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Thread: Blues Championships

  1. #41
    The Oracle
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    Re: Blues Championships

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus
    My take on it all is that the event was named "Open N West Blues Champs" ... then anyone from across the country could enter, dancing Blues. If It was just "N West Blues Champs" then only dancers from the N West would be able to enter. Does that make some kind of sense?
    If it was the Closed North West Blues, then only people from the NW could enter. If you just called it the NW Blues champs, you make the rules up as you go along.

  2. #42
    Registered User LilyB's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus
    .... One of the events we've got slated in is a Blues championship for August ... the only question was what to call it. We started with 'North of England' ... but that sounded a bit limitying ... so we're now toying with things like "The UK Open Blues Championships" ... which of course is MASSIVE oversell .... but thats never stopped anyone else .

    Before we get carried away ... what 'true' Blues champs are there? I know that Beach Boogie do one but I was told there was only about had a dozen or so serious competitors. True? What else is out there?
    There is no reason why you cannot call your competition "The UK Open Blues Championships". I am not aware of any other competition of that name (but I would advise you to check). The competition at Beach Boogie is called the "UK National Blues Championships".

    I for one would be delighted to see a competition aimed at promoting Blues dancing. If you intend to label it as a "UK Open", then I would expect you to promote it not only nation-wide but abroad as well. Clearly that would depend on the resources you have at your disposal, including the availability of prizes that are likely to attract the best dancers in this genre (of sorts). Of course there is no requirement at all to offer generous prizes, but it would clearly de-value the "UK Open" title if top dancers throughout the country (and beyond) are not attracted to compete.

    Another challenge would be in drafting the rules and regulations for the competition. I tend to agree with Nigel Anderson's definition of Blues dancing as "a fusion of ideas from every dance style", where the "tempo and space given by the music allows a freedom of interpretation and improvisation”. This would clearly include West Coast Swing, which is very often (but not exclusively) danced to Blues music. It may be yet another massive opportunity to promote WCS in the UK . With good organisation and marketing, I think you may have a winner on your hands! (sorry for the pun )

  3. #43
    Registered User Yogi_Bear's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships

    Quote Originally Posted by Gadget
    .........Most "moves" {I've seen} taught in blues are taken from the standard Ceroc lexicon - they all start with a step back. So you go from a 'blues hold' into a step back, into a move, into a step back and back into the blues hold. Better dancers/teachers eliminate the last step back and blend the move into a blues hold, but this first step back seems to be ingrained
    You seem to be describing going from a close blues hold to more open dancing, which may or maynot be blues, and back into close blues hold. Blues teachers often use this to help people see how they could incorporate some blues into their conventional MJ routines. But there is no reason necessarily to step back or rock step. If you step anywhere you could be stepping forwards or sideways. Certainly the look and feel of blues can only benefit from eliminating unnecessary stepping back - it only serves to separate the couple, not bring them together.

  4. #44
    Registered User Baruch's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships

    Maybe use the term "blues dance" rather than just "blues" in the title so you don't get odd looks from bemused "competitors" carrying beat-up old guitars and sporting names like "Blind Dog Robertson".

  5. #45
    Registered User spindr's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships

    One thought would be to have an "integrated" championship.

    Instead of randomly mixing competitors in the preceding rounds -- you split the preceding rounds by the competitors location.

    E.g. English, Welsh, etc. rounds.
    Declare each first place as the English, Welsh, etc. winners

    Then take the winners from those and dance them off in a final "UK-wide" round.

    Upside: it gets more interesting and there are more winners
    Downside: you get to buy more trophys.

    SpinDr

  6. #46
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    Re: Blues Championships

    Find the principal judges, and ask them, after all they should be leaders in the dance form.

  7. #47
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    Re: Blues Championships

    Quote Originally Posted by Yogi_Bear
    You seem to be describing going from a close blues hold to more open dancing, which may or maynot be blues, and back into close blues hold. Blues teachers often use this to help people see how they could incorporate some blues into their conventional MJ routines.
    But I always see it in blues dancing - not just the teaching.
    Performance style "Open" moves and displays to the audience I don't think should be a part of 'blues' dancing, but again, I always see it in blues dancing. But in saying that, how can you have a competition without this?

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