...great to see some old dance acquaintances again (Gee) & thanks to Sharon Li & Happy B for asking me, always been there for me since I've started dancing again.
Thought Kayleigh sang well too.
G
Agreed, Daventry was yet again a very good night - as has become the norm for these events.
This one had a slightly lower attendance than average, but there were still plenty of very good dancers and more space to enjoy them.
I'd had a busy day and expected to be rather tired and jaded, but found myself dancing more or less continuously from 8:30pm until 2:00am.
Lots of good dances and several "wow!" ones - went to bed very tired but very happy
...great to see some old dance acquaintances again (Gee) & thanks to Sharon Li & Happy B for asking me, always been there for me since I've started dancing again.
Thought Kayleigh sang well too.
G
Good
* Great music from Marc and Rachel, I don't recall a track I didn't like
* Decent floor
* A lot of enjoyable dances, WCS and MJ and some unfamiliar partners
* Numbers down on March so not as overcrowded after the 1 am Main room exodus
* David & Lily Barker cabaret
Bad
* It's a l-o-n-g way home at 3 in the morning
Arrived about 11pm after being to a wedding reception.
Didn't go into the main room at all, so don't know what that was like. Spent all our time in the 'Blues' room.
As has been said, didn't seem as many people, which was actually really pleasant as there was space on the dance floor for a change, even after the 1.00am 'watershed'.
Lots of excellent dancers, which is always the case at Daventry, and makes the evening so worthwhile. Thanks to everyone who I danced with...
On the music front, whilst enjoying the evening overall, I personally found there to be a little too much WCS/R&B-style.... which IMHO can tend to 'plod' a little. Fine if you like that sort of thing (and I recognise the growing demand for it), but I think there are still many folks like myself who like pure Blues.... Latin... and slower music with a wide dynamic range, intensity and passion in it. With the quality of dancers present in a Daventry Blues room I would enjoy a few more tracks that challenged and stretched.
We hardly had any petrol in the car when we arrived as all the garages were shut on the way! We didn't know whether we could actually make it back home, or to an open garage. Massive thanks and appreciation to Ken, Carella, Mark and Rachel for their concern and suggestions as to how to sort the problem! We got back OK!
Glad you got home safely!
Thanks for your feedback - I do appreciate it and, to be honest, can empathise, since slow blues and latin is my favourite as well. However, it was simply the case that the slow, more traditional blues & swing that we played (even the tango when we noticed a few tango dancers in the room) didn't get the same response as the r'n'b & funkier tunes. So the majority ended up determining the music ...On the music front, whilst enjoying the evening overall, I personally found there to be a little too much WCS/R&B-style.... which IMHO can tend to 'plod' a little. Fine if you like that sort of thing (and I recognise the growing demand for it), but I think there are still many folks like myself who like pure Blues.... Latin... and slower music with a wide dynamic range, intensity and passion in it.
We certainly did slip in some slower & bluesier tracks - earlier in the evening (perhaps too early?), a bit later on, and during the showcase when I figured there would be more 'hard-core' dancers in the blues room. But, overall, the dancers were showing an obvious preference.
Just a thought though - personally I think that a lot of the r'n'b & slow funk tracks are a lot harder to dance to well, and certainly challenging and stretching enough for the very best of dancers. I can't do it justice, anyway!! The tempos ranged from 94 to 122 bpm, too, and with even with strong beats, there's so much more to it than a 'plod'. Perhaps it's just me, but I think blues is so much easier - it almost writes the script for you do dance to IMO ...With the quality of dancers present in a Daventry Blues room I would enjoy a few more tracks that challenged and stretched.
Rachel
Thanks for taking the trouble to reply, Rachel. Much appreciated.
I think it's self-fulfilling.... if people feel that the 'Blues' room is actually becoming more a Funk/R&B/WCS-style room (and that seems to have been the case in a lot of 'Blues' rooms sets I've attended recently) then it will inevitably attract more dancers of that style who rave about it, and less of the other who don't. So the majority will continue to win..... and the minority lose.... and even stop going, as we have started to do for some venues where the majority have won almost all night. Anyway, I was just expressing my opinion....
I don't think I agree... I find them often lacking in passion and dynamic.... but if you're right, then I'm happy to stick to being an average dancer who likes dancing to 'easier' music......
Yes, I do think you're right there and it's got to be a fine balancing act. Personally, I wouldn't want Daventry's second room to become known as a 'wcs' or r'n'b' room. But I think it's a very unusual event, since it can never be pre-determined what people will want. Last time, for example, I played a lot more slow blues numbers, right from the start of the evening and they seemed to be favoured. Previously, we've had huge demands for traditional swing music. Hopefully, it will never become a one-dimensional venue with true blues dancers feeling isolated.
When you say 'the majority will continue to win' I think you're correct, but I also don't think it's my place to say that I won't mostly play what most of them want. It's difficult. Perhaps I do just need to remember to mix it up more and not just go for the 'easy' floor-filling options.
You will never be that!! You know, I think we are actually coming from the same place. Maybe I phrased it wrong, but I do think blues almost tells you what to do i.e. you hear the first few chords and the mood is immediately revealed and a whole sequence of choreography appears in your head.
I have to admit it wasn't long ago that I thought a lot of r'n'b music was 'plodding' as you describe. And it's still not generally music that I would listen to at home or in the car. But it was only from watching wcs and very good modern jivers dance to it that I realised how much more there is to this music - once you get past the over-riding beats. There is often still so much to interpret and be inspired by.
This may not be what you were thinking when you mentioned 'wcs' music, but look at 'The Reverend' (!) Al Green who I played on Saturday. I consider a lot of his music 'wcs' tracks, but you could never say he was lacking in passion, emotion and dynamism.
Anyway, it's good to hear different opinions - thanks for that. And I'm pleased that there are different preferences and trends. That, IMO, is what keeps this scene so vibrant and & interesting.
Rachel x
MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
"If you're going to do something tonight, that you know you'll be sorry for in the morning, plan a lie in." Lorraine
Shortly after the cabaret (I think) but probably before 11, I know Rachel played "Will You" by Hazel O'Connor which I have never heard her play before but I know is a favourite of CJ's and I absolutely love to dance to. Unfortunately I didn't get to dance to it as it was half way through when I came back from a dance in the main room and the one available man left didn't want to ! Apart from missing that track I pretty much liked most of the music in the "Blues" room. Although I have to admit that I was admiring non-professional WCS for perhaps the first time (RobD + partner ). I only left the Blues room when I couldn't find a man to dance with as this seems easier in the main room but I thought the music was pretty wide ranging over the whole evening. Admittedly I did feel a bit uninspired towards the end but I think that may have been more about me (and a stupid accident) than the music.
Thanks to everyone I did dance with, especially the velvety smooth Steven666 who never says no!
Personally I thought the music was great and danced in both rooms all night, you just cant beat that.
DTS XXX XXX
You say that like you've never seen my pants before? Think most of Daventry saw them that night, dress was distinctly more swirly than when I spun myself in the shop (an essential part of the is this good for dancing test)
Had a fab time, loved the music and had lots of stunning dances (once I came to terms with the fact I could do nothing about my dress) and it was nice to catch up with some faces I've not seen since Southport / Skeggy x
It looks like the photos from Daventry have just gone online...
http://www.cerocpix.com/index.php?ca...009-07&start=0
Love dance, will travel
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