Sounds good for next year, if my WCS is up to it by then.
I've started to recover from the weekend now so thought I'd post my review.
I'm hoping the few WCSers that are on the forum will post theirs too.
Hotel - Fabulous, what you would expect from a 4 star hotel. The staff were great too. The breakfast times had been changed for the dancers staying in the hotel to 9-11am to accommodate for our late nights. (They still opened for the other guests in the hotel at about 6.30am) Yet some people still didn't turn up until 11.30-11.45 and the staff didn't complain or turn them away.
Dancefloors - The best I have ever danced on in 15 years! There was one small one in the bar area and the main room one. Both supplied by Pedro who was at the event the whole time and I saw him checking them regularly. I have danced on his floors before at Midlands Swing and Skegness but this was the first time for a whole weekend. I usually end up with aches and pains from dancing all weekend and especially a particular knee problem when WCSing, but the floors were so perfect I didn't have any at all!
Organisation - Spot on. All workshops, competitions etc seemed to happen at the planned times. The competitions didn't take up too much time, which was a concern of mine as i'm not into competing.
The teachers - Oh My God! I watched some jawdropping dancing from the Allstars during the social dancing. They were all out there on the social floor dancing with everyone and giving us plenty of entertainment when dancing with each other. The idea of having 12 'not quite so famous' dancers, instead of one 'top named' couple, worked brilliantly. It meant that most people got to dance with some, if not all of them. They were very approachable and great fun.
The Cabaret - This was actually 6 cabarets! Amy and Peter, Lee and Fabienne, Paul and Cat, Brennar and Torri were the 'official' Saturday night Cabarets but it was Maxence's birthday, so they called him out to receive a cake and then the Pros gave him a birthday dance. This was really entertaining especially when all the 'boys' decided to dance with him. Sunday night there was the 6th cabaret, a group dance from all the teachers, again superb.
Torri and Brennar were absolutely amazing and made a massive impression on me, I can't believe she's only 17!!
Workshops - I went to 3 on Saturday and enjoyed the ladies styling one in particular. Jill Demarco was a great teacher and made it fun. Nicholas King's 'Groovin' was worth going to just to see the men trying to look as cool as he did Chuck Brown's 'Length and Width variations' I went to because of the title Sunday I slept!
Small niggles - The event was damn near perfect but I need to give balanced feedback. The heat, the hotel was far too hot, this was OK in the bedrooms as you had your own thermostat, so you could adjust your room temperature as you pleased. But it did make the dance venues too hot, although on Sunday night I was cold because I wasn't dancing as much, due to feeling ill, so maybe they had done something about it or it was just because I was unwell.
I didn't enjoy the Friday night music in the main room as much but Saturday and Sunday it was good.
The lighting was too bright as the main lights couldn't be dimmed, it was either on or off. I would suggest bringing in lighting next year to create an instant atmosphere.
The food (buffet) was lovely but it seemed that if you went in early it was lukewarm, but as it was replenished the food was hot.
Drinks were expensive, £6.80 for a large glass of wine, but this was expected in a 4 star hotel.
Me getting a lurgy on Sunday, can't exactly blame that on the organisers though
There were feedback forms given to all the dancers to fill in too, so any small niggles will hopefully be sorted for next year.
All in all, after worrying about doing a whole weekend of WCS, especially as I hadn't been since about July, it was a pleasant surprise to have such a fantastic time. Looking forward to next years!
Sounds good for next year, if my WCS is up to it by then.
Wow, wow, wow!!!
Hotel - The hotel was fab - food was really nice (although I would've like cheesecake or profiteroles as pudding haha). The staff were really friendly and fab; there was one chap called Brian who opened the room for my private with Paul. He got chatting to us at the start and then would have a chat with me whenever he saw me. He seemed to be loving having the dancers take over the hotel.
Dancefloors - I initially struggled with the floor as I had loads of crap on my shoes and found it quite slippery. However, after I'd scraped them and got used to the floors, I LOVED them. Pedro who sorted them out was a real fun character - I sat and watched his line dance class and it was hilarious, I've never seen one man have sooooooo much energy!
Organisation - Spot on.
The teachers and workshops - I agree with Cruella - they were FABULOUS!!! It was lovely to have so many All Stars over with us, they threw themselves into the weekend completely and everyone I know who got to dance with any of them were raving about them. Brennar and Torri are true, true stars - their spin like a pro class was fantastic. Brennar organised the rotation brilliantly, got the class to sit down when necessary so all could see, Brennar and Torri's banter with each other was soooo funny and, boy, can they both spin! Maxence's Rock n Go class - the hot, french dude is right, it does feel amazing Maxence does indeed "make sense". Jill DeMarco's ladies style class was really useful and good fun - and this lady is INCREDIBLE to watch freestyling and she had both the pros and the punters fighting to dance with her I really enjoyed Nicholas King's Groovin class and his support to Yenni's fab Smooth and Cool class...Nicholas should do voice-over work, he'd be great on the M&S food ad! John Kirkconnell's "creepy stalker" Step on the Gas, Step on the Brakes class was good fun too. John also gave me the two best dances of my life - his lead was incredible, the dance was so smooth and connected everything but him and the song disappeared . All the women I spoke to said the same of their dances with him.
The Cabaret - We were really spoilt with the cabarets and it's going to make one heck of a DVD. We got a pro invitational jack n jill demo on the Fri, loads of routines on the Sat and the fab birthday dance for Maxence, then we also got a team performance on the Sun. To be honest whenever the pros were dancing - especially with each other - it was just AWESOME to watch. Brennar in particular seems to have dance in his blood - and some of the moves he was pulling out were incredible, I'm suprised he didn't break his feet and his knees!
Small niggles - Again, I agree with Cruella - this event was near perfect and it is definitely the best dance event I have ever attended. Minor downsides for me were the heat in the hotel, the spa not quite living up to expectations, lack of cheesecake, the slight divide I felt on the Sat night (it just seemed that everyone gravitated over to the darker side of the hall near the decks and the pros and didn't dare cross back over to dance with anyone on the other lighter side of the hall - it didn't last too long though and I felt no divide at all at any other point throughout the weekend). Also the drunk non-dancer who plonked himself down next to me and wouldn't leave (although that was also a plus as I had Maxence who was djing looking out for me and after he could see I'd had enough he sent Brennar over to rescue me two lovely gentleman!)
All in all it was a FANTASTIC weekend, brilliantly organised and I believe everyone had a blast. I've never seen so many smiling, friendly faces. The visiting French crowd were really lovely. The pros were phenomenal and I got to dance with Brennar, Maxence, John and Nicholas. I can't wait for the next Swingvitational and hope to see the All Stars back with us for it!
Last edited by jive-vee; 25th-November-2009 at 09:50 PM.
He is a God! He didn't stand out to the observer, like Maxence and Brennar, but Oh my God what a feeling! I've never experienced a connection like that before from any other dancer and all the women I spoke to also said the same.
I managed to dance with Brennar, Maxence, John, Nicholas, and Edwin, the only one I missed was Chuck, but TBH I wasn't so keen on asking, he had a bit of an air of arrogance about him whereas the rest were so friendly.
Yep, everyone who danced with John went to heaven and back - I definitely want more with him! I didn't dance with Edwin as I didn't really fancy dancing with him...not sure why that was. I quite fancied a dance with Chuck but, like you, was a bit wary of asking him...found out later than apparently he was recovering from bronchitus or something so I think that might explain why he didn't seem as friendly as the rest of them.
100% agree!! He was incredible.
I agree with Cruella and Jive-vee's comments . Very little else to say.
My best weekender experience yet.
Having more of the lesser well known pros seemed to work really well. They were so generous and danced with all who asked and often asked themselves. One could argue they were paid to, but I feel they did more than was expected of them. Some seemed to throw themselves into it more than others.
An exceptionally well organised event in a great hotel, ok food, fabulous music, excellent pros, completely breathtaking cabaret performances, excellent floors, fun comps, and, was excellent value for money.
There was a screen outside the main room continually showing dvds of past events. Events going back to the 80s up to the present day. A nice touch and seemed to always have a crowd around discussing what was being screened.
I particularly liked the ambience in the early hours in the smaller bar area and particularly enjoyed an extended set by Bill - a guest DJ on Sat eve/Sun morning.
Small niggles for me were lighting issues in main room- too light, occasional issues with sound system, wet dance shoes from water container leakage which I forgot to mention on the feedback form. Otherwise near perfect.
Have already booked for next year and cannot wait!!!
I can't find any videos on youtube that do any of them justice compared to some of the dancing I saw last weekend. Wish I'd recorded it myself now! There was one particular track played about 5am Saturday morning where the 4 guys were passing Torri between them, she didn't even look out of breath!
Sounds like the new year could be a great challenge for me and scarface. I love WCS and am sad that we are unable to get to any classes at the moment but i think, if these are the sort of events coming up next year, may have to journey to docklands as we know a sexy little WCS teacher there who im sure can get us kicked into at least being able to do the basics.
Looks like you all had a great time. Fingers crossed, we will see you at the next one.
Can somebody give me the link or send it to me on facebook so i can keep up to date with dates etc.
thanks xxx
Just found this on youtube - sorry if it's already been posted
I went as a customer and its the first event I've been to where I'm not working for ages, it was weird not having to do anything!
Anyway, just to say it was great, it felt a lot like being at an American event, what with so many Americans there, the way they filmed the DVD straight after the class in the same room, the professional dance floor, the up-market hotel etc.
I thought it was the best cabaret I've seen in the Uk, and several people agreed. The overall entertainment and consistent brilliance were amazing, it felt like watching a show and the audience were so into it!
Having several pros was a brilliant idea - for those of us who don't get to go to US events it means you meet a variety of the people who dance out there, you see them dancing with each other, with that many on the floor the whole atmosphere changes, and pretty much everyone that wanted to 'dance with a pro' did.
I agree it was a little warm at times, but that seemed to be sorted by day two, and disagree that it was too light. I hate darker venues, I like to see where I am and who I'm dancing with, and don't think 'make everything a bit hard to see' equals atmosphere, I hope it doesn't get darker.
Anyway, I had made other plans and left before Sunday night, which I regret and won't do next year! If you're into WCS at all you would be crazy to miss this event since its as close as you can get to going to a US event without leaving the Island.
I'm a bit late logging back onto the forums as I only got back to Glasgow on Tuesday... I haven't done a review for ages, here's my take. I'm probably repeating some of what Cruella, jive-vee, and Dottie have already posted, oh well...
Venue - Very good accommodation, facilities, and food service, as per 4-star hotel rating. A good thing was not only the 9-11am breakfast time, but for those who stayed up right to the end (like I did) at 6.30AM, breakfast was ready
Dancefloors - Excellent. The Pro floors were installed very well in both the main Suite room and the smaller Lounge Bar area, there were no seams/gaps that caused shoe heels to get caught on, AFAIK.
Organisation - Well managed by Cat, particularly when it came to announcements and of course the competitions. Workshops were pretty much on time, albeit the usual rush at the end to wrap everything given how much the teachers were trying to get across to the workshop attendees, but that's nothing new really.
The teachers - I was lucky enough to have seen and met most of the All-Stars at last month's Boogie by the Bay event in California, albeit in the big crowd atmosphere present (due to the big comps and very crowded social dancing). So for me, to see them up close this time round in their capacity as teachers/social dancers/cabaret performers, that was fantastic!
And as Cruella and jive-vee have and all other attendees can readily attest to, watching the All-Stars social dance is just amazing to watch, a real pleasure - both of the jaw-dropping wow-factor kind, and the genuinely laugh out loud kind, with some of their unbelievably entertaining freestyle dancing. Most of them were dancing with people and fellow All-Stars - and with such energy, and a sense of fun; combined with their awesome dance skills and repertoire, they never failed to entertain and wow their audience - e.g. Torri being led by 4-5 All-Stars throughout a song, all the All-Star boys taking turns doing the following (even Nicholas King!), double troubles, and many more
And not least of all, the All-Stars were quite approachable and very friendly - the big selling point of the weekender for me really. I got to dance with most of the All-Star ladies, which was at times a bit intimidating, but also quite rewarding too. Courtney Adair, she's such a gorgeous dancer, its like watching a glamorous model dance WCS! Jill DeMarco, wow she's just a musically-attuned ever-smiling and laughing bundle of dance energy, and Wendy Miller she's great to watch and learn from, and she even asked *me* for a couple of dances and complimented me about my social dancing!
And to even things out a bit, all the All-Star fellas are good fun to hang out with, very approachable and friendly.
Music - Pretty good overall, there were inevitably a few tracks here and there that didn't click for me, but that's normal. I would say that DJ Piddy's sets were excellent - its a real shame she felt ill and had to head home early.
Cabarets - Cruella summed it up nicely regarding the cabarets. While they were all great to watch, I will reserve special mention for Brennar & Torri - to be the first to witness Brennar & Torri's BRAND-NEW routine (i.e. its not on Youtube) that they will use to compete in this weekend's US Open, felt like a real privilege to watch. It was THAT awesome - I'd be shocked if they don't win the category come the US Open and beyond.
Workshops - I went to almost all of them(!), although I did miss out on Wendy Miller's Movement workshop, Stacy Chiang's Swango Mango, and Chuck Brown's Length & Width Variations. All the teachers had a great sense of humour that they brought into their teaching style, good-natured banter between themselves and their demo partners. I liked all of them, but I especially liked Maxence's Rock & Go workshop, such a funny guy to watch given his enthusiasm and sense of humour, and John Kirkconnell's as well, very instructive on change-ups in speed.
Small niggles - Cruella and jive-vee touched on the only few negatives I could notice about the event: the heat during the evening social dancing was quite high due to the sizeable number of people on the floor during social dancing and the competitions. Ironically, and funnily enough it got rather cold in the wee hours - Monday morning dancing til 6.30AM anyone? Ideally, fans should've been installed (I don't know if the main room had a thermostat). The main room was surrounded by corridors, so there were no windows or doors that opened out to open air, for cooling purposes.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the water dispenser having a big wet spot on the carpet, making suede shoes susceptible to getting wet. Water dispenser itself was a bit weak in dispensing water (filling a cup felt like it took minutes!), although this was offset slightly by the staff bringing out some pitchers of water, but never enough for warmed up dancers.
Can't think of anything else at this point, apart from occasional sound system issues as Dottie pointed out. Maybe some of the music tracks at different times on Fri and Sun night was a bit 'meh', but that's hardly new at dance weekenders.
Final Thoughts - It was a well-run and excellent event by Paul & Cat, it was fantastic that they'd brought over their All-Star colleagues as they did, the intentions for prioritising the social dancing with pros came through really well.
On a somewhat personal note, I've spoken to quite a few individuals who baulked at coming to the Swingvitational due to the price. As skint as I am these days, I wanted to go partly because of the All-Stars that I met and watched at Boogie by the Bay, and also because I'm not sure I could attend Swingvitational again this time next year. So I came on down thinking this is my first and last shot at it.
And given the awesome fun times I had during the event, I can honestly say that I'm really glad I came down - even if I am now more skint than I was before coming down to London.
The Swingvitational was an excellent WCS weekender, the best of its kind I've attended here in my time in the UK thus far. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a serious shot in the arm in terms of WCS dancing, learning it from the pros and social dancing, and being amongst a friendly and sociable WCS crowd.
I didn't get to personally catch up with a few people on the Monday morning as people checked out at different times - but:
- Cruella - thanks for the dances, I especially had great fun with our dance to Charlie wilson's Let It Out
- jive-vee - I'm glad to see you had so much fun out there - especially after how nervous you seemed to be leading up to the event. Oh and thanks for our dances!
- Dottie - it was great to catch up with you again, thanks for the dances, and well done on getting to the JnJ final!
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