Edinburgh UTOPIA Blues Weekender - The Aftermath

[StokeBloke]

We're about to hit the hay.. a very long drive but, veeeeeeeery worth it. I'll post a proper review when I feel more awake

Let's just say that this weekend was an epiphany for me

[Filthy Monkey]

Well, I have to say, as much as I generally advocate the dancing scene in London, Saturday night in Edinburgh was one of the best freestyles I have been to for a long time! The music was fab, the atmosphere was amazing and there were so many good dancers. I barely sat down all night! It was a completely different vibe to Friday night and Sunday afternoon, which were both excellent, but a lot more laid back. The blues vibe yesterday was lovely and just perfect for a chilled out afternoon before the mad rush back to the airport. Thanks to the gorgeous Lulu Baby for getting me there in time for my flight (with seconds to spare!)

It was fun having StokeBloke and Twirlie Bird staying with me for the weekend, especially as I had breakfast made for me on Saturday!! Unfortunately I didn't get to dance with Twirlie as much as I wanted, but I plan to make up for that at Breeze. Those that we did have, though, were great!

Everyone seemed to really come out of their shell this weekend. I don't know if it was the Blues vibe, or maybe my new aftershave , but I saw a lot of girls in a completely different light! Claire S, Alex, Hannah, you are all absolutely filthy on the dance floor! And I respect you all the more for it!! Little Monkey, loved our dances. You're a blast!

Lulu Baby, you were stonkingly hot, as always, this weekend and I loved dancing with you, even though I did have to work doubley hard to prise Rocky off of you

All in all, a fab weekend, which has set me up perfectly for Breeze in just 11 days!!

[ducasi]

I wrote this in the original thread about the event...

Made it to the tea dance this afternoon. Had a fab time. So many lovely dances. Only regret was missing the folks who couldn't come out to play today.

Should have said, I also regret missing dancing with a few of the folks who were there.

Was good to see the visitors up from England. Hope to see you all again soon.

[Villemo]

Saturday night in Edinburgh was my very first Ceroc party, and it left me wanting for more, more, more

[Filthy Monkey]

It was great to meet you, Villemo, and I'm delighted to say that you look nothing like your profile picture. I didn't find a single hair in my car

[Villemo]

It was great to meet you, Villemo, and I'm delighted to say that you look nothing like your profile picture. I didn't find a single hair in my car

Very nice meeting you too, Filthy Monkey, and I told you I'd groom properly
Though I think my profile picture is a very nice one!

[LuLu Baby]

I had a fab weekend!

Friday night was fantastic. A lot of my favourite dancers were there. Claire S, being fixed partners with you for the class was great fun! Although, I do feel very self conscious about body rolling now! Maybe I should post a poll on the forum - do I feel like a fish when body rolling?! We are muppets! Tiger Pants, it was great to see you! Had so much fun with you on the dancefloor, and off! It was a shame you couldn't be there the rest of the weekend... Hope to see you again soon! Had so many great dances on Friday night with lots of people. I absolutely loved the blues atmosphere. The after party was fun too, even though Val did keep spilling champagne on me!

Saturday night was good, although, not as good as Friday or Sunday for me... I'm just wierd like that! Thanks to all of my lovely friends who gave me lots of hugs to try and help.

Sunday afternoon was just lovely... Loved the chilled out atmosphere. What a way to finish the weekend. Lots of great dances.

I had never danced blues before this weekend, and although I didn't do the workshops (which I now regret!), I really got into that style of dancing... My 'following' skills were put to the test all weekend, and I don't think I did too badly! I can really see me getting into this whole blues thing!

A few mentions...

It was lovely to meet some new people. Twirlie bird, Stokebloke, Rocky, and Val

Twirlie bird - you are a lovely dancer. I watched you and Stokebloke dancing together a few times, wow! You guys are great together.

Stokebloke - like I said to you, I wish we had danced before the Sunday afternoon! You are a lovely lead, and great fun! Was very impressed with the WCS that you knew too... I've only had one class in WCS, so I apologise for that dance! It was fun, though! We had a few really good dances, thankyou.

Rocky - what can I say? I very much enjoyed our dances over the weekend... One particular dance we had on Sunday afternoon, I can quite safely say I was caught in the moment. Gutted that you don't live up here! You're such a lovely dancer.

Val - you're lovely! Such a lovely dancer too.

It was great to meet you all! I hope we meet again soon!

Filthy Monkey - I enjoyed our dances over the weekend It was lovely to see you again. I was very disappointed that you didn't wear your tux, though! You did have a bit of competition over the weekend, regarding who was the filthiest! I never thought I would say that!

Just a little mention for The Tramp too - I was disappointed you didn't get to dance too much on Friday night. I hope your leg gets better soon!

A huge thanks to Franck and Sheena, for another very well organised and fab weekend! You guys are great.

To finish, can I just say a huge thanks to all of my friends. The weekend wouldn't have been the same without you.

LuLu Baby x

[LuLu Baby]

Lulu Baby, you were stonkingly hot, as always, this weekend and I loved dancing with you, even though I did have to work doubley hard to prise Rocky off of you

Thanks! I loved dancing with you too That Rocky is a bad influence on me!

[Little Monkey]

I had such a fantastic night on Saturday! The music wasn't really what I was hoping for, and we had a bit of a sulk in our corner when it was past midnight and there was still no hot and steamy blues, so we Sent Twirly to complain. Saying that, there was a lot of fabulous tracks played all night long, at least enough to make me a Happy Little Monkey! Actually, most of the time I had no idea who was DJing, as I was too busy dancing, but think both Rocky and Tiggerbabe were manning the decks at various points throughout the evening. Thanks, guys!

My 'find' this weekend was Mr Filthy Monkey, who was a very bad influence on innocent little me on the dance floor. I did try to tell him I'm shy, but for some reason he didn't believe me! The naughty boy also made a grab for my boob (but I retaliated!), and later proceeded to undress me on the dance floor. I am obviously completely shocked and disgusted.

ClaireS and Monty also seem to have a bad influence on me - mostly off the dance floor!

Finally - soooooooo nice to see Villemo at her first ever dance party. Oh how we reminisced about the good old times of dancing in Oslo..... Gosh, we're getting old!

[Twirlie Bird]

I had such a fantastic night on Saturday! The music wasn't really what I was hoping for, and we had a bit of a sulk in our corner when it was past midnight and there was still no hot and steamy blues, so we Sent Twirly to complain.

Well I didn't really complain. I just explained to Sheena that if we didn't get our quota of promised blues we would be barricading the door and holding her hostage.

My 'find' this weekend was Mr Filthy Monkey, who was a very bad influence on innocent little me on the dance floor. I did try to tell him I'm shy, but for some reason he didn't believe me! The naughty boy also made a grab for my boob (but I retaliated!), and later proceeded to undress me on the dance floor. I am obviously completely shocked and disgusted.

Think yourself lucky that you went home with all of the underwear that you arrived in. Poor Alex wasn't that lucky. Have to thank Filthy Monkey though for considering my long drive home and not giving me cause to chaff!

[Little Monkey]

Well I didn't really complain. I just explained to Sheena that if we didn't get our quota of promised blues we would be barricading the door and holding her hostage.

Aha, that's probably why she played 10 minutes extra, then! I like your style.

Think yourself lucky that you went home with all of the underwear that you arrived in. Poor Alex wasn't that lucky. Have to thank Filthy Monkey though for considering my long drive home and not giving me cause to chaff!

[Filthy Monkey]

Have to thank Filthy Monkey though for considering my long drive home and not giving me cause to chaff!

Ever the gentleman, that's me!

[Georgious dancer]

Ever the gentleman, that's me!

Gentleman?!? I just don't think you were brave enough to take on the lovely TB she would most certainly have won!

[Little Monkey]

Ever the gentleman, that's me!

Must resist.....
Must resist.....
Must resist.....
Must resist.....
Must resist.....
Must resist.....

....
....
...
..
.

[Twirlie Bird]

Some may think that Stokie and I are crazy to drive all the way to Edinburgh to attend three freestyles but it kept within my ruling and it was totally worth every one of those long miles.

Friday
Having arrived very late we walked into a rather quiet venue. Brilliant music was playing and we started dancing straight away. From that first track onwards it was so difficult to leave the dance floor. Trampy and Rocky were playing amazing stuff. So chilled and that combined with the Scottish dancers made for a fabulous night. Every single dancer had their own style. There wasn't even a hint of a bounce to be felt anywhere. The fact that it was quiet was a bonus. It meant you could get lots of dances with everyone. The way everyone danced was a real credit to Franck, Sheena and their team of teachers.

Saturday
Saturday was an event for everyone. The music was up tempo but this wasn't a bad thing. There were no safe ceroc classics. Sheena and Rocky played sublime up tempo stuff. Well except for Rocky's blast from the past! The last hour was incredibly memorable. Sheena was awesome. Stunning track after stunning track. It left me aching for more.

Sunday
As we walked into the venue it was a picture. The music was chilled and the lighting was perfect. The venue quickly filled up and there was a real buzz to the place. Yummy cakes and tea and coffee. Sheena's tea dance was exactly what tea dances should be.

My Highs
The music. Would have been nice to hear more from Trampy but Sheena and Rocky – what a combination.
My dance with Franck. What a way to start the weekend.
Lots of dances with Rocky
Meeting the scottish dancers. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.
Those healthy yogart cake things!
Deep fried pizza on the way home.

My Lows
Franck having to leave early.
Trampy not coming back for Saturday and Sunday

Special Thanks
Filthy Monkey. You are a star. A huge thank you for opening your house to us and making us feel so very welcome. You were the perfect host.

Franck & Sheena. You guys were the perfect hosts for the whole weekend. All the little touches had been thought about and were really appreciated . The whole atmosphere all weekend was something very special and this was thanks to you guys. Next time you are having a weekender we definitely hope to be there. We are already planning Hogmany.

Rocky & Val. Two very special people. Thank you for your hospitality.

Stokie. Simply thank you for everything.

[Lost Leader]

It sounds like a truly great week-end. I just wish I'd been there .

[Twirlie Bird]

It sounds like a truly great week-end. I just wish I'd been there .

You and yours would have loved it. Next time there is something special happening in Scotland you really should try to get up there. It will be worth it.

On the way home Stokie and I were talking about stand out dances. What dawned on us was pretty much every dance was a stand out dance. The quality of those dancers were incredible.

I just want to go back and dance some more.

[Aleks]

Think yourself lucky that you went home with all of the underwear that you arrived in. Poor Alex wasn't that lucky. Have to thank Filthy Monkey though for considering my long drive home and not giving me cause to chaff!

Not true!
I did take it all home....in my bag.

[Filthy Monkey]

Aleks, you are a filthy trollop and I was appalled by your behaviour on the dance floor!!

When can I see you again?

[Rocky]

Thanks to everyone for making our trip to Edinburgh truly sensational. Great company, great music and great dances - even the weather was fab! Hope to see many of you again soon at Breeze and/or Bliss.

David & Val. xx