Blackpool Dance Festival 2012

4 of 5

kaycee

14-06-2012

Originally Posted by laurab88:
“Tell me about it. Tim Caple (is that his name?) cannot get his facts right, they differ throughout the show and then he'll try and outdo the other commentator but with his facts completely incorrect/invalid!

I presume the commentary is added on after the event which is why it always seems a bit stuttery and just..damn right annoying!”

Yes I think that's his name - he asks really stupid questions & then repeats them over and over (did you hear him going on and on about the introduction of basic dances at the Worlds last year? I wanted to shoot him!)

I believe (though may be mistaken) he does commentary for a lot of the Eurosport stuff - ice skating, football etc which probably means he knows a handful (at most) facts about everything and nothing much about anything.

A few years ago Sky sports used to show dancing - very often from France - and their commentary was excellent; shame they stopped.

* Becca *

14-06-2012

Originally Posted by kaycee:
“(did you hear him going on and on about the introduction of basic dances at the Worlds last year? I wanted to shoot him!)”

I remember that! He totally didn't understand the concept of it at all.

laurab88

14-06-2012

Yep I remember that too! It's such a shame the commentary isn't an optional extra!

soulmate61

14-06-2012

http://www.dancebeat.com/video2012_1.html --
DSI-London video highlights presented by Martin Cutler from Friday's ballroom championship, proving even the top of the world can trip and fall.

Both http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/dance-today and www.dancebeat.com will shortly print a bumper feature reporting on Blackpool 2012 -- not a patch on this thread?

Blackpool Festival is a very big deal for Americans, 200+ of whom fly over. On Sunday they get together in the Imperial for a free banquet to break the ice and build team spirit. During the week they have a ballroom at the Imperial reserved for Americans and Canadians to practise under the eye of experts.

Inside Empress Ballroom they sit together and cheer. Marcus brilliantly builds atmosphere by naming all nations who get their dancers through to semifinal and final -- to ecstatic not jingoistic cheers. Denmark the smallest country makes the biggest noise.

soulmate61

14-06-2012

Originally Posted by primaballerina1:
“I particularly liked the mind over matter section,”

Googling Ruud Vermeij turns up many interesting links short of having to buy Ruud's books. For example the following interesting ideas (not Ruud's, but lauded by him):
http://www.dancearchives.net/2012/05...ical-approach/

Quote:
“Possible variations in practicing a slow waltz basic choreography:

■ Dance with and without partner

■ Dance at different speeds (improvement of differentiation skills, orientation skills and balance skills)

■ Dance at different rhythms

■ Employ resistance tools in order to feel increased muscle activity and to train deep sensibility

■ Dance with eyes closed. Here, too, deep sensibility is trained, as well as spatial orientation and balance

■ Practice after having exhausted yourself, in order to assure technical excellency even in most difficult conditions

■ With obstacles, in order to practice reaction and adaptation skills

■ Change direction at a certain signal. Here, too, reaction and adaptation skills are being trained

■ Setting priorities will make the training more structured, more varied and easier to understand. It will result in the dancer working in more varied ways, because he becomes aware of the monotony. Additionally, he will be more motivated, because he sees the greater effectiveness

■ Sequence-practice: repeated dancing of short dances equences (e.g. 15/ 30/ 45/ 60 seconds) with alternating priorities. This will improve stamina, automatisms and movement routine, and coordination skills as well as technical skills will be applied.

■ Endurance training, in order to be able to follow the choreography even when under a great deal of physical stress

■ Practice dynamic skills

■ Practice how to breathe

■ Practice how to express emotion

If the dancer follows the maxim “repeat without repetition” he will be doing himself a big favour. The wide variety of learning content not only ensures a holistic body education but also – and this has been proven – a much faster development. It is my deepest conviction that many dancers don’t tap their full potential, and that this is mainly due to monotonous and one-sided training.

Many dancers will experience an unbelievable amount of progress if they follow modern and scientifically proven ways of training.

Training according to the “repeat without repetition” model is a further way to take the limitation out of technique, since the dancer is forced to leave his comfort zone in his search for training content, in order to find new challenges. These will increase his movement repertoire, which will turn him into a more experienced “mover” and, at last, a dancer.”

kaycee

19-06-2012

Soulmate: Did you see the Team matches in Blackpool? Seen a couple films - the European Team (trying to emulate Beyonce) was dire but the American Team, trying but not quite succeeding, to look like really bad beginners, was great; hugely entertaining.

* Becca *

19-06-2012

The American team was actually a skit on the Olympic Games, nothing to do with beginners - they made up new dances like the Fencing Paso Doble and the Rowing Foxtrot, it was quite a clever idea. The European team was hilarious, all the boys dressed as stripograms and dancing really camp, I loved it. Although, the fact that Paul Killick and all the boys from the British team had just come out actually dressed as women in wigs and heels and danced to the same track somehow overshadowed it! Australasia were a little more weird, the girls all swapped dresses and danced with boys dressed as zoo animals.

laurab88

19-06-2012

Also worrying when the boys have better legs than the majority of the girls!

soulmate61

19-06-2012

I confess, here are my priorities in Blackpool viewing:

(1) Teenage girls in the 16-20 latin, ha ha ha.
(2) Pro Latin -- unquestionably the best, but I never get to sit in the front row beyond Round 1.
(3) Pro Rising Stars Latin, for the merit and energy.
(4) Saturday and Sunday lectures in Spanish Hall.
(5) Ballroom, where ballgowns amaze me with colours I never knew.
(6) Amateur Rising Stars

with the redeeming grace of teenage girls.
(7) Over-35 latin

without the redeeming grace of teenage girls.
(8) 4-sided team match. It was better in the days with UK, USA, Germany, Italy. Who cares about UK vs Europe vs USA vs Australasia? All the teams are full of expats.
(9) Acrobatics exhibition dance -- I do not want to watch a possible bone-shattering girl-crash to the floor from 9 feet up.
(10) National formation dances -- I need to be paid to watch this, after 2010 when one new dance nation brought out several teams stomping like, ahem, armies, drilled like East Germans in erstwhile Olympics. They also planted a girl standing next to me to scream her head off better than in Dracula films (to foment audience hysteria a la BBC in Shepherds Bush). I covered my ears in self-presevation but she carried on regardless.

Never again.

I missed (8) this year altogether. I would have liked to have seen it, but Empress Ballroom was a sauna.

* Becca *

19-06-2012

The team match is for me the second most important event of the entire festival, second only to the professional Latin competition itself. These skits were performed separately at the Tower Ballroom the evening following the team match. The European team was actually represented by only European dancers - Poland, Russia, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia. However, the same cannot be said for any of the other teams. Granted, Australasia only had one team member who was neither Australian nor Asian, but the Americas only had one team member who actually was American! The British team was split exactly 50/50.

laurab88

19-06-2012

Perhaps the rules will change next year when GB realise they could do so much better and let people who dance for England yet don't have British passports dance the event!

Works for the Americas, so why not us?! We might even have a bit more of a chance!

* Becca *

19-06-2012

I'm all for the top 2 English Latin couples competing - 2 Polish dancers, a Russian and a Belgian!

laurab88

19-06-2012

I'm happy with that! And even on the ballroom side with 2 Italians and then our usual!

soulmate61

19-06-2012

Originally Posted by * Becca *:
“The European team was actually represented by only European dancers - Poland, Russia, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia. However, the same cannot be said for any of the other teams. Granted, Australasia only had one team member who wasn't from Australia or Asia, but the Americas only had one team member who was American! The British team was split 50/50.”

Young amateur dancers, being often hard-up, tend to live in and dance for their home country. Established top pro dancers seem to sign up with whichever country suits them, and sometimes change their allegiance. Are there not clubs in the English soccer Premier League where 9 players out of 11 are non-English, not even English-speaking?

In Blackpool's younger comps, come the semifinal Marcus would call out:

"3 dancers from Germany (to cheers),
1 dancer from China (quadrophonic cheers),
4 dancers from the United States of America (joy from all those who paid £2000 to get here),
5 dancers from the Ukraine (the audience beside themselves)...."

Dancers do have some recognisable artistic quality and national trait, and they are invariably delighted to represent their countries. Italians are always polished and silky. German couples show their thoroughness by arranging beforehand to step forward with linked hands to take a most courteous charming bow.....

USA, Australasia my foot. They are all Europeans.

UK is going the same way since this year, but at least "UK" dancers are here longterm to receive the best coaching in the world. Hard to support a CONTINENT when 3 teams out of 4 are manned and womanned by guerillas and mercenaries ready to take their free lance where it pays. The really exciting continental showdown would be between eastern Europe and western Europe.

Slight exaggeration, only slight?

* Becca *

19-06-2012

Originally Posted by soulmate61:
“Young amateur dancers, being often hard-up, tend to live in and dance for their home country.”

At all levels, there are so many couples where each dancer is of a different nationality - it is just not always possible to find a suitable partner within your own country, and therefore one or the other would not have much choice other than to relocate. Then depending on which country is the most financially viable and has the best access to the right teachers, that would be where they'd end up living, and that could be somewhere else entirely. Representation is another matter altogether - choice of three in that scenario. However, I do find that for example if a couple was from Bulgaria and Denmark and lived in Hong Kong, it's much more likely that they'd represent either Bulgaria or Denmark than they would Hong Kong.

Originally Posted by soulmate61:
“Australasia my foot. They are all Europeans.”

Only one European. 3 Australians, 2 Japanese and 2 Chinese.

* Becca *

19-06-2012

Originally Posted by laurab88:
“I'm happy with that! And even on the ballroom side with 2 Italians and then our usual!”

So that's a Belgian, a Russian, 2 Polish, 2 Italians, an Estonian and an English dancer for GB - sounds extremely promising, I like it!

kaycee

19-06-2012

Originally Posted by * Becca *:
“The American team was actually a skit on the Olympic Games, nothing to do with beginners - they made up new dances like the Fencing Paso Doble and the Rowing Foxtrot, it was quite a clever idea. The European team was hilarious, all the boys dressed as stripograms and dancing really camp, I loved it. Although, the fact that Paul Killick and all the boys from the British team had just come out actually dressed as women in wigs and heels and danced to the same track somehow overshadowed it! Australasia were a little more weird, the girls all swapped dresses and danced with boys dressed as zoo animals.”

Thank you Becca. I get it (USA team) now. Even if I interpreted it wrongly, I still found it great, but your explanation definitely adds more sense.

I got the (European) boys dressed as stripograms etc, but it still didn't do it for me.

Australasia? As you say, weird!
Which team won?

laurab88

19-06-2012

Originally Posted by * Becca *:
“So that's a Belgian, a Russian, 2 Polish, 2 Italians, an Estonian and an English dancer for GB - sounds extremely promising, I like it!”

Now we just need to convince the powers that be!

* Becca *

19-06-2012

Originally Posted by kaycee:
“Thank you Becca. I get it (USA team) now. Even if I interpreted it wrongly, I still found it great, but your explanation definitely adds more sense.

I got the (European) boys dressed as stripograms etc, but it still didn't do it for me.

Australasia? As you say, weird!
Which team won?”

The Americas won, it was by far the strongest team so it was pretty much expected. Europe were second, but there wasn't an awful lot in it points wise. I'm not sure if Great Britain or Australasia were last this year.

kaycee

19-06-2012

Originally Posted by * Becca *:
“The team match is for me the second most important event of the entire festival, second only to the professional Latin competition itself. These skits were performed separately at the Tower Ballroom the evening following the team match. The European team was actually represented by only European dancers - Poland, Russia, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia. However, the same cannot be said for any of the other teams. Granted, Australasia only had one team member who was neither Australian nor Asian, but the Americas only had one team member who actually was American! The British team was split exactly 50/50.”

That doesn't surprise me! I watched the USA National Latin Chmps - I think every single dancer in the final was either Russian or Ukrainian or from somewhere similar.

soulmate61

19-06-2012

Granted a couple more than likely come from two different countries, but they came together by choice and stay together by choice. I tentatively suggest preference for national temperament and outlook may influence that choice.

Much is made of the different dance styles of Joanna and Yulia, but each lady reflects a very different gentleman, fire versus silk.

* Becca *

19-06-2012

Oh, talking of funnies, did you see the showdance that Kirill and Elvira and Evgeny and Polina did for the Parade of Stars in Moscow the other week? Absolute class, awesome, I love it!

soulmate61

19-06-2012

YouTube search turned up only this recent clip. Probably means more to those familiar with the four? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUI9ZSo2PmM

Others could find the interview colourful -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Xuom8xcRI

* Becca *

19-06-2012

Yeah, that's the one! Two of my favourite couples together, love them! I wish I had gone, but I left it too late to get a visa, so stupid.

soulmate61

22-06-2012

Joanna won all 5 dances.

Yulia made it close in Jive with 6-5.

Melia broke the Big Two stranglehold, overtaking Yulia in Paso Doble with 3-1.

11 Judges
A Len Armstrong
B Vicky Barr
C Karen Hardy
D Christopher Hawkins
E Karen Hilton
F Lorna Lee
G Graham Oswick
H Robin Short
I Sammy Stopford
J David Sycamore
K Pat Thompson

A B C D E F G H I J K (11 judges)

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 -- 8 - Michael and Joanna win Cha Cha Cha
1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 -- 3 - Riccardo and Yulia
3 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3 -- 0 - Sergey and Melia

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 -- 9 - Michael and Joanna win Samba
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 -- 2 - Riccardo and Yulia
3 3 4 3 3 3 6 3 2 3 3 -- 0 - Sergey and Melia

2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 2 2 -- 6 - Michael and Joanna win Rumba
1 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 -- 4 - Riccardo and Yulia
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 -- 1 - Sergey and Melia

1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 3 2 1 -- 7 - Michael and Joanna win Paso Doblé
2 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 2 1 2 -- 1 - Riccardo and Yulia
3 3 3 4 1 2 3 1 1 3 3 -- 3 - Sergey and Melia

2 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 -- 6 - Michael and Joanna win Jive
1 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 -- 5 - Riccardo and Yulia
3 3 4 4 3 3 7 3 4 3 3 -- 0 - Sergey and Melia

------------------------------- 36 - Michael and Joanna marked top
------------------------------- 15 - Riccardo and Yulia marked top
--------------------------------- 4 - Sergey and Melia marked top

Would anyone care to do the Pro Ballroom Championship?

http://www.scrutelle.info/results/es...pool/index.htm

4 of 5