It's official: Right is wrong when it comes to which side to get out of bed

I found this great article from Premier Inn when booking a hotel recently …

Anyone who has gotten up in a less than positive frame of mind in the morning may well have been asked, "What’s up with you this morning? Get out of the wrong side of bed?" But what is ‘the wrong side’? Premier Inn boffins have settled the answer to that age-old question once and for all. When it comes to getting out of bed, RIGHT IS WRONG and we should all be aiming to get up on the LEFT.

The conclusion was made following hot debate by experts from the fields of sleep science, Feng Shui and psychology. Dr Chris Alford, Jan Cisek and Pete Cohen studied the phenomenon and applied principles from their various fields to help Premier Inn’s team determine that the left side is in fact the right [correct] side. Premier Inn commissioned the study as an extension of their unique ‘Good Night Guarantee’,

How the conclusion was made: Principles of Feng Shui and elements of known left-brain function helped to establish the conclusion. According to the Feng Shui principle of Bagua; creating harmony through the use of space, the left side of the bed is associated with what we hold dear – family and health, money and power (knowledge). By getting out of bed on the left side, you direct positive energy into the corresponding areas of your life. It is a powerful tool that can also be used to help you arrange your bed when you’re staying away from home. The study further determined that getting out of bed on the correct side goes beyond just the physical action of getting out on the left side. It also includes the use of the left side of the brain to prepare the mind for having the best possible day. The left side of the brain is responsible for logical and analytical function, which is this side we use to think rationally about the day ahead:

Before getting out of bed on the left, consider the day and its benefits. The right side of the brain is responsible for emotions like fear and stress, which only dilute your potential for having a positive experience”.

Ensuring you don’t ‘get out the wrong side’:

Getting out of bed on the correct side (the LEFT):
1. Lie in your bed on your back
2. Think rationally about the benefits the day will bring
3. Get out of bed on the side to your left

What to do if you have ‘got out of the wrong side of bed’:
1. Begin your day again… If it is still early or you are at home: go back to bed and release the previously bad start. Lie on your back, think rationally about the benefits of the day before getting out of bed from the left side

2. Stop, relax and regain control… By taking a power nap or meditating for a period of twenty minutes you can rid your brain of the build up of sleep chemicals which can contribute to irritability and lethargy

3. Change your psychology with physiology… Go for a jog or do a yoga class at lunchtime (in our case go dancing) - exercise reduces tension and releases endorphins that promote a happy state of mind

Practice this over the weekend and you should avoid the Monday blues! I always get out of bed on the left side which could explain why I am such a morning person!

Energy Saving Day: 27-28 February 2008 - Leave it off!

When: Between 6pm Wednesday 27 and 6pm Thursday 28 February
Where: At your work and at home
What: Leave off all electrical items which do not need to be on such as office lights, PC monitors, TV, radio, copiers and printers, etc.

Over 24 hours, E-Day will be trying to show how even small energy saving measures can be made to add up, and potentially play a part in tackling climate change, so we are inviting you all to LEAVE IT OFF!

Get involved and see how easy it is to make a difference: Leave it off! Let's not just do it on E-Day but keep remembering to leave it off and the energy savings will only multiply.

For more information about the event, visit the E-Day website (http://e-day.org.uk).

So remember when you go dancing tonight or tomorrow (or any night) switch things off! It will help with your bills too!

Specialist Leans and Dips Class at Ramsgate on Wednesday

Do you want to add style to your dancing ... learn a few leans and dips to add to your dance repertoire ... and take your dancing to another level?

Pop along to Ramsgate on Wednesday night where Keith and Frances will teach you a few lovely moves in their Leans and Dips Specialist Class.

Linda Leaves Dancing on Ice

It was the turn of our fave Emmerdale actress Linda Lusardi to exit the ice rink for good tonight, and she did so amidst lots of tears - mainly those of ice judge Karen Barber! Although Linda put in a brave second performance to Suddenly I See, it was the five out of five skate-off saves for Zaraah that meant the ex glamour model had to hang up her blades and say goodbye to her partner Dan. And despite tears aplenty from panellist and trainer Karen, the star herself was very composed when she heard the bad news, telling Phil and Holly "I've had a ball I really have. It had to end one night and it's ended tonight."

After last week's bickering and with the star skaters nerves at breaking point, how did the icy judges mark this week?

Zaraah Abrahams and Fred Palascak skated to Jump (Girls Aloud) scoring 18 points. Jason said "Jump? What jump? I didn't even see a jump. I thought you were being rather ironic. This was not a good week for you darling."
Greg Rusedski and Kristina Lenko skated to Alright (Supergrass) scoring 17 points. Jason said "Your jumps are like you were dodging bullets. It was entertaining for the wrong reasons. Do you really deserve to be in this competition?”
Gareth Gates and Maria Filippov skated to Sweet Talkin’ Woman (ELO) scoring 23 points. Robin said “Your confidence and control on the ice is brilliant, as an overall performance, you’ve put yourself in the running.”
Linda Lusardi and Dan Whiston skated to Suddenly I See (K T Tunstall) scoring 19 points. Ruthie said “You’re a pleasure to watch and your personality comes through. But everyone is really nervous tonight and that’s why you are slipping”.
Chris Fountain and Frankie Poulteney skated to Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers) scoring 27 points. Robin said”You lost a point for the two-footed landing of the axel and the wobble on the spin. But you are so strong that you will go through whatever we give you. Each week you give performance that is totally different from the week before".
Suzanne Shaw and Matt Evers skated to Music (Madonna) scoring 27.5 points. Nicky said “Wow. Fantastic You captivated me. You looked sophisticated. We’re nearly at a six. If you carry on like this, you could win".

NICE NEWS TOO Despite dashing from rehearsals in Elstree this afternoon to be by his wife’s side as she went into labour, Nicky managed to make it back in the nick time for the start of the show. Phew! And as the proud dad of a baby boy who was born at the couple’s home in Brighton this afternoon, he couldn’t have been any happier – yes, he even gave Suzanne a 5.5! Apparently, he’s even toying with the idea of calling his new nipper Tiger. Congrats to the Slaters and their new addition to the family.

Happy Birthday DJ Gazza

Hope you get to have a restful birthday Gazza and get spoilt rotten by Tracey. Thanks for all you do make other people's special days great and all the hard work you do for Demelza - enjoy your day!

Love all your friends at Dance Riviera xx

Tango Por Dos Review by Jim & Nicky

Jim & I went to see Tango Por Dos at the Peacock Theatre in London as our Valentines present to each other. What a spectacular show to go and see. As you know we're starting to do a teeny tiny bit of tango as it's such a beautiful dance (one day we'll learn properly), so it was fantastic to see it done properly.

The show takes you through the history of Tango, including ladies of the night and how they enticed their customers! to more modern day dancing in Argentinian clubs. The dancers were sharp, superb and faultless - they didn't even break a sweat! The way each of them danced was like magic, their bodies became one and seamless, their routines/freestyle were effortless. Made us feel like we can't dance!

There was a live band and they were incredible, particularly the bandoneóns. The only thing we thought was that they would add some up to date music to bring the tango into our era, but that's a minor wish :-)

There was a free tango lesson after the show, unfortunately we had to go and get our once-an-hour train back home to our sleep village train station. Never mind, we'll certainly do another show when it comes back.

Now got to see Dirty Dancing - can you believe we haven't managed to see it yet!!!
Jim & Nicky

Are you mixed-handed???

Anyone with two left feet can dance ... so why not someone with two right hands ... or is it left?
Anyone who has even seen me coach knows that I have to write "L" and "R" on my hands (thanks Gazza for trying to confuse me the other Monday). I know there are different ways of differentiating between your hands (including wearing jewellery mainly on one hand) but this is the best and most fool-proof method I know (helpful suggestions welcome)!!!

It appears according to "Wikipedia" that I am "mixed-handed" ...
"Handedness is an attribute of human beings defined by their unequal distribution of fine motor skill between the left and right hands. An individual who is more dextrous with the right hand is called right-handed, and one who is more skilled with the left is said to be left-handed. A minority of people are equally skilled with both hands, and are termed ambidextrous. People who demonstrate awkwardness with both hands are said to be ambilevous or ambisinister.

There are four main types of handedness:
Mixed-handedness, also known as cross-dominance, is being able to do different tasks better with different hands. For example, mixed-handed persons might write better with their right hand but throw a ball more efficiently with their left hand. This could also refer to pianists, because different sections of pieces are usually composed to fit the abilities of the different hands, considering that the right hand is usually for melodies and the left-hand, harmonies. However, many writers refer to handedness as the hand that a person uses to write, so Mixed-handedness is often neglected.

Ambidexterity is exceptionally rare, although it can be learned. A true ambidextrous person is able to do any task equally well with either hand. Those who learn it still tend to sway towards their originally dominant hand.No one knows for certain why the human population is right-hand-dominant, but a number of theories have been proposed Ambisinistrous motor skills or a low level of dexterity may be the result of a debilitating physical condition.
Right-handedness is most common. Right-handed people are more dextrous with their right hands when performing a task. Left-handedness is less common than right-handedness.

Left-handed people are more dextrous with their left hands when performing a task. About 8 to 15% of people are left-handed." (

http://www.wikipedia.com/)

So which are you??

Watch out for me on Mondays at Swanley and Tuesdays at Rochester!

Christine
PS Dancing on Friday evening I think my legs may suffer with the same complaint!

Ice Dancing - Steve’s luck runs out

The skate-off king's reign finally came to an end tonight as ex-athlete Steve Backley lost out on the ice to Corrie actress Zaraah Abrahams. Sportsman Steve put in another good performance under pressure, but it wasn’t quite enough to steal the show. And with five out of five saves from the judges in Zaraah’s favour following her lovely Loco-motion, Steve’s lucky streak ran out. Yes, it was time for the javelin thrower to hang up his blades after his fourth and final skate off.

Amid thunderous applause from his fans and family, and the now familiar chants of ‘Steve-o’, the gentle giant received his goodbye bouquet with heaps of grace, telling Phil and Holly: "I am gutted to go. But I’m delighted to have got this far, to have met these wonderful people and to have worked with Chris and Jane. Even the judges haven’t been too bad.”

Steve and his twinkly eyes will be sadly missed.

It was a 60s themed show this week and all about love and peace. Err, will somone tell the squabbling jugdes that? Here's how your fave celeb skater fared...
Gareth Gates and Maria Filippov skated to I Get Around (The Beach Boys) scoring 23 points. Nicky said “Your footwork is fantastic. This week you really are dancing on ice.”
Zaraah Abrahams & Fred Palascak skated to The Loco-motion (Little Eva) scoring 22 points. Karen said “Amazing. You’re no longer the new girl. You’re up there with the best of them. Just keep it and keep going.”
Chris Fountain & Frankie Poulteney skated to My Generation (The Who) scoring 24.5 points. Robin said “He does it every week, he comes out and he gives it his all. The only thing was the hockey player in you was allowed to come out again this week. It was fun, but you need to keep it under control.”
Steve Backley & Susie Lipanova skated to My Girl (The Temptations) scoring 18 points. Ruthie said “You showed a real confidence that I haven’t seen before. When you are on top of your game you are graceful and very attractive to look at on the ice. And very attractive…”
Suzanne Shaw & Matt Evers skated to Walk On By (Dionne Warwick) scoring 23.5 points. Karen said “She pushes herself every week. That was the best performance of the evening. I can’t understand why the others can’t see that.”
Greg Rusedski & Kristina Lenko skated to Hey Jude (The Beatles) scoring 16 points. Jason said “Greg, you have the charisma of cardboard. It has no oomph, You are as dull as ditchwater. It’s week six and you are not anywhere near where you need to be.”
Linda Lusardi & Dan Whiston skated to Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield) scoring 19 points. Ruthie said “I loved it. I love you Linda. You take criticism on board, you take it on the chin and you come back fighting.”

Ice skates at dawn?
Oooohhh. Things got decidedly frosty between the ice judges on the sixth live show. Yes, it’s usually the celeb skaters who feel the force of the Ice Panel’s cutting comments, but during the latest ice extravaganza, the experts turned on each other. The quarrel came after Suzanne’s performance. Karen was outraged that her co-judges had marked the celeb skater so poorly, and before you can say: ‘mind your toe picks’, her and Nicky were having a right old row.
Not to be outdone, Jason got involved in the big old hoo ha too, telling Nicky he’d ‘got it all wrong’, which in resulted in a huge off-camera bust up between the two judges. Ha ha!

Valentine Celebrations - so Smooth!

What a perfect way to spend Valentines Night ... the Dance Riviera way.

At Dartford a Dirty Dancing routine was taught by Jim & Nicky - that means that a whole group of us can now dance to "The time of my life" from the film "Dirty Dancing". The hall was decorated with Valentine Posters and love hearts, and with music supplied by Jules - it was bound to be the perfect evening. Clem & Tracy (with the help of Nick) taught a fun Double Trouble class at Herne Bay. Again the hall was decorated with Valentine posters.

Everyone (at both venues) entered into the Valentine mood by wearing some red and donating money towards Breast Cancer.

Well done Dance Riviera!
Christine

Happy Birthday John

Happy Birthday to slinky dance coach John (Crayford). We hope you have a wonderful and special day and night - and get spoilt lots, as deserved.

Love from all your dancing friends at Dance Riviera x

Happy Birthday Ray

Happy Birthday to dance coach Ray (Dartford).

We hope you have a wonderful and special day and night out and that Val spoils you lots!

Love from all your dancing friends at Dance Riviera xx

Freestyle Smooth Lounge with music from John Miller (Jag Jive) and a Smooth Jive class from Jim & Nicky. The perfect way to start your weekend with dancing from 8pm until midnight.

See you in Rochester

SMOOTH LOUNGE at Rochester - Friday 15 February

It's that time of the month again for our popular Smooth Lounge freestyle night at Rochester.

Teachers Jim & Nicky will teach a Smooth Jive class to get you in the mood for the evening, and popular DJ John Miller (can this man get any better!), will be providing you with the best music mix in the south east! (your words, and we agree with them).

Rochester venue is a brand new dance facility that has a large sprung maple dance floor, chill out bar, plenty of parking, air conditioning and a lovely atmosphere - what more could you ask for?

Whatever your level, you will thoroughly enjoy some fantastic music, dances and catch up with friends. Bring your dancing friends along for a great and different night. The Smooth Lounge will let you enjoy music from Blues, West Coast, RnB, Tango and musicality tracks.

8pm - midnight. £9 on the door (no freebies or loyalty card stamps).

See you there!

Dance Junction
671 Maidstone Road

Rochester ME1 3QJ

(Jct 3 M2 or Jct 5 M20).

It's Valentines & Charity night on Thursday Night!

We have 2 venues open on Valentines Day, so if you're not already going out, why not spend the night with your dancing friends. What better way to spend Valentine's Night!

At Dartford Jim & Nicky will be teaching a Dirty Dancing routine.

At Herne Bay Clem & Tracy will be teaching a fun Valentine Double Trouble! Back by popular demand! Whether you have danced double trouble before or not come along to this fun class - if you can lead one person try leading two!

To make it a little special, we're requesting that people wear something RED and bring an extra £1 to donate to Breast Cancer Research

Goodbye Skater Tim - not very dim!!!

Another five out of five saves for skate-off veteran Steve meant that Tim Vincent said 'goodbye' to his celeb skater chums, and hung up his blades for the last time. In a multicoloured costume, Tim and his partner were first out onto the ice, and put in a brave and energetic second performance to Mika’s Love Today. But after a near perfect routine, it was Tim’s failure to pull off the required element spin (even though he threw himself into it in the skate-off) that cost him the competition and spelt victory for his celeb chum Steve - giving the ex-javelin thrower his third skate off scoop in a row. A disappointed Tim waved to his fans and supporters in the audience after he received the bad news, and told Phil and Holly he was sad to go: "Every week has been exciting and a real privilege. All of us have enjoyed it so much.” Then he took to the ice for the final time and gave a lap of honour with the lovely Victoria.

With more lifts this week than you’d find at a fireman’s convention, the skaters' routines got tougher, and so did the frosty judges’ marks. Here they are...
Greg Rusedski Kristina Lenko skated to She’s So Lovely (Scouting For Girls) scoring 16.5 points. Ruthie said “It was a vast improvement. But from now on it can never be less than this. Well done, you came back”.
Suzanne Shaw & Matt Evers skated to Are You Gonna Be My Girl? (Jet) scoring 24.5 points. Jason said “A phenomenal performance. Incredible, executed brilliantly. What you are doing is absolutely right for week five”.
Tim Vincent & Victoria Borzenkova skated to Love Today (Mika) scoring 12.5 point. Jason said "It wasn’t there. The best part of the routine was when you were sitting on the step! It’s just not indicative of a week five performance".
Gareth Gates & Maria Filippov skated to Blame It On the Boogie (The Jacksons) scoring 20 points. Ruthie said “That was not your best performance, and I think you know that. I love that you try and that you always take risks and you are a contender. But I’m marking you low because it wasn’t your best”.
Zaraah Abrahams & Fred Palascak skated to Diamonds & Pearls (Prince) scoring 22.5 points. Robin said “Great. Every week I’ve been waiting for you to be nervous and scared, but it hasn’t happened. That choreography and routine was like watching two professional skaters. This is the way to get yourself into the final.”
Steve Backley & Susie Lipanova skated to Uptown Girl (Billy Joel) scoring 17 points. Jason said “It was an improvement. You have the best spiral leg in the competition, but your footwork is gingerly executed. Well done on the required element though”.
Linda Lusardi & Dan Whiston skated to Hey Mickey (Toni Basil) scoring 15.5 points. Robin said “There’s two different Lindas. There’s the Linda holding Dan’s hand and looking fabulous during the lifts, and then there’s the tentative cautious Linda when you’re on your own on the ice. I think you have the ability but you have to let yourself go without Dan”.
Chris Fountain & Frankie Poulteney skated to Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake) scoring 27 points. Karen said “Chris you are amazing! I’m shocked by your ability. You don’t even know how good you are and we aren’t even half way through the competition yet”.

Chris was the complete star of the show - come on Chris!!!

Red,Black & White Valentine Ball Report

The Rochester venue was seen by all those who came to the ball last night to be the perfect location for Dance Riviera's 5th Valentine Ball. Circumstances outside of Dance Riviera's control meant that the Dartford venue was not available but luckily for us all the Rochester one was.

The hall and tables were decorated with red & black balloons, sparkly table decorations and chocolates and there was a much-appreciated buffet.

DJ Steve "The Hitman" Strong kept the floor filled with his wonderful array of sounds. Jim & Nicky taught a lovely smooth fun class with freestyle before and after and there was dancing until 1am. The fun dance competition (based on Run-around – come on remember your childhood!) meant Jill (Hearts), Clem (Clubs), Tracy (Diamonds) and Pete with the sparkly silver shoes (Spades) stood in the four corners and the “Dolly Dealers” were Jim, Nicky & Tracy. Yes Tracy we know - Diamonds won!

Everyone joined into the spirit of Red, Black & White and a great night was enjoyed by all!

Remember to come back to Rochester soon! Either for one of the weekly classes or for the Dance Riviera Smooth Lounge (like no other) – the next one being this Friday 15 February. DJ John Miller will be keeping you all dancing in the Dance Riviera smooth way!

Click below for details for Saturday's night's map and directions

Have you told any friends that may come along on Saturday night? We have done our best to tell everyone we know and will have someone at Dartford venue, just in case people turn up. There are some roadworks after 9pm on Saturday night, but you will be diverted. Click below for an enlarged version. Thanks, Nicky

Southport Dance Weekend - Wow what a weekend!

The words “wow what a weekend” just about sum up the time we all had at the Jive Addiction weekend in Southport. Four rooms of music, 24 hours of dancing, world-class lessons, great DJs, great dances and a great vibe – completed by a jaw-dropping cabaret (especially Benji & Heidi from the US).

The theme of the fancy dress was Rome – Terry dressed as a Roman Centurion, Christine as a vestal virgin and Sue & Angela as Roman ladies. “Rowman” Dwain (complete with oars) won the first prize in the fancy dress – well done Dwain! Terry & Christine as ever danced in the cabaret – the storyline to which was Cleopatra & Mark Anthony. The final death scenes took on a life of their own and instead of play fighting with imaginary fists and knives … Christine & Terry used their knees and heads butts (in true South London style)!!

It was great spending time with other Dance Riviera dancers, meeting our dancing friends from all over the country and dancing some very memorable dances with new people too.

Well done to Wes & John for another fantastic weekend! We are already booked in for May and will be booking shortly for September!

Christine
(Hence the reason I looked so tired at Swanley on Monday night and have just got my thoughts together to blog the weekend!)

Happy Birthday Dee

Happy Birthday to our dance coach Dee (Dartford).
We hope you had a wonderful and special day and night (since its now midnight!) and have been spoilt rotten!

Love from all your friends at Dance Riviera
xx

Do you have your ticket for Saturday night yet??

NEWSFLASH ABOUT SATURDAY NIGHT'S BALL!

DJ Bob Ball at Dartford on Thursday!!!

Dance off the remnants of your Shrove Tuesday Pancakes to the tunes of DJ Bob Ball at Dartford on Thursday night.

DJ Bob specialises in Mdern Jive dance music being resident at Le Roc venues in East Sussex.

Aggie’s ice exit

Despite Jason’s cutting comments: “I wish we could get rid of both of them”, there was only one loser in Sunday night's skate off, and that was "How clean is your house" celeb skater Aggie McKenzie After 5 unanimous saves from the judges in Steve’s favour, it was ‘Hello Dolly’ and goodbye Aggie. Sportsman Steve lives to skate another day, and TV domestic diva Aggie must hang up her skates and exit the ice rink for good. Aggie, who really did look ‘pretty and bright’ in her glitzy garb, admitted that she’d put on a poor performance, and after hearing the bad news even had a nice word to say about Jason: “I think he’s got a certain vulnerability”, she told Holly and Phil. Hmmmm. Steve also thought he’d skated badly, but managed to pull through in his second skate off in a row - despite feeling ‘under the weather for a few days’. Will he have what it takes to get through next week, as the competition gets tougher and the performances better and better? And how will poor Sergy get by without his perfect partner? We'll have to wait and see!

Prior to this there was glitz, glamour and more sequins than you can shake a stick at.on Satureay night. But which ice stars took centre stage during this week's Night On Broadway performances? Have a look...

Linda Lusardi and Dan Whiston skated to I Know Him So Well from Chess (Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickinson) scoring 17 points. Jason said “I was looking for great performances but that wasn’t one. When you let go of Dan, you were terrified. I didn’t feel the love, sorry.”

Chris Fountain and Frankie Poulteney skated to Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show (Richard O’Brien) scoring 25 points. Robin said “It was fantastic. I loved it, it was brilliant. It was just good quality skating”.

Greg Rusedski and Kristina Lenko skated to Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat (Lee Mead) scoring 13.5 points. Ruthie said “I think you’ve been quite lucky till now, but I think it’s time for you to go”.

Aggie Mackenzie and Sergey Malyshev skated to I Feel Pretty from Westside Story scoring 10 points. Jason said "In your defence, 'I feel pity’ for your song choice. I think the viewers who are keeping you in are sadistic”.

Tim Vincent and Victoria Borzenkova skated to You’re The One That I Want from Grease (Olivia Newton John and John Travolta) scoring 16 points. Ruthie said “You’re supposed to be playing King of Cool tonight, but it was a little lacklustre. Although this week, you do look much more in control of Victoria”.

Suzanne Shaw and Matt Evers skated to Fame from Fame (Irene Cara) scoring 22 points. Robin said “You are a great performer. You were a little tense and made a few mistakes with your toepicks, but you attacked the performance. You gave more than 100%.”

Steve Backley and Susie Lipanova skated to Hello Dolly from Hello Dolly (Louis Armstrong) scoring 14.5 points. Jason said “I was expecting you to come out here with energy and strength, but you went back to the Steve of a couple of weeks ago. You looked uncomfortable with your partner”.

Zaraah Abrahams and Fred Palascak skated to Don’t Cry For Me Argentina from Evita (Madonna) scoring 19 points. Robin said “You have what it takes, you are wonderful to watch”.

Gareth Gates and Maria Filippov skated to Razzle Dazzle from Chicago (Richard Gere) scoring 20.5 points. Nicky said “I was impressed from the first moment. The big change this week is that you lifting your head up. Now take it up a gear – more speed, power and commitment”.

Fancy Footwork Class with Jim & Nicky at Swanley TONIGHT!

If you fancy learning a few footwork moves then pop along to Swanley where teachers Jim & Nicky will teach you the easy way to remember and put the moves into your repertoire.

See you there tonight!

Nicky