Oh my god. I have just looked at the length of my post.
Im really sorry for making it that long.
Ok, Im going to post my review - brace yourselves.
Ultimately, these are just my opinions. I have to stress as well that I spent 99.99% of my time in the blues room or dance den so cant comment too much about the other rooms.
APOLOGY
First off though I would like to make a heart-felt apology to all the ladies I had to turn down a dance with.
At certain times during the weekend, especially sunday night, it go so hot in the blues room I found myself literally running for the door after a dance. Coupling that with, what I perceived to be, a big imbalance of ladies to men meant I had to, i hope politely, decline some dances. I am so sorry. I would never turn down dances unless there was a real and appropriate reason for doing so.
OVERALL
Really enjoyable event. Not as good as years gone by but still really enjoyed my dancing.
MUSIC
Very hit and miss as has already been mentioned.
As opposed to other reviews, Im afraid I just cant get into CJ's music. This is just my musical taste though therefore what isnt my cup of tea may well be someone elses favourite. Evidence of this is mentioned in a number of posts already so respect to CJ for that. To me it just seemed like really weird tracks interspersed with rock tracks
At one point I think I heard the entire, lengthy version of "Stairway to Heaven". I just thank the lord I wasnt dancing at the time.
To counter this though there were 2 or 3 tracks played which I found ok. The rest seemed just weird.
DJs of note were Sheepman, TWK, Dance Demon and John Brett. (apologies as I didnt hear anyone else's sets for long enough to form an opinion – at least I don’t think)
There was a particulary special set on, I think, Sunday which had a lot of funk in it. It seemed to lift the room. I didnt pay much attention to who was DJing but was later told it was TWK. Maximum respect for that mate
FLOORS
All rooms except for the marquee and the blues room bar floor (lower floor) were fantastic. The blues room bar floor was too slow while the marquee floor, but only on Sunday, had puddles of dampness and water due to the rain. This made the dry surface extremely slippy when wet shoes touched it! Dangerous
CABARETS
Ooof. Awesome!! The pros were obviously amazing but special thanks to the performance class. 2 hours of practice! Respect.
PEOPLE
Having J+T there was extra special. Its such a shame though that a few people were left disappointed when they cancelled their privates that had been booked long before.
A huge to Dan and Rebecca (Capt Fantastic and Rebecca). At the forum bbq they took a huge chunk of time out of their day to demonstrate and take people though a number of the cool activities they had brought with them. It is people like that who make an event an extra special event.
Big applause too for Mr and Mrs Under par for their costumes. You guys are just the best.
TEACHING
I have to question some of the teaching. One experience was direct and one was relayed through ‘the grapevine’. This relates to definite inaccuracies in teaching in a couple of the workshops. Some material that was taught was just wrong while some material was presented in a much less than conducive manner to help people understand. Very worrying.
ORGANISATION
This one must be hard to get right but I was more than annoyed by the length of queues for tickets. Again though, must be hard to counter such an influx!
WORKSHOPS AND LOCATIONS
Workshops – How do we get across this issue of people who have done 1 or 2 beginner workshops turning up for the intermediate/advanced workshop? Again this happened with the WCS sessions as well as others I guess. Can organisers make it any clearer? Can this be solved? I dont know.
Location – Why oh why was the intermediate WCS class on the Sunday put in the dance den? The ‘theory’ would suggest that only a few would attend as there are very few inter/adv WCS dancers. It is common knowledge though that this theory doesn’t pan out. A rough count showed that there were ball park figures of 120 people in J+T’s intermediate class in the dance den and about 45 people in Adam + Tas’s hip hop workshop which was in the main ballroom . This is no reflection on any of the teachers. It’s just a reflection of the interest in WCS and in the visiting pro’s.
ATMOSPHERE
As has been mentioned the atmosphere was just different than previous SP’s. I just didn’t find it as electric. Its hard to explain why but I will have a go.
Marquee – Understand it may be necessary but I didn’t like it. I would sacrifice the floor if it meant being able to dance under the stars or in the sunshine. If it rains then I would put that down to bad luck (although I couldnt have got any wetter!) but at the end of the day I just didnt like it.
Numbers – it just seemed REALLY busy in the blues room. Whether its due to more people through the gate or more interest in the blues room I don’t know. I had to despair when, at 6:20am on the Sunday morning I went to bed. I looked back to see upwards of 50 people still dancing!!!! Wow.
Heat - At times it was stupidly hot. I mean really really hot. I did notice a big downside of the marquee, again especially on the Sunday. The marquee itself, added to all the people in it, prevented the cool air from getting into the blues room. This meant that the blues room got a little ridiculous. Also, where were the big huge fans? Did British Aerospace want them back for their wind tunnel?
Lighting – The marquee also cast the blues room raised floor into a perpetual darkness. I remember the days I would go dancing in the blues room and on the decking because the sun would create a really nice light and airy feel in there. This time though it was like just another room. FOR ME it really took away some of the magic. (see blues room point below)
Balance – I could be wrong here but it seemed there were a huge number of extra ladies on the Sunday especially. I had requests from ladies for “the 2nd dance after this next one” I would love to think this was due to my dancing but I put it down to the fact that there were so many ladies. At one point I went and sat in the furthest corner of the room to watch and continue to melt and was still asked to dance. I obviously don’t mind that in itself but I truly hate turning dances down. I feel as though I am being rude.
DANCE DEN
I need to look at this from 2 perspectives – 1 of me personally as a WCS dancer and 1 as someone who is interested in dance for everyone.
From the point of view of me personally I loved the impromptu sessions in the Dance Den. Dedicated WCS music for hours and hours was fab. I still ventured into the other rooms from time to time as I always like to break up any long run of 1 or 2 genres but all in all a fantastic opportunity for WCS. The music was sublime and, as mentioned, the floor was great.
From the point of view of me as someone who cares about dance I am seriously worried about the separation. Not withstanding the fact that it wasn’t announced I am just a little concerned that it will fuel the ‘elitist’ arguments that people bandy about - true or not.
BUT on the other hand I, and many others really enjoyed it. What I will say though is that is definitely, without question , changed the atmosphere in the blues room.
See the point below about the blues room for more stuff!
THE BLUES ROOM AT SOUTHPORT
Please understand that the following statement is one that I need to stress more than any other I have written – ever
ON ITS OWN THE BLUES ROOM IS THE ONE THING THAT SEPERATES S’PORT FROM ALL OTHER WEEKENDERS
Its true. In my opinion the effect of the blues room cannot be understated. It has a power all by itself. This must sound crazy to most people but you can see the dynamics of it at Southport events gone by and you could see the difference all the other factors made to it this time. (I am discounting February as that was a different season and different case altogether)
Let me explain what the blues room was like for those that have never been………..
It’s a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. You want to dance so you head down to the main venue. On the walk up to the venue proper you see people dancing alfresco i.e outside in the sun on the veranda protruding from the concertina doors of the blues room. The soft, CHILLED music is playing and the scene is one of total uniqueness. Something I have never seen before at any other event. People are sat on the veranda tables and on the lower level tables drinking, chatting and eating while some are watching, and sometimes inspired by, the funny, clever, musical, serious, silly and sublime dancing going in front of them. A little further in, just inside the concertina doors is the blues room proper. The sunshine is casting a warm light over the area just inside the door. More people dancing and enjoying themselves.
Inside there are people in the restaurant (a section of the blues room) again eating, drinking and maybe being entertained by people on the lower lever bar floor. Again, often inspiring.
By night the blues room becomes a nicely lit area for dancing and drinking with those that want to venturing out to the veranda to dance in the open air under the stars. Later in the night is the die hard dancers who enjoy dancing while watching the sun come up over the horizon. Too hot in the blues room – just venture outside to the decking to cool off or dance by the doors.
Back inside and you might find a visiting pro or 2 enjoying a drink and dances with anyone that asks them. Onlookers look on from the raised floor and outside in amazement. Ahhhhhhhh, bliss!
All in all this is the single scenario that, in my opinion, has made Southport what it is. Yes, visiting pros are great and the other things are great too but the blues room is unique. For years I have wanted to attend alfresco events in the summer. This is it. The only one.
The bit about being inspired is also one of great importance. I often take DVDs to weekenders so I can watch the pro’s in action before I venture out. Why? For inspiration!
This weekender just gone killed a lot of that for me.
Firstly, the marquee turned the veranda and airy blues room into 1 big room as the flaps of the veranda at the end were permanently down. Even if these ends were pinned up it still felt as though it ‘sectioned off’ the veranda. No more ideology of dancing under the stars or inside with a cooling breeze. No more sunshine shining into the blues room.
Sitting at the tables in the marquee was not like sitting at tables in the open air. I would be surprised if anyone said it was. It was just different.
The marquee had its own lighting system. This, again, made it look like another room. That’s not what its about.
Even with the sides pinned up it still appeared to be a ‘room’ due to the stands and supports used in erecting it.
Also, as I said earlier, the marquee created a ceiling which prevented the hot air from rising off the increasingly sweaty dancers and evaporating. This also meant there was no cool air coming in from outside. The temperatures were stunning!
The blues room feel was dramatically affected by the periodic evacuation of some more experienced dancers to the Dance Den. Again, great for people like myself but what about others?
But what can be done?
The immediate benefit of this marquee was to protect a very good temporary floor. The original decking was adequate to dance on but wasn’t perfect. At least the marquee gives the option of a good floor. But at what price?
Is this point of view total crap given the glowing feedback from others on the forum? I dont know the answer. This is just a feeling I got.
CONCLUSION
I love Southport and I had a great time this weekend but not as much as other Southport’s. February was also not as good for me for different reasons. Im just a little disappointed that the one thing that sets Southport apart is being erased.
Great weekend but, conversely to other opinion, I think other organisers are making inroads into Southport’s lead.
Apologies for the length of post.
Oh my god. I have just looked at the length of my post.
Im really sorry for making it that long.
A lady asked me to partner up at the start of the 3rd WCS workshop. I went on the floor with her and then asked if she had danced much WCS. She said no, she hadn't managed to get to the workshops the day before so this was her first one. I explained that this was the third of a progression of workshops and that she may struggle without previous WCS experience, she said 'Oh, OK I'll sit and watch then' which is just what she did.Originally Posted by PaulF
Long winded way of saying get rid of the Marquee and put everyone in the same room and pray for sunshine!
A big
Courtesy to the persons involved prevent me naming names or even the specific workshop(s) but there was significant corroboration of my view from others experienced in those dances. Ultimately does it matter if people who may not take their exposure to that dance any further are being taught different timing from the international standard? I don't know but it seems as easy to get it right as to get it wrong and the timing is a pretty fundamental characteristic of the dance styles in question.
Yes this was another awesome weekend. I have now had eight hours sleep in one night (more than the entire weekend) and am still smiling with delight!
Good company from my Chalet companions and neighbours as well as an opportunity to catch up with people I do not see often enough........though I will never turn my back on Mrs. Lusby again when I'm in need of a supportive fag hag!!
I have long since learnt my lesson with overkill of workshops at SP so this year I did begginers WCS (am I the only accountant in the world with a problem counting to 6 when music starts!), Graham and Melanie's classes (very well taught and personally I have already managed to slip some of the techniques into freestyle), Bill and Fran's Double Trouble (great fun even though, for me, the last move at 7.55 on Sunday evening was like trying to follow a knitting pattern) and the first line dancing class (when it was time to move up a gear, the only one I had left was reverse - huge to everyone that managed not only that one but Sunday's improvers class !!!!!!)
I noticed something this year which did happen last year too but was not so obvious to me - by the end of Saturday night/ Sunday morning I start dancing at a different level. I can only assume this is because of the people I am dancing with rather than anything I have done to change my style but whatever happens its just the best!!!!
The only downside for me was hearing from my female friends that they were not asked to dance very often ( if at all ). This subject has come up on this forum before and will do again I am sure but it seems at a gender balanced event such as SP followers are still in the position of having to wait patiently to have an opportunity to dance - how is that? [Just thought of something reading this again, maybe we boyz shouldn't dance together too often lol]
Great to meet so many new people and put faces to the names that regularily have me amused on the forum. Special thanks to Fletch for her beautiful knack of always managing to introduce me to 'special' people, you're a star, doll !
John and Wes you provide a weekend that ALWAYS reminds me that I do love to dance and for that I am in you debt.
Charlie.
My review...
I'm in a funny place with my dancing at the moment - not getting into it in the same way as I used to. I think this is partly just stresses in life and dancing having become part of the routine of life rather than something special...
There's a reason why I'm waffling on about how I feel about dancing as it changed the Southport experience for me. I decided not to put myself under any pressure of feeling I should 'force' myself to dance and wander from room to room looking for the right track or partner to make my dancing fun again. So I didn't. I came with a group of friends and I spent some time with them, the weather on Sat being so glorious I spent time relaxing in the sun and walking on the beach. Its actually quite nice chilling in the sun by yourself with a book, but still having the buzz and laughter of other dancers all around.
On Sat night I didn't even come over and dance. Strange for me, but I just needed some time out with no expectations or pressure and strangely, having to hit that weekender high was just another pressure.
Sorry guys, missed the forum BBQ but the twin requirements of having to see Dr Who and have dinner with NI friends meant there wasn't enough time to do everything.
By Sun the chilling out time had helped and I came across to do a workshop and dance in the afternoon. Thinking that no-one would notice I wasn't around, I was surprised how many people commented on not having seen me the day before - that was rather nice and reminded me how much Southport seems to be my dancing 'home' (my first weekender, or even freestyle was the first SP and I haven't missed one since).
I only did two workshops (J&T) fixed with a beginner WCSer who was able to try to push himself a little bit further than he would have felt comfortable doing in rotation and they were excellent.
I liked the dancewear shop and bought a new top which I love. And its not black.
I found the main room simply too hot for me, but found the blues room with the extended bit very pleasant and did a lot of dancing in that area.
Once I started dancing on Sun I really started to enjoy myself and had a great evening. Nice to dance with some new to me forumites like StokeBloke and Wuzzle and meet a few others.
The only drawback was that because I danced a lot less, there were quite a few leads that I simply missed out on dancing with.
well done for letting it all out, I sure people will support or not support your view. lets see. The overall Weather forecast for the weekender was wet , well many showers, so it was the right decision there although it remained mainly dry, plus public liability issue for an organisors come in factors with outside dance floors!!
Third hand info but can any explain why SPOOKY was being played for people to learn Argentine Tango in the Sunday workshop, surely its best to play appropriate music to feel the dance!!
Woops forgot the Led Zepplin! Did they do a WC version?
Arriving at Southport I could feel the excitement. I knew the weekend was going to be something special. I feel so very privileged to have experienced Southport.
High Points
So many wonderful dances. Need to say special thanks to Spin Dryer for all the beautiful dances as usual and Sheepy for our dance minus the moves. Silver Fox thank you for my wonderful dance. Made my night.
The forum Bar-b-q. Big thanks to Minnie M. You are a star.
Spending quality time with friends.
Doing the dirty dancing lift in the pool with Stokie.
Improptu WCS den being opened which freed up more space in the blues area. What a brilliant idea. This is a classic example of why John and Wes are worlds apart at what they do.
Higher Points
Dancing all Saturday night and sharing breakfast with Wes and friends on Sunday morning.
Saturday night cabaret and the fancy dress. DTS & Trouble what are you like. I have some very disturbing photo’s.
ZW’s set on Saturday night.
Ecstatic Points
Dancing with Jordan
CJ’s set on Sunday afternoon. All that guitar music was awesome. The blues room was lovely and quiet and Stokie and I danced our hearts out. Was impossible to get off the dance floor and get a drink. I did think about asking CJ to play Steps or something to prevent me dehydrating.
Jordan and Tatiana’s cabaret dances. Wow!
Thank you Wes and John. Roll on September.
101 Sleeps until September Southport. Sorry!!
Last edited by Twirlie Bird; 5th-June-2007 at 04:21 PM.
Well I am sure you can get a marquee where you can roll back the roof if it is sunny. How difficult can it be. In fact had this very same discussion whilst cooling down outside.
Oh and a large hot tub would also be very nice,(for Westies only obviously).
Hmmmm....Hotfeet and coldfeet.
I wonder when Lukewarmfeet will join, singing CJ's praises...
Agree re CJ set, its there to largely shock isn’t blues at all, I just go into the other room and pop back every now and then. Respect the guy not the music played don’t feel I need to ‘apologise’ for it, just a opinion
Re too many women. Look dress like me and put my face on and your problem will disappear. Put me in the far corner of the room and they think im a coat stand
There may have been one or two extra ladies in the ‘blues room’ at 3am but try finding a extra lady in the main room at 3am. Several time I walked in and couldn’t find anyone just extra men.
That explains the wet looking people in the den!
Is there a new thread coming here 'Hot Tub Hot Shots'.
I have lots of experience here and perhaps could run a workshop if i can find some large ******** blonde women. Can't think of to many can you?
Could revitalise double trouble.
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