What Is An Independant Venue

[Dance Demon]

Originally Posted by Lou

Hmmm.... what about MJ'ers who dance at independent venues in, say, a city in the South West of England, and therefore don't have these "membership numbers" of which you speak? Or are we to be excluded from your clique? Smacks of Hotshot behaviour to me....

Prompted by a comment by Lou on another thread..........what exactly is an "Independant Organisation"?........Is it one that operates purely under it's own banner. If So are all dance organisations not "Independant"...including the larger ones........ or are independants so called because they are" independant " of the larger ones....... and if so...what does that make the larger ones..

[Lou]

Oh, DD! It was just a term I used to point out that some of us dance at classes that aren't part of a bigger Collective™, and so have no need of "membership numbers".

Besides, I am not a number, I am a free... oh, drat!

[Andy McGregor]

Originally Posted by Lou

I am not a number, I am a free...

.. man?

Just couldn't resist it

[David Franklin]

Top Ten Signs Your Venue May Not Be Independent:

10. Joining forms only slightly less complicated than your tax return.
9. It's like the Stepford Wives - all the teachers are mysteriously young and good looking.
8. "Footwork? What footwork?"
7. Teacher insists on counting "5, 6, 7, 8" rather than the much cooler "zip, zap, zippety, zappety".
6. Staff greet you with a scanner.
5. You discover the girl in the black and orange T-shirt who keeps asking you to dance doesn't fancy you - she just thinks you really need help.
4. Teacher thinks "No, your other left" is the funniest joke ever.
3. All move names include a (tm).
2. Nigel still not allowed in your venue...

And the number one sign your venue may not be independent:

1. "Semi-circle to the left, and step back..."

[Andy McGregor]

Originally Posted by David Franklin

9. It's like the Stepford Wives - all the teachers are mysteriously young and good looking.

If my venue stopped being independent would I suddenly become younger and better looking?

[Anna]

Originally Posted by David Franklin

And the number one sign your venue may not be independent:

1. "Semi-circle to the left, and step back..."

That semi circle to the left deal is tragic, we never used to have it out here til my dance partner arrived from the UK and continued teaching out here.

He ALWAYS says it in the classes.. like at least SIX TIMES.. and i have to stand there and attempt to keep a straight face while watching the class look at him with confused faces..

cos us kiwi's dont even know what a semi circle is, let alone where our left's at

[David Franklin]

Originally Posted by Andy McGregor

If my venue stopped being independent would I suddenly become younger and better looking?

Either that or you'd be 'disappeared'. I guess it depends which option is more difficult:

[Wayne's world / Scooby Doo ripple/fade into fantasy world]

Wizard of 'roc: Andy, as a reward for joining the collective, I can grant you one wish.

Andy: I want my venue to be the greatest on the planet. I want magic air conditioning units that keep the air as cool and fresh as a spring morning. I want the dance floor to be at least 1 square mile, and made of purest gold. It must have huge chandeliers using nothing but the finest diamonds. The bars must serve nothing but the finest champagne (free of charge).

Wizard of 'roc: You ask too much. Do you know how hard it is to find gold deposits these days? And for a whole square mile. And the airconditioning - Maxwell's Demon is all very well in theory, but do you know how many of the bugg*rs you need to cool somewhere that big? And the chandeliers - it's hard work squeezing a lump of coal into a diamond you know. And who's going to know if it's diamond anyway? And the champagne - with the amount dancers drink?

Andy: Well OK - maybe you could just make me young and good looking.

Wizard of 'roc: {pauses}...So, how many chandeliers do you want for this venue?

(Yes, I know it's an old joke...)

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by David Franklin

2. Nigel still not allowed in your venue...

Although, in fairness, ISTR in the RebelRoc take-over blurb wasn't there something about N&N continuing to do a monthly class...??

[Andy McGregor]

Originally Posted by ChrisA

Although, in fairness, ISTR in the RebelRoc take-over blurb wasn't there something about N&N continuing to do a monthly class...??

I went to it last week. But the venue is currently branded RebelRoc. Will N&N continue to teach there when the venues are fully assimilated?

[clevedonboy]

Originally Posted by Andy McGregor

I went to it last week. But the venue is currently branded RebelRoc. Will N&N continue to teach there when the venues are fully assimilated?

When we were at a workshop with N&N recently I'm sure they kept saying soto voce "Resistance is futile"

[MartinHarper]

Originally Posted by David Franklin

Teacher insists on counting "5, 6, 7, 8" rather than the much cooler "zip, zap, zippety, zappety"

I do have a soft spot for Frankie Manning's "a-one, a-two, you know what to do". I also liked Jordan and Tatiana's "five, six, ready, go", which I thought had cool cultish overtones going on.

[Minnie M]

Originally Posted by David Franklin

Top Ten Signs Your Venue May Not Be Independent:

10. Joining forms only slightly less complicated than your tax return.
9. It's like the Stepford Wives - all the teachers are mysteriously young and good looking.
8. "Footwork? What footwork?"
7. Teacher insists on counting "5, 6, 7, 8" rather than the much cooler "zip, zap, zippety, zappety".
6. Staff greet you with a scanner.
5. You discover the girl in the black and orange T-shirt who keeps asking you to dance doesn't fancy you - she just thinks you really need help.
4. Teacher thinks "No, your other left" is the funniest joke ever.
3. All move names include a (tm).
2. Nigel still not allowed in your venue...

And the number one sign your venue may not be independent:

1. "Semi-circle to the left, and step back..."

Brilliant wish I could give you rep, but too soon after the last lot

[Minnie M]

Wizard of 'roc
I would have said "Friary Roc Mother" - Or is that Andy's name

[KatieR]

Originally Posted by Anna

That semi circle to the left deal is tragic, we never used to have it out here til my dance partner arrived from the UK and continued teaching out here.

He ALWAYS says it in the classes.. like at least SIX TIMES.. and i have to stand there and attempt to keep a straight face while watching the class look at him with confused faces..

cos us kiwi's dont even know what a semi circle is, let alone where our left's at

We dont use it in OZ either (well not in Adelaide anyway) and I dont think Nicky and Robert in Sydney teach it either. It looks quite naff if you ask me.

[Purple Sparkler]

Originally Posted by Dance Demon

What Is An Independant Venue

Prompted by a comment by Lou on another thread..........what exactly is an "Independant Organisation"?........Is it one that operates purely under it's own banner. If So are all dance organisations not "Independant"...including the larger ones........ or are independants so called because they are" independant " of the larger ones....... and if so...what does that make the larger ones..

I know! I know! An independant venue is a mis-spelled independent venue.

Sorry, but I think you'll find it's pronounced pedant... (and yes I know I've used that one before)

[CJ]

Originally Posted by KatieR

We dont use it in OZ either (well not in Adelaide anyway) and I dont think Nicky and Robert in Sydney teach it either. It looks quite naff if you ask me.

KatieR,

what do you think of the semi-circle to the left/right currently used in some non-independant dance classes??

[Lou]

Originally Posted by Purple Sparkler

I know! I know! An independant venue is a mis-spelled independent venue.

Good point. Since the introduction of the slo comb™, a true independent organisation should be more particular with its spelling!

[Dance Demon]

Hmmm..... i just wondered why it seems that anything that isn't Ceroc, is classed as an independent. So we have large Companies which operate in various regions, and we have small local operations. But sureley if they all operate independently of each other, they are all "independent"...including the large ones............So why is it when people ask " is there any dancing in *where ever*" the response is often " well there's *this venue*, but it's not Ceroc(tm)..it's an Independent......independent of what?

[bigdjiver]

Originally Posted by Purple Sparkler

I know! I know! An independant venue is a mis-spelled independent venue...

or hanging out there ...

or corruption of "in deep end, ennit?"

[David Bailey]

Originally Posted by Dance Demon

Hmmm..... i just wondered why it seems that anything that isn't Ceroc, is classed as an independent. So we have large Companies which operate in various regions, and we have small local operations. But sureley if they all operate independently of each other, they are all "independent"...including the large ones............So why is it when people ask " is there any dancing in *where ever*" the response is often " well there's *this venue*, but it's not Ceroc(tm)..it's an Independent......independent of what?

To me, an "independent" is a single-person franchise - Leroc etc. are just "other organisations" which happen to be not Ceroc.
For example, independent MPs - interestingly, George Galloway is not called an independent MP, but "The Respect MP", simply because he belongs to an organisation.