Good Luck to our new Dance Coaches

Good Luck to our new Dance Coaches ...
Shelley at Swanley and
Di and Martin at Crayford.

Welcome to the Dance Riviera crew - now its your chance to pass on all your tips to the new dancers as well as all the fun and friendship you have enjoyed as part of the Dance Riviera team.

Good luck!
Christine x

Happy Hocktide!!!

Hocktide is a very old term used to denote the Monday and Tuesday in the week following the second Tuesday after Easter. Hungerford is now the only place in the country still to maintain the annual Hocktide festival.

The festival dates from the 14th century when Prince John of Gaunt gave the rights of free grazing and fishing to local ‘commoners’. To celebrate the town's patronage from Prince John of Gaunt, the town crier blows his horn and calls together the Hocktide Court in the town hall. Here, all commoners, living in the most ancient house in the High Street, must pay a fine to ensure their rights of fishing and grazing. While the court continues, "Tutti-Men" with florally decorated poles are led through the streets by the "Orange-Man" to collect kisses from all the ladies resident in the High Street. They receive an orange in return. Various traditional suppers, ale-tastings, lunches and balls follow.

Traditionally the festivities consisted of a practice called binding: the men of the parish tying up the women and demanding a kiss for their release. The next day the women would tie up the men and demand a payment before setting them free. The monies collected would then be donated to the parish funds. The origins of the name Hocktide are unknown. The festivities were banned under Henry VIII as they were thought to encourage public disorder, but Elizabeth I was petitioned to reinstate the tradition in 1575. How popular the revival was is not recorded, but a number of towns are known to have re-established the tradition.

In England today, the tradition survives only in Hungerford in Berkshire. Hocktide in Hungerford now combines the ceremonial collecting of the rents with something of the previous tradition of demanding kisses or money.

Although the Hocktide celebrations take place over several days, the main festivities occur on the Tuesday, which is known as Tutti Day. The Hocktide Council, which is elected on the previous Friday, appoints two Tutti Men whose job it is to visit the properties attracting Commoner's Rights. Formerly they collected rents, and it was their job to accompany the Bellman (or Town crier) to summon commoners to attend the Hocktide Court in the Town Hall, and to fine those who were unable to attend one penny, in lieu of the the loss of their rights. The Tutti Men carry Tutti Poles: wooden staffs topped with bunches of flowers and a cloved orange. These are thought to have derived from nosegays which would have mitigated the smell of some of the less salubrious parts of the town in times past. The Tutti Men are accompanied by the Orange Man (or Orange Scrambler), who wears a hat decorated with feathers and carries a white sack filled with oranges, and Tutti Wenches who give out oranges and sweets to the crowds in return for pennies or kisses.

The proceedings start at 8 am with the sounding of the horn from the Town Hall steps which summons all the commoners to the attend the Court at 9 am, after which the Tutti Men visit each of the 102 houses in turn. They no longer collect rents, but demand a penny or a kiss from the lady of the house when they visit. In return the Orange Man gives the owner an orange. After the parade of the Tutti Men through the streets the Hocktide Lunch is held for the Hocktide Council, commoners and guests, at which the traditional "Plantagenet Punch" is served. After the meal, an initiation ceremony, known as Shoeing the Colts is held, in which all first time attendees are shod by the blacksmith. Their legs are held and a nail is driven into their shoe. They are not released until they shout "Punch". Oranges and heated coins are then thrown from the Town Hall steps to the children gathered outside.

Sounds fun!

The summer is here!!!

"Britain was the first nation to adopt daylight saving schemes in 1908.Some people believe the pragmatically minded British did it to make economy on candles." TASS, Moscow

So we lost an hour in bed! But did you know why ... The Summer Time Act 1972 originally defined the period of British Summer Time to start at 2 am (GMT) on the morning of the day after the third Saturday in March or, if that was Easter Day, the day after the second Saturday. It was to end at 2 am (GMT) on the day after the fourth Saturday in October. The duration of British Summer Time (BST) can be varied by Order of Council and in recent years has been changed so as to bring the date of the start of Summer Time into line with that used in Europe.

It happens twice a year. We all change our clocks and watches by one hour. In the spring, we add an hour, and go onto what is called British Summer Time, while in the autumn, we do the reverse, and adhere to Greenwich Mean Time.

Why bother? It's all to do with saving the hours of daylight, and was started by a chap called William Willett, a London builder, who lived in Petts Wood in Kent. Basically, he reckoned that you could improve the population's health and happiness by putting forward the clocks by twenty minutes every Sunday in April and do the opposite in September. His idea was not taken up, even though a 'Daylight Saving Bill' was introduced some five years before the outbreak of World War One. But once the war started, it was considered prudent to economise, to promote greater efficiency in using daylight hours, and in the use of artificial lighting. And so in 1916, 'Daylight Saving Time' was introduced.

Even though most countries abandoned this after that war, some eventually decided that it was a good idea, and most of these nations began to keep it throughout the year. Since 1972, Britain has decided to go with Greenwich Mean Time in winter, and British Summer Time in Summer. But back in 1968, Britain tried a four-year experiment by advancing time one hour ahead of GMT throughout the year (was this something to do with me being born?). But those living further north, particularly in Scotland, found it most unsatisfactory, with dark mornings for much of the year, and the experiment was dropped.

So Summer time is now in force from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. So lets get outside and enjoy the summer - just remember to take a coat ... and gloves ... and umbrella!

Christine

PS Can anyone explain why if the clocks went forward at 2am why was it at 1am everyone was saying it was 2am! Me confused!

Happy Birthday Jane

Wishing a very happy birthday to Jane - our door host at Crayford. Have a great day Jane and be spoilt rotten by Tony and the family.

Love and hugs from all your friends at Dance Riviera xx

Happy Birthday Sarah

Wishing Dance Coach Sarah (Swanley) a very Happy Birthday!

Have a great day and night Sarah - we will all be joining you on the dance floor to celebrate in "style"!

Love and hugs from all your friends at Dance Riviera xx

Sparkling Spring Ball - Saturday 19 April at Herne Bay

Don't forget we have one our famous Saturday Night Specials coming soon ... Saturday 19 April.

A Sparkling Spring Ball with the dress code of denim and diamonds to be held at The Kings Hall, Beacon Drive, Herne Bay.

Tickets are only £10 (in advance - otherwise £12 on the door) and there's a finger buffet, Dance with a Stranger fun jive competition and a pot of gold lucky dip - plus freestyle dancing from 8pm until 1am to the sounds of Top DJ Steve "Hitman" Strong!

There may be a coach from the London/Kent area to Herne Bay - leave your name with the welcome host at your venue and they will pass this information onto the people arranging the travel. Numbers for this are limited!

Wear your denims and as many "diamonds" as you can sparkle as you can and sparkle the night away!

Tickets are on sale at all our venues - get your ticket early to guarantee your entry - these nights are usually a sell out!

Happy Birthday Jill

Happy Birthday to Jill who teaches with hubby Pete.

Have a great day Jill enjoying all the things that Pete is going to treat you to!

Love from all your friends at Dance Riviera.
xx

Back to the working week - dreaming about dreams!

Now we have all returned to work after a lovely long Easter break - its time to dream about sleep again!!

Take a look at some of the most common dreams - are yours one of them?

• Being chased is a common dream which can often suggest a fear that something - or someone - may be getting the better of you
• To dream that someone you know (who is alive) has died, can be interpreted as an awareness this person is changing, usually for the better
• Dreaming of sex can have several meanings, but is usually about a power struggle between two (or more) people
• Falling in a dream is very common and means that you may be aware of a situation potentially spiralling out of control
• When you're flying in a dream you may feel on top of the world. If you do, this dream may be acknowledging a desire to be free of worry
• If you're always turning up late in your dreams, you may be frightened that you're missing out on an important opportunity
• Being naked is one of the most common dreams and means you may be feeling vulnerable or perhaps worried you'll make a fool of yourself
• Lots of dreams feature the dreamer being back at school, often involving childhood memories and anxieties
• Dreaming that you're unable to see can be a warning to pay attention. There may be a situation around the corner that you're not seeing for what it is.
• To dream of losing teeth is often the most talked about. It can be a fear of losing something - or someone - important to you, your looks, your youth or even literally your teeth!

Not all dreams are bad dreams even if they appear to be - I wonder what dreaming about a sea of Creme Eggs means??

Sleep peacefully!

Today is Hops Monday!!!

One for all us beer drinkers! Yes today is HOPS MONDAY!

Hops were introduced into England in the first quarter of the 16th century by Flemish immigrants. The first English book written about hop growing by Reynolds Scot, was published in 1574. It recommends that poles be erected in the spring as soon as the hops are above the ground! What a great man he was!

So tonight not only can you dance off all your Easter Eggs at Swanley but you can celebrate Hops Day at the bar!!

Me thinks I may treat myself to a pint too - only out of respect for the day ... of course!

Happy Easter Monday!

Easter Monday, another public holiday in much of the UK, has little religious significance bu numerous secular customs.

Egg rolling: Egg rolling is very popular in England and is an Easter Monday sport. Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a hill. Customs differ from place to place. The winner's egg may be the one that rolls farthest, survives the most rolls, or is rolled between two pegs. In the UK the tradition of egg rolling goes back hundreds of years and is known as "pace-egging", from the Old English Pasch meaning Easter. In Lancashire there are annual egg rolling competitions at Avenham Park in Preston and at Holcome Hill near Ramsbottom. There is an old Lancashire legend that says the broken eggshells should be carefully crushed afterwards or they will be stolen and used as boats by witches. Other traditional egg rolling sites are the castle moat at Penrith, Bunkers Hill in Derby and Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. The eggs were traditionally wrapped in onion skins and boiled to give them a mottled gold appearance (although today they are usually painted) and the children competed to see who could roll their egg the furthest. The eggs were eaten on Easter Sunday or given out to pace-eggers – fantastically dressed characters who processed through the streets singing traditional pace-egging songs and collecting money as a tribute before performing traditional mumming plays (Mummers' Plays (also known as mumming) are seasonal folk plays performed by troupes of actors known as mummers or guisers (or by local names such as rhymers, pace-eggers, soulers, tipteerers, galoshins and so on), originally from the British isles, but later in other parts of the world). This tradition has also survived at Linctus Peverell in the Cotswolds. The young men of the village dress as mummers and sing the traditional “Gander song,” the first verse of which is:
Roodle oh my doddle oh
Roodle all the day
Now all you gay bachelors listen oh to me
Never get wed if you want to stay free
Billy cock, Billy cock
For who will boggle me gander
When I am far away?
Roodle oh my doddle oh
Roodle all the day

Other countries: In Germany a prize is awarded to the contestant whose egg rolls fastest down a track made of sticks. In Holland the contestant whose egg rolls furthest wins a prize. In Egypt children bowl red and yellow eggs towards another row of eggs and whoever cracks one egg can claim them all..

Biddenden Dole: At Biddenden in Kent, the Biddenden Dole, in the form of bread, cheese, tea (formerly beer) and cake is distributed The cake bears an image of two women said to be the founders of this charity, a pair of Siamese twins who were born in 1100 and died within a few hours of each other at the age of 34.

Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking: At Hallaton in Leicestershire, the Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking begins with the blessing of a pie (usually made with beef rather than hare), which is subsequently broken up and thrown to the assembled crowd. This is followed by an unruly football game between the village of Hallaton and Medbourne. Small wooden barrels filled with ail are used as rugby balls in the no-holds barrel contest, the object of which is to get each touchline in either village.

Whatever you do today - if like me you are recovering from an overdose of Creme Eggs - have a great day!

HAPPY EASTER

CRÈME EGG DAY IS HERE!
Since I am now face down in chocolate – I thought it best to give you all a lot to read!!!!

The Traditional Egg Gift: The first eggs given at Easter were birds eggs. These eggs were painted in bright colours to give them further meaning as a gift. As chocolate became more wide spread In the 20th Century, a chocolate version of the traditional painted egg was developed. The size of the chocolate egg has grown over the years and is now more likely egg to be the size of an ostrich egg rather than a small birds egg. Around 80 million chocolate eggs are eaten each year in Britain.

Easter Egg Hunt: Small chocolate eggs are hidden for the children to find on the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. It has been linked to the Easter Bunny, which only arrived in Britain relatively recently.

Pace Egging: Pace Eggs are hard boiled eggs with patterned shells, they are traditional in northern parts o local variants in the name, such as Paste Eggs. The name is derived from Pesach (Passover). The background colour is provided by onion skins, with designs created by leaves and flower. All kinds of fun are had with the hard-boiled decorated pace eggs.

Origins of Colouring Eggs at Easter: Decorating and colouring eggs for Easter was a common custom in England in the middle ages. Eggs were brightly coloured to mimic the new, fresh colours of spring. The practice of decorating even more famous by King Edward I of England who ordered 450 eggs to be goId-leaved and coloured for Easter gifts in 1290.

Egg rolling: Egg rolling is very popular in England and is an Easter Monday sport. Hard-boiled eggs are ro down a hill. Customs differ from place to place. The winner's egg may be the one that rolls the farthest, survives the most rolls, or is rolled between two pegs.

Egg Jarplng (Egg Tapping): Another activity that takes place on Easter Day is the playing of a game with the eggs known as "jarping", It's a bit like playing conkers, with players tapping their opponents' eggs until one breaks. The victor goes through to the next round and it's a process of elimination until there's only one good egg, the winner's, left. In Cumbria, it is traditional to have 'jarping*, except they call it ‘egg dumping'. There are strict rules surrounding the competitions, which take place in houses and pubs. Some larger egg dumps can take all day or evening, and quite a bit of money can change hands.

Easter cards: Easter cards arrived in Victorian England, when a stationer added a greeting to a drawing of a rabbit. The cards proved popular.

Special Food at Easter: After the lean months of winter and the fast weeks of Lent, food at Easter was always a special treat. Easter day, like Christmas day, is also associated with special food.

• Boiled eggs are traditionally served at breakfast, then Easter cards and gifts may be exchanged.
• Roast Iamb, which is the main dish at Jewish Passover, is the traditional meat for the main meal on Easter Day. It served with mint sauce and vegetables. The traditional pudding are custard tarts sprinkled with currants and flat Easter biscuits (sometimes called "Cakes” contain spices, currants and sometimes grated lemon rind).
• Simnel cake is baked for tea. Eleven balls of marzipan are placed around the top layer to represent the eleven true disciples (excluding Judas). Originally the simnel cake was a gift to mothers on Mothering Sunday in Mid Lent.

Easter in Germany: It Is the Easter bunny who brings Easter eggs to children, He hid in the garden, for the children to find them! It's a lot of fun,

What is Easter?
Easter is the time for holidays, festivals and a time for giving chocolate Easter eggs. But Easter means much more …

Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian Festival, the celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ. For Christians, the dawn of Easter Sunday with its message of new life is the high point of the Christian year.

Where does the name "Easter" come from? Pagan traditions give us the English word "Easter" which comes from the word "Eostre". The Anglo-Saxon word for April was "Eostre-monath" (the month of openings). However, it should be remembered that Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ long before the word "Easter" was used, and the word they used for the celebration was “Paschal” which is derived from and linked to the Jewish festival of Passover.
According to Bede, the English monastic historian, the English word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April, which was known as "Eostremonath" in the AngloSaxon tongue and since Pascha was most often celebrated in Eostremonath, the English Christians began calling it "Eastee”. Bedes also notes that the month was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Esostre. Rituals related to the goddess Eostre focus on new beginnings, symbolized by the Easter Egg, and fertility, which is symbolized by the hare (or Easter bunny).

Why do we have eggs at Easter? An Anglo-Saxon legend tells how the Saxon goddess Eostre found a wounded bird and transformed it into a hare, so that it could survive the Winter. The hare found it could lay eggs, so it decorated these each Spring and left them as an offering to the goddess. Eggs are a forbidden food during Lent, making them a welcome return to the menu on Easter Day. Eggs have been a symbol of continuing life and resurrection since pre-Christian Spring celebrations.
To the Pagans the egg's oval shape represents the eternal cycle of seasons. In their tradition, the egg’s yolk symbolizes the sun-god, and the egg-white and pale shell represents the maiden goddess: their sacred marraiage is said to have occurred at the Spring Equinox. Eggs have had a religious significance in many ancient civilizations; Egyptians buried eggs in their tombs as did the Greeks; A Roman proverb states, "All life comes from an egg". It's probably no surprise that Christ adopt the egg to symbolise the resurrection of Christ.

But which did come first – the chicken or the egg? An age old question!

Holy Saturday - Nutters Dance

COUNTDOWN TO CREME EGG ... ONE DAY!

Traditional Holy Saturday Event: The Bacup Nutters Dance traditionally takes place on this day in the small Pennine town of Bacup. Each year a team of folk-dancers with blackened faces dance trough the town from boundary to boundary. A form of Morris dancing, the blackened faces may either reflect a need for the dancers to disguise their faces from evil spirits, or have a mining connection. The tradition of this dance is thought to date back to 1857. Visit www.coconutters.co.uk

It is the Saturday before Easter, the last day of Lent and is the day when Christ's body lay in his tomb. In the early church Holy Saturday was a day of fasting and preparation for the Easter Vigil. Holy Saturday is also often incorrectly called Easter Saturday, a term that correctly refers to the following Saturday after Easter. Easter Vigil, dating back to at least the Roman times, takes place on Holy Saturday. The Easter Vigil is a service held in many Christian churches as the official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. The Easter Vigil is celebrated by the use of a wax candle which is inscribed with a cross. The letters alpha and omega are inscribed at the top and bottom and the four numbers representing the current year are inscribed above and below the cross arms. Five grains representing the wounds of Christ are sometimes pushed into the soft wax.

Dance off the Easter Eggs on Monday!

Good Friday and Hot Cross Bun's magical powers?

COUNTDOWN TO CREME EGG ... 2 DAYS !

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day, Christians remember the day when Jesus was crucified on a cross. The date of the first Good Friday will never be known, but many scholars believe that the event took place on April 7th, A.D. 30. The Anglo-Saxon name for Good Friday was Long Friday, due to the long fast imposed upon this day. The name “Good Friday’ may be derived from 'God's Friday' in the same way that good-bye is derived from 'God be with ye'. It is 'good' because the barrier of sin was broken. Since the early nineteen century, before the introduction of bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day were the only two days of leisure which were almost universally granted to working People.

Some Christians fast or abstain on Good Friday to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made. It is traditional to eat fish on Good Friday instead of meat. Many churches hold a special service (usually around 3pm which is about the time of day Jesus died). Churches are not decorated on Good Friday. In some churches pictures and statures are covered over. It is seen as a time of mourning.

It is traditional to eat warm Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday: Hot Cross Buns with their combination of spicy, sweet and fruity flavours have long been an Easter tradition. The pastry cross on the top of the rubs symbolises and reminds Christmas of the cross that Jesus was killed on.The buns were traditional eaten at breakfast time, hot from the oven. There were once sold by street vendors who sang a little song about them: “Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns, “One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns”

Hot Cross Bun ceremony: At the London Pub, the Widows Son, a Hot Cross Bun ceremony takes place on each Good Friday. In the early 19th century, a widow who lived on the site was expecting her sailor son back home for Easter, and placed a Hot Cross Bun ready for him on Good Friday. The son never returned, but undaunted the widow left a bun waiting for him and added a new bun each year. Successive landlords have kept the tradition going after the pub was opened.

Hot Cross Bun and Good Friday Superstitions

• Many fishermen will not set out for catch on good Friday
• Bread or cakes baked on this day will not go mouldy
• Eggs laid on Good Friday will never go bad
• The planting of crops is not advised on this day, as an old belief says that no iron should enter the group (i.e. spade, fork etc)
• Hot Cross Buns based on God Friday were supposed to have magical powers. It is said that you could keep a Hot Cross Bun which had been made on Good Friday for a least a year and it wouldn’t go mouldy.
• Hardened old hot cross buns are supposed to protect the house from fire
• Sailors took Hot Cross Bun to sea with them to prevent shipwreck
• A bun baked on Good Friday and left to get hard could be grated up and put in some warm milk to stop an upset tummy
• Having a hair cut on Good Friday will prevent toothaches the rest of the year.

Old tradition on Good Friday - Cramp Rings: From the reign of Edward III to that of Mary Tudor, monarchs used to bless a plateful of gold and silvery rings every Good Friday at the Chapel Royal. By rubbing the rings between their fingers, the royal touch was believe to cure cramp and epilepsy. The custom was abolished during the reign of Elizabeth I.

TONIGHT - Guest DJ at Dartford

Maundy Thursday Feet washing - A thing of the past?

What is the origins of the name Maundy? The name 'Maundy' is derived from the command or mandatum by Christ at the Last Supper, to love one another. During the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples feet. This act has sometimes been followed literally in history as a good way of reminding rulers that they are here to serve their subjects.

What happens in England on Maundy Thursday?
In England, the custom of washing feet by the Monarch was carried out until 1689. Up until then the King or Queen would wash the feet of the poor on Maundy Thursday in Westminster Abbey. (You should, however, note that the feet were first washed by Yeoman of the Laundry before the monarch had to wash them and kiss them!). Food and clothing were also handed out to the poor.

Maundy Thursday Ceremony
In England today, the Queen follows a very traditional role of giving Maundy Money to a group of pension giving money to the poor dates from the 13th century. A complete set of Maundy money consists of a groat (4p), a threepence (3p), a half-groat (2p) and a penny (1p). Every year on this day, the Queen attends a Royal Maundy service in one of the many cathedrals through is distributed to male and female pensioners from local communities near the Cathedral where the Service tales place.

The Service
Yeomen of the Guards carry the Maundy Money in white and red leather purses on golden alms trays on their heads. The amount of Maundy Money handed out, and the number of people receiving the coins, is equal to the age of the monarch. The white leather purse contains silver Maundy coins matching the Queen's age in pence - 82p, while the red purse contains ordinary money. In 2008, 82 male and 82 female pensioners will receive 82p in Maundy Money, because the Queen is 82 years old this year. The men and women who receive the coins are all retired pensioners recommended by clergy and ministers of all denominations, in recognition of service to the Church and to the community.

What is Maundy Money?
Maundy coins are specially minted for the occasion and are legal tender and, a limited numbers, they are much sought after by collectors.

COUNTDOWN TO CREME EGG - 3 DAYS!

Party Weekender - 25-28 April - Places still available

They only have 20 cabins left … so hurry and don’t miss out on the best PARTY on the Modern Jive scene.

The weekend runs from 25th to 28th April 2008 at the Warmwell Holiday Park, Warmwell, Weymouth, Dorset.

For further information check out www.partyweekender.com or call the every friendly "Essex and proud of it" Darren on 07957 249149.

Still available: Silver 6 Berth - Gold 4 & 6 Berth - Gold+ 5 Berth - Platinum 4 & 6 Berth

New for 2008:
New Dance Area – Playing music for dancers who enjoy dancing the slower tempo stuff
Half Board - £30 per person for breakfast and one course evening meal
Extra Fun Classes – We will be running NEW classes never performed at Party Weekender BEFORE

March 19 - The end of winter or a time to clean?

March 19 is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years like 2008) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 287 days remaining until the end of the year (get saving for Christmas!). It is also usually the last day of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere (so it should be getting warmer - but isnt there snow forecast?), and the last day of the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere (strewth it’s getting too cold for a barby!).

In the Czech Republic the day is traditionally called 'Ugly Wednesday', 'Soot-Sweeping Wednesday' or 'Black Wednesday' because chimneys used to be swept on this day, to be clean for Easter.

In Western Christianity, the Wednesday before Easter is sometimes known as 'Spy Wednesday', as being the day that Judas Iscariot first conspired with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins.

However you know or see the day - enjoy it!

Swanley goes Irish for the night!!! To be sure!

Last night to celebrate St Patrick's Day (although the official celebrations were on Saturday) Swanley was decorated with green & white flags and some shamrocks. Lots of people wore green especially Teachers Clem & Tracy and DJ Gazza. Clem looked every inch the leprachaun (what lovely ears he had) and Tracy was adorned with a tri-colour feather boa. Fun was had by all - another great night at Swanley.

Dancing on Ice - Suzanne Shaw skates to victory!

It’s been nine weeks in the making but on Sunday night celebrity skater Suzanne Shaw was crowned as this year’s Dancing On Ice champion. Big congratulations to the star who truly deserved the title after achieving two rounds of perfect sixes for her incredible performances to Time to Say Goodbye, Music, and for pulling off a beautiful Bolero. Although my favourite Chris was brilliant too - Suzanne scored TWO perfect 6.0 dances!

Although both stars gave everything they had in their emotional and intense renditions of the Torvill and Dean classic, on the night it was Suzanne’s performance that got the viewers approval. The star was moved to tears as the announcement was made and was completely shellshocked when presented with the trophy. But before Phil’s winning announcement she did manage to say “I have loved every minute of this show. I would like to thank everyone on and off the ice and Torvill and Dean". Despite looking gutted that he didn’t win, runner-up Chris gave his ice rival a big old hug and told Holly “I don't mind, I want to thank my mum and everyone over there for their support".


So that’s it for another year! But before my final Ice Dance blog finishes – here are the scores:
Zaraah Abrahams and Fred Palascak skated to One Day I’ll Fly Away (Randy Crawford) as her aerial skate and Diamonds and Pearls (Prince) scoring 52.5 (out of 60). Robin said “It was beautiful and controlled. No matter where you were in the air you eyes were connecting with Fred. And your arms have been positioned beautifully since the beginning of this competition”.
Chris Fountain and Frankie Poulteney skated to Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake) and Fly Me To The Moon (Westlife) as his aerial skate scoring 54.5 (out of 60). Nicky said “It was amazing. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to Dancing On Ice.”
Suzanne Shaw and Matt Evers skated to Time To Say Goodbye (Sarah Brightman) as her aerial skate and Music (Madonna) scoring 60 (out of 60). Jason said “You are the whole package. You gave a champion performance. It was even better than your Week 7 performance. You are unbelievable”.

We also got to see Torvill and Dean’s Bolero - another magical performance – which has been updated and still managed to send shivers down my spine as the original one did! I may have to get tickets to see the live show to feed my skating addiction now the show has finished!

Happy St Patricks Day - continuing the celebrations!

Today is officially St. Patrick's Day – the national day of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland (The flag on the right is the flag of St Patrick. St Patrick's flag represents the whole of Ireland). Although since it has fallen in Holy Week it was celebrated on Saturday (and being with a group of irish Rotarians boy did we celebrate - although I stuck to Bitter and red wine!) The last time St Patrick's Day had to be moved was in 1940 when it coincided with Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week. The next date it will have to be moved again is 2160 (and no matter how much you drink I am sure you will not be around for that one!).

Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Born in Britain, he was carried off by pirates and spent six years in slavery before escaping and training as a missionary. The most famous story about Saint Patrick is him driving the snakes from Ireland. The day is marked by the wearing of shamrocks (a clover-like plant), the national emblem of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland … and drinking! Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

So, why is it normally celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins!

So come along to Swanley tonight - wear some green or gold or anything Irish and have a fun 17th March with Clem and Tracy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACY!

Tracy (who needs no introduction) is celebrating her birthday today!

Have a fantastic birthday - guys grab Tracy for a dance this week I am sure she will still be celebrating!

Have a great day Tracy

Love and kisses from all your friends at Dance Riviera xx

Dirty Dancing - The Time of Your Life

Living’s hugely successful TV show Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life is back for a second series!

They are looking for single dancers aged between 18 and 30 to compete and star in the second series who’d relish a trip to the US and the chance to show the world just what they’re capable of!

The series will be filmed over May/June at the original Dirty Dancing film location in Virginia, U.S.A. and the dancers will have the opportunity to win an incredible prize – a contract with a top LA-based dance agency!

The open auditions are being held at: Laban Dance Studios, Creekside, London SE8 3DZ on Thursday 27th, Friday 28th and Saturday 29th March, anytime between 10am and 4pm. Laban is only a few minutes walk from Cutty Sark DLR station.

It will be a truly amazing and unforgettable experience for those involved - why not enter yourself or else alert some dancers to this fantastic opportunity.

If you are not sure if you can dance this smoothly - pop along to Rochester tonight to Dance Riviera's Smooth Lounge and practice your style!

Smooth Lounge REMINDER Friday 14 March

Whatever your dance 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.

Dance Junction
671 Maidstone Road
Rochester ME1 3QJ
(Jct 3 M2 or Jct 5 M20).

Fancy Footwork with Pete & Jill at Crayford TONIGHT

Do you have the courage to wear sparkly shoes like Teacher Pete so people can see exactly what your feet are up to?

Whether the answer is yes or no ... if you fancy learning a few footwork moves then pop along to Crayford where teachers Pete & Jill will teach you the easy way to remember and put the moves into your repertoire. Music to move your feet to will be supplied by DJ Dwain.

Move it 2008

Courtesy of Joe (one of our lovely coastal dancers) here is a review of Move It 2008 ...

Last year I was able to get free tickets to 'Move It!' the dance extravaganza at Olympia after writing an article on dancing, lifestyle and health in a doctors' newspaper. This year I noticed that the same paper- the BMA News was giving away free tickets to this year's event. I applied and once again was lucky .We went this weekend, Sunday 9th March 2008. If you haven't been, I strongly recommend it to anyone with any interest in dance.

We were treated to main stage performances of many different styles of dancing from Ballroom to Bollywood; Latin to Lindy hop; Tap to Tango. There was a Jive demo too- really good.What is a surprise is that 'urban' styles- break dancing etc- are a real treat. The rhythms and cool movements had this old guy enthusing. I am not about to take it up though, I don't think my body can pop - not that sort of pop anyway.There are lots of workshops and seminars but you are advised to book up the dance workshops in advance- they had all more or less sold out when I looked at the website. But lucky people were able to attend lessons by celebrities such as Ian Waite and Carmilla from Strictly Come Dancing. and I think Anton and Erin were there sometime over the weekend.There are lots of shopping opportunities- dance wear and shoes, accessories, and I bought a trilby hat- I'll tell you more later- its to do with 'Anything Goes'.I also bought an Argentine Tango beginners instructional DVD from one stall for £15, only to find it on sale at another for £10. Doh!I also had a lovely chat with Christine Keeble who wrote, produced and starred in a beginners modern jive instructional video- 'How to Jive' -now available in DVD format. She is charming and as pretty as ever. I can highly recommend this DVD to beginners, coaches and teachers. I have rarely seen a better dance video/DVD. She wears a lovely multicoloured flary skirt in it too which adds too the fun.

We met up, by chance with Kerry and Nigel and Gareth, Dance Riviera friends and had lunch in Pizza Express. Kerry (Herne Bay crew) was fresh from her Kent Play Clubs Jive fund raiser which featured Jim and Nicky. By all accounts it was a great success so she celebrated by flipping her pizza onto the floor. We stopped her dusting it off and eating it. Well done Kerry.It was a lovely day.

I was once more dragged home by Wendy, dreaming of Samba dancers and their costumes. Hmm... Bet you can wait until next year Joe??

Have you booked on the longest running Modern Jive Weekend in the UK?

The weekend runs from 25th to 28th April 2008 at the Warmwell Holiday Park, Warmwell, Weymouth, Dorset. For further information check out www.partyweekender.com or call them on 020 8593 1947.

They only have 19 cabins left … so hurry and don’t miss out on the best PARTY on the Modern Jive scene.

Silver 6 Berth
Gold 4 & 6 Berth
Gold+ 5 Berth
Platinum 4 & 6 Berth

New for 2008

• A New Dance Area – Playing music for dancers who enjoy dancing the slower tempo stuff


• Half Board - £30 per person for breakfast and one course evening meal


• Extra Fun Classes – We will be running NEW classes never performed at Party Weekender BEFORE

TONIGHT - Specialist Blues Class at Swanley

Come along to Swanley tonight and learn some great blues moves from Paul and Nicky.

Christine

Gareth skates off before the Ice Dancing Final - next Sunday!

It came down to Gareth and Zaraah in the semi-final skate off to see who would join Chris and Suzanne in the hugely anticipated final next Sunday.

Gareth was in the bottom two for the first time, and in skate-off queen Zaraah, he had a formidable opponent. He managed to keep it together though, executing a solid performance with his partner Maria as Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer boomed away in the background. Gareth said: "Definitely a better performance and more secure. I just gave it my all, it was all I could do." Zaraah followed up next with partner Fred Palascak, accompanied by One from U2 and Mary J Blige, and she didn't disappoint in a spellbinding display that brought the crowd to their feet. She was so overcome with emotion that she could barely get any words out before the judges were called to deliver the news of who would be given the axe this week. With Karen and Nicky opting for the highly charged performance from Zaraah, it was left to Jason to deliver the knockout blow to Gareth leaving Ruthie and Robin to make it a clean sweep of five votes to keep Zaraah in.

A gracious Gareth claimed: "I have fought out there. It's been a fantastic experience and I love Maria to bits." He's certainly brought a massive smile to this year's competition, however it is Zaraah who will take on the favourites Chris and Suzanne next Sunday to see who will be crowned this year's Dancing on Ice champion. COME ON CHRIS!!

With Leona Lewis' new single setting the tone for a sensational semi-final, the skaters had to head out solo to their favourite track before their partners joined them on the rink. So, what did the judges think?

Gareth Gates and Maria Filippov skated to Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi) scoring 24.5 pointsNicky Slater: "What an electric start. You set the place on fire with the way you were presenting. You are translating the pop star onto the ice. As a male celebrity, the lifts you were doing were amazing."Jason said "It was amazing. You were sharp, you were on it. Slowly but surely, though, the whole routine got away from you. You were playing catch up. Your arms let you down. This is the semi-final and that wasn’t a semi-final performance."
Suzanne Shaw and Matt Evers skated to Eternal Flame (The Bangles) scoring 27.5 points. Robin said ""I enjoyed it immensely. You have such an experienced partner. It was your own talent, though, that got you that mark. The audience at home won’t know the difficulty, but the technique of your skating got you that mark." and Ruthie said "It was wonderful to see you do something that wasn’t full of fancy lifts. It was so beautiful to see you skating gracefully round the ice with a beautiful relationship going on. It was stunning."
Zaraah Abrahams and Fred Palascak skated to One U2/Mary J Blige scoring 27 points. Jason said "That is a semi-final performance. You have such beautiful arm lines. I could watch you all night. You deserve to be in the final because of that." and Karen said "Tonight it’s going to be so difficult to split them up. They all have different strengths and deserve to be in the final. I was most worried about you tonight, but you pulled it off."
Chris Fountain and Frankie Poulteney skated to Livin' La Vida Loca (Ricky Martin scoring 29 points. Robin said "It was wonderful. He was fantastic. These lifts are a 50/50 split between the partners, it requires both of you." and Nicky said "What he has done in a week is amazing. That routine was put together in seven days. That was awesome."

Jim & Nicky at Kerrry's Charity night - Friday 7th March - Ashford

Strictly Come Jiving Charity Night

Friday 7th March 7.30pm

Challock Village Hall ( on A251 between Faversham and Ashford)

Beginners Jive lesson, followed by freestyle, auction of puddings and dance demo from Jim and Nicky (no pressure then!)

Tickets £10 including buffet, licenced bar , raffle and dancing through till 11.45pm

Opportunity for sealed bid to dance with Jim or Nicky! All proceeds, every single penny is going to the local children's Charity Kent Play Clubs, which helps over 3,000 children every year.

To reserve a ticket ring Kerry on 07966 599684

Kerry is our Herne Bay Welcome Host and we're happy and excited to be able to help her and the charity she runs. Why not come along on Friday and show off YOUR dancing skills! This is also a great opportunity to encourage people to attend Dance Riviera Herne Bay venue.

DJ Jules will be spinning the decks at Dartford TONIGHT!

Super DJ Jules of Evolution Jive fame in Brighton and Worthing - the home of those fabulous Flapjack Fridays - will be playing his fantastic array of sounds tonight at Dartford. DJ Jules is becoming a fast favourite at Dartford and works well with the Dance Riviera team. Nicky and Jim will be teaching this evening so it will be another great night at Dartford.

Have fun and I am sorry I cannot be there! Terry and I are off to dance in Exeter tonight. We were at RiveriaLeRoc in Taunton last night with Gary and Sylvia.

You cant keep us from our dancing!
Christine x

PS UPDATE - Terry and I went to Nelson and Karen Rose's "FloorPlayJive" night at Exeter last night and it was another great night! I can throroughly recommend anyone travelling to Taunton or Exeter to visit both venues - we even saw some friendly faces from Kent (people who worked in Kent but lived down this way) and its a great way to touch base with people you meet at dance weekends! I also got so many lovely complients on my connection, dancing and musicality and its all thanks to Dance Riviera!

Smooth Lounge - Friday 14 March - book it in your diary!

DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES!



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

FRIDAY 14TH MARCH


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 dance 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).

Be there and be smooth!

Dance Junction

671 Maidstone Road
Rochester ME1 3QJ
(Jct 3 M2 or Jct 5 M20).

St Pirins Day - 5th March

Yesterday - 5th March was St. Piran's Day - since myself and Terry are off to a Rotary weekend in St Ives I thought it appropriate that I blog this!!

St. Piran is the patron saint of Cornwall, the southern most corner of Great Britain. St Piran is the most famous of all the Irish saints who came to Cornwall and is said to have discovered tin.
The flag of St Piran is the Cornish flag - white cross on a black background symbolising the discovery of tin by the saint as the white metal flowed from the black rock.

Who was St Piran?
Legend tells us that St.Piran sailed to Cornwall on a millstone. Originally it had been tied around his neck and he had been cast into the Atlantic by people jealous of his power to heal and work miracles. As he was thrown off the cliff there was a bolt of lightning and a terrible crash of thunder, but as he reached the sea the storm suddenly abated, the sun came out and St.Piran could be seen seated peacefully on the millstone which was now floating on the surface of the water. It bore him safely across to Cornwall and he landed between Newquay and Perranporth at Perran Beach, to which he gave his name. Piran built himself a small chapel in Penhale sands and his first disciples were said to be a badger, a fox and a bear. He lived a good and useful life, surviving to the ripe old age of 206!

Me thinks I now need to find the nearest hostelry so I might live to a good age of 206! We are in Taunton at the moment so Cider seems to be the right thing to do!

See you on Monday
Christine

Specialist Blues Class at Swanley on Monday

Back by very popular demand - Paul & Nicky will be teaching a routine with some slinky hip rolls and stylish arm and footwork to help you get in the Bluesy mood. Blues dancing can take your dancing to another level, it enables you to dance to slower types of music and learn musicality in the process.

DJ Gazza will incorporate some more blues style tracks throughout the night to help you get in the mood!

A quote from http://www.bluesdance.org.uk …
“In addition, learning to blues dance will enable the dancer to more fully understand concepts such as simplicity, clarity, creativity, expression, intensity, active listening, and musical and emotional interpretation. The connection between these concepts is critical to advanced social dancing of any kind. It is for this reason that learning blues dancing will help and improve your dancing. Blues Dance enables intense individuality in expressing the music. It really is all about communication, emphasizing that the music, not the dancer, leads the dance; we are simply the interpreters. Blues Dance demonstrates the passion of the entire range of human emotions, not just the sensual ones. When done well, Blues Dancing can be one of the most rewarding and indescribable experiences any level of dancer can have.”

See you at Swanley

Goodbye Greg - Ice skating down the Yellow Brick Road

Despite a small hula mishap, it was Zaraah and Fred’s skate-off performance that impressed the judges, which meant that Greg’s luck on the ice finally ran out tonight. The tennis star put up a brave performance with his broom to Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, but unfortunately it wasn’t good enough to secure the skating star a place in the semi-final. And despite a surprising save from Nicky in his favour, the other four judges voted unanimously for Zaraah to stay in the show.

Greg received his goodbye flowers with his usual grace, but soon handed the bouquet back to Jane and Chris, whilst he took to the ice for one last time amid thunderous applause to perform the 'death jump' in his lap of honour. Hurrah!

Greg’s crazy jumps and good-natured grin will be missed!

Week eight scores
Bowler hats, canes, umbrellas … suitcases and tables!! Yes it was props week. But how did the judges mark our celeb skaters?

Suzanne Shaw and Matt Evers skated to Don’t Rain On My Parade (Barbara Streisand) scoring 24 points. Jason said "Usually you give it all. You come out and give it everything. I know you have an injury, but there was a marked difference in your performance tonight."
Zaraah Abrahams and Fred Palascak skated to That Don’t Impress Me Much (Shania Twain) scoring 24.5 points. Robin said “Shania might not have been impressed but I definitely am. The props allowed you to relax your feet and you gave your best performance so far".
Gareth Gates and Maria Filippov skated to Try A Little Tenderness (Andrew Strong) scoring 25.5 points. Ruthie said "It was wonderful. It’s so hard to dance with hat and a cane and managed to do both and make them work together. It was incredible. You have gone from here to here in this competition."
Chris Fountain and Frankie Poulteney skated to Stuck In the Middle With You (Stealers Wheel) scoring 27 points. Nicky said "There’s a lot of power in your skating and being able to use the props was impressive. But I’d like to see more of you dancing with Frankie on the ice and making eye contact.”
Greg Rusedski and Kristina Lenko skated to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John) scoring 17 points. Jason said “You weren’t the most thing out on the ice, you had a table and a broom for competition. You injected a bit of personality into it tonight and it looked like you were having fun. It was your best score yet.”

I can finally pledge my support for Chris Fountain - him and Frankie deserve to win! So much fun to watch - and briliant music choices too! Chris to win!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY 2008

Happy Mother's Day ... So do we celebrate Mothering Sunday and Mother's Day? It is a holiday that is celebrated throughout the world, although not always in May. But who started the celebrations? Did the tribes of prehistoric times gather flowers in the fields to bring to their mums back in the caves? Did the Egyptians send papyrus cards to their mums? The experts don't seem to have answers for all of these questions, but this little blogger has found a few ...

Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins. One school of thought claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March. The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day. In some countries the Mother's Day began not as a celebration for individual mothers but rather for Christians.

Mothering Sunday, also called "Mothers' Day" in the United Kingdom and Ireland falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday). It is believed to have originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day. Most historians believe that young apprentices and young women in servitude were released by their masters that weekend in order to visit their families. As a result of secularisation, it is now principally used to celebrate and give thanks for mothers, although it is still recognised in the historical sense by some churches, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus as well as the traditional concept 'Mother Church'.

In the middle ages in Europe children as young as eight or nine would leave home to learn their trade as an apprentice or to become servants in the homes of the wealthy. These children usually were in neighbouring towns, but transportation was hard to come by and expensive. For most of the year they did not get to see their family. During Lent, before preparations for the Easter feasts required them to be busy and back at work, the young people would be allowed to return to their homes and families for a weekend. This became known as "going a-mothering." Children walked the roads picking spring wildflowers to give to their mothers when they arrived back at their homes. They often brought small gifts from the merchants or nobles they worked for as presents for the family, including the traditional simnel cake.

The Sunday of their return the whole family would go to church and present gifts to the mothers and offerings to the church. This was a day of feasting when all of the restrictions of Lent were put aside for the day...in a way it was the Easter celebration for the working classes. This feast day became known as Mothering Sunday. After Mothering Sunday, the children would return to their labours and would not visit home again until Christmas time.

In the 17th Century when returning to their families on Mothering Sunday people would bring their mothers small gifts like trinkets or a "mothering cake". In northern England and in Scotland, the usual gifts were carlings, which were pancakes made of steeped pease fried in butter, with pepper and salt. In fact, in some locations the day was referred to as Carling Sunday. Another kind of mothering cake was the simnel cake, a very rich fruit cake. Because of lent simnel cake had to keep until Easter. It was boiled in water, then baked, and was often finished with an almond icing. Sometimes the crust was of flour and water, coloured with saffron. Breakfast in bed, brunch at a fancy restaurant, or a picnic in the park are all wonderful ways to spend Mother's Day. But some mums and their families have devised truly inventive ways to commemorate the day!

Seeing as Mother's Day falls within Lent my poor Mum cannot have any chocolate or cake ... I wonder if she is up for a pint later?

A Mothers Love
A mother's love is so special,

she is always there,

She knows when you are sick

She knows when you are not.

A mother's love is so sweet,

she holds your hand for a while

but your hearts she holds a lifetime.

A mother's love is so kind,

she knows when to hold on.

She knows when to let go.

A mother's love is so blessed.

She knows just what to say,

she also knows just what not to say.

But remember ... A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after!