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Thread: Blaze III – the aftermath

  1. #61
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    I have to say this weekend was fantastic. In time-honoured format:

    the good

    -the classes - it was good to see such a wide range, and the ones I went to were great; now left with a lot of food for thought

    -having so many wonderful dances over the weekend, too many to mention

    -the weather - I think we'll be expecting similar sunshine at every Blaze from now on!

    -having the DVD available from Sunday morning

    -the cabarets were inspiring, particularly the team cabaret - kudos to everyone brave enough to take part

    -seeing the teachers mixing and freestyling so much in the evenings

    -the music was great; I don't think I heard a set that I didn't like, and it was also good to be able to move to the other room easily if I wanted to to mix it up a little

    -meeting some new (to me) forumites, including Lynn, Rubyred, Cruella, Trouble and especially DTS - not easily forgotten!

    -feeling my dancing was at its best on the Sunday night, and feeling more confident in my dancing than I have done for a while

    the not so good

    -the heat in both rooms was stifling - many times I'd enter a room and find myself starting to 'glow' before I'd even danced a step

    -it was a shame the Boudoir wasn't open on Saturday; however we ended up going for a long walk along the beach instead which was lovely

    -screwing up my courage to ask Mario for a dance on Saturday night. Unfortunately my very basic WCS let me down, so he switched to leading MJ. He even apologised for not leading it very well! What a lovely man

    -my feet being so sore by the end of the weekend that I could barely walk

    the memorable

    -watching Mario lead Samantha and Melb in WCS double trouble. He made it look incredibly effortless, and I don't think I've ever seen double trouble danced with such musicality before

    -being absolutely gobsmacked when Amir slid up to me and asked me for a dance. I think that was definitely my highlight of the weekend :swoonsmilie:



    Apologies to anyone I haven't mentioned.

    Blaze I will always be special because it was the first one, but for me I think this weekend was the best yet. Big thanks to Franck,Sheena and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make it as brilliant as it was

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Well if your referring to Mario, whilst i found him all sweetness and light when you spoke to him, calling everybody maam etc etc, i also found him quite irritating. I didn't get to dance with him even though i asked him 3 times. That irritates the **** out of me that does.

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by Cruella View Post
    You forgot to mention your new party trick! How to steal a follower without using hands.
    oh yeah, forgot that one, he he!!!

  4. #64
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by firefly View Post
    -screwing up my courage to ask Mario for a dance on Saturday night. Unfortunately my very basic WCS let me down, so he switched to leading MJ. He even apologised for not leading it very well! What a lovely man
    I had a similar experience with Mickyr, and after clonking him on the head and standing on his feet, he was such a perfect gentleman with me, thank you Mikey.

    I am away now to take up the challenge of WCS.
    if you love the life you live then you'll get a lot more done

  5. #65
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    I want to go back! Hate reality after the fun of dancing weekends.
    By the way, is buying the dvd worth it? Missed a lot of classes so thought it would be useful but i have no one to practice with so not sure if its worth forking out for. What do you guys think?

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    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by firefly View Post
    -the heat in both rooms was stifling - many times I'd enter a room and find myself starting to 'glow' before I'd even danced a step
    Well, you were in good company.

    I arrived towards the end of the Caliegh (sp?) and believe me, there was sweat literally flying off of everyone, including the women!!

    It looked like brilliant fun but I was so glad didn't get dragged up, as I think I'd have had to make the long trek back to the caravan again, after just 'one' of those dances!
    MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    Caliegh (sp?)
    Ceilidh
    "If you rebel against high heels, take care to do so in a very smart hat.'' George Bernard Shaw

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by rubyred View Post
    I had a similar experience with Mickyr, and after clonking him on the head and standing on his feet,
    I wacked Clinton in the face! And he was very kind about it too!


    It was very embarrassing, as we had a row of women watching and they all went... oooooooh!!! very loudly
    MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
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  9. #69
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    I wacked Clinton in the face! And he was very kind about it too!


    It was very embarrassing, as we had a row of women watching and they all went... oooooooh!!! very loudly
    Don't worry, you weren't the first person to hit someone in the face over the weekend. I have the scar on my nose to prove it after the cabaret preparation, but like James Brown, I struggled on...!

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by cat View Post
    By the way, is buying the dvd worth it? Missed a lot of classes so thought it would be useful but i have no one to practice with so not sure if its worth forking out for. What do you guys think?
    Cat,
    you can come and practice with me next time you're up.
    I have Blaze I & II DVDs and they are great as a refresher, not so sure about learning from the DVD for a class not attended, but some will be capable of doing that.

  11. #71
    Registered User cms's Avatar
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
    Well if your referring to Mario, whilst i found him all sweetness and light when you spoke to him, calling everybody maam etc etc, i also found him quite irritating. I didn't get to dance with him even though i asked him 3 times. That irritates the **** out of me that does.
    i have to admit i agree - he was a lovely man in conversation, his classes were amazing and i learned loads but i got turned down three times for dances saying he needed a rest. This is fair enough but i was sitting at the table next to him when he accepted the next 3 dancers that asked him and never thought to ask back. Ah well, the curse of being an amazing dancer and popular teacher!
    c x

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by cms View Post
    i have to admit i agree - he was a lovely man in conversation, his classes were amazing and i learned loads but i got turned down three times for dances saying he needed a rest. This is fair enough but i was sitting at the table next to him when he accepted the next 3 dancers that asked him and never thought to ask back. Ah well, the curse of being an amazing dancer and popular teacher!
    c x
    yes i think he was quite particular about who he danced with TBH.

    As for amazing dancing, didn't get a chance to see and only reason i bothered with him at all was Mickey R goes on about him all the time.

    Still as you say, his choice. I wont be asking him again. Just irritates me that i bothered more than once as i wouldn't normally.

    Mind you im not alone on this thinking, ive had 4 pms from other women refused in the same way.

  13. #73
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    What an excellant weekend from start to finish (well almost! see note below)

    While all classes I attempted were aimed at just the right level per the description, I particularly enjoyed Paul's ballroom & Danielles 'sexy' classes. Neither disappointed and lived up to <high> expectations.

    Cant wait to see what you have in mind for next year. (HINT HINT)

    Also looking forward to seeing Marc / Rachels steal dancing making its way back into the local venues

    Would have liked to have danced more, with so many wonderful dancers, but the heat was taking its toll on me.


    Very few negative points for the weekend:

    The heat in the rooms - not something that Franck might have much control over.

    Fixed partners - while i appreciate that for some classes it is preferable for some degree of fixed partners ie drops / blues, the number of fixed partners for the majority of the other classes seemed excessive. As a lead, it did not affect me, but I felt sorry for the rotating women who were not getting enough floor time.

    Lastly, make sure that your spare shoes are broken in before you need them late on Sundat night To say this brought my weekend to a sudden (oh the grip) halt was an understatement.

    Overall - well done to Franck (and his team) for the great weekend. And already looking forward to Blaze IV next year.

    Dave

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave T View Post
    Danielles 'sexy' classes. Neither disappointed and lived up to <high> expectations.
    i think the word you are looking for is "style" classes... nothing sexy about it.....

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    My turn: Sooooo glad I could make it; it was doubtful for a while.

    The good...
    ... well, everything really.
    First thing was that I lucked out on the caravan since was a stone's throw from the venue Not that I saw it's insides much; enough to make some chocolate stuff, eat some breakfast, have a couple of showers a day and shut my eyes for a one or two hours.
    The weather was perfect: when it rained or was overcast on Sat, there were workshops on so you didn't feel that you were missing out on the sun. The whole weekend was warm enough that you didn't need a jacket/jumper.

    All of the credit for the lighting and atmosphere in the two rooms goes to Marc - we finished setting up about 10mins before doors opened and it was late on Monday afternoon by the time everything was packed again.

    Every one of the workshops I saw was well attended - everyone seemed to be very focused on the teachers and trying to put into practice what was being taught.

    It's at events like this where you always feel that you have to 'raise your game'. Well, I do anyway. At one point I looked onto the dance floor and saw Amir, Marc, Franck, Tramp and a couple of other good dancers on the floor and dancing simply because they liked to dance. Not teaching, no flash moves, not focused on anything other than their partners and the music. It made me just sit down, stretch out and live for the moments as time moved around me.

    I would have liked to dance more and there are people I missed dancing with, but I'm not sure if I would have been physically capable of it.

    The bad...
    Not much to complain about:
    The fuse that kept tripping on the main stage lights was a bit of a pain. It worked on Thursday - blown on Friday. :shrug: I don't think it caused too many problems.

    Having to smuggle in the baking wasn't so good, but it did mean that you had to be sociable to find the cake caravans {BTW: yum }

    We ran out of water late on Sunday (I'm sure it wouldn't have happened if the bar had been opened upstairs.) For a venue without air conditioning, packed with energetic bodies, on a warm summer's day, I think we did quite well: it was hot, but not unbearable (Most of the time there was not that much difference between outside and in)

    The boudoir not being open on Saturday... again, not much that we could do about that - should have had a dedicated room for filming, but had to use this instead. And I must say to Mas(?) for the DVD - slick production on slender timescale.

    The ugly...
    I had one incident where my over-exuberance connected an elbow with a jaw. That really brought me down for the rest of the evening, and I hope that she is ok.

    And as much as I love blues dancing, I regret that my feet were not up to doing much more than that on the Sunday evening.

    summary...

  16. #76
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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Ok, time for my tuppence-worth:

    The Best Bits
    • Wonderful chalet mates
    • Claire's spicy pasta salad
    • The boys doing the cooking/BBQ
    • Getting to dance with Clinton again!
    • LOTS of fantastic leads - familiar favourites and new finds
    • Not a single bad dance all weekend
    • The weather
    • Relaxed atmosphere
    • Massages! - special thanks to Magic Hans
    • PMJD's truffles and LM's raspberry muffins
    • Always-full watercoolers - thank you Gadget & anyone else who kept them going

    The Nuisances
    • One key between six - although it turned out to be less hassle than anticipated
    • The temperature in the main room
    • Having to smuggle contraband baking in undercover

    The Disappointments
    • Not doing enough classes generally (entirely my own fault)
    • What felt like incessant Latin music in BOTH rooms for a longish spell on Sunday (?) night. I thought the point of two rooms was to vary styles? Could DJs collaborate to avoid similarities?
    • Missing Marc & Rachel's steal class - it looked like great fun!
    • Not getting a slice of PMJD's cheesecake or LM's apple & cinnamon cake!

    The Unexpected Delights
    • The pleased look on the face of a relatively new dancer who I taxi-ed as a beginner, when he led a dip/drop from the class during freestyle
    • Some lovely compliments
    • Seeing two hares grazing in the early morning light on the way back from the after-party-party


    As always, a huge thank you to Franck and Sheena and everyone else who put in lots of effort to pull it all together and make it run smoothly. It was fab!

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
    yes i think he was quite particular about who he danced with TBH.

    As for amazing dancing, didn't get a chance to see and only reason i bothered with him at all was Mickey R goes on about him all the time.

    Still as you say, his choice. I wont be asking him again. Just irritates me that i bothered more than once as i wouldn't normally.

    Mind you im not alone on this thinking, ive had 4 pms from other women refused in the same way.
    Sure glad I didn't refuse you, else PMs behind my back (again).

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by drathzel View Post
    i think the word you are looking for is "style" classes... nothing sexy about it.....
    pure sex and all liked it, eventually.

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by rubyred View Post
    I had a similar experience with Mickyr, and after clonking him on the head and standing on his feet, he was such a perfect gentleman with me, thank you Mikey.
    Ah, Thankyou for putting up with me!! Only bin doing the WCS thing 7mths so still very much beginner at it myself and as I gave up my MJ (cos Iam too thick to do both) bout the same time I am no good at that either now. Thought you clonked me on the head cos I was Rubbish.....Phew

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    Re: Blaze III – the aftermath

    Quote Originally Posted by mikeyr View Post
    Ah, Thankyou for putting up with me!! Only bin doing the WCS thing 7mths so still very much beginner at it myself and as I gave up my MJ (cos Iam too thick to do both) bout the same time I am no good at that either now. Thought you clonked me on the head cos I was Rubbish.....Phew
    No me dear, I am accepting of being total rubbish in the area of WCS and you are a gentleman
    if you love the life you live then you'll get a lot more done

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