Charity Busk at Broadstairs this Saturday 1st April

Just to let everyone know that we're doing a Charity (Breast Cancer Research) busk this coming Saturday 1st April at the Westwood Cross Shopping Centre near Broadstairs.

We're opening a venue at Broadstairs next Wednesday 5th April, so hopefully it'll create some awareness.

Please come and see us, and dance or collect money! if you're in the area.

Westwood Cross Shopping Centre, outside Debenhams (Compass area), 1pm - 3pm.

Those that come will get water and a free entry ticket as our way of saying thanks for supporting us.

Come and dance your socks off!

for map and more details www.danceriviera.com

Nicky x

Competition Time

The first person to post the correct answer to this question will win a Riviera Reward...

What is the name of the song and the artist that's starts:

La la la
La la la la la
La la la
La la la la la

Hey, don't forget to put your name!

I will post the winner here

CONGRATULATIONS to MARSHA
Make your self known to Jim, Nicky or Tracey to collect your prize.

The answer was Kylie - Can't get you Out of My head

Our 1st Wedding

We are extremely proud to announce the up-coming wedding of Laura and Dominic.

Laura is one of our valued Dance Coaches and Dominic has been a friend for several years.

They are to marry on 11th November 2006 and we wish them all the happiness in the world.

Feels like a true Cilla moment.... Nicky has to buy a hat!

Feel free to post you comments here for them to read.

Jim

"Great fun, great for your health and great for meeting people"

says Lesley Garrett, from the series Strictly Come Dancing. Latin American and Ballroom dancing gives physical, mental and emotional benefits and is one of the best forms of aerobic and strengthening workouts available. It offers:
Great for the body
Burns calories - As Lesley Garrett found when she lost over a stone in Strictly Come Dancing, regular dancing will help avoid putting on those extra pounds and also to loose weight.
A complete workout - It offers cardiovascular benefits to dancers of all ages and abilities from gentle exercise to a challenging workout which is the equivalent of any aerobic class. In a typical dance session, you will not only build your heart's strength but boost your endurance and energy levels.
Tones and strengthens - once you have mastered the basic technique, Ballroom and Latin dancing combines a series of movements that tones and strengthens muscles throughout the whole body.
Keeps joints supple and bones strong - according to the American Journal of Medicine the best way to avoid arthritus and joint problems is to continue to use the joints in a controlled manner. This also helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis by putting a strain on your bones and therefore helping them to remain strong and dense.
Improves posture and balance and co-ordination - Ballroom dancing naturally encourages one to adopt the right posture and the combination of movement and dance steps builds better balance and co-ordination.
Great for the mind
Boosts confidence & self esteem - as you master the steps, gain a real sense of achievement and learn to enjoy dancing in a social and fun environment, your confidence will be boosted. Many people feel uncomfortable in social situations especially when attempting to dance. Learning to dance will make these kinds of social situations more enjoyable
Reduces stress - the comination of physical exercise and mental stimulation is a great way to invigorate yourself and alleviate the stresses of the day.
Mentally stimulating - the combination of exercise and the challenge to remember new groups of steps is good for the mind and stimulates the memory. Research has found that regular Ballroom dancing can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Make new friends - make new friends and have fun with like-minded people on a regular basis.

Party Weekender

We went to the Party Weekender this weekend with a group of friends - Teachers - crew and dancers.

We had a great time as usual even if it did rain all 3 days.

Dwain came 3rd in the Dance with a Stranger competition - Congratulations!

Well done to Darren and the crew for putting on another fantastic event. They make it look so easy...

Jim

TFI Friday

It's been a good week.

Shelagh's leaving party last night was great.Lots of embarrassing photo's of her were displayed on the big screen and she did a brilliant demo with me for the Intermediate lesson (half drunk I might add).
Shelagh's going to Blog her exploits in Gozo (Malta) right here on this site, so stay tuned for that. Got to love the internet!

A group of us are going to the dance weekender at Warmwell tonight, which is always great fun. They even got me to dance to YMCA last year - something I've vehemently avoided my whole life. I wasn't even drunk!

Teacher Pete has been raising money for Breast Cancer Research by going around selling the car stickers in the venues - expect him to be knocking at your door very soon. He even found a five pound note on the floor the other night and donated it to the charity. He's a top geeza!

Zoolander loves the post about him and Elvis and he even voted..... I wonder which choice he made.

It's Teacher Jill's birthday this Sunday, so many Happy Returns to her. We celebrated with a cake last night at Dartford.

DJ Gazza has made a formal complaint that there are to many birthdays co's he's putting on weight with all the cake he's eating. Hmmmm!

Was it me or was yesterday warm like a summers day. Can't wait for summer.

Were training a new DJ, so be prepared to see.....HER very soon. yes she's a she.

If you have any news that you think would be appropriate for this Blog then please contact us and we'll post it up.

Have a great weekend everyone,
The DR Crew xxx

Congratulations

Congratulations to Nigel and Kerry.
They got to the semi-finals of the Blackpool national competition - which is quite an achievement!

I'll email them for more details on how it went etc.

Stay tuned.

Looking to the future...
Although I personally don't like to compete, I would be very keen to help those that do.
If there are those that are interested in doing a Competitions Workshop then maybe we could put something together.
I have judged a few large competitions and we are fortunate to know many of the current top dancers and judges in the world whom we could ask for advice and involve in a workshop.

Also,
I have toyed with the idea of running a weekly advanced Smooth Jive night - similar to our Easy Intermediate weekly workshop..... Any thoughts on this would be welcome.


Jim

What's the relationship?

Is Zoolander
	The real Elvis with lots of face lifts
	Elvis - Reincarnated
	The long lost twin of Elvis
	The long lost love child of Elvis
	The all new Elvis
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Tip of the week

Following skills are as equally important as leading skills.
A dance is much more enjoyable when the leader need only give firm, not forceful, leads to his partner to indicate what is wanted, and when a partner senses body movements that serve as leads.
For this to work, the lady must become sensitive and responsive to the feel (and sometimes sight) of leads, and not expect that her partner will (literally) carry her through the dance.

Reminder - Shelagh's Last Night

It's Shelagh's last night tonight, so get to Dartford to wish her and the family all the best in Malta.

Were going to miss her terribly, but if they have the Internet over there (I think they have electricity now) then she will be in touch through the live chat (ok, so I haven't installed it yet) and the Blog.

Ooooh, there's an idea!

Shelagh - write a blog of how life is on that little island. I'll link to it from here!

Jim x

Pictures of you

Want to see your photo on our website.

What you waiting for... send it to

info@danceriviera.com

Quote of the week

"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels." ~anonymous

lol

World Record Attempt

This looks like fun...

Strictly Come Dancing stars are recruiting fans to take part in a ballroom dancing record attempt.

Anton Du Beke, Erin Boag, Ian Waite and Camilla Dallerup plan to recruit 1500 people to break the record for the most people dancing at the same time.

Speaking at the attempt's launch at Abbey Road, north-west London, Dallerup commented: "There has been an explosion in interest in ballroom dancing since the series first aired and this is going to be a really exciting night."

Proceeds from the May 6 dance, raised through participants' sponsorship, will go to the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign.

More details

Cough.. Have they never heard of Camber?

What's Your Favourite Dance Film?

What's your favourite Dance Film
	Shall We Dance
	Dirty Dancing
	Dirty Dancing 2
	Burn the Floor
	Save the Last Dance
	Dance With Me
	Scent of a Woman
	Strictly Ballroom
	Saturday Night Fever
	White Christmas
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Private Lessons

We will soon be offering Private Lessons for those that wish to have a more one to one teaching experience.

A choice of Teachers will be available with different expertise and experience and will be priced accordingly.

If you have any special requirements then please don't hesitate to let us know.

Jim x

Easy Intermediate Dartford - Tonight

Dan can't make the workshop tonight (work commitments), so Nicky and I will be filling in.

Were looking at these workshops as a means to teach dancers correct technique, so the lessons will be good for those that have been dancing 3 weeks or 3 years.

We will also throw in styling - which is always fun.

Any questions?

Jim x

Blogless

Apologies to all that tried to read the Blog on Friday afternoon and the weekend.
It seemed to have been stored on a dodgy Drive - or at least that's what we were told.

Anyway it's back up and it's raring to go.

Hope you all had a great weekend,

Jim

Wrap up warm

Cloudy, windy and typically British weather this weekend.

Gonna spend mine in the pub next to an open fire with the family - The outlaws...

Have a good weekend everyone,

Jim

Tip of the week

All the best Smooth Jivers always hit the breaks. If you're dancing for fun, hearing and dancing to the music will make it more fun. "It generally gets very appreciative responses from the ladies, too."
I've found that women as a whole "hear the music" better than men do, but they're stuck with following whatever the guy is leading. When they get a partner who can hear the phrases/breaks and they do something appropriate then for many of them, they love it.
If you want to be competitive, hearing and dancing to the music will, at the very least, give you an edge over your competitors.

Jim

Have Your Say

CRAYFORD, FOR A CHANGE …

Well I don’t know, I thought YOU knew
I’ve never ventured there before
Our regular venue is shut tonight
It’s a bit odd, isn’t it love
Changing our pattern of Wednesday evening outings
Where all our mates go
But hey, let’s give it a go
We like Nicky & Jim anyway
And our regular venue friends are giving it a go too
Wish I knew where it was
It’s on their website, look
Click on Venues, look
Click on Crayford, look
Even a handy map - they thought of everything, Dur!
Yeah I know, I would have thought of looking there
Is Gazza doing the DJing?
No, it’s some bloke called the ‘Hitman’
Wot, does he hit people then? No, he plays hits – hello! Hello!
Print the map out and let’s go

It’s dark down this road
Are we there? Why are we at the end of Old Road? Go back, there’s the entrance
We can’t be the first to have done that - Yeah sure

Not doing the lesson? £4 please - Oh? That’s a bit cheaper
And before 9.30pm too, humm – keep that in mind, quite happy about that
It’s a bit bright in here! lesson’s almost finished, quite a few faces I recognise
My turn to dance now
This floor is wonderful - not sticky or slippy
Plenty of dance space to practice
Dj’s playing good tunes - and our requests are likely to be honoured - I bet
There’s the talent, in their talent corner
By the door
You know who you are!

So what did I come away with after visiting this Riviera resort?
(1) You can easily park
(2) it’s not too hot,
(3) A good chance you can get a request played
(4) there’s space to dance
(5) Inexpensive in comparison
(6) The floor is really good to dance on

Nuff said! Not been? Why don’t you give it a try one Wednesday?…

Ken

Happy Birthday Tracy

It's Tracy's Birthday today - She's the one on the left for those that didn't know.

Tracy helps to run Dance Riviera and is mainly seen going around the venues looking after the Dance Coaches. Tracy does a great deal of work in the background too, like kicking my arse...hehe

Many Happy Returns for the day from Jim & Nicky and the Dance Riviera Crew.

Feel free to post a comment with good wishes

Beginner to Intermediate Weekly Workshop

Dapper Dan (shown above) will be teaching a weekly Beginner to easy Intermediate workshop every Monday. Based in Dartford and starting this Monday 20th March the workshop is aimed at those who want to fast track to intermediate and those that want a more detailed lesson on the beginner moves.
Dan is very open to changing the structure of the workshop to meet the demands of those who attend. He will be teaching approximately 4 of 22 easy Intermediate moves that will be rotated over the weeks.
Dancers will be able to ask questions and cover Lead and Spinning Technique as well as other subjects.

Please pass this info onto those that you know will benefit from a more in depth class.

Dartford Venue Details

Jim x

The Hitman has arrived

WARNING - For all those going to our Crayford venue tonight, the Hitman has arrived!

Steve "the Hitman" Strong who DJ's at Camber and films all the DVD's for Camber and Bognor is DJ'ing for us on a rugular basis starting tonight.

So that you know, and I have checked, his name does not mean he will shoot you if you ask for tracks, but he might fire a few shots at your feet and shout in a mexican voice "Dance Gringo Dance" if you sit down for more that 2 tracks!

Please welcome Steve to the family and we wish him good fortune for tonights set.

Crayford Venue Details

Freshly Sqeezed

The new album by LEMON is just simply fantastic.

It's sort of a funky 50's - 60's sound made modern and rocks.

I don't know who the trumpet player is, but boy can he play. Not heard anything this good in a while.

For those that didn't already know - LEMON brought you the track "Latin Lover", which is a dance floor favourite.

Check them out here...

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=51577925

and here

http://www.freshlysqueezedmusic.com/

Jim x

***************************************************************

Reply from LEMON

Hi Jim... thanks so much for the support - it's much appreciated! If there's anything we can do in return let us know.

Re the trumpet, yeah, he is amazing... plays for many Orchestras and Latin bands and also Portishead, name's Dave Ford...

New Calendar

We have a brand new Dance Riviera Calendar up and running. There's no cats or naked dancers on it, but that's only c'os I haven't figured how to do that yet!

Anyway, it will keep you up to date (hehe) with all that's happening and when.

Post your comments if you have any...

http://www.danceriviera.com/calendar/index.php?calendar=publicplace

Jim x

Chat Channel

We are adding a Dance Riviera Chat channel soon (maybe tonight after I finish work and before we go to the Swanley venue).

The Chat channel is live chat for you all to use to keep each other updated and for fun. We hope you like it and use it with respect.

Jim x

Sorry, but only managed the new Calendar last night, but will have the chat up soon ;o)

Charity Gig

Nicky & I will be teaching at Christine's Charity do for the Rotary Club this weekend.
It's sold out!
Were very happy for her and weve decided to donate our teaching charge to the cause as a thank you for all the help Terry and her have done for us.

Christine is the one on the right... and no that's not Terry on the left!

If your there then we look forward to seeing you for a great night out.

Jim x

Just to let you know that the event was great and over £1200 was raised for charity. Well done to all those that supported and helped. Jim x

Loyalty Cards are now available

They have arrived and will be available at the venues next week.

So, if your a regular you will get your 10th night free.

It's our way of saying thank you and we hope you enjoy it.

http://www.danceriviera.com/loyalty-card.html

We appreciate all the support we receive and like to thank those that are regulars. We've been running for 2 & 1/2 years now and consider you as friends. We hope you enjoy dancing as much as we do and continue to support what we started out to do.

Tea Dance Photo's are up

The Tea Dance last Sunday was excellent (as was the cake) and here are the photo's to prove it.

http://www.danceriviera.com/Gallery.html

I ate the picture of the chocolate cake... sorry!

Jim x

Car Stickers

Yippee! Our new car stickers HAVE ARRIVED. Were selling them for £1.00 and all profits will go to Breast Cancer Research.

For those that know Mog, (and i'm sure she wont mind us telling you) she has had the ALL CLEAR and is now on the road to recovery. Mog is a Dance Riviera dancer who is full of life and a great character who contracted breast cancer last year.

I'd like to add that there has been tremendous support for Mog, not only from the Dance Riviera team, but from you people at the venues. With all the crap that goes on in the world it's warming to see people pull together and support a fellow dancer in such a heart fealt way. Were proud of you all.

http://www.danceriviera.com/car-stickers.html

Move it or lose it

This looks interesting for those into a wide range of dance.

http://www.dance-london.co.uk/interested.html

I've never been, so can't comment on whether it's any good. If anyone does go please post here your thoughts.

Jim x

Dirty Dancing

Oh My God!

Dirty Dancing the film is going on the stage.

What's more it's open audition.... Nobody puts baby in the corner!

Cough, I don't think I can pull it off...sulk

Anyway, we might get a whole load of people to go together with a group booking.

let us know your thoughts,

Jim x

http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/show/cm/content/88226

Dance Monsters

To all those Dance Monsters out there that can't get enough of dance there is a new film coming out that looks and sounds like it will be right up your street.

http://www2.warnerbros.com/happyfeet/

Ok, so it's penguins, but the trailer looked fantastic!

Jim x

Chatham Venue - Ice Rink

Unfortunately we had to close our Chatham Venue last night as the floor was so slippery it was like dancing on ice.

The Management are looking into it and will have it ready and back to normal by this weekend in plenty of time for us next week.

Apologies to all that turned up and as compensation we have given all of you a Riviera Reward http://www.danceriviera.com/promo.html

Strangely, Chatham normally has the best dance floor - which is not only sprung, but smooth and large. Give it a try if you've not already.

Bring your ice skates just in case...hehe

Shelagh is leaving us :o(

Our beloved Shelagh is leaving us for warmer climates with her husband Pete and kids.
They are off to Malta and we wish them all the best over there.
Fortunately Shelagh has convinced Pete to learn Smooth Jive so I can only imagine how busy his little dancing feet are going to be from now on...hehe



Please add your best wishes here for both of them.
Were going to miss you x x x

Jenny & Paul - Our new Teachers

For those that didn't know, we have 2 new teachers in Jenny & Paul.
http://www.danceriviera.com/teachers.html
I'm proud to say that both are doing well and are settling in nicely.
I'm holding Jenny's hand at the moment while she gets to grips with the teach (it doesn't shake much) and I'm finding it very difficult to stand on stage without talking.
It's Jenny's 2nd night tonight at Crayford http://www.danceriviera.com/crayford.html

Nicky is looking after Zoolander...erm I mean Paul.

I'm sure you will wish them both lots of luck for the future.

Jim x

Rivoli Ballroom - Gay Night

Nicky and I went to the Rivoli on Saturday and it was great.
It's good to see the placed packed out, although there were quite a few non-dancers who were being told off for standing on the dance floor. This received a huge round of applause from the core dancers, which was funny.

The night consists of ballroom and some line dancing (trust me - no country and western music was played). It was fun and I'm determined to learn the Midnight Waltz.

Nicky wants to teach a Saturday Night Fever line dance thingy soon. Lot's of laughs to be had there me thinks - You know how bad I am at that sort of thing!

Go to www.pinkjukebox.com if you fancy going there.

Jim x

New Website

We put our new website up this weekend and it appears to be well received.
It's taken lots of sweat and tears, but we think it's worth it.
The old one was looking tired..aaaah!

If you have any comments or suggestions then please let us know.

Jim