Vote for Matt!

Matt Dawson - A couple of weeks ago Matt Dawson danced in exactly the same way that most men would dance if they knew that everyone they'd ever met was watching on TV; shame-faced and self-conscious. However, the hiring of a drama coach has helped Matt Dawson immensely - now Matt has unleashed his inner Travolta without fear of all the p***-taking he's still going to get for dressing up in a sparkly blouse and twirling around for 90 second periods anyway. And thanks to this, Matt Dawson is now in the top three Strictly Come Dancing contestants, with his routine to What A Wonderful World finally pushing Matt Dawson in the direction of his 394th consecutive reality TV victory. And the Strictly Come Dancing judges loved him: "If you continue like this, you deserve a place in the final," they said. SCORE: 37 - Strictly Come Dancing betting odds - 4/1

Christine
x

Mum & Dad win a dance competition!!

Proud daughter moment! My Mum & Dad (Val & John to the rest of you :-) went to a work Xmas party on Saturday night and after dragging my Dad up, they won a prize for the best dancers - a box of Ferrero Rocher :-) Well done Ma & Pa!

Nicky

Back to the Changing Rooms for Carol!

It seems that a heap of praise and a top three placing on the scoreboard is no guarantee in Strictly Come Dancing. And that's exactly what Carol Smillie found out. The one-time Changing Rooms presenter was voted off the competition by viewers, despite some of her best dancing yet.
The five remaining couple danced two dances this week! Firstly Ballroom and then Latin!
First up were Carol and Matthew dancing the Viennese Waltz to Breakaway. After a graceful performance the pair went to face the judges and despite the odd criticism (Arlene described Carol as "a little bit like a science teacher", their reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Len described Carol as a "great big red swan" due to her beautiful red gown, whilst Bruno said "the lady has surpassed herself tonight". Carol was hoping to beat their previous highest score of 30 and she wasn't disappointed. [Craig: 8, Arlene: 8, Len: 9, Bruno: 9 = 34]
Next up were Matt and Lilia, performing the Quickstep to Walking On Sunshine. Once again, the judges had a few minor criticisms with Craig accusing Matt of occasionally being pigeon-toed, but generally the response was good. [Craig: 8, Arlene: 8, Len: 9, Bruno: 9 = 34]
The third couple to perform was Emma and Darren, they danced the Waltz to The Way We were. Craig kicked off the judges' comments by saying he was "absolutely mesmerised". Arlene criticised Emma's balance to boos from the audience but Bruno topped off the comments by described the performance as "the perfect example of the story of dance." [Craig: 9, Arlene: 8, Len: 10, Bruno: 10 = 37]
Mark and Karen were next with the Foxtrot. They danced to California Dreaming but unfortunately their performance turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. Len told the pair he was "bitterly disappointed" by their performance with Bruno complaining that Mark's footwork was "all over the place". [Craig: 7, Arlene: 7, Len: 7, Bruno: 7 = 28] The music was all wrong - I have never heard "California Dreaming" at such a strange tempo!!
The last couple to take to the floor were Louisa and Vincent who performed the Viennese Waltz. Louisa wore a stunning silver gown but did the performance sparkle for the judges? Well it certainly did for Bruno who said: "It's like watching a darling little debutante." However, there simply wasn't enough Viennese in this Waltz for Arlene and Len, Arlene even suggested she thought that Vincent had let Louisa down with his choreography. [Craig: 7, Arlene: 7, Len: 7, Bruno: 7 = 33] Louisa was daunted by having to learn two dances this week - the Viennese Waltz and the Cha Cha Cha. The former is supposed to be elegant, while the latter is cheeky. Two dances and two very different styles - but still not much material to wear! Bruce said she has the skimpiest waltz outfit ever!!!
With the Ballroom behind them it was time for each of the couples to dance a Latin piece with Carol and Matthew first up with the Samba. After a disappointing reaction from Arlene to their Viennese Waltz, her response to the Samba couldn't have been more different. "At long last you know what your hips are for!" she exclaimed. The other judges were equally impressed with Bruno stating, "finally the lady's a tramp". [Craig: 7, Arlene: 9, Len: 9, Bruno: 9 = 34]
Matt and Lilia were next to perform, their Latin piece was the Rumba. Unfortunately the judges were unimpressed. Bruno described the performance as "the seduction that never happened", whilst Craig felt it didn't have enough flow. Arlene stated plainly, " I really disliked it". [Craig: 6, Arlene: 6, Len: 8, Bruno: 7 = 27] Lilia was reported during training to have said "Come on move your hips... wake them up... there are some in there" whilst training for the Rumba. Wake the judges up too - his ballroom was better than Louisa's but his marks were lower!!! Wear less next week Matt!!!
Emma and Darren's Latin piece was the Paso Doble. Stunned by the performance, Arlene enthused: "this went from the bull ring, to the ballroom, to the bedroom". Craig said the performance gave him goose bumps, whilst Bruno praised the couple saying: "That was grand opera on the dance floor. [Craig: 9, Arlene: 9, Len: 9, Bruno: 10 = 37]. Two dances in one week was a factor that is worrying Emma. But Darren has a secret tactic to put Emma in the Paso frame of mind. "My philosophy is to annoy Emma in the Waltz so that she's so annoyed she takes the aggression out on me in the Paso," he explained. This worked because their Waltz was beautiful - then Emma came up looking very annoyed for the Paso Doble!!!! WOW!
Next, Mark and Karen were hoping to impress the judges with their Samba after a disappointing Ballroom performance. Fortunately for them the judges loved it, with Arlene exclaiming: "The swinging, swirling, swivelling hips are back!" [Craig: 9, Arlene: 9, Len: 9, Bruno: 9 = 36] Yes but they didn't have the WOW factor that Emma and Darren had!
Finally, Louisa and Vincent performed the Cha Cha Cha to Rescue Me. Not that anyone needed rescuing here. Bruno described the performance as "bootylicious", whilst Craig said, "That has to be the cutest Cha Cha Cha we've ever had." [Craig: 9, Arlene: 9, Len: 9, Bruno: 9 = 36]
The show ended with Emma and Darren at the top of the leaderboard, and Matt and Lilia at the bottom.
"It Must Be Love" was performed by Madness and Erin Boag and Anton Du Beke (just like Dance Riviera) showed that dancers can dance to all sorts of music. Then it was time to announce the tenth couple to leave the competition.
Firstly, Tess and Bruce announced which of the couples had definitely made it through to dance another week - and in no particular order, the first couple through was Louisa and Vincent, followed by Matt and Lilia, then Mark and Karen. This left Carol and Matthew and Emma and Darren in the bottom two. Sadly, despite receiving their best scores (and comments) of the series from the judges, Carol and Matthew became the next couple to hang up their dancing shoes. Judges Len Goodman and Arlene Phillips congratulated Carol's two performances, with Len telling her she was "like a great big red swan gliding across the water". But before she hung her up jiving shoes, Carol - who's reportedly lost half a stone from training for the show - found time to thank her dancing partner, Matthew Cutler: ""He's absolutely brilliant - number one in my heart, apart from my husband obviously."

I cant understand why Emma and Darren were in the final two again!!! Come on people - make sure you vote for your favourites!

VOTE FOR MATT - a rugby player, masterchef winning cook, rugby player, dancer, rugby player! Ok so I am biased!!!

Christine

Petition for Strictly Come Dancing on DVD!

If you're like us and want to see those beautiful routines from Strictly Come Dancing on DVDs then sign this petition to get the BBC to make it so.

http://www.petitiononline.com/SCD16116/petition.html

Thanks, Nicky

Style Workshop and Freestyle this Sunday (3rd Dec)

Jim & Nicky will be teaching a Style workshop this coming Sunday 3rd December from 1pm - 2.30pm. This is aimed at intermediates who want to look extra special on the dance floor. This will be followed by a 2½ hour freestyle session. Although if you just want to freestyle, that's ok too, just turn up after 2.30pm and pay 5 pounds.

Tickets for the workshop and freestyle are just 10 pounds and available from all venues.

If you can't get to a venue this week, ring Nicky on 020 8692 3821 to book your ticket.

Six of the Best become the Famous Five!

Former Emmerdale and Bad Girls star Claire King was voted off Strictly Come Dancing last night but left the show with her head held high. She and her 'bad boy' dancing partner Brendan Cole scored the lowest number of points in the series' eighth show, notching up just 25 points out of a possible 40.Her samba struggled to impress the judges, who had mixed reactions. While Arlene Phillips described it as a "samba from Southsea" and Craig Revel Horwood condemned her effort as "clumsy, limp and lacklustre," Bruno Tonioli said it "made me laugh" and Len Goodman said the couple had done a "blooming good job". Sadly for Claire and Brendan, however, the public thought otherwise and she was voted off the show. "I'd like to thank Brendan for at least attempting to teach me to dance," she said. [If tabloid rumours are anything to go by, dancing is not the only thing Brendan has been teaching the Bad Girls star. These reports are Strictly unconfirmed, it should be noted.][??]A relieved Carol Smillie and her dancing partner, Matthew Cutler, received the second-lowest number of votes and will be trying to get their heads off the Strictly block next week. It seems there are now three main contenders still in the running for the show's ultimate prize. Eastenders Louisa Lytton and former Spice Girl Emma Bunton scored 34 points out of 40 while it was ex-England cricketer Mark Ramprakash who took the lead, scoring 36 points for his "fantastic" Viennese waltz.

Thanks Christine, for this blog!

Why are Cricketers such good dancers?

Here's a great article about getting sportsmen into dancing!

Click here for the article.

Pass this on to those men who say they're going to come dancing and then don't turn up!!

Happy Feet

I mentioned this film a while back, but it's noe on release in the USA.

We should be seeing it soon, but if you want to know more go here

Jim x

Strictly Come Dancing - The Seventh Show Result

Peter and Erin were knocked out of the competition this week.
Seven couples danced for their Strictly lives this week, dancing a dance new to them, but not new to the viewers this series. But who would be dancing through to week eight?
The tension high, Bruce and Tess announced - in no particular order - the couples who would definitely be back next week: Matt and Lilia, Carol and Matthew, Louisa and Vincent, Claire and Brendan, and Mark and Karen, leaving Emma and Darren and Peter and Erin in the bottom two.

Shelagh's News!!!

Hiya all - I arrived back in Gozo on Mon night - completely worn out from both Camber and Warmwell weekenders!! I had an excellent time and soon got my dancing feet back on!! The weekends are so different, you cant really compare but Warmwell, with the live bands and laid back atmosphere, was just the perfect warm up to Camber which was full on partying. Big hugs and kisses to everyone I caught up with, it was lovely to see you all and catch up with your news.

As some of you may know, Pete and I have just bought a bar called Bo Jangles over here in Gozo so we are here to stay for the next couple of years at least - we are very excited although neither of us has had any bar experience - still I am sure we will have fun learning!!!! The bar is shut at the moment, having some refurbishments carried out (hopefully a little dance floor going in!!!!) but we should be opening mid February when the season starts. Our year off has nearly finished but we still have time to fit in a trip to South Africa over Xmas for 5 weeks - then it will be time to settle back down to working life - albeit in the sunshine and warmth of Gozo.

Take care everyone and enjoy the run up to Christmas - keep in touch, lots of love Shelagh xxx

Anyone fancy being in a TV commercial - ladies only!

A chance at stardom for Britains dancing queens
Are you ready to rumba?
Are you happy to hip-hop?
Are you willing to waltz?
Are you a fanatic for flamenco?
Are you sexy at salsa?
Are you the queen of the dance floor?
Are you aged 20-70 years old?

Then get your dancing shoes on. This could be your shot at world stardom.A major international concern is about to cast for an all-dancing (Yes, literally) commercial which will be shown all round the world. And it is searching the UK for its stars. The no expense spared film will be shot by one of the most sought-after directors in the world and the project is being cast Mark Summers whose clients include Madonna, George Michael and Elton John. So glitter is the game. It doesnt matter if you are fat or thin, tall or short, old or young. What does matter is that you have that certain sparkle, that sprinkling of stardust – and you want to shake your booty in front of the cameras. If you are that woman – or you know someone who is then come down to our open days.

Please email to confirm any that you are coming Mark@castingdirector.co.uk

London Casting:

Thursday 16th November 3pm - 8pm

Friday 17th November 10am - 6pm

Mark Summers Casting, 137 Freston Road, London W10 6TH

The Boring Bits......

• Applicants should be between 20 and 70.
• Shape or size is not important.
• You must be free to film the week of the 11th Dec 06
• Please note that you must not have featured previously in any major TV or print advertising campaign
• We are not looking to cast professional performers
• A substantial fee will be paid to the successful applicants
• As we are casting a skin care commercial all women must also bring swimwear to the casting

I may go along if anyone fancies joining me, let me know!

Nicky

Camilla's Strictly bawlroom

WEEPING Camilla Dallerup locked herself in her dressing room after getting the boot from Strictly Come Dancing. The ballroom dance champion, 32, refused to come out for an HOUR after the BBC1 show.
Her partner, ex-Corrie mechanic Ray Fearon almost broke down too following their eviction. Judges had tipped wooden Peter Schmeichel and partner Erin Boag to go.
A show source said: “Camilla was really devastated.”
The dancer refused to go to the after-show drinks. She later changed her mind but stayed for just 45 minutes.

Clem teaching Beginners at Gravesend this week

Our new beginners teacher Clem will be teaching down at Gravesend this week (15th Nov) so come down and support him. Gravesend is a lovely venue with a great bunch of people with lots of new people joining so there's plenty of people to dance with.

Jim & Nicky will be doing the intermediate class, so ladies if you fancy a dance with the lovely Jim, you know where he'll be this week :-)

See you there.

Nicky

Competition - Whose Nose is it?

Competition time!! Can you guess which Dance Coach this is? Next time you're at one of our venues, grab one of our dance coaches and get their side profile :-)

Winner gets a Riviera Reward!

Nicky

Congratulations - New Teacher

A very well done to our very own Clem becoming a new teacher for Dance Riviera.

Clem taught on Tuesday and went down a storm.

He has a natural charm and is very keen for people of all abilities to get the moves whilst having fun. He'll fit right in then!

Nicky - I was incredibly proud of Clem on Tuesday night, he's a real natural teacher. He'll be teaching beginners at all our venues, so watch out for him at your local.

Well done mate, Jim.

Happy Birthday Nicky

It's Nicky's birthday today (can't say her age), so I'm sure you will all join me in wishing her many happy returns for the day.

Jim xxx

Dominic & Laura's "Stags & Hens" Pictures are up!

Dominic & Laura had a fantastic night! Dominic very kindly demo'd with me for beginners even though he had no idea I was going to drag him up - he did brilliantly, well done! Laura was completely in her element with Pete for the intermediates doing some sexy dirty dancing moves (well, she's allowed on her hen night eh :-)

Everyone made such an effort to dress up, Dom & Laura were really made up by everyone's kindness.

Congratulations guys, we're looking forward to the wedding on the 11th.

Pictures are up - click here. If you have any you'd like on the website please send them to info@danceriviera.com

Nicky x

Party Weekender

Our favourite weekender is upon us yet again. If your down there this weekend make sure you save us a seat at the left hand side of the stage hehehe.

Nicky & I will be teaching on the Saturday morning (early start) and helping out where possible with Darren the organiser. We count ourselves lucky to know such a great guy!

If you ever fancy dipping your toe into the weekender then this is the one to start with.
Lots of fun and very friendly!

Cya there,

Jim x

WEEPY LOU FOXTROTS OFF

EASTENDERS babe Louisa Lytton fled the Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals in tears AGAIN yesterday.
The teen beauty cracked under pressure in the crucial final dress rehearsal for last night's live show.
She told shocked partner Vincent Simone: "I can't do this. I'm no good at it and I'm going to make a fool of myself. It's too much to remember."
Louisa, 17, broke down in tears while struggling to master the foxtrot - just as she did two weeks ago after fluffing rehearsals for the quickstep.
An insider revealed: "She prefers the Latin styles and scored full marks last week. But it made her even more worried that she'll let Vincent down with her ballroom routine.
"Louisa's the youngest contestant by far and can't cope with the pressure. She is hard on herself and doesn't think she's as good as her main rivals like Emma Bunton, who has much more dancing experience."
Sexiest
But Louisa - voted Sexiest Female as gangster Johnny Allen's daughter Ruby at this year's Soap Awards - is joint favourite with ex- Spice Girl Emma to scoop the Strictly Come Dancing crown. A triumph would ease the disappointment of being axed from EastEnders - her last appearance in the soap will be next month.
Our source added: "Everybody's expecting big things from her and it's a huge burden.
"During dress rehearsals her friends and family aren't even able to support her as the producers need contestants to be focused in the final hours before the show.
"Vincent has been supportive though and it's thanks to him that she hasn't just given it all up.
"Her confidence needs building and she'll soon be in full swing."

Stag & Hen Celebration for Dominic & Laura this Thursday at Dartford

Dominic & Laura are getting married in a few weeks time and to celebrate their marriage, we're doing a special "Stags & Hens" night THIS THURSDAY 2nd November at Dartford.

They met at Dance Riviera 2 and a half years ago and have been loved up since! Even if you don't know them, it'll be a cracking party atmosphere with cake and nibbles.

Ladies if you can wear something pink and guys something black it'll make Dom & Laura's night.

Look forward to seeing you all there.

I'm starting to like him...

As you know I'm not a huge fan of Brendan, but Saturday saw him launch into the Judges for not scoring the contestants consistently. Arlene took the brunt of the abuse and she reacted by marking Brendan's & Claire's score down considerably.

Here's the scores

Votes: Craig: 7, Arlene: 4, Len: 6, Bruno: 7 = 24

As you can plainly see Arlene is voting with her heart and not her eyes!

Unfortunately, we see this in our small world of dancing when there are competitions, which is the big reason why I prefer not to compete. Seeing it on TV. and this blatant is just very wrong.
I'm hoping that words will be said to the judges to get their act together and not make this personal.

Time will tell.

I'd love to know what Brendan had to say about this. Anyone know where he comments if at all?
Here's a list of all the scores and their difference in scoring:

Votes: Craig: 8, Arlene: 7, Len: 7, Bruno: 8 Difference = 2
Votes: Craig: 7, Arlene: 7, Len: 7, Bruno: 7 Difference = 0
Votes: Craig: 5, Arlene: 5, Len: 7, Bruno: 7 Difference = 2
Votes: Craig: 8, Arlene: 9, Len: 9, Bruno: 9 Difference = 1
Votes: Craig: 6, Arlene: 7, Len: 8, Bruno: 8 Difference = 2
Votes: Craig: 5, Arlene: 6, Len: 8, Bruno: 7 Difference = 3
Votes: Craig: 2, Arlene: 5, Len: 6, Bruno: 6 Difference = 4
Votes: Craig: 7, Arlene: 5, Len: 6, Bruno: 8 Difference = 3
Votes: Craig: 7, Arlene: 8, Len: 7, Bruno: 8 Difference = 1
Votes: Craig: 7, Arlene: 4, Len: 6, Bruno: 7 Difference = 3

Jim x

Strictly Results

Which couple left the ballroom for good?
With feelings running high amongst the contestants, the stage was set for a tense and dramatic results show. Brendan's earlier outburst hadn't won him any friends on the panel, with both Arlene and Len naming him as the one who should be leaving.
In no particular order, the couples safe this week were announced: Ray and Camilla, Emma and Darren, Mark and Karen, Louisa and Vincent, Carol and Matthew, Matt and Lilia, Peter and Erin (to Peter's massive relief), and Claire and Brendan.
So who'd be dancing another week? The public had had their say, and it was Georgina and James who were waving goodbye to Strictly. Georgina didn't let the disappointment get to her. "I've had the best time of my life... and I think I'll carry on dancing," she said. And James had warm words for his partner, saying that "Even the judges would agree she transformed herself from a non-dancer to a dancer."
On next week's show we'll see the nine remaining couples performing a stately Viennese Waltz, or a sizzling Salsa. Don't miss it!

Halloween Pictures are up!

What a fantastic night, thank you to everyone that came and especially those that dressed up. The effort is much appreciated and really adds to the atmosphere of the night. Alan French had a wonderful birthday, especially having been sung Happy Birthday to a la Marilyn Monroe style and had a wonderful birthday cake and errrm, special birthday blow up present :-)

DJ Steve Strong played a great music set keeping the floor full all night with some special "spooky" tracks.

Don't forget next week is "Stags & Hens" special for Dominic & Laura who are getting married next month.

If you have any photos from the ball, please send them to info@danceriviera.com so I can put them on the website. Cheers.

Click here for the Halloween Photos

Something for the Ladies

There you go Ladies a very sexy man!

Halloween Ball this Thursday

More info here

As most of you know about 90% of people dress up for our events, so don't be scared to give it a go if you haven't done it before.

Go here for the gallery from the last ball

Halloween Party This Thursday - Something for the Boyz

This is the regulation costume for women, but I think the skirt is too long!

Jim x

Pole dance set to be taken off Tesco site

Supermarket giant Tesco agreed to remove a home pole-dancing set from its website yesterday.
The Peekaboo Pole Dancing kit includes an extendable pole, frilly garter, and DVD to demonstrate sexy dance moves.It also features fake money – dubbed Peekaboo Dance Dollars – to reward budding private dancers.The £49.97 kit was advertised on the Tesco Direct website in the toys and games section, in the sub-category arcade and gadgets.It was also listed in the sports and leisure section, in the sub-category fitness accessories.Tesco agreed to remove the product from the toy section of the site, but said it would remain on sale as a fitness accessory, although the product description invites users to "unleash the sex kitten inside".

Spoil sports!

Jx

Press views: Dirty Dancing

A stage version of the classic 1987 film Dirty Dancing has opened at the Aldwych Theatre in London.

Read some reviews here

Post your views in the comments...

Jxx

Let's Do The Chicken Noodle Soup Dance!

Seems like every generation has its own dance craze. Some have more than one.The Bump, The Bunny Hop, The Chicken Dance, Electric Slide, The Hustle, Macarena, The Mashed Potato, The Monkey, The Swim, The Twist, The Watusi, YMCA -- chances are pretty darn good you've done at least one of them.

More here

BAWL ROOM DANCING!

Strictly Come Dancing judges are so out of step

STRICTLY Come Dancing judges Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman seem desperate to tread on each other's toes in an amazing ballroom fall-out.
The pair - already well out of step behind the scenes - could hardly disguise the friction between them on screen last night.
Now producers of the hit BBC1 show hope it won't lead to one of them waltzing off in a huff.
Arlene, 62, criticised Casualty star Georgina Bouzova and dance partner James Jordan for their style.
But Len, 61, pulled a face and said: "Don't listen to what that nasty judge says - I thought you deserved better."
An insider told The People: "There's no love lost between them. Arlene thinks Len's opinions are outdated and that he's too old-school for the show. They have both been around for years and are about the same age but Arlene thinks she has moved with the times while Len is stuck in the past."
The simmering feud first came out in the open last week. Arlene gave her verdict on the performance of Bad Girls star Claire King when Len said scathingly: "That was like the sermon on the Mount."
As the camera panned away many viewers may have missed Arlene snapping back: "What did you say that for?"
The source said: "Both are determined to make a mark with their witty opinions. Arlene was furious when Len tried to spoil her views on Claire with his put-down. Backstage Arlene and Len have been bickering but it was the first time their rivalry spilled over during a broadcast. Now things have hit crisis point."
Claire was partnered by Love Island contestant Brendan Cole in the routine that triggered the judges' clash.
The source added: "A bit of tension is great for viewing figures. But the last thing bosses need is one of the judges storming out."

Cool!

Jim x

WTF

Seriously why the hell did Spoony get knocked out of SCD this weekend?

It was the turn of Spoony and Ola turn to leave the show.
The time had come for Tess to name the couple leaving the competition this week, but first Bruce and Tess announced the couples who had definitely won through, leaving Spoony and Ola and Georgina and James left standing - the couples with the lowest overall scores.
But finally Tess announced that Spoony and Ola would be leaving the dance floor.

Seems like there's some strange voting going on...

Jxx

Minted

After a brief 3 hours sleep I managed to get the pictures up on the website.

Go here

Jim x

Jim & Nicky on TV next week!!

Stop the press!! Jim & Nicky plus a few other modern jivers will be dancing on ITV1's programme The Mint on Wednesday 18th October at Midnight til 1.15am on Thursday, so it's a late one (hey that's what Sky Plus or video recorders were invented for :-)

We have no idea what the format is going to be or whether we'll look really cool or......not so cool! but either way it's a great way of getting the Dance Riviera name out there if we can.

Please watch and tell your friends too!

Game Tip

A few people have mentioned they could do with some help on this game, so here's an example of how I did one of the levels...

I worked out my route then as the dance squares appeared I placed them where they needed to go - not in order. Any dance squares I didn't need I placed at the bottom on squares that were not needed - not shown in this example.

Good Luck,

Jim x

Kerry & Nigel enter Britroc Competition on Saturday

Our very own Gravesend Dance Coaches Nigel & Kerry will be entering this Saturday's Britroc competition down in Brighton. They'll be entering the Open and Advanced sections, so wish them luck! Fly the Dance Riviera flag guys and make us proud.

Jim, Nicky & Tracy and the crew x

Last week for Advanced Smooth Jive Classes til the New Year

This Thursday 12th October is the last date for this time's Advanced Smooth Jive classes. They have been extremely popular from the start and we're gearing up ready for next year's workshops. If you'd like to come to our last session, please ring Nicky on 020 8692 3821 to put your name down - first come, first served.

Also, Jim & Nicky will be teaching at Dartford every week til at least the New Year, so we hope to see some of you there for some great dances :-)

J&N

Dilema

Introducing: Claire King and Brendan Cole

She's Gorgeous!

He's an arrogant *!!!*@#!

Do I cheer them on or boo them....

Hmmm

Jim x

Win Tickets to SCD

They are running a competition for tickets...

Post the answers here for each question, so we can all enter.

Go here

Monday's Question: Nicholas Owen suffered from a lack of what in training for Strictly?

Tuesday's Question: Name the dancer that judge Craig Revell Horwood says has a 5/10 chance of winning the series?

Strictly Come Dancing Game!

I found this great dancing game today and I managed (with luck) to complete it.

Can you do the same?

Go here

Jim x

I've added a couple of tips in the comments of this post for those that are struggling.

Charity Dance Experience at Gravsend on Saturday 7th October

We're having a Charity (Breast Cancer Research) Dance Experience this Saturday at St George's Shopping Centre, Bath Road, Gravesend outside Marks & Spencers (covered area) between 12noon - 2pm.

We need dancers to help promote Dance Riviera by obviously dancing :-), handing out flyers and collecting money for charity.

It's great fun, you get to show off your dancing skills, socialise and meet other dancers and give something back to the hobby that you love.

We'll give you a FREE entry ticket as a thank you for helping to support this event.

We hope to see you there and wear black & white!

Click here for flyer

We're in the paper!

Click on the article to read it full size!

Fantastic article (organised by our Broadstairs Dance Coach Joe) by author Jane Wenham-Jones who tried us out the other week.

If you've got any friends who are thinking of coming, send them to this article!

Blues Workshop

I'd just like to comment on how impressed I was by the level of dancing this Sunday with the Blues Workshop that Nicky and I taught.

You were all very good and really got into the mood and style of the dance.

Tip: As we mentioned you don't need to dance Blues style to only slow music as it fits in very well with normal pace music too.

Well done all,

Jim x

Gozo News

Hiya all, how are you all doing? We have just had a huge family reunion over here - my twin sister Claire and her little boy called Tai flew over from South Africa to spend a week with us and the rest of our family from the UK also arrived for the week too - it was chaotic at times but so lovely to see everyone again - it has been 9 months since we last got everyone together so there was lots of catching up to do.

Autumn has not arrived here just yet - we are still having lots of warm sunny days - the kids are back at school now and have settled in really well with all their new friends - my dad's boat is finally ready to sail (we even had a bottle of Moet and donuts on board last week to celebrate!).

I am starting my countdown til Warmwell now - only 4 weeks to go - cant believe how quickly this year is going - I fly home on the 2nd November so will hopefully get to Dartford that night for Laura and Dominic's special hen/stag night and hope to see you all there.

Well thats all for now folks, have a lovely week and keep in touch - lots of love Shelagh xxx

Dancing with Brad Pitt?

Low wattage celebs like Willa Ford and Harry Hamlin are a dime-a-dozen on "Dancing with the Stars," but A-list stars like super couple Brangelina? Not a chance, right?On Tuesday the parking lot outside the "Dancing" set featured assigned spaces with the names of contestants like Mario Lopez, Jerry Springer and Hamlin's wife, Lisa Rinna. While there's nothing unusual about that, there was one space that seemed oddly out of place -- Brad Pitt's!Brad, who is obviously not a contestant on the ABC show, had a parking spot with a sign baring his name and the show's logo on it.So was Brangelina going to make a surprise appearance on the C-list emporium and show off their best Paso Doble moves? Probably not.Perhaps, like the rest of us mere mortals, they're just fans of Joey Lawrence's tango.Tune in to Wednesday's episode of "Dancing with the Stars" to see who gets voted off and if the Brad Pitt mystery is solved.

School Disco Gallery Now Up

Apologies, but weve had a little problem with our web hosting which I've just sorted out.

The pics are now up!

Go here

School Disco success!!

What a fantastic Saturday night School Disco we had, it surpassed every other Saturday special we've done. BIG thanks to everyone that came and especially to those who dressed up as naughty schoolboys and girls.

The evening got off to a great start with Jim & Nicky's fun disco routine, which involved the confiscation of catapults, waterpistols and whistles :-) After some excellent music and freestyle by DJ Colin Shaul (Dorking LeRoc), we then did the pure luck not skill "run around" card game (thought up by our fabulous Frances), where lots of people won FREE tickets and our winners got 3 FREE tickets to our weekly venues.

We then had to do the "oops upside your head" laying on the floor dance - this was introduced at Flicks disco at Dartford in 1980, so it seems only fitting, thanks to everyone that joined in and made it a lot of fun.

After another 2 hours of freestyle, we called it a night at 1am with the majority ofthe dancers still wanting more.

We had a fantastic night, and we thank you all for being so much fun and getting into the spirit of the night.

Here are some of the comments we received on the night and through email since.........if you'd like to give us some feedback, don't forget to email us at info@danceriviera.com

.....thanks for putting the heart and your personality back into dancing

......I wasn't going to come tonight, thought it was going to be a bit cheesy with the dressing up thing, but I can honestly say it's blown my mind and I would have missed out if I'd have stayed in, a fantastic night!!

......each Saturday night just keeps on getting better and better, keep up the good work

......nobody puts on a Saturday special like you guys

.......Just to say thanks for an amazing night. Got home at 1.45am and was still buzzing at 3am! Enjoyed Herne Bay but last night surpassed all my expectations. Best £10 I have spent in years!

......everyone's so friendly at Dance Riviera, I can't believe how many people have dressed up, I'll definitely do it next time!

Spice is right for dancer Darren

SOUTH Yorkshire dance star Darren Bennett is set to spice up Saturday night TV viewing - after being paired with Emma Bunton for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The twinkle-toed 29-year-old has been matched with the singer formerly known as Baby Spice for the hit BBC1 show.Meanwhile Darren's wife and professional dance partner, Lilia Kopylova, will be hoping to repeat her victory of last year by tutoring former England rugby player Matt Dawson.It's a second sporting pairing for Russian-born Lilia - she won the last series of the show with Barnsley-born fast-bowler Darren Gough.Today Darren's dad Tony Bennett, who runs the City Limits Dance School in Walkley with his wife Judith, confirmed that Darren and Emma, and Lilia and Matt, had begun their gruelling schedules of dance training this week.Taking part in Strictly Come Dancing means long hours and long journeys for Darren and Lilia, as they travel to and from London to meet up with their celebrity partners and teach them the dances.The show returns to TV screens next month with presenters Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly.This year there will be 14 celebrity contestants - two more than last series - paired with the professional ballroom dancers.Darren, who was born in Deepcar, brought up in Todwick, and now lives with Lilia in Treeton, won series two of Strictly Come Dancing with EastEnders actress Jill Halfpenny.More than 10 million viewers tuned in to see him crowned king of the ballroom.He was voted off the last series with his partner Gloria Hunniford in the fourth round - and cheered on wife Lilia, 27, as she waltzed to victory with Darren Gough.As well as Emma Bunton the female celebrities are Changing Rooms presenter Carol Smillie, ex-Bad Girls star Claire King, singer Mica Paris, comedy actress Jan Ravens and Casualty's Georgina Bouzova. The youngest contestant is EastEnders actress Louisa Lytton, 17, who plays gangster's daughter Ruby Allen.Besides Matt Dawson the male celebs are former Manchester United goalie Peter Schmeichel, comedian Jimmy Tarbuck, newsreader Nicholas Owen, cricketer Mark Ramprakash, Radio 1's DJ Spoony, and actor Ray Fearon - hunky mechanic Nathan in Coronation Street.Tess Daly said: "With a line-up like this, the new series is set to be bigger and better than ever before. Where else could you see a Spice Girl dancing alongside Jimmy Tarbuck?"In a change to last year's show, week one will see the boys dancing to stay in the competition while the girls entertain with a group mambo. The format will be reversed in week two.Money raised from viewer voting will go towards BBC Children In Need.

Matt in TV dance floor bid

Former Miss Northern Ireland Joanne Salley's rugby star boyfriend will be setting the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing ballroom on fire next month.
Question of Sport captain Matt Dawson will compete against 14 other celebrities including Emma Bunton and Jimmy Tarbuck.
Joanne, who went to ballet classes for 15 years, said: "He came home the other evening after his first dance session and we went over some of the moves - it was a giggle.
"I love dancing and I grew up watching Strictly Come Dancing and for Matt to be in it is really bizarre.
"I can't wait to go along and see him.
"Let's hope he stays in it for a while and I can dress up on a few Saturday nights."
Dawson said: "I'm looking forward to getting into the costumes.
"You can't really sign up for Strictly Come Dancing and then refuse to wear the sequins and ruffles.
"When I go down, I want to go down in a blaze of glory!"

Underwater Jiving

A final couple of pictures from gozo - this time from under the water.
In case you can't recognise us, Viv and I are in the left-hand picture and Shelagh's in the right-hand one!

Dancing's not easy underwater - the music's a bit blurry :-)

Advanced Smooth Jive class cancelled for Thursday 14th September

CANCELLED - Thur 14th September - just for this night

Just to let everyone know that we've cancelled the Advanced Smooth Jive class for Thursday 14th September because we have the Jive Aces playing upstairs at Dartford.

Jim & Nicky will be teaching upstairs and hosting the band, so come along for a fantastic night's entertainment.

10 pounds on the door.

The Jive Aces on at Dartford tomorrow night

Don't forget the Jive Aces are playing at Dartford tomorrow night (Thursday 14th September).

Admission is 10 pounds on the door, so get there early to guarantee your entrance.

They are a fantastic band who not only play music for us to dance to, they're entertaining as well.

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow night

Jim, Nicky & Tracy

Gozo Holiday

Following in Pete, Gill and Maria's fotsteps, Viv and I went on holiday to Gozo. We had a fantastic time - thanks so much to Shelagh and Pete!

Gozo's a great little island. It's small enough that you can get around really easily, but large enough that you're not gonna get bored. We drove around the island looking for cool beaches to sunbathe on and warm little coves to swim in. Our evenings were spent deciding which next gorgeous restaurant to try next!

Viv completed her PADI open water dive course while we were on the island (which gave me a couple of extra days of sunbathing!). After we'd finished, Shelagh, Pete, Viv and I went diving in the 'Inland Sea'. The underwater pictures are being developed at the moment, so here's a picture of us in all of our gear as a teaser - watch this space!

A regret? That we didn't get to have a dance - I'd even packed my dance trainers (I know, sad isn't it!). Ah well, roll on the dance weekends!

All in all a superb break. Come and get the goss from me next week!

Dapper Dan

Happy Birthday Maria!

A big "Happy Birthday" to Maria for tomorrow Friday 8th Sept - I know she will be at Dartford tonight celebrating with all the girls so grab her for a dance and make sure she has a brilliant time. Sorry I cant be there to join in the fun, you know I would just love to nip home for the night - I will be thinking of you all though (feeling very jealous!!!!). My daughter Cally is also celebrating her birthday tomorrow (she will be 9, slightly younger than Maria!!!) and then her brother Sam is 11 next Thursday - busy time for us over here (and expensive!!!)

Dan and Viv fly home today - we all went diving yesterday afternoon, Dan brought along an underwater camera and took lots of photos of us in various positions, should be some funny pictures when he gets them developed so keep an eye out on the blog. We had a lovely meal last night with them at a restaurant overlooking the harbour - good food, wine and company - a great way to end a great week.

Well you guys, you will be fed up with me, 2 blogs in 1 week!!!!! - I will leave you alone now - the girls are coming over next Thursday, Jo and Suzanne and Janice - cant wait, a girlie weekend, now that should be good fun!!!! Love to everyone and happy dancing, lots of love Shelagh xxx

Fun in the Sun!!!

Hiya all, how is everyone? Once again, we have had a busy week in the sun - Dapper Dan and Viv arrived Friday morning (4.30am!!!) and they have been busy exploring Gozo - the highlight so far being the Nadur Wine Festival!!!! Viv qualified for her PADI dive certificate today so "well done" to her - me and Pete also managed to fit in a dive with Dapper Dan to "The Blue Hole" which was great fun but tiring as we were very late to bed the night before courtesy of the karaoke night in Bo Jangles!!!!

This morning we went across to Comino (a tiny island near Gozo) with some other friends - once we had snorkelled in the Blue Lagoon, the kids forced us to go on the "banana boat" ride (see the picture) - its been years since I last went on one but still just as much fun - the kids loved it, and kept screaming "faster and faster" until we had fallen off at least 3 times!!!

We are off out tonight for more eating and drinking - I will be the size of a house next time you see me!!!! - hope everyone is well, take care and see you all soon, lots of love Shelagh xxx

Another compliment for Dance Riviera....

Just got this from one of our ladies at Crayford.....

I just love the dancing and all the friendly people. No matter how tired I am when I get in from work as soon as I hear the music I just want to be up - the only trouble is I can never sleep when I get home again ....

Angela

Nigel Anderson taking the Advanced Smooth Jive class on Thursday 7th September!

On Thursday 7th September we have a guest teacher taking our Advanced Smooth Jive Class.

Nigel is very "famous" in our dance world and for those of you who have been dancing a few years and gone to Camber/Bognor etc will know of Nigel & Nina as the top teachers of modern jive in the country.

So as you can imagine, we're proud as punch that he's agreed to take our Advanced class - we hope he doesn't spoil you too much and that you welcome Jim & I back!

We have no lady places left but have 2 guy places available.

We know these places will fill due to the popularity of the Advanced class, however, we thought we'd give you a chance to get in first if you haven't already!

Ring Nicky on 020 8692 3821 or email info@danceriviera.com to let us know if you'd like a place.

As always, if you're unable to turn up, please let Nicky know so that other people can have your place. Thanks.

Workshop and Freestyle THIS SUNDAY 3rd September at Dartford

We need men!!

If you're a man not doing anything on Sunday, please give us a call to book yourself in, thank you.

Our combination of Workshop/Freestyle Sunday dancing is back!

This Sunday 3rd September at Dartford venue 1pm - 5pm

Email Nicky at info@danceriviera.com if you are intending on coming or purchase your ticket at any of our venues this week

No refreshments will be provided however there is a bar available for drinks and snacks.

Friday Freestyle in Deal (East Kent) THIS FRIDAY 1st SEPTEMBER

One thing we get asked a lot is......when are you going to do Friday night dancing!

Well, let us tell you it's difficult to get halls in all areas and of course that comes at a high price.

So, we're pleased to tell the people of East Kent (who also constantly ask when they're going to get special dances), that our Friday Freestyles are back!

Starting this Friday 1st September at Deal.

Click here for the flyer and also email Nicky at info@danceriviera.com to let me know you're coming (we'd like to have an idea of numbers)

Tango Dance World Championship

Tango Dance World Championship ends in Bs. Aires
The jury of the IV Tango Dance World Championship crowned a Colombian couple with the top award for the Stage Tango category, while Argentine dancers were honoured with the accolade for the Dancehall Tango style.
Colombian dancers Carlos Alberto Paredes and Diana Giraldo Rivera, who have been dancing together for six years, presented a choreography created for Francisco Canaro’s song Pájaro Azul. This couple became the first non-Argentine performers to win the Stage Tango award, the local dancers obtaining this recognition in the first three editions of the championship.
Natacha Poberaj and Gustavo Peralta were the two Argentines considered the best in the Dancehall Tango category. Second place went to Aoniken Quiroga and Pablo Rodríguez from the province of La Pampa, while Soledad Cantarini and Diego Pérez of Santa Fe came in third.
The competition, now in its fourth year in this Tango-crazed capital, lasted 10 days.The Stage Tango event features dancers exhibiting feats of strength and acrobatic techniques while the Dancehall Tango event pitted couples against each other in traditional dancehall styles of tango enjoyed in Argentine since its origins early last century.
A total of 35 couples participated in the finals, which took place yesterday at Palermo’s La Rural, with the presence of Vice-President Daniel Scioli and the US actor Robert Duval, whose passion for tango is widely known.
The winning couples received 5,000 pesos and a contract signed with the Japanese company Minon to perform for two months in Japan.
Over 100,000 people were present at the championship, thereby doubling the audience that attended last year’s edition. The foreign country with the highest number of contestants was Colombia, with 25 couples in both categories. Other nations represented at the championship were Japan, Italy, Rusia and Finland, among others.
Some of the artists who presented a show during the night of the finals were Ariel Ardit, the Salgán-De Lío Duet, and María Nieves and Miguel Angel Zotto.The show El humor del tango (The Humour Of Tango) was performed and directed by Héctor Malamud, while renowned dancers Mora Godoy and Junior Cervilla presented Tangodisea.
Sunday also marked the end of the milongas organized at the venue of the World Championship.
The success was remarkable as many amateur and profesional dancers crowded the dance-floor every night. Bien Frappé, Tubatango, Yunta Tango and El Caburé were some of the orchestras playing live.

Advanced Smooth Jive Class for 31st August FULLY BOOKED!

Next week's Advanced Smooth Jive class on Thursday 31st August is FULLY BOOKED, however, please check back on the Blog and Website as sometimes places become available.

Nicky

Broadstairs Fireworks!

On Wednesday night I taught at Broadstairs and once again experienced a great night. Part of the night included the finale of the fireworks which has taken place through August. At 9.45pm we watched fantastic fireworks with lots of oohs and aahs from everyone. John Ford (DJ for the night) played some excellent and perfect music to accompany them - Sandstorm, Ecuador and Boom Boom Bar (excuse me if I got that name wrong!).
Don't forget that Broadstairs is closed on Wednesday 31st August. Back open the following week.
Nicky

Dancing with the Stars

The American version of Strictly Come Dancing has unveiled one of it's celebrity dancers....

Are you ready..

Are you sitting down..

It's none other than Jerry Springer!

omg I can't wait to see that.

Jimx

Compliment for Dance Riviera

I taught at Deal last night (which is always a pleasure) and what made my night was a new lady whom I got chatting to. She said that she'd had a fantastic time as it was her first night at Dance Riviera.

She then said she'd been to another company's venue in her home town (half an hour's drive) and found it unfriendly, difficult to understand and nobody asked her to dance. She said that she had found Dance Riviera to be the complete opposite and will drive half an hour every week with friends just to come to us. I was so pleased that she's going to carry on dancing as she loves it and of course that she's chosen to belong to the friendliest dance club in Kent. Thanks to all the crew at Deal who make it so special.

Nicky

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School - DVD out

I came across an advert for this in one of my trashy gossip magazines! I've never heard of it but it has dancing in it so I'll probably rent it.

What's the Story?.......Widower Frank (Robert "Full Monty" Carlyle) stumbles across the scene of a terrible car crash and accompanies victim Steve (John "Roseanne" Goodman) to hospital. Steve was on his way to keep a promise he made years ago - to meet his childhood sweetheart Lisa at their own dancing class - so Frank vows to take the dying man's place.

Click here to read more

Nicky

Charity Thank You Letter

As you know we raise money for Breast Cancer Research when we do our Dance Experiences in shopping centres and festivals around Kent, plus we sell our car stickers for £1. We recently sent off £202 which was raised though Dance Experiences at Westwood Cross Broadstairs, and Dartford's Orchard Shopping Center, plus quite a few car stickers.

So a BIG THANK YOU to everyone that supported these events, danced, collected money or bought a sticker.

We recently held a Charity 3rd Anniversary dance and raised nearly £400 on the night, I'll post the letter when it arrives.

Jim, Nicky & Tracy