Fri nights - Kensington (Casbah) - Whats it like? 8)

[marty_baby]

Hiya all,


Long time no Posts! 8)

We will be in London in the next couple of months, we are hoping to do some dancing


Fri nights - Kensington (Casbah) - Whats it like?:
1) Is the Beginners class OK, and is the beginner practice session OK? Some in the group won't have danced at all, and it would be a shame if they are just left to one side etc.
2) Is the dance floor ok? Or is it on Carpet etc?
3) What is the crowd like on a friday night? All oldies (Like me ) or all younsters? Or a balanced mixed? (Our group is mixed.)
4) Is it a nice place or a bit rowdy??
5) RE:Closing time - I read the timings - the place dosen't close by 11pm does it?! Is it just the Ceroc DJ music ends, and the bar goes on?

6) Any other good Central london venues on a Fri/Sat night, for beginners?

Hope you can advise!

Cheers
Martin

[Minnie M]

I'm confused Marty - you are a lovely dancer and definitely not a beginner, or are you introducing a newbie ???

[Maxine]

I can't comment on the classes as the last time I was there was about 4/5 years ago but it did have a good floor. It did finish at 11pm and don't be fooled by the name (as I was) it is actually an youth hostel and the bar is what Ceroc bring in. As it is a class night not a freestyle there will be all the normal beginner classes. Mixed ages but the London crowd tends to have more younger people attending, than say a local venue.

There are lots of freestyles taking place at weekends, so maybe after a few classes your group would feel ok to try them out. Hammersmith, Chiswick and the boat on Sunday afternoon all have fun classes

Where about in London will you be staying and do you have transport, or are you relying on public transport? Would be useful to know.

[FirstMove]

1) Is the Beginners class OK, and is the beginner practice session OK? Some in the group won't have danced at all, and it would be a shame if they are just left to one side etc.

Usual Ceroc beginners' class.

2) Is the dance floor ok? Or is it on Carpet etc?

Solid and usually fast. Not sprung.

3) What is the crowd like on a friday night? All oldies (Like me ) or all younsters? Or a balanced mixed? (Our group is mixed.)

Definitely draws a younger crowd, but they don't seem to mind dancing with more mature people

4) Is it a nice place or a bit rowdy??

Standard Ceroc venue, posh location.

5) RE:Closing time - I read the timings - the place dosen't close by 11pm does it?! Is it just the Ceroc DJ music ends, and the bar goes on?

As Maxine said, the whol place shuts at 11pm prompt. The bar is a couple of tables and a bored bloke serving from a portable fridge. Baden Powell house was the world HQ for the Scout association until a few years ago. It's now a hostel for Scouts visiting London. I guess Scout HQ wasn't considered a hip name for a venue, so Casbah was chosen instead. As for post-11pm drinking, London has pubs on every corner.

6) Any other good Central london venues on a Fri/Sat night, for beginners?

There are no other regular classes run by Ceroc on Fri/Sat. I haven't tried any of the independent options recently.

[marty_baby]

Thanks For the replies guys!

Yup, will be bringing some beginners

Will be staying in one of the Hyde Park hotels.

Posh area? cool, do as the locals do for a weekend then! 8)

Any idea of what pubs do people normally go to after the class?
We'd like to choose the quieter of the bunch!

Cheers
Martin

[Minnie M]

If you are staying in the Hyde Park area why not try something different on a Wednesday night
http://www.jitterbugs.co.uk/home.asp