The Champs May 4th 2008 @ The Troxy

[Batgirl]

I went to my first Champs yesterday and had a great time!

So many fabulous dancers - competitors and spectators!

Well done to all the competitors - I was left in awe of the standard of dance. (I have sooooooo much to learn!)

I really enjoyed the lucky dip and got further than I was expecting so that was the icing on the cake for me!

Totally agree with the comments regarding the heat and security men. The bar prices were unbelievable.

The day was really well organised and went smoothly - I ran out of energy by 1am so had to leave before the end.

Thanks to Robin for a lovely dance (eventually! ) even with the "wrong" shoes on.

Looking forward to next time.

Rachel x.

[rubyred]

Mini mac I am really sorry to hear about your things going missing, I hope that it is a case of them falling out of your bag and you get them back soon.

Have to say Filthymonkey you are spot on about the audience when people are competing. Great camaraderie amongst the dancers and the support just lifts you and makes you feel good about what you are doing. Fletch I hope you find your voice again soon.

I also hope the lady I saw collapse is ok now, I am not sure if that was the heat or otherwise, but it was, as lots have posted unbelievable hot and very little ventilation. Coupled with bottles of water £2 each ...not a good combination.

Really pleased for Caz you had a great day babes and lovely to catch up with you. DD+ you looked great and like you were really enjoying yourself out there. I too would love to do Brit roc, not sure if I can yet.......!!!

[Latin Lady]

Originally Posted by rubyred

Mini mac I am really sorry to hear about your things going missing, I hope that it is a case of them falling out of your bag and you get them back soon.

Have to say Filthymonkey you are spot on about the audience when people are competing. Great camaraderie amongst the dancers and the support just lifts you and makes you feel good about what you are doing. Fletch I hope you find your voice again soon.

I also hope the lady I saw collapse is ok now, I am not sure if that was the heat or otherwise, but it was, as lots have posted unbelievable hot and very little ventilation. Coupled with bottles of water £2 each ...not a good combination.

Really pleased for Caz you had a great day babes and lovely to catch up with you. DD+ you looked great and like you were really enjoying yourself out there. I too would love to do Brit roc, not sure if I can yet.......!!!

I was not at the Ceroc Champs yesterday but sounds like you all had a great time. Blackpool masters was enough for me for a while, putting my ballroom shoes back on now!

Carol

[Danicus118]

Hi all, am new to the forum and have just joined after being nagged to death by many of you....

Last weekend was the ceroc champs as well many of you know, i'm sure alot of you were there and some of you may agree and may disagree with what i have to say.

Lets start with the good shall we....
- The name lucky dip rather than dance with a stranger very good....
- The music during the lucky dip very good - Nice variety with a difference in beat, style and musical interpretation...
- The evening had an ending.... (sorry if thats a little harsh)

The bad...

The music....
-I was competing in Intermediate and found the music to be ridiculous to put it frank, Every track i danced to had a crazy club beat in the background and everything just sounded clubby. I heard a Micheal Buble track played "Everything" with a crazy club mix. To me that just ruined the song? A few clubby tracks can be funky and fun, but 1 after another after another just gets boring. They are not open to interpretation the way some of us may dance.

I don't strictly dance Ceroc, i dance modern jive and for the entree to the competition i believe it says 66percent of dancing should be modern jive, so why is it that me and my partner were knocked out for not being bouncy enough during the intermediate quater finals? Surely being bouncy is just a style of dancing? Music can be open to many different types of interpretation and therefore if one couple interprets it differently to the rest of the heat should they be knocked out for being too bouncy? or should they be put through for being different?

I don't mean to sound like i am moaning or am jelous, so before i get any comments back mentioning these things just realise i won't respond as i can't be bothered.

A judge said to me to be more bouncy with the arms, where i dance if you bounce the arms you are effectivly telling your partner to jump up and down.....

The ugly -

The price of a bottle of water £2 for a small bottle.... Someone passed out from dehydration and at £2 for a bottle of water i am not suprised, why not just have free tap water all day? I personally think it should be a neccesity at all dance venues and classes.

Sorry to moan. But if you agree or disagree feel free to post back here or PM me...

Peace out....

[wigglebum]

Personally speaking I loved the music.

However, I cant stand bouncing in Jive. I always thought it should be a very smooth dance. I'm guessing thought that if the music was the clubby rubbish you mentioned, judges may feel the bouncy style was a better interpretation of a clubby track. Although I dont dance like that. Not my taste.

Not sure if worth mentioning but I think people are actually posting on a different thread. So might be worth putting your opinions there.

Gratz for the comp.

[Andy McGregor]

Originally Posted by Danicus118

A judge said to me to be more bouncy with the arms, where i dance if you bounce the arms you are effectively telling your partner to jump up and down.....

Hi Danicus,

It sounds to me that where you dance you are being taught proper lead and follow

Don't change.

Kind regards.

Andy

[Gus]

Any chance of anyone posting a run through of the results for the Advanced and Open?

[Minnie M]

Originally Posted by Danicus118

....I don't strictly dance Ceroc, i dance modern jive and for the entree to the competition i believe it says 66percent of dancing should be modern jive......

Ceroc is Modern Jive, they were referring to Swing/Lindy Hop etc

There is bouncing in both Ceroc taught dancers and those taught by the indepenants - it is mainly down to the dance instructor

Originally Posted by Danicus118

......-I was competing in Intermediate and found the music to be ridiculous to put it frank, Every track i danced to had a crazy club beat in the background and everything just sounded clubby. I heard a Micheal Buble track played "Everything" with a crazy club mix. To me that just ruined the song? A few clubby tracks can be funky and fun, but 1 after another after another just gets boring. They are not open to interpretation the way some of us may dance...........

The standard in the Intermediates was extremely hight - the music should be a little challenging it is a competition, I was impressed with the music

Originally Posted by Danicus118

.........The price of a bottle of water £2 for a small bottle.... Someone passed out from dehydration and at £2 for a bottle of water i am not suprised, why not just have free tap water all day? I personally think it should be a neccesity at all dance venues and classes........

I was drinking tap water from the outside bar which was FREE - Mike Ellard announced this

[Cruella]

Originally Posted by Danicus118

Hi A judge said to me to be more bouncy with the arms, where i dance if you bounce the arms you are effectivly telling your partner to jump up and down.....

I find this incredible that a judge actually told you to bounce more!!

The price of a bottle of water £2 for a small bottle.... Someone passed out from dehydration and at £2 for a bottle of water i am not suprised, why not just have free tap water all day? I personally think it should be a neccesity at all dance venues and classes.

There was free water available from the sandwich bar in the foyer, it was announced from the stage (just after I'd bought a £2 bottle )

[Terpsichorea]

Originally Posted by Danicus118

Hi all, am new to the forum and have just joined after being nagged to death by many of you....

Last weekend was the ceroc champs as well many of you know, i'm sure alot of you were there and some of you may agree and may disagree with what i have to say.

Lets start with the good shall we....
- The name lucky dip rather than dance with a stranger very good....
- The music during the lucky dip very good - Nice variety with a difference in beat, style and musical interpretation...
- The evening had an ending.... (sorry if thats a little harsh)

The bad...

The music....
-I was competing in Intermediate and found the music to be ridiculous to put it frank, Every track i danced to had a crazy club beat in the background and everything just sounded clubby. I heard a Micheal Buble track played "Everything" with a crazy club mix. To me that just ruined the song? A few clubby tracks can be funky and fun, but 1 after another after another just gets boring. They are not open to interpretation the way some of us may dance.

I don't strictly dance Ceroc, i dance modern jive and for the entree to the competition i believe it says 66percent of dancing should be modern jive, so why is it that me and my partner were knocked out for not being bouncy enough during the intermediate quater finals? Surely being bouncy is just a style of dancing? Music can be open to many different types of interpretation and therefore if one couple interprets it differently to the rest of the heat should they be knocked out for being too bouncy? or should they be put through for being different?

I don't mean to sound like i am moaning or am jelous, so before i get any comments back mentioning these things just realise i won't respond as i can't be bothered.

A judge said to me to be more bouncy with the arms, where i dance if you bounce the arms you are effectivly telling your partner to jump up and down.....

The ugly -

The price of a bottle of water £2 for a small bottle.... Someone passed out from dehydration and at £2 for a bottle of water i am not suprised, why not just have free tap water all day? I personally think it should be a neccesity at all dance venues and classes.

Sorry to moan. But if you agree or disagree feel free to post back here or PM me...

Peace out....

I have to say that I agree with you about the music in the Intermediates - I thought it was horrible to dance to, but I suppose that's part of the challenge, dancing well to the music even when you wouldn't normally dance to it.

[ducasi]

Originally Posted by Danicus118

I don't strictly dance Ceroc, i dance modern jive and for the entree to the competition i believe it says 66percent of dancing should be modern jive, so why is it that me and my partner were knocked out for not being bouncy enough during the intermediate quater finals? Surely being bouncy is just a style of dancing? Music can be open to many different types of interpretation and therefore if one couple interprets it differently to the rest of the heat should they be knocked out for being too bouncy? or should they be put through for being different?

[...]

A judge said to me to be more bouncy with the arms, where i dance if you bounce the arms you are effectivly telling your partner to jump up and down.....

I find this astonishing! Ceroc is not taught with bouncy arms where I am from.

[stewart38]

Was a little bit more disorganised this year and if a judge cant be bothered to turn up on time to judge dont have him back

My main gripe is with the lucky dip what was that all about ?

30 couples left in the semi all dancing at the same time in a small space,with all the best ones being voted off, political correctness ??

A judge a best could 'see' 15 couples let alone 30 in a 2 min track

So you had 30 couples dancing in the lucky dip followed by 4 in the open

Have one more round in lucky dip or get rid of more ealier on

Felt the rest was all fine, although fans should have been switched on before people got there , one girl fainted near me due to the heat

[DD+]

Originally Posted by Gus

Any chance of anyone posting a run through of the results for the Advanced and Open?

Open Results

1st Vicky MacFarlane and Tom Baker
2nd Cathy and Roger (Bandana man)
3rd Samantha Turner and Adam Browne from Kent

[stewart38]

Originally Posted by Danicus118

so why is it that me and my partner were knocked out for not being bouncy enough during the intermediate quater finals? Surely being bouncy is just a style of dancing? Music can be open to many different types of interpretation and therefore if one couple interprets it differently to the rest of the heat should they be knocked out for being too bouncy? or should they be put through for being different?

The judging was fine in the intermediate and I would suggest a few were good enough to get to the final or at least last 10 of open/advance

You were kicked out no doubt as you were not good enough to get to the next round

If it makes you feel better blame the music or that you were not bouncing or it was too bright etc

If it was down to people bouncing Id have won for sure

[DD+]

We had the opposite feedback - told we were a bit too smooth

[CJ]

Agree on over zealous security, water prices and the heat.

However, credit where credit is due: the team on the day helped me when I needed it and for that I am truly grateful.

On a slight aside...

if anyone has Mike's email, could U PM it to me, please?

Thank U.

[David Franklin]

Originally Posted by DD+

We had the opposite feedback - told we were a bit too smooth

Am I misreading Danicus118?

Originally Posted by Danicus118

A judge said to me to be more bouncy with the arms...

It sounds like the *same* feedback to me.