Metropolis - The Aftermath Jan 2011

[Double Trouble]

We’re just back from Jive Addiction’s Metropolis in Manchester, gutted that we couldn’t stay til tomorrow, unfortunately work and the kids beckon.

We arrived Friday lunchtime after a very easy journey from North London and headed straight for the bar for Mojito’s and a catch up with Underpar, John & Co. The cocktails at The Palace Hotel are rather delicious, I could have stayed there all afternoon just chatting and drinking, but the sensible person inside me stopped at two drinks and headed off to check in.

Our room was newly decorated, clean, warm with plenty of room and very high ceilings.

We’d opted for the half board option as we really enjoyed the food last year and we weren’t disappointed this year either. The food was really quite fabulous again and the staff friendly, enthusiastic and Mancunian. Nice to hear a regional accent and be able to have a conversation with the waitress rather than the usual you get in big city hotels.

Copper Faced Jacks – The new blues room. So much better than last years Buckingham Suite. Copper Faced Jacks is a dingy bar in the basement of the hotel with lovely wooden floors and had as good an atmosphere as any blues room I’ve been in before. The Buckingham suite here and Jacks in Butlins were just too big to be blues rooms, but CFJ’s was just about perfect. It’s funny how rooms seem to sort themselves out very quickly then stay that was for the whole weekend. It was a bit like Southport in that the teachers and their groupies all hung around the bar and everyone else over by the DJ stand. It seemed to suit everyone well as there was room at the bar for flashy moves and floor hogging away from everyone else. Very civilised, in fact.

The Ballroom – Much the same as last year, great atmosphere, really busy but not over crowded. I stumbled a few times with the uneven floor, but John (who never seems to stop working) spend a lot of the weekend ensuring that the floor was as level as possible.

Classes

We did 4 classes in total;

Six Beat Swing with Adam & Tas – This was a great class which taught six beat lindy moves that you can easily integrate into your modern jive repertoire. Adam and Tas were really lovely. As me and Gav have done plenty of Lindy already Adam and Tas were kind enough to spent 5 minutes with us at the end of the class showing us an 8 count swing-out variation that we hadn’t seen before, we were very happy to get a “bonus move”.

Polishing your Basic’s with Mikey & Heidi – This class took simple basic moves such as First Move, Basket and Catapult and put some user friendly variations in. Mikey’s philosophy on dancing is “Keep it simple but give your basic moves a little je ne sais quoi” and I think he’s spot on. I really enjoyed this class and Mickey is down to earth and very witty. I learnt (re-learnt, actually) so much from this class and really noticed a difference in my freestyle dancing that evening.

Latin Jive with H & Kim – These teachers were new to us and we fancied giving this class a go. Some nice Modern Jive moves with some mambo and cha cha cha’s thrown in. This was my favourite class of the weekend and I’m looking forward to trying these moves out and having something different to do on the dancefloor.

Charleston Stroll with Tas – I thought I might know this one as I have learnt quite a few strolls over the last few years at Lindy events here and there, but this one was new to me – so much fun! Everyone loved it and left the room feeling happy and like they’d had a good workout, perfect to burn off a few of the millions of calories I’ve had over the weekend.

DJ’s

Top DJ of the Weekend award goes to – Pete Flood. His set in the blues room on Saturday night was fabulous! Plenty of soulful and funky tracks, right up my street. Brilliant!

The niggly bits

Gav was ill all weekend and spent most of it sleeping. The silver lining to this was that when he went to bed early on Friday night, I spent a whole 2 hours being asked to dance lots. Men just don’t ask when I’m sitting with Gav, why is that?

The floor in the main room was a bit of a drag, but I didn’t spend much time in there so not a major complaint.

I knew about 10 people out of the hundreds of dancers that were there. I networked a bit and got chatting to a few new folk, but there was a lack of familiar faces. I like to go to weekenders where I know lots of people, I dunno why, it’s just comforting to catch up with weekend acquaintances from weekenders past. Has everyone else defaulted to Southport?

Really glad we went though, we had a lovely relaxing weekend, a bit of dancing, a few lessons, great food and drinks. John, as always, worked tirelessly to ensure everyone had the best weekend possible. It’s not surprising that Hemsbey in June is already sold out & I’m annoyed with myself for not booking earlier. We’re putting ourselves on the reserve list and hoping for a cancellation as we just know we’ll be missing out on something special if we don’t go.

Thanks to John and The Jive Addiction crew for another great weekend.

[Gav]

Six Beat Swing with Adam & Tas – Adam and Tas were kind enough to spent 5 minutes with us at the end of the class showing us an 8 count swing-out variation that we hadn’t seen before, we were very happy to get a “bonus move”.

Hollywood Whip, great move but it's going to take some practise to get it right.

Charleston Stroll with Tas – I thought I might know this one as I have learnt quite a few strolls over the last few years at Lindy events here and there, but this one was new to me – so much fun! Everyone loved it and left the room feeling happy.

Men just don’t ask when I’m sitting with Gav, why is that?

Must be because I'm so scary?

As always, Metropolis is a great weekend. The highlight for me was Adam & Tas . Fun, talented, great teachers and also just a really nice couple of people.

[Lost Leader]

.... Adam & Tas . Fun, talented, great teachers and also just a really nice couple of people.

Totally agree.

Great review there DT - just the sort of detail we crave, thanks.

[cederic]

I did enjoy Metropolis a lot! Lots of excellent dancers at the freestyles, impressive cabarets and the classes were useful, well taught and (for me) challenging.

I'm used to Southport and it's permanent music/freestyle options so it was a surprise that the main rooms were all silent and largely empty between classes. Maybe being hotel based there just isn't the volume of people needed to keep the dancing going but it meant I got more rest and relaxation than I'd feared

The dance floor in the ballroom was awful, but the blues room was (as DT suggests) ideal I'll confess I didn't dare dance there though.

Highlights for me were the raw energy and constant movement of Jessica Cox, the fantastic ladies I danced with and watching Steve and Anna (don't know surnames, sorry) freestyling before one of the classes they gave. The class itself was good but watching them dance was a lesson in itself. Beautiful.

Overall a nice hedonistic weekend of comfort, good food and good dancing.

[Maxine]

I'm used to Southport and it's permanent music/freestyle options so it was a surprise that the main rooms were all silent and largely empty between classes. Maybe being hotel based there just isn't the volume of people needed to keep the dancing going but it meant I got more rest and relaxation than I'd feared

I found the same thing when I went to Lux a couple of years ago and that put me off going as a resident last time. I don’t know though if it was better at this weekend because you were in the middle of Manchester and thus plenty to keep you entertained in the day.

I do really enjoy a bit of daytime dancing though because it feels so decadent.

I must say that DT’s feedback has slightly wet my appetite for next year, may just give it a go

[Gav]

I'm used to Southport and it's permanent music/freestyle options so it was a surprise that the main rooms were all silent and largely empty between classes.

That was one thing that I felt was missing. Whilst I appreciate that the 'off-going' teachers are packing up their gear, answering questions etc and the 'on-coming' teachers are setting up etc; some kind of music playing while they're doing their thing would've been good.

[David Bailey]

Re: daytime dancing:

I found the same thing when I went to Lux a couple of years ago and that put me off going as a resident last time. I don’t know though if it was better at this weekend because you were in the middle of Manchester and thus plenty to keep you entertained in the day.

I do really enjoy a bit of daytime dancing though because it feels so decadent.

I must say that DT’s feedback has slightly wet my appetite for next year, may just give it a go

I know what you mean - residential weekenders don't seem to have the 72-hour-continuous-music thing. Rockbottoms didn't - although, to be fair, the rooms were mainly used for classes anyway, and there were plenty of other things to do in the complex as well. Let's face it, if you're in Pontins with no dancing on, it's not like there's much else going on.

But yes, I think it'd be nice to have a bit more "always music" at residential weekenders, even if it's just for ambience.

[David Bailey]

Classes

We did 4 classes in total;

Another thing I've noticed about hotel-based weekenders is that more people go to classes, and that the classes in general are far better quality, than at the big-scale weekenders. I think this is partially due to size - it's impossible to teach much of a class to 200 people. But I also think that very few beginners tend to go to this type of weekender, so the classes can be a little more technical and (to me) interesting.

Men just don’t ask when I’m sitting with Gav, why is that?

Because you're sitting with another man.

[Double Trouble]

I think it'd be nice to have a bit more "always music" at residential weekenders, even if it's just for ambience.

I agree the one thing that’s missing from Metropolis is a central meeting place where music is played continuously. The bar area would be perfect for that but this would only work if Jive Addiction took over the whole hotel for the weekend and it was closed to muggles. According to the website the hotel has 275, so I don’t think it’s out of the question to do this if the event grows over the next year or 2.

Another thing I've noticed about hotel-based weekenders is that more people go to classes, and that the classes in general are far better quality, than at the big-scale weekenders. I think this is partially due to size - it's impossible to teach much of a class to 200 people. But I also think that very few beginners tend to go to this type of weekender, so the classes can be a little more technical and (to me) interesting.

All 4 classes that we did were in the smaller Buckingham Suite and the most people in any of the classes we did was about 30.

The classes in the ballroom, on the other hand, were similar to the ones you get in the main room at Southport and had 200 + people. We stayed clear of those because we too prefer the personal touch you get in a more intimate class environment. For example, Adam and Tas would not have noticed that me and Gav were “Lindy Hoppers” and offered us an extra move if we had been in a class of 200.

[Trouble]

We didn't enjoy last years one which is why we didn't go this year.

It appears though, looking at the feedback that big improvements have been made.

Will definately look at next year.

thanks guys for feedback.

[Double Trouble]

the blues room was (as DT suggests) ideal I'll confess I didn't dare dance there though.

Why not?

[SnowWhite]

I went to Metropolis with a mixture of feelings...

It has been way too long since my last weekender and I'd kinda got to the point where I couldn't remember what that weekender buzz felt like, so I wasn't sure it could be recaptured...

I have felt a little 'lost' dancewise of late and really needed some time to reconnect with it, intensely. Which meant a lot was riding on the weekend for me, if I couldn't find that 'thing' that I can't describe but seems to put the 'every' into everything, then what next?

Health-wise, I'm less than at my best at the moment and I know I'm not wired in a way that would allow me to just watch and enjoy... If this had been a weekend that involved 'roughing it' I wouldn't have been able to attend. But this was nothing less than luxury - and I so needed that! Most people try and sneak the toiletries home when they leave a place like The Palace... I wanted to take the shower with me. That thing could tear shreds of skin from your body but oh boy did it dig deep into those aching muscles and revive!!! A deep, delicious, ultra-comfortable bed, crisp, clean sheets, big deep pillows and a snuggly duvet... I kept the mini-fridge stocked with sparkly stuff and everything felt perfect!

We got there incredibly late on Friday night/Saturday morning and didn't get in to the Blues room until about 2am... I don't know how to explain the feeling as I walked down the steps into the dingy depths of the Palace Hotel - but all I can say is, it felt like coming home! For me, Copper-faced Jacks is everything a Blues room should be. Small, but in a Tardis kind of way. It stretched to accommodate the masses on Saturday night but didn't feel at all vacuous during the quiet afternoons. The floor was old, slightly gnarled in places, well worn and the perfect pace! The room divided itself up beautifully and as DT remarks, everyone found the place they felt comfortable.

The afternoons/early evenings were my own personal slice of Blues heaven - and I'm really sorry for all those people who couldn't find daytime dancing, CFJ's had it all! Amazing DJs, like-minded people and an easy, cosy, relaxed atmosphere that encouraged experimentation, expression and delight!

I cannot praise the DJs highly enough. Very little repetition, (and I was in there masses of time) a very keen understanding of the floor, enough to challenge the most demanding and plenty to reassure the more nervous dancers. Every DJ brought something new to the party, their own personality was reflected throughout their sets and they each had the confidence to stand by what they do best. (At the last Metropolis I was one of those who felt that at times, the DJs lost the room a little, some seemed nervous, some over-confident, whatever, not always quite hitting the mark for me)

Peter Flood played a set during one afternoon that you should regret for the rest of your lives that you missed!
CJ and Revdrop individually were awesome and when they tagged, lit a spark in the room that brought out the best in everyone.
Becky K played a safe, reassuring set at exactly the right time - lots of main room dancers testing the Blues room water for the first time...
ISmooth took a few chances - and in the main, they paid off! Some really fun, funky tracks in the early hours.
Tessa, Dance Demon, BlueShoes - simply fab!

By the time I dragged myself away in the early hours of Monday morning, my feet were bleeding, my body was broken, my brain was fried and I desperately, desperately did not want it to end...

A very personal review, but for me, Metropolis was simply perfect.

[Double Trouble]

A deep, delicious, ultra-comfortable bed, crisp, clean sheets, big deep pillows and a snuggly duvet.

Ah yes, the bed, I could have stayed there all weekend, in fact, Gav (sick note) did.

Peter Flood played a set during one afternoon that you should regret for the rest of your lives that you missed!

Bugger! I wish I'd heard that set. I'll have to remember next year to venture into the blues room during the afternoon, instead of sleeping. [/QUOTE]

[Rocky]

...CJ and Revdrop individually were awesome and when they tagged, lit a spark in the room that brought out the best in everyone.
Becky K played a safe, reassuring set at exactly the right time - lots of main room dancers testing the Blues room water for the first time...
ISmooth took a few chances - and in the main, they paid off! Some really fun, funky tracks in the early hours.
Tessa, Dance Demon, BlueShoes - simply fab!

Good grief, even I wouldn't so shamelessly promote the DJs that work for me or with me on my own events..

[David Bailey]

Good grief, even I wouldn't so shamelessly promote the DJs that work for me or with me on my own events..

Oh go on, you know you want to.

[Goose]

Good grief, even I wouldn't so shamelessly promote the DJs that work for me or with me on my own events..

OK, but they were seriously good. I think we can forgive this one indiscretion?

[Northants Girly]

Good grief, even I wouldn't so shamelessly promote the DJs that work for me or with me on my own events..

Blimey it looks like I am agreeing with Rocky for once. It's a lovely, well written post and although I appreciate the time taken to write and post it, after looking at an email from Jive Addiction today, one would get the impression that Snowwhite was part of their team.

[frodo]

Another thing I've noticed about hotel-based weekenders is that more people go to classes, and that the classes in general are far better quality, than at the big-scale weekenders. I think this is partially due to size - it's impossible to teach much of a class to 200 people. But I also think that very few beginners tend to go to this type of weekender, so the classes can be a little more technical and (to me) interesting..

A more competitive market may also be a factor, in quality of classes.

[David Bailey]

A more competitive market may also be a factor, in quality of classes.

I don't think so - I think it's simply a function of class size and, frankly, student experience.

If you're teaching to a class of 30 experienced dancers, it's much easier to make the class layered, original and creative, than it is teaching to a class of 200 less-experienced dancers.

E.g. at one class in the Rockbottoms thing in January, Amir had us spend half the class walking up and down the room, with different options to interpret the music. It's difficult to believe that teachers at a Tango class at a large-scale (Ceroc) weekender would ever be able to do that.

Not because Ceroc Teachers Are Rubbish, just because of the class size and composition.

[SnowWhite]

Wrist slapped...

I aimed to give credit where it was due.

Lesson learned...