Club dancing?

[David Bailey]

I'm an old fartie who hasn't been to a "nightclub" for, blimey, about 12 years now... But recent posts here, and spotting this post on dance-forums, have made me curious.

What's typical club dancing style like now?

Is there anything we could learn from club dancing to import into MJ?

[Double Trouble]

Is there anything we could learn from club dancing to import into MJ?

Err.....nope.

Not unless you want to make up a new move called 'shuffle and drool on party shags shoulder'

[Gav]

What's typical club dancing style like now?

Is there anything we could learn from club dancing to import into MJ?

It's quite simple really DJ, you just stand in a big crowd, with barely enough room to breathe, make sure you have a bottle in one hand (alcopop to prove you're young, lager to prove you're 'ard or water to show you're high as a kite) and bounce up and down on the spot. Keeping in time to the music is optional and occasionally raise both hands in the air for no apparent reason.

See? it's easy when you know how.

If you actually can vaguely move with the music, you might find a podium to dance on so everyone can see how good you are.

Try a Drum 'n' Bass night. You just stand still and the thumping bass vibrates through the floor and bounces you up and down whether you like it or not.

[Lee Bartholomew]

I learnt most of my dancing in nightclubs.

They don;t always have the music and atmosphear people expect.

My first MJ clubbing experiance was in Brighton on an 80's night. was 30 odd MJ dancers arranged to meet there. Was brilliant. Never had so much attention from the ladies.

[David Bailey]

I learnt most of my dancing in nightclubs.

They don;t always have the music and atmosphear people expect.

OK, so what atmosphere do they have? Explain, man!

[Marc Forster]

This probably isn't the norm when it comes to clubbing, but I find there are many similarities between our weekender scene and the early rave scene. The Eclipse in Coventry had a similar 2 room structure. Main room and chill out zone. Same kind of politics in crossing over of music. Newbies in the main room with the more discerning punters gathering downstairs.

There was certainly an element of mirroring other peoples dance styles, figuring out their patterns of movement and relating their rhythm to the music. Many of the chill out crew were masters of this art and would lead and follow without touching. Being four floors high, having all those pillars to dance around may explain my fetish for pole dancing and the feeling of familiarity when I first let myself go at Camber Sands.

For me, we have taken the best of the rave culture, refined the musical base and changed the rules. I can't imagine dancing without a partner. It would be Laurel without Hardy, Steptoe without Son, Cannon without Ball or Rachel without a man who thinks she is amazing .

[Groovemeister]

I think somewhere in a long distant post of mine there is a few references to what Mark is talking about. Infact look at the weekender scene what initially opened up the holiday camps to weekend events was the like's of caister and up north (Now Southport weekender)

It is not that the current MJ weekender scene wouldn't have happened without them but it made the path easier. Southport weekender is in it's 20th year this year.

As for club dancing. There is a small underground scene much as with MJ that attracts around 10,000 people from the UK. Most people in this scene dance, and have a passion for the music. Really it is the Modern soul, Northern soul scene of old. It is underground so your average Jo who goes out on the **** on a Friday night is not going to know about it. You have to go and find the scene.

The main thing about this group of people is that they are essentially dominated by the american house music scene which is completely different from ours. Especially in New York. Alot of the underground clubs like shelter are open 24 hrs over the weekends with 1 DJ (Timmy Regisford most of the time in Shelter) He controls the vibe of the club. Although shelter does sell alchole some of the others don't people just go to dance there for hours some even get up in the early hours of sunday morning to dance because there's more room then.

Generally I think from an overall learning how to dance well and express yourself in dance for someone to go regurly to this type of club would move you on as a dancer tremendously. I know it has me.

The big problem in the UK is that our main club scene (even the slightly ungerground one) Has had such an attachment with drugs that it has completely killed any chance of people dancing well( cocaine and Ketamin). Even the magic "E" whilst intially allowing people freedom that they might not have has had the effect of making people unaware of dancing. If you go to say Fabric, there is no room to "dance" all it is about being in the hemogeous group of people almost primeval. Added to that the R&B influence and grinding has again affected peoples want for dancing.

In conclussion I think that learning to dance well as an individual is possibly( not for everyone) one of the biggest leaps you can make in learning to dance well overall. If you don't go to dance lesson's, ballet, tap etc. where else can you learn other than clubs.

I have been going to clubs for all of my adult life and still do now and actually had my picture in mixmag in January dancing at KoKo (Camden palace). At 41 I never thought that would happen but it just shows you that a good dancer can win over a photographer even if there are loads of sexy young women about.