Topic: Less is More . Just a Dance

[philsmove]

I recently went to a brilliant Modern Jive dance near Bath
 
It was somewhat unusual in that
 
There was
 
NO competition
 NO DWAS
 NO demonstration
 NO fancy dress
 NO silly theme
NO lesson
 NO second room
 NO interruptions
 NO bar, selling drinks at exorbitant prices
NO i tune compilations
NO thumpy bumpy music
NO cabaret
NO big gaps between tracks
NO Tracks running into each other
 NO requests ( well, with a lot of arm twisting Nick did just fit "next 40 years" in for me as the penultimate track)
 
It was
 
NOT too dark
 NOT too loud
 NOT Ceroc
 NOT Leroc
 


Just a real live DJ, who stayed on stage the whole evening and played a wicked set, from 8pm to Midnight, with a first class sound system


it cost just £6.50 ( book in advance price)

I know MJ is a very competitive business
 
but I am beginning to wonder in some organisers have lost the plot
with just too many extras and special events
 
What do you think ?

( No John,  I have no objections to, free chip butties, free tea and free chocolate Swiss roll )

[smoothjiver]

Do you mean, less is more money for the organiser.  Check out the venue, how good is the floor, how good is the parking, Is the value in the ticket price , or has the ticket price been jacked up to look like a good deal.
As dancers we become conditioned to venues that we like , or  it could be, not the venue but the dancers that attend that event that we like dancing with . If you are paying £6.50 in advance I would expect a bar , not that I drink alot but its nice to have that option, good car parking is a must so the ladies do not have to walk to far to get into there cars on a dark night.
Dance with a stranger can be a pain ,if you go mainly for a good dance and fancy dress is a problem if your not into it, but was fancy dress started by ceroc and other organisers have picked up on this theme .  At the end of the day we do like to try different venues and organisers like to try different things to attract the dancers . Just like music the tastes will vary and I am sure with all the dancers attending classes through out the week , there is only so much money to go around. So ticket price may be an issue when there is a weekend of dancing.

[philsmove]

how good is the floor, how good is the parking

The wooden floor was clean, smooth, a few of my partners felt it a tad fast
Provided you arrive in good time, you can park (free) right out side the door . If you are late you will have to use the large (free) overflow car park, a short walk away, but nothing to stop you dropping your partner off, right out side, first 

If you are paying £6.50 in advance I would expect a bar ,...

Why? The advance information clearly states there is no Bar, so why would you expect one ? They do provide free water and ice , sell soft drinks, chocolates and crisps and those of who must, can bring the their own alcohol. You know, the gin and tonic disguised as sparkling water 

but was fancy dress started by ceroc .

Really ? I think fancy dress dances were invented long before Ceroc existed

[jivedave]

Really ? I think fancy dress dances were invented long before Ceroc existed - And of course Phil is absolutely right

Fancy dress dance parties started in Rome and were fashioned around the wearing of togas and little else – wine and decadence, rather than music, providing the gyratory impetus.

Could it be that the dance Phil attended had broken free of the false left-right, right-left paradigm of Leroc-Ceroc? When one looks beyond the engineered conflicts, invented problems and general distractions (all solved by more tax, bailouts,  less freedom, etc.), one sees the work of the puppet masters, using their Hegelian Dialectic (problem – reaction - solution) in the wider world. Is such a mechanism  working in the serious world of dance?

Here is one of my favourite interviews (although it's from the 80s and  the world has   changed, I firmly believe that the techniques Yuri discusses, mainly after 1hr 08mins, are alive and kicking – us and the Western World, specifically)



Leaving aside my attempt at silliness, it's quite a sad tale on a personal level but I also think it one of the 'best' most revealing videos I've found on the www.  Dismissing the more ridiculous  or trivial theories, if one is interested (to the point of looking) and bypassing the main stream media (except for some less hyped stories) it is possible to build a view of reality which will stand critical scrutiny. By doing that motives for the economic and social chaos and decline becomes apparent.

ps : I would still be making my attempt at dance but lack of cartilage is preventing me.    I even tried to go swimming tonight - something I can do but the pool was overfilled with people sticking to their new year revolutions - I figure that keeping moving, losing weight (no booze this year - also win-win saves money) might help.     (never mind found a quid on the carpet  )

[Karen Mary]

( No John,  I have no objections to, free chip butties, free tea and free chocolate Swiss roll )

Only the free chip butties and cake aren't really "free" - you pay an extra £3.50, whether you want to eat it or not.

Regarding the extras - fancy dress is OK occasionally, such as once a year, too much and the fun of it diminishes.  An occasional short demonstration isn't too bad, but at the end of the day, if you go to a dance, it is usually because you want to dance, not watch others dance etc.  With regards to dance with a stranger, once a year per organiser is enough I think.  Too often and it just becomes commonplace and not so special for those that get into the final round.

With regards to the bar, you cannot hire a venue such as the BAWA without the bar, and the bar there isn't expensive and water is provided.  It obviously costs way more to hire a purpose built ballroom than a sports hall or school hall, so you would expect to pay more to dance in such a place.   

I think it is good that we have a number of independent organisers that create events that are all different - variety is the spice of life afterall.     

[philsmove]

........If you go to a dance, it is usually because you want to dance, not watch others dance etc.

 

But this i message does not seem to be getting across
This weekend a well known Leroc venue has

A free fun class

and 

A Fun DWAS Comp

and

An Amazing Dumba Zemonstration


Karen, is there anyone, other than you and me, reading this stuff

( If you are, reading this, please let us know and tell us what you think. But  if you know what  JiveDave is on about, please keep it to your self )

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

Always a fan of something fun at a dance, but yes, generally I do prefer the simpler events.

As for dressing up... smart / formal is not something I'd ever get tired of.

There's a difference between looking silly and looking stunning.