A late review.
Metropolis was a very different weekend for me as I usually go as a dancer and this time I was teaching AND dancing!
The Good
The venue...! Huge, luxurious, and a good fit for the event. This felt like a weekender for grown-ups to me. I was able to dance my little heart out until the early hours, and then head back to the luxury of my room - still wearing my dance shoes and without having to bundle up into a coat.
Breakfast was a dignified affair and a great time to catch up with people, and because it was informal, you could share a table with whoever you wanted - meaning breakfast lasted til lunchtime for me, cos we never stopped talking! Huge thanks to Underpar for the heads up on the waffles and maple syrup...
Dressing up a little for dinner felt great, and a glass (or two) of fine wine with friends made for a long, lazy evening. I had a scary moment with some tuna that hadn't seen the inside of an oven - but loved the fact that the chef encouraged me to try EVERYTHING on offer at the carvery! (Didn't make for lightness of foot later though!)
Floors - perfect! Didn't feel the strain on my knees or ankles all weekend, which is a huge plus in my book.
Blues room - I had a brilliant time in there, but it didn't feel as 'bluesy' as I would want it to. There were issues with the lights, and a valiant attempt was made to solve the problem. Unfortunately there were light switches on the walls, and a few times people leant against them accidently - changing the mood in an instant! The lighting definitely needs tweaking, and I should imagine that is high on the agenda for next time. A few fans in there wouldn't go amiss either.
DJ's - So many of my favourite DJ's all gathered together playing set after set of fantastic music, I couldn't fail to have a good time! The new faces were a welcome addition to the Jive Addiction team, establishing themselves as 'mustn't miss' DJ's instantly!
Dancers - Wow! Placed in the middle-ish of the country, this attracted dancers from north, south, east and west. Masses of my 'favourites' and some fab new discoveries! Was great to see JohnAH having great fun on the dance-floor and I also had some especially fun dances with Mr Underpar, PM, Passion Harem and Dance Demon. As well as some 'proper' dances with lots of awesome leads, thanks everyone, I loved it!
The Bad
Gender Balance - there did seem to be a problem with gender balancing, but I only noticed it particularly during classes. There is a tendency at these events for ladies to be keen to do classes and guys to be keen to let them. Is there any way a system can be encouraged whereby guys start to see classes as a way of ensuring everyone gets out of the weekend what they would like to? Maybe the guys might not NEED the class, but perhaps they could WANT to do a couple because they know it would be a big help for the ladies? I don't know how to solve the problem, and it seems to be one faced by almost every event.
During freestyle time the gender balance didn't bother me, but that's because I was able to get the opportunity to practise my lead on poor unsuspecting ladies! Special thanks to Essie, Tessalicious, Mariane, Sharon, Rosie, Trouble, Janet F, Janet R, Linda, Evie, Candi and the ladies whose names I don't know for coping so valiantly!
The Ugly
The journey from hell to get there! Someone thought it was cool to close the A1 and I got caught in the mother of all tailbacks! Eventually I gave up, went home to calm down and set out again later. Arriving at 1am - we still managed to get some fantastic freestyle until 5.30am.
A migraine wiped me out throughout Saturday afternoon/evening and I didn't dare venture downstairs until the early hours - and then my balance was so off!
Overall, I think this weekender is going to grow and grow. It needs to raise the profile of its afternoon freestyle as many people didn't know it was on and the poor DJ's who got those slots had a very hard time. Maybe a coffee bar in the Blues room during the afternoon serving Tea/coffee/cake? A tea-dance feel would be great. Many people were congregating in the bar having coffee at that time, so shifting the focus downstairs might help. Afternoon dancing is usually the best part of a weekender for me - and although it was available in theory, it never really took off in practicality.
If you're looking for a weekender, for grown-ups, with an emphasis on fantastic music by amazing DJ's, therefore attracting the dancers who just live for the dance - this might just be your thing!
Oh - Apparently there was a main room too...
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