Just because they have been dancing for over 6 weeks doesn't mean they can't benefit from doing a beginners' class.some nights it's difficult to justify running a beginners lesson as everyone has been dancing more than 6 weeks!
You know where you are with cake.
We think cake is very important and have a Sunday freestyle where we give free entry to anyone who brings a home-made cake. This saves £5, but it must be home-made. Over the years we've had a few people buy a cake at a corner shop on the way to the night - these cakes cost about £1. We let them do it once but always repeat that a cake MUST be home-made as the personal touch contains at least £4 worth of love
Last night we had 2 cakes and one lady made a bowl of cream meringues. Sometimes we can have as many as 8 cakes and assorted other baking. All varying in quality from fantastic to slightly burnt around the edges - you don't get those crispy, caramelised edges in the shops. One guy has taken up baking just for us and spends Sunday afternoons "experimenting" - sometimes he tastes his cake after he arrives and then pays his £5 because he doesn't think his cake is worth it!
To get back on-topic, we're still not seeing many new dancers compared to 6 months ago. Existing dancers seem to be keen and keeping the nights lively. However, some nights it's difficult to justify running a beginners lesson as everyone has been dancing more than 6 weeks!
Last edited by Andy McGregor; 20th-June-2011 at 09:32 AM.
Just because they have been dancing for over 6 weeks doesn't mean they can't benefit from doing a beginners' class.some nights it's difficult to justify running a beginners lesson as everyone has been dancing more than 6 weeks!
Your absolutely right, but the good freestyles that were busy five years ago, are still busy today. New ones that have come in and reached the standard of those top freestyles have also sold out. Interestingly, the always sold out freestyles include Blusey type freestyles, Utopia twisted style freestyles, standard freestyles and the older/more R&Roll type freestyles you mention. There are enough dancers with different tastes to support all those different types of freestyles. Truthfully, there has been enough dancers for probably over a decade, but until Ceroc entered the marketplace, it was a virtual monopoly with no pressure to change. Now there is large amount of competition, standards have risen all over, and choice has widened. (None of those 8-12pm rip-off £10 freestyles down here yet either ).
I can't speak for lesson nights, and there might have been a marginal drop off at the crappier freestyles, but the top freestyles are all as sold out as they have always been. Demand still outstrips supply for the good freestyles, that why there are so many new organisations looking to get a slice of the pie down here.
A lot of it is due to Ceroc entering the marketplace, but MJ/Blues-wise things have improved a lot recently here (and they have always been pretty good ). This weekend, eight freestyles within 45 minutes of me, at least 3 will be sold out at 200+ dancers. 1 Blues freestyle, 2 Twisted style freestyles, 2 older style MJ music, 1 themed, 2 bog-standard Ceroc/MJ. Can't complain to much .
Last edited by TA Guy; 20th-June-2011 at 12:59 PM.
One of these days I'll have to see what a review class (or "practice session") is like...
We always get kicked out of Berko tango by the review class. I may sit it out and watch for a while next time...
Play tango music
No, it's simply that they need the hall, so the AT session at Berko has to finish for that practice class.
Admittedly, it can be occasionally irritating - when there are 2 dozen AT dancers and half-a-dozen beginners for example - but that's the way it goes. It's like the complaint about large-attendance Camber freestyles finishing early to make way for small-attendance classes.
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