ban bouncy dancers
What's obvious from Mike's post is that he wants to work with dancers to ensure that their experience is enhanced at the new SP as much as possible. However, I'm sure we all agree that people's experience of a weekender can be a very personal thing. Mike is now monitoring feedback so if you would like to add in this post how you feel your experience could be improved, or what you particularly enjoy, then the most important will get an airing.
A poll is going to be difficult, but if there are some common themes we can probably set this up. Alternativly (and probably easier initially), if you agree with the details of a post a simple 'thanks' post underneath would be a quick way to identify hot topics that could be earmarked for change or for retention.
I for one am happy to see Mike take the time to present the other side of the story. Now at least people can read both accounts and make at least some form of informed decision as to what may, or may not have, transpired.
ban bouncy dancers
In the blues room through the day can we give the DJ's some direction / input re the music that is being played
I will never forget, at Prestatyn I think it was, walking into the bar (sorry, boudoir) only to hear the bloody Mavericks being played by the DJ.
I looked at the rota board only to see his name on another 3 slots throughout the afternoon. I waited around to give the guy a chance and heard 2 or 3 tracks of the same stuff you get in the main room.
But maybe I am being selfish!! Maybe the 3 people who were dancing enjoyed that kind of music
Full facilities for WCS's on the beach
Personally I don't want to hear Ceroc anthems, or bouncy style music, I am sure I can hear that in the main room later in the evening.
It would be interesting to hear more Bluesy soul music being an old soul boy at heart. I really enjoyed what Lee Bartholemew and Nick from Plymouth were playing which was more upto date WCS style music at the last SP
Guidance to blues room DJ's during the day: "more chilled music you wouldn't expect to hear in any other room".
Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story
Although you could say something very similar about
But I also agree with the principle - that room during the day is where you can often hear music that you can't hear later.
I think that the key for me is that it needs to be varied, and I think that should include the more upbeat tempos rather than exclusively slow.
At times of the day when it's the only place where there's freestyle, this room should cater for everyone who may be passing - whether Beginner or Dance God/Goddess.
On the other hand I really don't want to hear Ceroc anthems, "Now I can Dance" , DTNA etc. which would just leave me feeling
Love dance, will travel
Just check its still a ceroc/jive event.
Since when does 'ceroc music' equal bouncy style
Now we have 'ceroc anthems' ?? Play more WCS in the blues room
The blues room afternoon cira 2006 was perfect
what was Lee playing ?? That could have been better place in some dark room at 4am sorry it was so not the stuff that should be played on a sunday afternoon at jive event.
Some nice mellow stuff with a few 'ceroc anthems' and no sorry CJ that doesnt include Bat out of Hell, although I will allow Bohemian Rhapsody and 9 minutes of Freebird as i love that song
I mentioned Lee's set as it was very contemporary, by the way WCS music is extremely varied in style, tempo, from Blues to Country to RnB etc. Unfortunately at the mo, alot of WCS music played has a distinctive beat which allows US (I include my good self) not so good dancers to have time to try and put in a triple steps.
I know when I dance to some tracks that are faster than normal, my triple steps go out the window but I can still have some wonderfull dances
This is a suggestion both for Ceroc and JA, as at the end of day, politics aside, what I care about is having a great time.
I believe you would have a massive input of WCS dancers to your weekenders if you managed to organise a JnJ and register it with the World Swing Dance Council (The World Swing Dance Council), i.e. that would mean awarding Novice points in a Novice division, which some of us are ardently chasing (see how many compete in America). JA tried to do this at Weston, but for reasons that were not explained to us, points were never registered with the WSDC. It's a pity, as our Novice division would have nothing to blush about in comparison to US events.
It doesn't take that long to run a JnJ, and doesn't need to happen in the main room.
Obviously given the size of southport it would make sense to have at least 2 divisions, Newcomer and Novice, and may be an invitational for those few who have qualified out of Novice (they aren't enough peeps to run an intermediate or an advanced division for now).
Whether or not MJ organisations want to step that much into WCS, I don't know. But you've asked for ideas and this IMO would make a big difference to a weekender.
Obviously you'd need to involve people with knowledge of the american system in the organisation, and have credible judges, otherwise it is bound to fail.
Now I'm sure there are also lots of MJ-ers who don't want to see their weekenders 'highjacked' that way (but, as I say, none of this needs to happen in the main room so they don't even have to see what's going on in the WCS room if they don't want to).
If you want to find out what dancers want just type "aftermath" into the forum search icon on the toolbar.
Everything you could ever want to know is in the threads you will find as a result of that search. Almost every weekender in recent years has had an aftermath review detailing what is good and bad.
All the information you seek is out there already.
But it is nice to be asked. It gives me a wonderful feeling of inclusion and ownership.
Heavy irony of the last sentence aside, I am not sure the aftermath threads really help to explain WHY an event has been so enjoyable for an individual (or not in David Bailey's case). Rocky's been quite brave posting this thread up, since it's asking to be shot down by those who, on one hand praise JA for having dancer's interests at heart and responding to the needs of their customers but who, on the other, will now criticise Ceroc for attempting the same thing.
Personally, I have enjoyed every one of the Southports I have attended more than any of the Ceroc/Jivetime weekends (Blaze included) - that's not because I have had a bad time at any of the Ceroc ones (Chill was the dullest but I wouldn't say I had a bad time) it's just because Southport was so good. But ask me to explain the reasons why this is the case and I am struggling for specifics.
Just one thing, please don't disrupt the daytime freestyle with pub quizzes no matter how much time obese sweat band puts into organising them.
I don't quite get this comment. Is it an actual question?
When I got up to play on Sat, The sun was out, People were on the decking and it was hot. I kind of played to that abit. Some upbeat stuff that is not the typical stuff you would here at jive events but it is dancable from a WCS 'AND' MJ perspective. The songs were going down quite well and as the WCS class was just finishing I kept the WCS feel for abit allowing those coming out to join in (I think Arjay joint in abit too).
Same on the Sunday but found myself doing a indefinite set with no one lined up after so ended up playing for an hour and a half.
What my main objective was, is to get people dancing to songs that they would not norm dance to 'Queens of the Stone Age , 2Pac , Eminem etc' without alienating them by playing stuff that was too challenging to dance too.
I tried to make every song I played one that was A) pretty well know B) unlikely to get played again that weekend and C) a decent tune that has good musicality and easy to dance too.
Had some great Feedback from it and will give it another go next weekend too see if it was a fluke because the sun was out.
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