for something a little varied as we had the mighty TWK on the decks. I have to say I was totally bewildered.

Second thing I look for is a good floor. Running the risk of repeating myself .....What the hell was that last night ??????? I have danced on some proper dodgy floors before in my time but that last night was pure and simply the worst floor I have danced on. Walking down the stairs to the dancefloor I could feel my feet literally (and I mean literally) sticking to the floor. You then walk onto a dancefloor, and i use that term loosely, that is just not fit for dancing. Sticky and uneven. Awful.

What next.....so many choices....erm, drinks prices. I expected expensive. I wasnt dissapointed. £3.50 for a 330ml bottle of fosters. YAY!!

Lighting. Bloody hell! How many times has it been mentioned on this forum that people dislike excessive flashing lights in their face? Lots! At one point last night I thought I was going blind with all the strobe lights and other nightclub effects going on. How on earth are people supposed to dance safely in that?

Numbers. Way too busy on the dancefloor.

Dancers. I was so gutted due to the fact that there so many nice people and great dancers there and I just didnt want to ask them to dance. I had 4 dances in 2 hours and came to the conclusion that I just couldnt safely dance with someone in that venue.

Volume. As has been mentioned it was typically nightclub loud. MJ is a SOCIAL dance style. Ok, I couldnt dance. If I had been able to meaningfully chat with people I would have stayed but as it was the volume was just crazy.

Parking. Im guessing there are free, or cheap, parking spots on a Monday night or maybe the catchment area is just londoners via the tube? Last night was £15 for us.

BUT....
It was free.
That doesnt change my opinion on the venue itself but it maybe means I should keep my mouth shut. Too late though I guess It also means that offset the parking costs.

Also, there were nibbles provided. I didnt have any but at least they were provided. Thats good.

I believe there was free water too. Thats a very good point.


---

Before I went last night I had a theory total speculation but my theory was that Ceroc were scouting out a new champs venue. It seems I was totally wrong. This is going to be a class venue (but obviously not ceroc)
Interesting!
Is this what the Ozzy venues are like?

It was pointed out to me last night that this is a venue in a purely tourist area. In that respect, depending how it is marketed, it may well attract visitors. Or is it targetted purely at attracting young people?
Very interesting idea.


I will be surprised if this venue does succeed. Although its going to be on a Monday it cant be cheap to hire that place. If its being hired at a discount you can only imagine that the owners assume they will make their money elsewhere. But where? MJ'ers are not big drinkers. Where will the money come from ??

As I said. Dissapointing night, dissapointing venue.

[Lynn]

I'm curious as to whether Amir, Cat, Kenobe, Will and Kate were in the know, seeing as they're very involved with Monday Lush - that's also on a Monday. Perhaps they don't think there's likely to be any cross-over between the two.

I would think they would be appealing to different types of dancers and are offering very different products by the sound of it.

[Spin dryer]

This was an absolutely atrocious night. Very possibly the worst dance event I have EVER been to.

Isn't it quite amazing how people so deeply immersed in the dance scene can be so blind to the ingredients that make a good dance event?

[Feelingpink]

My theory is that last night had two main groups of people - those who enjoyed the tracks being played and those who didn't - quite possibly most of the forumites I know were there are in the latter group. Being a TWK fan - and having very much liked DJ Bunny's (I think) sets at BritRock last weekend - I was looking forward to their music. But I hated every single track I heard until I left about11pm. I didn't dance once, despite looking forward to doing so. It may well be that DJ Bunny and TWK were catering for the dancers they saw on the floor. Well, in doing so, they pi**ed off the rest of us. I can't imagine many of us would be back, just based on the music played - even without going into other factors, such as the floor, which I couldn't comment on.

I disagree, however, with the thoughts that the Monday night will fail. I wouldn't know the first thing about how the numbers add up, but based on the £10 entry fee (on the card given to me promoting the night) and the numbers of people dancing (yes, a lot of them bouncing away for all they were worth), it could well be a goer. I'm simply not part of its target market.

Cat & Amir's and Kate & Will's cabarets were just fabulous, though.

When the announcement was made about the new dance night, somewhat pre-empted by Simon's email, I didn't feel great about it. My suspicion is that Simon started out with the highest of intentions in having a fun dance night and, having found receptive venue managers, it has snowballed. I wish him luck, but also would have preferred the regular dance night announcement to have been made beforehand.

[Paul F]

Isn't it quite amazing how people so deeply immersed in the dance scene can be so blind to the ingredients that make a good dance event?

I hope you're not referring to me

The trouble is, as FP says, I am not part of its target market so what I say means precisely nothing.

What worries me most is that this venue MAY attract people through the door and those same people will associate MJ with what they receive in that venue.

[Feelingpink]

Isn't it quite amazing how people so deeply immersed in the dance scene can be so blind to the ingredients that make a good dance event?

I'm not sure I understand your comment about PaulF's thoughts. Which ingredients do YOU believe make a good dance night?

[Spin dryer]

I'm not sure I understand your comment about PaulF's thoughts. Which ingredients do YOU believe make a good dance night?

Apologies if my last post (post 54) was ambiguous. I agree with what Paul F says. My comments were directed at the organisers of last night's event (see my comments at post 50). In short, a decent dance floor and decent music are essential. We don't need "the biggest disco ball in Europe" (which failed to appear in any event) and we certainly don't need a "300,000 watt sound system" to make us prematurely deaf.

[Feelingpink]

Apologies if my last post (post 54) was ambiguous. I agree with what Paul F says. My comments were directed at the organisers of last night's event (see my comments at post 50). In short, a decent dance floor and decent music are essential.

Thanks - now I understand.

[Miguel]

Why on earth should there be a conflict? Private party, right? Or is this the start of a new business empire?

It's a new business empire.