We had a fantastic night at Dartford last night with guest teachers Joseph & Sadie, they did a mambo style dirty dancing class to the fastest piece of music! there were lots of laughs and smiles all round. They then did 2 wonderful cabarets that left everyone in awe and feeling that they couldn't dance after that!
We're pleased you enjoyed yourselves, those that came and we'll get them back again for you.
Big Dance is a week-long celebration of dance organised by the Mayor of London in partnership with Arts Council England. Big Dance events will take place across London from Saturday 15 July to Sunday 23 July.
Dance Riviera will be taking part in The Big Dance on Saturday 22nd July at the Dartford Festival (which has approx 20,000 people attending over the 2 day event).
We will be doing some stage dancing (if you're up for showing off, please let us know so we can put you on our list!), and then we'll be taking part in the Big Dance (there's a Dance Zone which will be held at the Acacia Hall Ballroom's marquee). There will be some BBC coverage on at the Dartford Festival so you could get yourself on TV!
Details will be clearer nearer the time, but if you're able to come and help with this event, please let us know. Nicky on 020 8692 3821 or Tracy on 07939 699271.
TangoThe Milonga is the forerunner of the Tango. The Milonga had already the characteristic head and shoulder movements that suddenly switched over to stillness.
In the beginning of the 20th Century the Milonga was danced in small theatres for the High Society from Brazil. in that period the name was changed from Milonga to Tango, the Milonga name carried to many memories from the ghetto's of Buenos Aires.
The Tango was introduced in Europe, actually in Paris in the Argentine community. Until 1907 the Tango was not accepted in London, the dance was to erotic and had many opponents. After some stylistic changes the Tango was acccepted by Paris and London that was the time (1912) of the tango-parties, tango-teas and tango-soupier with professional tango demonstrators.
In 1920/1921 the Tango was standardised at the Conference in London, during the "thirties" the staccato actions merged in to the Tango choreography.
History - Tango
This dance comes from South America (mainly Argentina), where it was first danced in "Barria de Las Ranas", the ghetto of Buenos Aires.
It was then known under the name of "Baile con corte" (dance with a rest). The "dandies" of Buenos Aires changed the dance in two ways. First they changed the so-called "Polka rhythm" into the "Habanere rhythm" and secondly they called it Tango.
From 1900 onwards several amateurs tried to introduce the dance from Argentina into Paris, but without success. The Paris teacher Robert made great efforts to make the Tango popular. Still, the path of the Tango was not strewn with roses.
There were many supporters but also many opponents. Especially the French bishops were against this dance. They pointed to the tempting and sensual nature of the Tango, and those who danced it were said to endanger the holy sacraments.
In 1924 Dr Boheme from New York even discovered a new disease: the TANGO-foot. The press, too, came with strange news. On 30 may 1915 the New York Times published an article with the following headline: THE TANGO-DANGER, BIGGER THAN GERMAN IMPERIALISM. Nowadays such messages would raise a few eyebrows.
How things have changed.... Jim x
We did some busking on Saturday at Dartford (which went very well by the way) and during the day I got speaking about when I went to a Take That concert. I was (shamefully admitting) 24 :-) at the time and my friend was pregnant. I didn't want to stand at the end of a long queue, so I told her to stick her belly out and pretend she was more pregnant than she was and that she needed the toilet!! It worked and we got in an hour early!
I then admitted that I was in love with Shakin' Stevens!! My Mum even brought a life-size cardboard cut out of him (from Woolworth's) home for me to gaze at (I was only 10 at the time). My Nan used to sleep in my bed when she stayed over and once woke up screaming after finding "Shaky" on top of her!!! hee hee.
My last confession is my obsession with Wham and particularly George Michael (I don't care that he's gay, he was my teen idol). There wasn't one inch of my bedroom wall that didn't have a poster, article or "Nicola 4 George 4ever"! on it. I went to their Wham - The Final concert. I was 15 and sitting on the shoulders of a very tall school friend. George came down one of the massive stage aisles and touched my hand!!!!! As you can imagine that memory has stayed with me so far and will do forever :-)
Anybody else got any confessions?.........
Nicky
We can't wait to see this movie.
Hopefully, it should be one of the best films this year. For those that haven't seen the first film, treat yourselves, it's great.
More here
Jim x
IF YOU thought salsa was something to dunk your biscuit in, think again.
Australia's growing love affair with the dance floor is set to blossom further after Melbourne was yesterday announced as host of the 2008 World Latin Dancing Championships.
Read more
Well done England and of course Golden Balls for the fantastic free kick goal - just when we were wondering whether it was possible for us to score!!!!! From having temperatures over here of 37 degrees and not wanting to do anything other than swim in the pool and hide in the shade (shame hey!!!), I can totally sympathise with what the guys had to go through yesterday - lets pray for rain and cooler temps for Saturday!!!!
As you can see, my son Sam has got totally into the spirit of things, with his hair changing colour for every match so far, not sure what he will be doing for Saturday's match but I am sure it will be bright and imaginative!!!
Only problem is we are now due to play the dirty playing Portuguese!!!! Did you see the match last night, I just hope Figo's headbutt fiasco (missed by the Ref!!) gets him excluded from Saturday too, lovely example of how not to behave!!!! What a shambles, but very entertaining, kept me interested anyway!!!
Have a brilliant week everyone, we will do our best to keep enjoying the sun!!!! Pete and Jill are visiting us on Wednesday for a well earned holiday, cant wait to see them and catch up on all the latest news and gossip - love to all, Shelagh xxx
We held our first Advanced Smooth Jive night at Dartford last night and it was a huge success. Jim read out a list of things that we're going to be covering over the 10 weeks we're doing this night and even I baulked at what we can do to improve our dancing style, technique, musicality, connection etc etc...! there were a few gasps from the audience :-)
There were a few men over (which is a first!), so next time THURSDAY 6TH JULY, we're going to a strict gender balance booking system.
If you wish to come along (and anyone who's been dancing for a while and confident with intermediate lessons can come), please call Nicky on 020 8692 3821 to book your place.
It's our Jenni's Birthday on Saturday 24th June, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!No Pants Dance Nets Man Fine And Jail
06-22-2006 OCEAN CITY - A Baltimore man who celebrated the town's annual Springfest event in May by pulling his pants down and shaking his manhood for a crossing guard downtown pleaded guilty in Ocean City District Court on Monday.
The resort's popular Springfest event held at the Inlet parking lot each May attracts a diverse audience through food, music and shopping. But, this year's main attraction for some was reportedly watching William Henry Steeg, 48, perform the no-pants dance for a female police officer working a pedestrian detail downtown. Steeg was later arrested for indecent exposure and resisting arrest.
In court this week, Steeg pleaded guilty to indecent exposure, as Assistant State's Attorney Bridget Wyant read a brief statement of facts for the judge related to the charge saying, "While he was exposed, he began to dance to the music playing in the park."
Judge Daniel R. Mumford sentenced Steeg to six months in jail, with credit for 43 days already served. The judge also ordered a $300 fine in the case and recommended work release.
"We're a family resort. We can’t have this in a family resort," said Mumford.
On May 7, at approximately 1 p.m., Ocean City Police Officer Jeffrey Johns was on uniformed bicycle patrol when he responded to South Division Street for an indecent exposure complaint. Johns and Pfc. Sydney Findley arrived in the area and spoke with Gina Casagna, a police public safety aide, who was directing a high volume of pedestrians and traffic downtown. According to court documents, she said Steeg appeared extremely intoxicated as he walked toward her and dropped his pants. Casagna told the officers that crowds of people were drawn to Steeg's actions and he quickly pulled his pants up when police responded.
"Casagna told me that while Steeg's outer and under pants were down and his genitalia were exposed, Steeg began to dance to music that was amplifying from Trimper's amusement park located at the ocean block of South Division Street," court documents read.
When the officers attempted to place Steeg under arrest, he continued to struggle, according to court documents. Johns and Findley escorted the man to the ground, but, due to his extreme intoxication, he hit his head on the concrete, police say. He was treated at AGH.
Steeg testified in court this week arresting officers were overly abusive, and he received a broken nose and four stitches.
Just letting you Mikey fans out there that he will be teaching for us at our Gravesend venue next Wednesday 28th June. He'll be doing a normal beginners lesson and then one of his lovely intermediate lessons, plus he's there to dance with you all night!
DJ Steve "the Hitman" Strong will be your DJ for the night, he's getting a huge fan base already due to the variety and beat range of his music. He's at Dartford tonight (Thursday 22nd June) if you fancy coming along to check him out :-)
Dance Riviera supports some like-minded independent dance organisations, Mikey & Jive Hive being a couple, so here's a little plug for a workshop they're doing.......Check out this video of the evolution of dance over 40 years.
Always good for a laugh...
here
Jim x
The Jive Aces and others are hosting their annual charity concert on Sunday 2nd July. It's called Summertime Swing and starts at 3pm. It's held on the terrace of a beautiful 16th century manor house. The address is: Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 4JY.
We have Terry Elliott DJing, The Jiving Lindy Hoppers doing a display and lesson, vintage vehicles on display, BBQ roasting away and lots more.
You can get tickets and directions by calling 01342 300 075 or emailing fanclub@jiveaces.com. They are £13 in advance or £15 on the day and under 12's come free!
As usual, all proceeds are going to charity and this year we are supporting the Royal British Legion and also a London Police charity.
We are now arranging private lessons for those that would like to improve any feature of your dancing.
Available for small groups or individuals with a variety of teachers.
If you want to improve more quickly or want a more one to one experience then contact Nicky on 0208 692 3821 or info@danceriviera.com
See our web page for more details here...
Jim
All of the photo's in our Gallery are now for sale in multiple sizes and can even be printed on mugs, mouse mats and canvas.
Email Nicky for more information and sizes and prices.
Jim x
We'll be "busking" in the Orchard Shopping Centre (East Mall) from 12pm - 2pm this Saturday 24th June.
Busking is a great way of showing new people what we do and encourage them to come along and try it out for themselves.
In order to show them what we do, we need dancers to turn up and dance!!!
Please come along and strut your stuff and get a FREE entry ticket as a thank you for helping to support this event.
Please email Nicky at info@danceriviera.com to let us know if you're coming along. Jim & I look forward to seeing you there.
Click here for the flyer
Nicky
For those that didn't know or may have forgotton (easy with all the football on) Nicky & I will be running a weekly advanced Smooth Jive workshop with restricted numbers.
The workshop will include technique, shape, footwork, musicality, blues and much more...
Contact Nicky to book your place: 0208 692 3821 or info@danceriviera.com
Jim
Strictly Come Dancing is joining forces with BBC New Talent to offer aspiring performers the chance to appear in a one-off production for BBC1 titled Dancing in the Street.
The Corporation is holding dance workshops at six venues across the country during June and July, in a bid to find the best upcoming talent to appear in the show, which will be performed and recorded for television in front of a live audience in London’s Trafalgar Square. Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke is to host masterclasses for those that have been shortlisted from the initial workshops but from these only one dancer from each of the six locations will be chosen to appear in the show.
The winners will have to attend two days of rehearsals with celebrity dance partners including Erin Boag, Andrew Cuerdon, Hanna Haarala, Nicole Cutler and Matthew Cutler, before performing with them at the event on July 22.
Du Beke commented: “Dancing for an audience of millions live on BBC1 is a wonderful experience. I hope we’re going to find some undiscovered talents so we can give a spectacular ballroom performance on stage in Trafalgar Square.”
The show forms part of Big Dance, a nationwide celebration of the artform run in conjunction with Arts Council England. The 90-minute production will be broadcast on BBC1 later in the year and the final six dancers could also receive funding for further training and development.
Please join us in wishing Shelley Many Happy Return for the Day.
She will be 24 on Wednesday, but will be celebrating at Dartford on Thursday. Be sure to ask her for a dance.
All the best, Jim x
I don't follow football except for the world cup and even then only England.
I'm really happy that we've made it to the next round already and regardless of how well people think we are playing we have still won both our games.
Next game could be a toughie though. Any thoughts from you lot?
Also, isn't it great to see all those England flags flying on cars and hanging from house windows. The English aren't known for their nationalism unlike the Scots, Irish and Welsh, but it's looks like we are starting to cotton on.
Nicky bought 2 flags for our car, but I couldn't work out how to fix them on.. I had to look at a car being driven by a woman to realise they fix to the windows. Bet she got a man to fix them on though eh... They will take pride of place tonight when I get in from work.
Have a great weekend all,
Jim x
Herne Bay celebrations were great last night and Nicky & I really enjoyed our teach.
The dancers are coming on very well and I was more than impressed with the friendly atmosphere. I didn't see a single bopper all night ;o)
Buzz lightyear and Woody were entertaining..... You need to find out who they are!
One thing that bugged me though was those bloomin windmills out to sea. Who's stupid idea was it to spoil the view with those things. At least paint them light blue or something so we can't see them. Apparently they have flashing lights on them too so you can see them at night..... wow how thoughtful! Rant over... Jim x
NEW YORK, June 15 (UPI) -- The New York nightclub Stereo had a new form of entertainment when Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan battled on the dance floor.
The impromptu contest began early Wednesday morning, when both celebrities began dancing in the club's VIP section and continued for hours, with both women reportedly waiting for the other to stop first, People magazine reported.
Hilton and Lohan's dancing competition continued until 7 a.m., apparently without either woman acknowledged the other while dancing.
"They were really dancing, non-stop. It was funny," a source told People. "They didn't say a word to each other, but they were literally a foot-and-a-half away from each other the entire time."
The dance-off is the most recent event in what has been an ongoing feud between the celebrities. The incident stemmed from occurrence on Monday where Lohan was confronted by Hilton for dating her ex-boyfriend, Stavros Niarchos, People said.
Group of writers say Fox and cohorts' show stole their idea for reality show. Fox Dances to court.
The reality-show lawsuits continue, and it looks like Fox has been naughty again. A group of four people has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court that claims Fox Broadcasting, Dick Clark Productions, Martin Erlichman Associates, and American Idol production company 19
Entertainment stole their idea for the hit Fox reality show So You Think You Can Dance.
Read more here
The American independent film writer and director tells Benjamin Secher how Mark Sandrich's The Gay Divorcee (1934) inspired his work
'I'm not sure how this will tie in to your question," says Whit Stillman, adopting the nervous yet determined gaze of a man who is about to give an extraordinary answer to an ordinary question, "but I think some of Fred Astaire's dance performances prove the existence of God."
Read more here
FOR Casualtystar and Strictly Come Dancing hotstepper Will Thorp, celebrity is something of a dirty word.
Despite becoming a housewives' heartthrob during his role as Woody on the wards of Holby General, and then winning an army of fans on the TV ballroom dancing phenomenon, Will is adamant that the only thing he wants to be known for is his thespian skills.
And that's all he has to rely on in his new role as a young architect who gets swept into a gruesome plot in the psychological thriller Strangers on a Train,which comes to the Arts Theatre next week.
The star-studded play, which also features Colin Baker, Anita Harris, Emmerdale's Leah Bracknell and EastEnders' Alex Ferns, is based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith, who wrote The Talented Mr Ripley. Alfred Hitchcock made the novel into a film in 1951, but the story was treated in a very different way.
"It's a fascinating play," says Will.
"Luckily it's one that will keep us thinking throughout the whole tour and I think it will develop and get better and better.
"I wasn't sure how I was going to feel when I got back on stage after doing TV for so long, but it was surprisingly painless. After doing Strictly Come Dancing, which terrified me so much, it put it into perspective. That was live in front of 10 million people!"
His involvement in the programme that did the impossible and made ballroom dancing cool again was something he did for fun. Since then he has been in high demand for every kind of celebrity event but, alongside TV work (just last week, viewers saw him being possessed by the Devil in a terrifying episode of Doctor Who) he chose to go back to his stage roots.
"It's great to be back in the theatre. I think it's really important for actors to do because it keeps you sharp," he insists.
"I certainly don't buy into celebrity culture, but people are fascinated by it.
God knows why, because it's just soulless and dreary beyond belief.
Once you've been there for a bit, you realise that it's not that exciting.
"I suppose I'm a celebrity in the sense that I've done a celebrity show and I've been on the telly fairly regularly. But I don't go to any of the parties or premieres.
"Keeping your profile high is very addictive because it means you have a better choice of work and you get more money. But it's really good to take those leaps of faith and say, 'No I don't have to be on TV'. As soon as people see more pictures of you at parties and premieres than they do of you working, then they forget you have a trade, and that's always been important to me.
"Although I did Strictly Come Dancing, I didn't cash in on it. I've been asked to do OKand Helloand just recently the nude centrefold in Cosmopolitan. I just said, 'Don't even tell me about it, I'm not interested'.
"I've already been naked on telly - everyone's seen my bum and they don't need to see any more!"
Despite having a great time on the reality show, Will says his dancing days are firmly over. When you're touring the country to packed out theatres six nights a week or filming round the clock for television, it's difficult to find the time.
"No, I've burnt the shoes," he laughs. "When I was doing it I thought maybe it would be a laugh to take it up as a hobby but I don't have any time really.
"I was doing 11 or 12 hour days on Casualty and then I was going on for about four hours at night rehearsing the dances. I think I've only had three days off since I finished."
Being in the theatre again has given him a taste of what it's like when there's an audience in front of you hanging off your every line. And with a role as tense and taut as the ambitious but troubled Guy Haines, he has a lot of work to do.
"In the theatre you need to sustain a performance and be in character for two hours at a time," he tells scene. "People who work in TV a lot aren't used to that because you have short scenes of sometimes 30 seconds at a time.
"In TV there are a hundred other people involved in the end performance.
What you see in the end product isn't just the actor, there's the editing, the lighting and everything else that goes into making you look good.
"But with theatre it is just down to you and the other cast around you. On TV there are a lot of handrails for you and there's lots of people around you. It's ridiculous the amount of people who are there to make sure you're OK.
"In theatre there's none of that. It toughens you up."
Hi All,
We're back from a 1 week trip to New York. We had a great time even though it rained all week.
We did all the tourist stuff including Empire state, Statue Liberty, Circle line, Shopping and lots of eating (boy do I need to lose weight).
Big thanks goes to Steve Neeren for showing us around and being a great host (Top Geezer).
We will blog individual experiences in more detail, but just wanted to let you know there will be more blogging now were home.
Chat soon, Jim x
We can't believe it's been a year since we opened Herne Bay! Time really does fly.
Jim & Nicky will be teaching the classes this week and Keith will be DJing.
There will be a birthday cake (of course) and fun classes to help see you through the night.
AND......more importantly, the football will be finished by 7pm so you can definitely come out for a dance!!
BIG thanks goes to Keith & Frances (and the rest of the Dance Riviera crew who run this night), they've done a fantastic job of creating a lovely friendly atmosphere that everyone enjoys.
We look forward to celebrating with you.
Jim & Nicky
We have a different line-up for you at Deal this Tuesday. John & Linda Ford will be DJing, playing a wide range of music to suit everyone (they're pretty famous in the dance world for their fabulous DJ sets they play at weekenders and their own and other events).
Nicky will be teaching the lessons aided by Clem (one of our dance coaches) who does a brilliant job of trying to listen to everything she says and then demo it!!
Keith & Frances will be back in a couple of weeks, they're teaching and DJing at our other venues.
Look forward to seeing you there. Nicky
Hiya everyone - how are you all doing? I hear summer has finally found its way to the UK so I expect the string vests and t-shirt marks are everywhere to be seen!!!! Enjoy the sunshine and make it a Pimms o'clock (have 1 for me!!!)
We have had a very busy few days (well busy for Gozo!!!!) - Pete and I have completed our PADI open water dive course - I feel very proud of myself as I was "slightly" anxious to start off with but our instructor "Groover Graham" was brilliant and made the whole course fun and relaxing and we all managed to overcome our fears and qualify for diving up to 18mtrs - we did our final dive today and went into "The Blue Hole" which was a fantastic dive down under an underwater archway and out into the open sea - I loved it, saw some of the underwater wildlife of Gozo (no sharks anywhere thank goodness!!!!!) and made it back to the surface ready for "beer o'clock". Dapper Dan has just booked his flights over to see us in September and I am glad to say that we will be able to join him in some dive adventures - cant wait!!!!
Anyway that is 1 of my "to do" things that I can tick off, think I deserve some relaxing time now before I embark on any more strenuous activity!!!!! The red wine has been opened, the air is warm and it looks set to be a beautiful day tomorrow - night night everyone and love to all, Shelagh xx
A big Happy Birthday to our teacher Paul who celebrates his 30th birthday today. Hope you have a wonderful and special day.
So ladies, this week you've got even more of an excuse to give him a big hug for his birthday :-)
Nicky
We have another one of our popular workshops and tea dances this Sunday (4th June) at Dartford. Jill & Pete will be taking you through some lovely stylish footwork moves. Don't be afraid of footwork!! When taught properly, they can easily be incorporated into your repertoire of moves. Jill & Pete's style of teaching is to ensure that you absolutely get the moves, along with Pete's sometimes terrible but funny jokes!
It's 10 pounds for 5 hours of workshop and tea dance including refreshments (tea/coffee/cake).
If you just want to come to the tea dance it's 5 pounds after 2.30pm with no refreshments - although if there's some spare you could buy it on the door.
Ring Nicky today to ensure your place on Sunday 020 8692 3821. Tell your friends!!
A friend of mine from work "Steve" has two tickets available for this Saturdays Elton John performance in Canterbury. They are the £80.00 tickets, which after a bit of haggling he is letting go for £70.00 each.
The seats are for the front block and very good.
More info here about the concert and seating.
They are only on offer today as I'ts the only day I can pick them up.
email me if your interested: info@danceriviera.com
Jim x
