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Thread: Swish 2008 feedback

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    Registered User nebula's Avatar
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    Swish 2008 feedback

    You know the rules, good points, bad points...

    Good points for me:
    Local
    Free electricity
    Managed to dance with all the teachers
    Good positioning of fans (and plenty of them!)

    BAD POINTS: here we go
    • At one point (can't remember when I saw it) was advertising 900 dancers - takes only 650
    • Finished at 3 am and 4 am on Friday and Saturday/Sunday
    • Hardly any music at all during the day for freestyle
    • Blues room tiny
    • Too much of "Ibiza" style music in the main room (not that I am complaining about that, I like fast dancing, but come on, everyone needs a breather now and again!)
    • Chalet accommodation - 4 women to share, with 1 waist-length mirror - guys, don't laugh, it is a nightmare, you try to get ready all at the same time!
    • Dining room service - 10 min wait for a waitress, then another 10 min wait for her to bring some coffee (some things, like juice at breakfast, never materialised at all!)
    • Shows - Friday night was absolutely atrocious, and I walked out after 10 sec on Saturday, too. Sunday was good, according to other people's reports, but I never braved it after first 2 nights.
    Couple of points both good and bad - already said that it finished at 3 am on Friday, but 8 people on the floor at 2.45 was a joke, and me and my dance partner the only 2 non-teachers out of those 8! Mind you, gave me a chance to dance with almost all the teachers, a few good times .
    Apparently, the hotel accommodation was good, as well as some dining rooms service. I was told that the singers on Sunday night show were fab, but, as I said, after bad experience on 1st 2 nights, I didn't even ventured in there on Sunday.
    All in all, for me it was totally not worth the money paid. When you are paying for Camber, you know what you are getting. When you are paying for Potters and it is advertised as 5 star, you expect (or at least I did - oh, what naivete!) a 5 star. It just wasn't

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    Dickie Davies' love-child Cruella's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    [*]Apparently, the hotel accommodation was good, as well as some dining rooms service. I was told that the singers on Sunday night show were fab, but, as I said, after bad experience on 1st 2 nights, I didn't even ventured in there on Sunday.
    All in all, for me it was totally not worth the money paid.
    Here is the feedback from last year, with a pic of the hotel room I stayed in. I didn't bother this year, purely because i'd rather go where more of my friends and my favourite dancers are. We certainly had high praise for the service and food in the dining rooms, maybe you were just unlucky with your one waitress. Did you still have to sit in the same place for each meal? As that seemed to be a common complaint from last year.

  3. #3
    Basically lazy robd's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post

    Good points for me:
    Local
    Free electricity
    Managed to dance with all the teachers
    Good positioning of fans (and plenty of them!)
    You've got to say that when free electricity is listed as one of the good points of an event that it's hardly a ringing endorsement.

    Surely some other forumites must have been to this and can give an additional viewpoint?

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    Registered User SilverFox's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    I was at the weekend and would like to pick up on a few points:

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    At one point (can't remember when I saw it) was advertising 900 dancers - takes only 650
    The website for 2008 said 'accommodation for over 600 dancers'. The 2009 website says 650 dancers.

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    Finished at 3 am and 4 am on Friday and Saturday/Sunday
    To be fair no finishing times were specified on the website and last year's finishing times were mentioned by others in the Swish 2007 threads. We were advised to finish at 3am but at least Rocky & I did take it on until 4am on Sun & Mon morning.

    Seeing as the weekend was full board one can understand why people would go to bed at an earlier time in order to make it for breakfast.

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    Hardly any music at all during the day for freestyle
    What with up to 4 classes plus sports activities & games all running at the same time I honestly don't think there would have been much take up for afternoon dancing.

    Swish attracts a lower standard of dancer than all other weekenders. The sort of person who goes is looking for a relaxing all-inclusive weekend break rather than a hardcore dance 'til your dead marathon.

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    Blues room tiny
    Personally I think that blues room is stunning. A very cosy and intimate venue beautifully lit by Marc Forster .

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    Too much of "Ibiza" style music in the main room (not that I am complaining about that, I like fast dancing, but come on, everyone needs a breather now and again!)
    Interesting, because for a change I was in the main room for most of the time it was open, yet I didn't hear much Ibiza 'thump thump' music. Erick was the only DJ who did play any and he only did 2 main room sets over the whole weekend.

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    Chalet accommodation - 4 women to share, with 1 waist-length mirror - guys, don't laugh, it is a nightmare, you try to get ready all at the same time!
    I was in the cheapest accommodation and had my own mirror. Unlucky!

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    Dining room service - 10 min wait for a waitress, then another 10 min wait for her to bring some coffee (some things, like juice at breakfast, never materialised at all!)
    Again, as said by Cruella you must have been unlucky as the service we received was super fast, polite and highly efficient.

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    Shows - Friday night was absolutely atrocious, and I walked out after 10 sec on Saturday, too. Sunday was good, according to other people's reports, but I never braved it after first 2 nights.
    Didn't see them so can't comment.

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    All in all, for me it was totally not worth the money paid. When you are paying for Camber, you know what you are getting. When you are paying for Potters and it is advertised as 5 star, you expect (or at least I did - oh, what naivete!) a 5 star. It just wasn't
    Potters is a 5 star holiday village as awarded by the English Tourist Board. The bungalow accommodation you were staying in is rated as 3 star which again is specified in both the Swish and Potters own website.

    As for price, well IMO the quality and amount of food on offer alone makes paying the extra money well worth it. The whole resort is modern, spotlessly clean, very friendly and well run.

    It does seem to me that if you'd taken a little more time to read Potters and Swish's websites as well as the excellent reviews from last year's event you'd have known exactly what you were getting.

    Now I can obviously be accused of being biased, but with the great company of Val & David, Marc & Rachel, Lucky & Ruby, Debbie and Erick plus those famous after-party parties, I had a fantastic weekend and can't wait for next years.

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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    I haven't been to Swish, so on a first hand basis can't comment.

    I did however, receive this note from someone who did go...

    "A warning for anyone thinking about going to Swish 2009 (yes, it's a year away): by halfway through Swish 2008, over 50% of the people (including us) had already re-booked for 2009! Yes, it is that good."

    They clearly had a good time!


  6. #6
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Given the low profile the event's had on the forum, it seems that the Swish demographic isn't really targeted at forumites - I think Cruella put it well here for last year's event:

    Quote Originally Posted by Cruella View Post
    I spent pretty much most of my time in this beautiful room. I'm afraid I disagree that it was similar music to the huge main room, but I think it was certainly a bit more upbeat than say the Blues room at Southport. This was appropriate for the experience of the majority of dancers attending though.
    ...
    I can't really add much to what Paul has said. But it was noticeable that it was a different crowd to the ones at other weekenders. A lot more couples, beginners and non dancers. If you are going as an experienced dancer looking for lots of fabulous challenging dances, you may be disappointed.
    That all said, it'd be good to have any feedback from other forumite punters?

    Personally, if I were going to that type of event, I think I'd prefer Rockbottoms, they sound a bit more like what I'd be looking for.

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    Commercial Operator Rocky's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames View Post
    Given the low profile the event's had on the forum, it seems that the Swish demographic isn't really targeted at forumites - I think Cruella put it well here for last year's event:

    Personally, if I were going to that type of event, I think I'd prefer Rockbottoms, they sound a bit more like what I'd be looking for.
    As has been said already, Swish is a simply a different kind of w/e where the emphasis is on the beginners and intermediates and on the social aspect rather than out and out dancing - and that's great, there are enough w/e's around already that pander to the advanced dancer that people can pick and choose. Good to see too that Ceroc are supporting their mission of getting new people into dance by running different styles of w/e's to suit different demographics for people of different levels of dance experience.

    But as I've said before, these weekenders are what YOU make them. We had a blast and had a fantastic time. The event is very friendly and social and I think the mass meal times are brilliant and very well run. Sure you can get delays in ordering, but for every meal time we were there, all of us on the table still managed to get 3 courses in, with a couple of bottles of wine and coffee within around an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes, which is fast by anyone's standards.

    Having been on 3 RB w/e I can say that the feel is much the same (perhaps a little less madcap). Having said that the standard of dancer is higher at a RB w/e, but then the accomodation and food is not as good, the facilities and extra activities are not as broad and you have a smaller crowd of around 300 as opposed to 650 to play with.

    This is of course, all reflected in the price and you pay for what you get. The websites do also make clear what the spread of accomodation is like and if anyone has a mind to research it a wee bit it is obvious that it's not geared to the advance dancer with freestyles going on until 6am in the morning.

    The proof of course, of its success is in the re-booking rate and it is not an exaggeration to say that around 50% of those attending had already expressed an interest in re-booking for next year before the Sunday lunchtime on the w/e.

    The teaching and DJing team loved it and we are all already looking forward to next year. Well done Karen, Glen and Paul for a fabulous event - 3 of the nicest, commited, professional and enthusiastic w/e event organizers on the dance scene..

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    Dickie Davies' love-child Cruella's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by nebula View Post
    [*]Finished at 3 am and 4 am on Friday and Saturday/Sunday.......... already said that it finished at 3 am on Friday, but 8 people on the floor at 2.45 was a joke, and me and my dance partner the only 2 non-teachers out of those 8! :
    So why would you want it to go on longer if there were only 8 people dancing?
    Quote Originally Posted by SilverFox View Post
    I was in the cheapest accommodation and had my own mirror. Unlucky!
    Only cos you wouldn't let anyone else use it.
    As for price, well IMO the quality and amount of food on offer alone makes paying the extra money well worth it. The whole resort is modern, spotlessly clean, very friendly and well run.
    Totally agree, the food was fantastic and I loved the resort. Swish offers a different kind of weekender and that's the beauty of it. There are plenty of other weekenders to choose from if you are one of the die hard 'dance all hours' types.

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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Went to Swish last year and really loved it. The bungalow we stayed in was definitely not 5* or even 3* but I spend so little time in it that it did not matter. One of my friends stayed in the hotel that was definitely better but still not IMO 5*.

    Wanted to go this year but even though I taxi for Karen, Glen and Paul still could not get in (the curse of being a female dancer).

    The blues room was fantastic by far the nicest surroundings I have danced Ceroc/blues in.

    The standard of dancing may not have been up to an average weekend away but other parts of the weekend made up of for it such as it was the most sociable weekend away I have been to.

    I know how hard Karen and Co work to make this weekend a success (and their weekly classes) and you can really sense it when your there.

    I hope I can get to next year’s event

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    B.O.G.O.F. fletch's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by SilverFox View Post



    What with up to 4 classes plus sports activities & games all running at the same time I honestly don't think there would have been much take up for afternoon dancing.

    Swish attracts a lower standard of dancer than all other weekenders. The sort of person who goes is looking for a relaxing all-inclusive weekend break rather than a hardcore dance 'til your dead marathon.




    I was in the cheapest accommodation and had my own mirror. Unlucky!



    Now I can obviously be accused of being biased, but with the great company of Val & David, Marc & Rachel, Lucky & Ruby, Debbie and Erick plus those famous after-party parties, I had a fantastic weekend and can't wait for next years.
    I love dancing in the afternoon right trough to the early evening, the Ceroc weekenders are set out slighly differently to SP with a quiz in the afternoon, + dancing, we have a swing set some afternoons which takes on a differnet flavour, we have also had Karioke! Yeah I love it, relaxing layed back narrrr !not for me this weekend isn't on my list of must 'do's' maybe when I get to middle aged, but not while i'm one if the 'young en's

    although the after parties are leaving me like 'what have I missed'



    for me, what makes a good weekend, been as close to the venue as poss, for my 'outfit' changes and dancing till you drop, were all different

    and I allways take my own mirror

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    Registered User jive-vee's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by fletch View Post

    for me, what makes a good weekend [is] dancing till you drop, we're all different
    and that's why I love Southport. I guess I can't really make a fair comparison though as the only other weekender I've been on was Camber by JiveTime (I think?) but again that had late night dancing.

    I've not been on a Ceroc wknder but am tempted by Breeze as it's a lot closer to me than Southport but I think it could only ever be in addition to Southport and not instead of.

    I just wish I could make the May Southport as September is sooooooo far away

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    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by SilverFox View Post
    Now I can obviously be accused of being biased, but with the great company of Val & David, Marc & Rachel, Lucky & Ruby, Debbie and Erick plus those famous after-party parties, I had a fantastic weekend and can't wait for next years.
    There you go, that's how to have a good weekend. Hang out with all the teachers and DJs and get invited to all the after parties. I'm sure that would work for everyone.

    The Swish weekend is clearly aimed at a different type and level of dancer. Maybe that needs to be better advertised? We can't assume everyone will read the forum reviews in advance of booking.

    I do think its good to have diversity of weekenders, and one or two for the less experienced dancer, with less dancing time, but a better range of other activities is a good idea, as long as that is made clear. Perfect for bringing newbies or maybe even non dancers along.

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    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    There you go, that's how to have a good weekend. Hang out with all the teachers and DJs and get invited to all the after parties. I'm sure that would work for everyone.
    Whilst I imagine that Vince / Rocky / Sara might say "social life is what you make it", that's why I said it'd be nice to have feedback from some actual punters, rather than from The Gods Who Walk Amongst Us.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    The Swish weekend is clearly aimed at a different type and level of dancer. Maybe that needs to be better advertised? We can't assume everyone will read the forum reviews in advance of booking.
    Yes - it'd maybe be nice to structure the descriptions in the site to make the differences clear from the main Escape page - a sentence for each one would help. The not-very-clever names don't help provide identity, either, as we've said several times already.

    Although, that all said, if you read through the descriptions, it is clear what the differences are - but then, not not many people RTFM.

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    Dickie Davies' love-child Cruella's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    There you go, that's how to have a good weekend. Hang out with all the teachers and DJs and get invited to all the after parties. I'm sure that would work for everyone.
    You don't have to be a teacher/DJ to have good after parties Lynn. You just need a chalet, some friends, preferably some very lively ones (and usually a fair bit of alcohol too) and the ability to survive on little or no sleep for 3 days.

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    Registered User Keefy's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames View Post
    ...it'd be nice to have feedback from some actual punters...
    The Good : The food was OK, but it wasn't 5*.

    The Disgusting : The accomodation (single bungalow) was the worst I have ever encountered, anywhere, ever.

    I can't really comment on much else as I was home by Sat eve. For me the weekend did not work, it was not worth the money, I will not be going back.

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    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by Cruella View Post
    You don't have to be a teacher/DJ to have good after parties Lynn. You just need a chalet, some friends, preferably some very lively ones (and usually a fair bit of alcohol too) and the ability to survive on little or no sleep for 3 days.
    I know, I was attempting to be a flippant. Clearly missed though.

    Don't usually do after parties because I'm dancing so much! I actually can survive on little sleep providing I keep dancing. Once I start to sit for hours in a chalet in the middle of the night that is when the tiredness hits me!

    I either want to dance lots, or I want to get some sleep and be able to do some workshops. But then I can do parties with friends anytime (and preferably not when I'm absolutely shattered!) if I spend the money on a weekender its about the dancing!

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    Registered User SilverFox's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    There you go, that's how to have a good weekend. Hang out with all the teachers and DJs and get invited to all the after parties. I'm sure that would work for everyone.
    Our bungalow was a little on the small side to have all 650 people round, so here's an idea Lynn. One could have their own party in their own bungalow with their own friends, or are you suggesting that nobody else's friends know the first thing about throwing a good party? ....

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    The Swish weekend is clearly aimed at a different type and level of dancer. Maybe that needs to be better advertised? We can't assume everyone will read the forum reviews in advance of booking.
    Or maybe it was clear enough to 648 other people, just not Nebula?

  18. #18
    Registered User David Franklin's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames View Post
    Although, that all said, if you read through the descriptions, it is clear what the differences are - but then, not not many people RTFM.
    Just having a quick skim through (particularly at the "Who should come" page), I don't see the differences as that obvious. In fact the "Who should come" page seems to have been cut/pasted between the venues with only very minor changes (generally accommodation specific).

    In particular, this is the exact wording under Advanced Dancers for each weekender.

    Quote Originally Posted by Storm
    At this event there will be some really demanding and creative workshops that will appeal to the most advanced dancers.
    Quote Originally Posted by Blaze
    At this event there will be some really demanding and creative workshops that will appeal to the most advanced dancers.
    Quote Originally Posted by Viva Las Vegas
    At this event there will be some really demanding and creative workshops that will appeal to the most advanced dancers.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swish
    At this event there will be some really demanding and creative workshops that will appeal to the most advanced dancers.


    Not that I see it as a huge deal because we'd never rely on a promo website for information like this - we'd ask around to find out who was going instead. That's probably a lot easier if you know a lot of local dancers though.

  19. #19
    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by SilverFox View Post
    Our bungalow was a little on the small side to have all 650 people round, so here's an idea Lynn. One could have their own party in their own bungalow with their own friends, or are you suggesting that nobody else's friends know the first thing about throwing a good party? ....
    Or maybe they do, but they don't list the 'names' who were at their party on the forum?

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    Commercial Operator Rocky's Avatar
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    Re: Swish 2008 feedback

    Quote Originally Posted by Keefy View Post
    The Disgusting : The accomodation (single bungalow) was the worst I have ever encountered, anywhere, ever..
    I'm guessing that you've never been to Beach Boogie then... Now that is also a great w/e in spite of the truly, truly awful accomodation.

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