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Thread: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

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    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Went to Hyde last night, mostly on the promise of the Blues room. Main room was as I exepected, fairly uninspiring club music....

    So ... no worries I thought ... the Blues room exists. The visiting instructor did a fair lesson ... and the lesson was packed. The room was very weel lit, nice floor, nice music ... and once the lesson had finished .... deserted Think I got four dances in total there (mind you a couple were with Scots-exile Laura and the others were with the most delectable Holly from Huddersfield etc. etc.).

    So, despite all the hype and words, do Blues rooms work outside the weekenders?

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    Junior Member Trinity's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus

    So, despite all the hype and words, do Blues rooms work outside the weekenders?
    I think so. The one at Hammersmith a few weeks ago was a great success

    The Blues room at Berko is always packed.

    I see a connection here........... Maybe it's Marc

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    John Miller of Jag Jive has a blues room at his monthly dance at Great Bookham. It's not as busy as the main room but it's plenty busy enough.

    I think one problem with having a blues room is that it makes the DJ in the main room play less swing and blues - so the set in there ends up being a bit too poppy: while the set in the blues room get a bit too bluesy without the punctuation of the odd up-beat number. I'm a great believer in a single room at a dance with a nice varied set. We're all doing the same dance so you really don't need a specialist room. Having said that, the Great Bookham dance seems to work - probably because both DJs work together so much they have a telepathic link.

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    Lovely Moderator ducasi's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    The last two Glasgow monthly parties have both had a "latin & blues" room – one DJed by Sheena, and the one last night by John.

    While the first one wasn't very busy, last night there were more of the Edinburgh crew who seemed to be much more into blues than the native Glaswegians, and so the blues room was much busier.

    So, given the right crowd, I'd say it does work.
    Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story

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    Registered User Ghost's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus
    So, despite all the hype and words, do Blues rooms work outside the weekenders?
    The Blues Room at Slinky's worked well a few weeks back - frankly without it I'd have to have gone home (injury).

    The Blues Room at the Greenwich Christmas Ball was ok too, just some confusion about how to get to it

    I'm hoping the upcoming Greenwich events have Blues Rooms too

    Having said that, I went on the Ceroc London site looking for Freestyles with Blues rooms recently and came up empty :sigh:

    Take care,
    Christopher

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    Lovely Moderator ducasi's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor
    I think one problem with having a blues room is that it makes the DJ in the main room play less swing and blues - so the set in there ends up being a bit too poppy: while the set in the blues room get a bit too bluesy without the punctuation of the odd up-beat number.
    This doesn't sound like a problem to me.

    To some people there is no such thing as "too poppy" or "too bluesy". And those in the middle can move between rooms. It's about giving folks the option of dancing to the kind of music they want to, when they want to, rather than just when the DJ feels obliged to.

    There are downsides, but after my second experience of a two-roomed party in Glasgow, I'm beginning to like it.
    Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi
    To some people there is no such thing as "too poppy" or "too bluesy". And those in the middle can move between rooms.
    Just as long as there aren't 2 loooonnng flights of stairs between them!
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory
    Just as long as there aren't 2 loooonnng flights of stairs between them!
    That was the only problem with Hammersmith

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory
    Just as long as there aren't 2 loooonnng flights of stairs between them!
    Just a "landing" both rooms are on the same level with not a stair in sight (well, plenty in sight, but you don't have to use any of them )
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Looking back at Slinky's, I think it was not necessarily feasible because it was anything but crowded. However, I managed to dance there all night and not really sit out other than for change of shirt So there were enough people dancing in the blues room and at the same time I was glad that there weren't more because it allowed me to take up plenty of space

    Along the same lines, I was dancing Salsa last night and they had two rooms, one for the usual Salsa music, continental styles (Central America), and a second one for Cuban. Now I spent most time in the Cuban room. Not that I like Cuban Salsa music too much, because often it's too much Jazz content. However, for that very reason there was over quite some time a lot more space than in the huge main room. And even when it got crowded, every three or four dances people sat down and only two to three couples continued.

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    Registered User frodo's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Trinity
    ...
    The Blues room at Berko is always packed.
    Except when the main hall is well populated and it's still empty of course...

    Perhaps Blues rooms and other minority interests suffer from the problem that people may arrive - look in - see no one is there - and go away again - so many of the people who might populate it don't because a critical mass didn't arrive within the same time windows - especially if distance is involved.

    Maybe some sort of prod like a reminder or 2 from the main hall DJ during the night would avoid excessively dispersed arrivals.

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by frodo
    Perhaps Blues rooms and other minority interests suffer from the problem that people may arrive - look in - see no one is there - and go away again - so many of the people who might populate it don't because a critical mass didn't arrive within the same time windows - especially if distance is involved.
    We witnessed a similar phenomenon at a dance we ran on Friday night. We didn't have a lesson as people said they'd prefer freestyle all night. The dance had about 50 at it in the end - and we all had a fabulous night even though it was a commercial disaster We'd have had 65 if the 15 who arrived early, looked in and went away had stayed

    My own theory is that 60 people is the optimum for a night's dancing as you can't get around more than 30 women in a night.

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor
    John Miller of Jag Jive has a blues room at his monthly dance at Great Bookham. It's not as busy as the main room but it's plenty busy enough.

    I think one problem with having a blues room is that it makes the DJ in the main room play less swing and blues
    Strictly speaking I would say that at Great Bookham it is a swing and blues room, and sometimes the music will be quick if a group of Lindyhopper's arrive. I don't think there is much compromise in the music in the main room here, as plenty of similar music gets played. A couple of months ago I danced to one track in the main room, then went into the blues room, and danced to the same track again.

    The numbers in the blues room wax and wane, at times it can be just half a dozen people dancing, then a few minutes later it can be packed, presumably when something less popular gets played in the main room. So I think the secret behind it working here is the fact that it takes just 5 steps to move between rooms, this means you don't have to worry about reaching a "critical mass" as it is easy to drag a partner in from the other room. Of course the fact that this venue is nearly always sold out also helps.

    At other venues, where it takes more effort to move between rooms, I think it is much more difficult to keep a blues room busy all night, and it's very dependant on the overall numbers

    Greg

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    There are no advantages for me in having themed rooms. The theme is almost always a type of music I don't like (swing, blues or latin). I get just as good dances in the main room. There is always more in any song than I can interpret. Most importantly I always prefer a variety of music to be played.

    However I quite like separate rooms for different dances, and particularly liked the WCS room at Rebel Yell last year. There was still a variety in the type of music, the difference lay in the tempo.

    One reason blues rooms work at weekenders is that it can be the only place to dance after 3:00am. (Or in my case, it might have the only bar that is still open.)

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Oh blues rooms! I love blues rooms!

    All that creativity going on. We might not even be doing blues, just slowed down ceroc, but what the hell, its a green light sleazy tunes and blatant sauciness. It takes the pressure off the main floor and gives you a place to dance where you know you wont get puffed out by a 90 mile an hour maniac lead.

    Hammersmith and Bookham, have great blues rooms. What doesnt work I find is Swing rooms. Too different a dance from Ceroc.

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    Senior Member Minnie M's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Your wife
    .......... What doesnt work I find is Swing rooms. Too different a dance from Ceroc.
    A DJ should be able to read the floor (especially for a MJ event) even if it is called a "Swing" room, and slow down the music to suit the dancers - the good DJs I know always do that


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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by Your wife
    Oh blues rooms! I love blues rooms!

    All that creativity going on. We might not even be doing blues, just slowed down ceroc, but what the hell, its a green light sleazy tunes and blatant sauciness. It takes the pressure off the main floor and gives you a place to dance where you know you wont get puffed out by a 90 mile an hour maniac lead.

    Hammersmith and Bookham, have great blues rooms. What doesnt work I find is Swing rooms. Too different a dance from Ceroc.
    What a strange post...... Swing the music has a range of tempos from very slow "The Man I Love" through slow "This Business of Love" to medium tempo "At The Strip" to Quick "Nobody Here but us chickens" to Fast "Sing, Sing, Sing". The first two would be acceptable in a blues set, "This Business of Love" "At The Strip" & "Nobody Here but us chickens" are played at MJ events, faster than that & it's beyond your average MJer. Ceroc is a stripped down swing dance & that's why it works so well with swing.

    Back on topic - I'd love to run a blues event in or around Bristol - I just don't think there are enough dancers who are up for it

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    Registered User Tazmanian Devil's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    I think Yes Blues rooms are great at freestyles!

    I really enjoyed the blues room at Greenwich christmas party night, Hammersmith and Slinkys

    Although Slinkys blues room wasn't packed I actually lost track of time in there due to not sitting many tracks out, for me it was great as I love space when I dance anyway

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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Quote Originally Posted by clevedonboy
    What a strange post...... Swing the music has a range of tempos from very slow "The Man I Love" through slow "This Business of Love" to medium tempo "At The Strip" to Quick "Nobody Here but us chickens" to Fast "Sing, Sing, Sing". The first two would be acceptable in a blues set, "This Business of Love" "At The Strip" & "Nobody Here but us chickens" are played at MJ events, faster than that & it's beyond your average MJer. Ceroc is a stripped down swing dance & that's why it works so well with swing.

    Back on topic - I'd love to run a blues event in or around Bristol - I just don't think there are enough dancers who are up for it
    Sorry didnt mean to sound so strange. I did try to read your unending list of songs...but..um I seem to have fallen asleep.....

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    Registered User stewart38's Avatar
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    Re: Do Blues rooms work at Freestyles

    Berko has a blues room, seems to work although seemed less crowded this sunday. Main room was playing too many good songs (only my opinion )

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