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Thread: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

  1. #41
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    I think I'm just awake enough to do this now .

    Overall, I felt this was my best Southport ever. Loved the dancing, most of the music and had a good time and the barbecue.

    Good
    As usual, I met lots of new people and had lots of lovely dances. What was nice was getting to know some people better and finding how nice they are , not to mention dancing with them for the first time and finding how nice that is too.
    The weather on Saturday just made everything 10 times better. Dancing outside in the sun was great.

    Bad
    Nothing unexpected. The weather on Sunday wasn't great, but I didn't find it made any difference really.
    The bar staff trying to rip me off by overcharging and acting all innocent when the digital till tells them how much it is.

    Ugly
    Maybe I'm a mug for trusting people until they prove me wrong, but it really casts a sour note over an otherwise great weekend when someone lets you down. When someone tells you how they're feeling and makes a specific request of you and you decide to ignore that and do the opposite, just to get a laugh regardless of whether that person may be embarrassed or humiliated, that makes you pond life in my book.
    It's especially bad when I respected that person as being better than one of the freaks and wierdos that you occasionally come across. I'm sure you know who you are :WATT:

    Thanks
    Sorry in advance if I missed anyone, but:
    Minnie M and her helpers for a great Barbie
    Little Monkey for the gateaux and hugs
    All the DJ's for good music
    DT for putting up with me
    Everyone for lovely dances
    of course, John and Wes for a lovely weekend.

  2. #42
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Put me pics up. Lee Bartholomew's Photos - Southport June 08 | Facebook Could do with help tagging them if people know people in them

    Have got a vid of BBQ. Is an hour long !!!!!!!! will edit it down and put it up after the Pants comp as it's mainly of that ( No I didn't film men in their pants, was filmed by Claire)

  3. #43
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    It was a funny Southport for me - both funny ha-ha and funny weird but in the traditional forum review style...

    The Good
    - the dancers & some absolutely superb dances. I won't do a Top 5 () but ones that stand out in my memory were with TwK, TigerPants, The Librarian, TGNS, Vegetable & not forgetting far too many and not enough with Killingtime
    - awesome dances with Ducasi
    - a incredibly random (& totally lovely) compliment I got twice from two completely different people who I know don't know each other.
    - TwK's set on (what must have been) Monday morning and DJ Phunkyman's set in the afternoon (and main room Sunday/Monday)
    - being invited out for dinner on Friday night then ending up doing the cooking
    - tag blues dance with Passion Harem and Killingtime. Loved it.
    - Arjay/Melissa's 1st WCS class (the only class I made it to - oops) - respect for not teaching footwork as such but movement and functionality. Nice to see a WCS showcase division cabaret as well (instead of classic)
    - pancakes Sunday morning and some laughs in the chalet. I'm glad the wardrobe was fixed to the wall
    - remembering how much I love ballroom dancing and doing the Waltz in the main room on Sunday night
    - cup of tea from Raph Monday morning when I needed it
    - LM's cake cafe. I finally made it there.
    - the ability to dance out in the sun & under the stars

    The Bad
    - the dancers - I didn't go hunting and probably missed out on some discoveries. I always have the intention to ask new people and then wimp out. Doh.
    - the music in the main room on Sunday night being too loud (though I should have told the DJ)
    - not enough late night blues music in the small wee hours
    - refusing someone without explaining myself very well. I think they're on the forum. Sorry. I looked for you later on but didn't find you.
    - Not making it over to the marquee

    The Ugly
    - Killingtime's last SP before he leaves for Canada
    Last edited by ducasi; 3rd-June-2008 at 11:35 PM. Reason: awesome dances had been missed out ;)

  4. #44
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Been a while since I posted an essay so here's my thoughts on Southport. This may take some time!

    Have said it before but will say it again. Absolutely brilliant weekender.

    Not sure how to review everything so will just list things as I think of them

    Music
    In general the music that I heard, only in the blues room/marquee of course, was fantastic. Over the course of a day I thought the variety was there which is something I always want at any dance event.
    What worried me more is the range of tracks in certain individual sets. On the one hand there is one set I can remember, on the Saturday afternoon, where each track was a definate shift away in genre/tempo etc. than the previous one. This made it feel a little dis-jointed but at least it was variety.
    My other concern was that on in the small hours of Sunday and Monday I got a little bit bogged down with the constant beat of the slow swing/blues type stuff. Now I love my WCS but even I begin to feel a little stale after a while and need some upbeat, funky stuff (maybe a few tracks) to really get me going again. Maybe just a group of say 3 upbeat tracks to break the pattern.


    Music volume
    Agree about the varying music volumes. At time on the decking I simply could not hear the music except for the odd snare drum here and there. As someone who called for the removal of the marquee over the outside dancefloor I was a little dissapointed that I couldn't actually enjoy my dancing as much outside I suppose I am as guilty as others though as I too didn't bother telling the DJ as I figured the volume inside was fine so there is nothing that could be done.


    Heat
    Ok. I know I cant really complain about the heat as its impossible to cool down so many dances and so on but I am going to mention it anyway I thought the heat in the blues room at times (most times) was unbearably hot. I had to do sets of 2 dances then escape then 2 dances and escape. This was my continuing routine throughout the days. I realise that the possibility of cooling a room down the size of the main room to be impossible but can something not be done about the blues room? Of course the lack of a breeze on the Sunday didnt help.


    Space!!! & The seperate Marquee
    My god. Talk about busy.
    Now I like a nice cosy atmosphere when compared with a huge empty room but, for the first time, I thought the blues room this time was particulary overcrowded. Im not putting this down to more and more dancers booking, as I am assuming its always sold out , but it seems the blues room is attracting more and more people.
    At times it got positively dangerous in there. There is no way to walk through without affecting people.


    Seperate Marquee - The seperate marquee was awesome. Especially the lighting. Just before the ballroom stint I was gazing at the new star-effect machine that Wes had on. Wow. It's the coolest lighting gizmo thingymee that I have seen.
    Trouble is, it doesn't matter how nice it is in there, if it doesn't attract the dancers in freestyle then it only serves half a job. On the Saturday night the WCS section in the marquee worked and worked well. It quietened down the blues room (which is looking more and more like a WCS freestyle) and was great fun to dance in, although no seats. On the Sunday night it all went pear-shaped. The WCS section was due to run for 3 hours from 1 to 4 in the marquee but by 2am there must have only been 10 or so couples in there. Everyone else stayed in the blues room - including me!!
    The only reason I can see is because that blinking blues room is so good and unique in the weekender market. The atmosphere it creates, regardless of how hot, stuffy and dangerous it is, is special. It also means that, given the fact that the music in the blues room and WCS marquee was pretty much identical, people just didnt bother moving across.
    Cant see how to prevent this though apart from enforcing a definate shift of genre in the blues room when the WCS stint is on in the marquee.


    Blues room
    Many people's favourite room and one of the things that make Southport so special.
    Given that the weather forecast was so good I had a feeling that this time would be even better than previous times. In many ways it was but in some ways it wasnt.
    Firstly, when I got there I noticed that actual flooring had been placed on top of the wooden slats on the outside area. Fabulous! Thankyou so much J+W+crew. This worked so well but, unfortunately, nothing can compete with the rain Its still appreciated though.
    On the down side the rain caused another unwanted problem. Trailing water through the bar!!!! At one point the floor of the bar was considerably wet all the way from the door down one side of the floor. I cant really see how this can be avoided as the amount of water falling from the sky was considerable but I felt it really affected things. Not only by spoiling shoes but with the fact that everyone had to push up to avoid it.
    Then there was the issue of it being VERY hot and VERY crowded in the blues room on Sunday evening as the outside floor was out of order. What can be done? No idea. I was one of those calling for the removal of the 'attached' marquee as I love dancing in the open air under the stars. This worked perfectly on the Saturday but then there was the trade off on the Sunday.


    Workshops
    I didnt actually do any but i did pop my head in to a few for a time.
    I thought the WCS ones were good. Wordy but good.
    I am slightly more concerned over the Waltz class. A combination of too much talking, very little music (there was none for the first 15/20 minutes) and some technique which I though was plainly incorrect meant I was not particularly admirable of that one. To be fair I have never danced ballroom in the US but from an international syllabus standpoint some things that were taught were either incorrect or inadvisable when teaching a large group.
    Watching them dance was awesome however.
    Other workshops were good. Pretty much business as usual but thats a good standard to maintain!!!


    Peeps
    Got to say a huge thankyou to Yliander, CJ, Little Monkey and Gail for the extreme kindness over the weekend. Also a special thanks to Rhythm King for the lift back down to London. Not forgetting Caro of course who drove up and who also discovered what the word "promiscuous" means
    One of the biggest and most important things for me about weekenders is getting to say hello and chat to people. This weekend was perfect for that. So many friends, old and new were there. It made me realise how much I have missed being 'on the scene' as my other dancing has been taking me away in recent times.


    Other touches
    John and Wes never cease to amaze with their extra little touches. One of them this time was the plastic overshoes by the doors to the blues room so that people could go outside in the rain without getting the soles of their feet wet! Respect!


    All in all a great weekend. Great dances, great people and the best atmosphere. Thankyou to John, Wes and every single person that helped set-up, operate and dismantle everything. You are the absolute stars.

  5. #45
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Anyone know who Pirate Matt is?

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    Have got a vid of BBQ. Is an hour long !!!!!!!! will edit it down and put it up after the Pants comp as it's mainly of that ( No I didn't film men in their pants, was filmed by Claire)
    or you will be in trouble

    Quote Originally Posted by HelenB View Post
    DJ Phunkyman's set in the afternoon (and main room Sunday/Monday)



    top bloke, as Robd posted, he played 'pump it up' as the last track Monday morning, fab way to finish SP

    he's back in September

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul F View Post
    Other touches
    John and Wes never cease to amaze with their extra little touches. One of them this time was the plastic overshoes by the doors to the blues room so that people could go outside in the rain without getting the soles of their feet wet! Respect!

    .
    forgot about this, I didn't use them but what a brill touch

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    What a terrific weekend event. So nice to dance with old faces and some new. Glad to be of help to some of those dancers who were after guidance on moves etc.

    Once again, great atmosphere in the Blues Room and the Marquee was actually a better option than the Dance Den - seemed bigger and more spacious. Good to do some proper WCS.

    Looking forward to September - and beyond when they announce the confirmed dates for 2009. Loved Arjay and Melissa's second routine to HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL.

    And as the old song goes from AMERICAN GRAFFITI -

    See You in September

    best
    johnnyman

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    Anyone know who Pirate Matt is?
    No Though should do really since I spent most of Sunday morning with him... mind you.. I may not recognise him without his pirate costume......

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    Anyone know who Pirate Matt is?
    Quote Originally Posted by Caz View Post
    No Though should do really since I spent most of Sunday morning with him... mind you.. I may not recognise him without his pirate costume......
    Matt's not on the forum, but is thinking of joining.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    Got some great dances in. One of my faves was with ASTO last night (cant remember song, something about a car (female singer)
    Thanks Lee

    Was that the first dance or the second one?

    Trouble took some photos, but I was still in my cardigan, just walked in and grabbed you.

  10. #50
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    Anyone know who Pirate Matt is?
    Yes he's a good friend of mine from New Zealand. Dances ISH and the O2 in London. Any reason?

    Spiky

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...03675948&saved

    pics are on, three albums, have to be my friend to see them though guys.

    xxxx

    will post later about the absolutely fantastic weekend that passed in a flash and i am now suffering sad after weekend syndrome. xxxxx

  12. #52
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul F View Post

    Space!!! & The seperate Marquee
    My god. Talk about busy.
    Now I like a nice cosy atmosphere when compared with a huge empty room but, for the first time, I thought the blues room this time was particulary overcrowded. Im not putting this down to more and more dancers booking, as I am assuming its always sold out , but it seems the blues room is attracting more and more people.
    At times it got positively dangerous in there. There is no way to walk through without affecting people.


    Seperate Marquee - The seperate marquee was awesome. Especially the lighting. Just before the ballroom stint I was gazing at the new star-effect machine that Wes had on. Wow. It's the coolest lighting gizmo thingymee that I have seen.
    Trouble is, it doesn't matter how nice it is in there, if it doesn't attract the dancers in freestyle then it only serves half a job. On the Saturday night the WCS section in the marquee worked and worked well. It quietened down the blues room (which is looking more and more like a WCS freestyle) and was great fun to dance in, although no seats. On the Sunday night it all went pear-shaped. The WCS section was due to run for 3 hours from 1 to 4 in the marquee but by 2am there must have only been 10 or so couples in there. Everyone else stayed in the blues room - including me!!
    The only reason I can see is because that blinking blues room is so good and unique in the weekender market. The atmosphere it creates, regardless of how hot, stuffy and dangerous it is, is special. It also means that, given the fact that the music in the blues room and WCS marquee was pretty much identical, people just didnt bother moving across.
    Cant see how to prevent this though apart from enforcing a definate shift of genre in the blues room when the WCS stint is on in the marquee.


    Blues room
    Many people's favourite room and one of the things that make Southport so special.
    Given that the weather forecast was so good I had a feeling that this time would be even better than previous times. In many ways it was but in some ways it wasnt.
    Firstly, when I got there I noticed that actual flooring had been placed on top of the wooden slats on the outside area. Fabulous! Thankyou so much J+W+crew. This worked so well but, unfortunately, nothing can compete with the rain Its still appreciated though.
    On the down side the rain caused another unwanted problem. Trailing water through the bar!!!! At one point the floor of the bar was considerably wet all the way from the door down one side of the floor. I cant really see how this can be avoided as the amount of water falling from the sky was considerable but I felt it really affected things. Not only by spoiling shoes but with the fact that everyone had to push up to avoid it.
    Then there was the issue of it being VERY hot and VERY crowded in the blues room on Sunday evening as the outside floor was out of order. What can be done? No idea. I was one of those calling for the removal of the 'attached' marquee as I love dancing in the open air under the stars. This worked perfectly on the Saturday but then there was the trade off on the Sunday.



    Spot on on the summary of the space and the blues room.

    I don't west coast as yet and did not make it to the marquee. I think the marquee is a great idea but I think it would work better with west coast in the latin quarter and latin and Tango all placed together in the marquee.

    Spiky

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiky Steve View Post
    I think the marquee is a great idea but I think it would work better with west coast in the latin quarter
    sorry haven't got time to post a proper review yet but I will do soon - but I've just seen this and I can't help but say:

    no, please, no...

    I'm sorry but that room is awful - hot and smelly and it would be terrible to have to spend most of the weekend there - I want to cry just at the thought of it

  14. #54
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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Crowded in Blues room - yes it was, but I still had loads of great dances in there. When it got really crowded on Saturday night after the cabaret finished I went back to my chalet for a break for an hour or so, then came back to find it still pretty crowded. I therefore ventured into the Latin room (in some trepidation) but slightly to my surprise I immediately had 2 or 3 really great dances. If only a way could be found to cool it down in there a little I would spend more time there in future - it was only bearable for about half an hour, and then only if you danced near a fan. On Sunday evening I tried a different strategy which worked really well. I based myself on the new extended area of dance floor in the blues room. That way I found I could pop up onto the main blues room floor for dances whenever I wanted and always had the option to dance on the extended area, which never got really crowded, where I have to say I had some really good dances. It even enabled me to pop briefly into the main room as well a couple of times.

    Not meeting / dancing with some forumites - really difficult to find everyone. I did really try but there were some who I just don't know or never managed to find. More personalised tops for the forum gathering and perhaps even the barbeque would have helped. The ones I missed I really will make an extra effort to find in September. There may be some who I danced with who know who I am but I was oblivious to their identity. Sorry if this happened - I don't like to ask everyone who they are or whether they are on the forum.

    Non-forumites - There are only just over 100 forumites at SP so that means there are many hundreds of dancers there who are not on this forum and quite a lot of them I found to be great dancers. I danced with lovely ladies from Cornwall to Aberdeen and even Norway. I don't know their names but there are quite a few I will certainly be looking out for next time.

    Music - I just had too good a time to really offer any criticism so the DJ's must have been mostly getting it right. There was perhaps a touch to much fastish swing at times in the blues room for my taste and maybe not quite enough chilled stuff when it was most needed. Enjoyed some of the funky stuff that was played, perhaps that was one of Lee's sets.

    Humble apology - I somehow failed to mention Rebecca in my earlier posts. Horrible omission on my part as you are someone I always really look forward to dancing with and we had a couple of simply sublime dances . Hope I can be foregiven

    Final mention - my better half, Easily Led. You looked fabulous the whole week-end. Thanks for putting up with me.

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiky Steve View Post
    Yes he's a good friend of mine from New Zealand. Dances ISH and the O2 in London. Any reason?

    Spiky
    Just impressed with the energy had. Was out Sat night right till 3pm Sunday afternoon and still looked fresh !!!!!!

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lost Leader View Post
    Final mention - my better half, Easily Led. You looked fabulous the whole week-end. Thanks for putting up with me.
    Nice to meet you both.

    My first Southport, and my very first dance there was with Lost Leader.

    Thankyou for the welcome.

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Caro View Post
    sorry haven't got time to post a proper review yet but I will do soon - but I've just seen this and I can't help but say:

    no, please, no...

    I'm sorry but that room is awful - hot and smelly and it would be terrible to have to spend most of the weekend there - I want to cry just at the thought of it
    Quote Originally Posted by Lost Leader View Post
    {latin room} If only a way could be found to cool it down in there a little I would spend more time there in future - it was only bearable for about half an hour, and then only if you danced near a fan.
    I agree with Caro and LL

    It is hot in there despite what the weather outside is doing

    I found I escaped to the main room when the blues room was too crowded which, even with the fan at the front that wasn't working , was cooler

    Surprised myself really

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Caz View Post
    No Though should do really since I spent most of Sunday morning with him... mind you.. I may not recognise him without his pirate costume......
    The tagging was absolutely magic! Another big thanks to the team, this was quite possibly the most fun I've had dancing. Ever. And that lovies, is no small feat. Thank you for all the laughs and the surprise element!

    It is my sincere regret that I only caught Kiwi Captain Matt on his way out. Surely someone must know where this man dances regularly?! I certainly would be up for a repeat.

    Hope we manag to keep the tagging tradition alive folks!

    Carrying my packie with bunged knees was probably the worst of it, but nothing like feeling like I'm back on the road again! (And nothing a few ibuprofens can't fix. ) This high is going to last a while!

    And not to belittle the rest of the weekend. Not my first weekender, but my first southport. Many, many thanks to everyone for an amazing vibe and for glorious dances! I'm late booking my Sept. ticket, but keeping an eye out for cancellations.

    to all.
    .n

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Why is the day after a weekender so depressing?

    Photos here:
    Southport May 2008

    or
    Sean Houlihane's Photos - Southport May 2008 | Facebook
    Sean Houlihane's Photos - Southport May 2008 (II) | Facebook
    (and there are lots to tag for all you keen people out there)

    Sean

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    Re: Southport June '08 the aftermath.

    Quote Originally Posted by Minnie M View Post
    Has any seen the Southport video Lory made (it's on facebook) it is AMAZING .............

    Loved it, Loved it, Loved it, Loved it, Loved it, Loved it, Loved it, Loved it, Loved it,
    Could you post a link>?

    Onkar

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