Is it Freestyle or Circus?

[Danger Mouse]

A lot of freestyles these days especially around this time of the year are advertised as Fancy Dress Freestyles. Well I don’t wish to dance dressed up as a Witch, a Ghost, a Cowboy, a Red Indian, a Pirate, a Clown, a Santa, a Christmas Tree, a Womble, a French Maid or anything... not even a Danger Mouse.

All I want to do is dance.

What do you think? Is there too many of them? Or am I a lone party pooper?

p.s. maybe I could cope with the odd 1 or 2 Fancy Dress Fresstyles a year.

[David Bailey]

What do you think? Is there too many of them? Or am I a lone party pooper?.

I agree - you can never dance in almost any fancy dress, or at least not well, and sometimes a "theme" just seems to be done as an excuse. I've no idea why the grand ball at Southport (in September) was fancy dress, for example.

Balls should be DJs and little black numbers*, in that one can (pretty much) dance in these outfits, and they just look classy.

Fancy dress at Halloween, fine. Otherwise, no.

* Alright, insert obligatory tranny joke here

[LMC]

I moan about fancy dress, but that's basically because I'm fundamentally lazy. I don't really mind as long as the effort is minimal and the costume is practical and can be danced in...for example, I went to the BFG as Heather (thanks for having such a cool avatar Heather )

So the message to the organisers is pick a theme that people can do something with fairly easily - thanks.

[stewart38]

I agree - you can never dance in almost any fancy dress, or at least not well, and sometimes a "theme" just seems to be done as an excuse. I've no idea why the grand ball at Southport (in September) was fancy dress, for example.

Balls should be DJs and little black numbers*, in that one can (pretty much) dance in these outfits, and they just look classy.

Fancy dress at Halloween, fine. Otherwise, no.

* Alright, insert obligatory tranny joke here

I historically never bothered with fancy dress and from past expereince new the fancy dress at southport would only be done by a few

Recent 'experimentation' however suggest for me I want fancy dress every week ,whens the next latex and leather one due

[fletch]

well I started with fancy dress at 15 as a punk, and I think nothing has changed 30 years on as anyone who knows me will tell you Its fantastic to spend most of the week planning what to ware at the weekend, its just a strange in the changing rooms twirling and stretching to see if its suitable to dance in.

The nice thing is it dosen't matter anything goes

[ducasi]

Balls should be DJs ...

DJs are fancy dress as far as I'm concerned.

[MartinHarper]

Balls should be DJs and little black numbers*, in that one can (pretty much) dance in these outfits, and they just look classy.

I find it's easier and more comfortable to dance in something for the kind of minimal "theme" these things often have than in a DJ.

[bobgadjet]

DJs and little black numbers

HHMMmmmmm

Now you've given me an idea for my costume at the Black & White Ball 27th December, Ashton's.

[Whitebeard]

OK I'm an ignoramus; but sometime in the long period during which I did little dance there must have emerged a dress code for men that is very cryptic and, to me, puzzling: "Black tie". Are we talking dance or funerals here I muse?

Anyone care to enlighten me on just what this term covers?

[Tiggerbabe]

Anyone care to enlighten me on just what this term covers?

I've always taken it to mean that you should make a special effort - ie elegant dresses for the ladies and suits for the men.
Ladies are lucky of course in that they can still wear trousers and look fabulous/extra special - guys are more limited in their options. Doesn't have to be a suit but dress trousers and a smart shirt.

In other words, none of the usual combats and t-shirt combos.

[philsmove]

DJs are fancy dress as far as I'm concerned.

A friend was invited to a party by his accountant

“O by the way its fancy dress” said the accountant

My friend when as a Christmas tree, his wife as a Christmas Pudding


Yes -by "fancy dress" the accountant did mean DJs

[El Salsero Gringo]

OK I'm an ignoramus; but sometime in the long period during which I did little dance there must have emerged a dress code for men that is very cryptic and, to me, puzzling: "Black tie". Are we talking dance or funerals here I muse?

Anyone care to enlighten me on just what this term covers?

I'm pretty sure that "black tie" means a dinner jacket and trousers (tuxedo) with bow-tie - for the men - and for the ladies, a cocktail dress.

"White tie" means a tail-coat suit for the men and a floor-length ballgown for ladies.

If an invitation means smart attire, but not a dinner jacket, it will probably say "Lounge suit".

[Whitebeard]

In other words, none of the usual combats and t-shirt combos.

Thanks Tiggerbabe, that's not my style anyway - I'm a jeans and traditional shirt man 99% of wakey-wakey time. Sadly a modicum of increased girth means I can no longer fit into the suits I used to wear in a previous existence, so I'm in trouble the next funeral that comes along.

Got a nice pair of slightly stretchy lightweight black trousers from M&S for freestyle nights. In fact they're so nice to dance in that I now use 'em for classes too. (Don't let on to ChrisA, but I'm half-way to being a h*****t MIB.) So if I wear a topcoat going to one of those posh seasonal do's, perhaps they won't notice the lack of a jacket until I'm safely inside.

[Whitebeard]

I'm pretty sure that "black tie" means a dinner jacket and trousers (tuxedo) with bow-tie - for the men - and for the ladies, a cocktail dress.

"White tie" means a tail-coat suit for the men and a floor-length ballgown for ladies.

If an invitation means smart attire, but not a dinner jacket, it will probably say "Lounge suit".

Sadly, that sounds all too plausible and there will be a few Balls I won't be going to later in the year. Ticket price and the lack of a lady draped over my arm would probably rule them out in any case. But TV is usually so awful - except that Bleak House is on in five Minutes. Gotta go.

[Gadget]

A lot of freestyles these days especially around this time of the year are advertised as Fancy Dress Freestyles. Well I don’t wish to dance dressed up as a Witch, a Ghost, a Cowboy, a Red Indian, a Pirate, a Clown, a Santa, a Christmas Tree, a Womble, a French Maid or anything... not even a Danger Mouse.

Half the fun is trying to figure out a costume that you can dance in... bonus points if you would look cool dancing in it. Look at photos from Lorna's birthday bask: I don't think anyone {other than the DJ } was not in fancy dress, and I think that eveyone danced.

I sort of cheated at the BFG and purposfully went as a MIB (I couldn't source a balaclava & gloves in time, otherwise I really would have been all in black )

[Tiggerbabe]

other than the DJ

Other than "one" of the djs - all that trouble I went to, and you didn't even notice

[Heather]

I have mixed feelings about 'Fancy dress' parties, smetimes I make a big effort and others I just can't be bothered. It usually depends on whether the friends I go with are dressing up or not.
The p[roblem for me is usually,' Can I dance in this outfit for longer than 10 minutes?' If not I don't bother!!!
If I can last at least an hour in the costume , I will make the effort.
One of the most surprisingly 'danceable' outfits was a couple of years ago at a Christmas bash , when Sheena and I were Cinderella and Prince Charming. (Sheena, do you have a photo you can post?) Despite it being a long, full dress with lots of underskirts , It created a lovely draught around my ankles and so I wore it for well over an hour. That was the dance where Brady and Dave were the 'Ugly sisters' and Dreadful Scathe was the 'wicked stepmother' . God !!! We could have performed the whole pantomime!!!


Heather,
xx

[Heather]

I moan about fancy dress, but that's basically because I'm fundamentally lazy. I don't really mind as long as the effort is minimal and the costume is practical and can be danced in...for example, I went to the BFG as Heather (thanks for having such a cool avatar Heather )

So the message to the organisers is pick a theme that people can do something with fairly easily - thanks.

My daughter made me that avatar from a website called 'Dollyden'(?)
I wanted something that looked a bit like me and was wearing what I more often than not, wear to dance in!!
I also had an ulterior motive, the first BFG was a 'dress as your avatar ', competition and that was one occassion where I couldn't be bothered dressing up !!!
( Thanks for dressing up as me, I'm flattered!!! )

Heather,
xx

[Minnie M]

I'm pretty sure that "black tie" means a dinner jacket and trousers (tuxedo) with bow-tie - for the men - and for the ladies, a cocktail dress.

"White tie" means a tail-coat suit for the men and a floor-length ballgown for ladies.

If an invitation means smart attire, but not a dinner jacket, it will probably say "Lounge suit".

[Lynn]

My daughter made me that avatar from a website called 'Dollyden'(?)
I wanted something that looked a bit like me and was wearing what I more often than not, wear to dance in!!

Hey, I could have gone as your avatar too! Black trousers and black sleeveless top is my standard dance outfit!

I'm not that inventive at fancy dress. I went once to a party as a Chinese restaurant waitress and made the 'creative' bit in a menu with the food and drink options as puns on friends names etc. And when I go away to dance I have limited luggage space as I'm flying, so to bring a whole outfit I will only wear for 1/2 hour or so isn't always practical.

Well I don’t wish to dance dressed up as a Witch, a Ghost, a Cowboy, a Red Indian, a Pirate, a Clown, a Santa, a Christmas Tree, a Womble, a French Maid or anything...

Though maybe the French maid outfit...