Mindpoke dance

I've been to half a dozen dance competitions this year and I've seen some amazing dances and few more thrilling than Gary Stubbs and Jen Hoy who have - it seems to me all the technique one could want to see, the good taste to realise that dancing isn't all about flash moves and the spooky sense of a telepathic link which ensures spontaneity and congruity. But - much as I love them both - they are not the norm So I think it's time I wrote about three things...Connection, Musicality and for want of a better word Reputation.  Not because I know much about dancing or competition but I am happy to write about things talk to me about as issues - this seems to be worse this year than any other. So first, Connection The Ceroc champs website has a lot on it - though it's not called connection - it covers all of those things that we'd pretty much agree we'd want to see, I think, but some which seem to me to be outside of what we mean by connection - here...

I've been waiting for something different to write about having been moaning about weekenders for what feels like 100 years and avoiding writing about the baffling competitions I've watched with incredulity.  This weekend has provided the spur. The Grand Hotel down just beyond Gate 4 in Southampton docks, this was the place on 9 April 1912 where passengers stayed the night before embarking on the Royal Mail Ship Titanic.  The next day the ship started it's fateful maiden and final voyage. More than 1500 died when the great liner sank. The hotel is mostly apartments now but there's an elegant bar now where the ballroom used to be.  A poignant setting perhaps, but this was to be the scene of one of the finest dance events I've attended. We danced in the footsteps of those unfortunate transatlantic travellers, capturing the joy all dancers feel - across the ages and in the fabric of the building in which we danced. With the furniture clear, the floor is big ...

Louise Missen SN: How was it for you? LM: Bloody amazing! I don't even know where to start - a week on and I'm still in awe not just of the organisation that went in but the fantastic atmosphere everyone brought with them - it was just wonderful. My partners David, Chris and Heather were brilliant and it was great to have so much fun on the dance floor SN: How was it different from London based comps? LM: This has been commented on before but bears repeating - the organisers have just clearly taken everything negative from the competition circuit that they've experienced and found a way to eliminate those issues. The net result is a much more intimate, relaxed and friendly champs than I've experienced (though my disclaimer is I haven't been to many other champs!) Particular highlights - reasonably priced food on site, flexibility when the timings got a bit muddled (quickly inserting freestyle between rounds so top cats could check their results) and the f...

"It is the Music that matters" - Herbert von Karajan Chris Uren has been kind enough to offer this blog his annotated play list from Ceroc Northern Champs. I know the Scottish Champs playlist is regularly published but here we have Chris' words about why he choose what he chose and I think this is useful for two reasons for competition dancers. First if you can't dance to this type of music you are missing a great joy and your liable to be left floundering - most people obviously give it their best shot but the other reason for looking at it is that it my give you some options for practice. So many thanks Chris - it is a corker of a playlist. "Northern Champs Music 2014 I have made some comments on tunes as I go along and are purly my observations in watching the competition dancers or my DJ thinking on why a tune was chosen. I consider myself to be a moderate Intermediate as a dancer so complexity was sort of based around what I thought I could do. L...

In this edition of the series on Ceroc Northern Champs, we hear from organiser Jamie Stormer and competitor, Heather Passmore. Jamie's up first... I first contacted Jamie about the idea of running a blog about the Northern Champs in May - I think he realised it was going to be a big deal (the event, not the blog) and so it turned out. I spoke to him at the time in a blog post which really set people talking (I think there was a thought that someone somewhere snaps their fingers and these events just happen) Clearly they don't they take a lot of planning and hard work. You'll find what Jamie said here: http://mindpokedance.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/how-competition-is-born-making-it-happen.html Photo: Stephen North SN: I hope you had chance to soak in and enjoy the day, it was pretty special - lots of love in that room. Are you aware of the impact it's had already? JS: I LOVED the day. I really did have a fantastic view of the crowd and the dance floor so I got ...

There's every reason to suppose there will be another Ceroc Northern Champs next year and I think it will need to be in a bigger venue. I think it will be an even bigger success. And the word of mouth will be go to Manchester for three days and have a grand time (though will be some who will say chose your hotel wisely). But whoever goes next year, and I will be amongst them, will not experience the thrill of an event lifting off quite as spectacularly as this one.  I was grateful to be at the first and that this blog has in some small way recorded the build up. Maja Kocanova, the franchisee for Ceroc Addiction picked up a challenge which I first raised in a blog some time ago here:  http://mindpokedance.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/201313-dance-season-no-5.html It has some risks associated but built around the core of the great success of Northern dancers at recent competitions - I think the timing was felicitous. There are a number of reasons why Ceroc Northern Champs rose l...

The emphasis on the music in this competition is very inspiring - some tracks are finding out dancers of high repute and those of of high quality musicality and connection are doing well -which is how it should be. There’s a pleasing atmosphere - it’s amazing how the Ceroc Addiction staff are coming together to sort the problems (which are few) and keep the event ticking over (which requires a lot of effort). As we press on towards the finals in just under half an hour we are seeing the Scots and Welsh and English come together with ritual bon hommie and good spirits - aided by burgers and booze perhaps but also by a common interest in a fair outcome.  The judges are working hard.  It has credibility and competition - but nothing aggressive.  Jamie’s compering reached a crescendo with his retort to a heckler “there’s only rom for one diva here” No blather from me on fairness or otherwise of the results here or anywhere else - it’s the taking part - and peopl...

And so it begins... Lucky Dip parade - the queue of doom The judges for Ceroc Northern Champs Glittering array of dance talent Introduced by our host Jamie Storey Long day ahead Amongst the competition there are copious freestyles DJ'ed by Messrs Sambridge and Gammon There's a fantastic atmosphere with vocal support, brisk but entertaining compering from Jamie and a host of diligent Ceroc Addiction staff slaving away to keep this competition moving. No clear winners yet - but a a huge variety of Ceroc styles and people form Wales, Scotland, London and Essex - it's a nice size of competition. Hot hits already: - TVs with the winners numbers - plenty of freestyle time - music by genre - A BURGER/SARNIE/SALAD van in the car park! More later :-)

These are the Northern Champions and the two halves of the North of England split by the Pennines have been the bitterest of rivals for many centuries, wars have been fought, often sublimated into cricket matches, accents mocked and football teams derided. So good then when co-operation - the hallmark of Northern dancing - breaks out.   Not so many miles east of Manchester, Ceroc Yorkshire is going great guns under new management but with an impressive roll call of teachers, DJs and demos.  Their secret of a warm welcome and maintaining attendance is well-known.  The new freestyle venue, Left Bank, is the most impressive venue I've dance in as you can see below. It's great that Ceroc Addiction's venture includes Jon Gammon - a good friend and subject of this q and a. Photo: Jon Gammon SN: You are working at Ceroc Northern Champs as a freestyle DJ, but as the owner of the Ceroc Yorkshire franchise, what will having Ceroc Northern Champs do for dancing in...