May In Review
Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, and she did it backwards and in high heels."
- Faith Whittlesey
Again I've left this much to late to actually remember much about the classes. I did have some wonderful dances during them though.
Big Forum Gathering
My second BFG. This time I was staying a wee bit away from the site making it slightly difficult to get to and from however that didn't seem to stop me attending a big bunch of workshops.
Workshops
I started with Footwork and Body Movement which was basically a solo fixed routine. It was really interesting though as I don't really see myself as a solo dancer but I could see how to integrate some of the into partner dancing. Then I did one of the highlight classes for me Hi-Jack in Style. This had the woman hi-jacking part of the lead and doing her thing. When a follow hi-jacks it adds an unexpected change for the lead and I really enjoy it. Of course what was taught in the class really can only be done by followers (though I have tried a few of them, successfully, as a follower since). There is one that is initiated by the lead. I did a hi-jack class down at Storm but I hated that. I was a joy to do this class though. I also did the Musicality in Practice class though I thought it was alright I probably should have stayed for more of the tea dance (I'll get to that in a bit though).
On Sunday I did the Double Trouble workshop which was mostly the same as last time but I picked up a couple of new moves, it was good to revisit some of the stuff I had already been taught and Bill is always a fantastic teacher. I also attended Playing with the Connection which was interesting though not something you can put into practice with just one workshop. I didn't do any classes in the afternoon as I spent it at the tea dance.
Tea Dances
This BFG really hooked me on tea dances. They have an afternoon relaxed feel about them which is hard to explain. Both tea dances were great to be at with a big bunch of my favourite dancers there. Tiggerbabe really did a wonderful job with the playlist on the Sunday and I had so many wonderful dances I was in heaven.
Friday and Saturday Party
The Friday party might well have been good but I can't actually remember much about it. Oops.
The Saturday party was busy but enjoyable. I got there in time for the end of the class and to watch the Feeling Good routine. Afterwards freestyle got into full swing but a lack of energy kept me from dancing the whole night away.
Overall
There's no write-up for Sunday night's party because I hadn't drank enough water or gotten enough sleep so, by the end of the tea dance, I was feeling pretty bad so I decided to retreat back to Edinburgh.
I had a really great time there and meet some new favorite dancers along with having wonderful dances from existing favorites. The tea dances really had me hooked and I think that shows from my more recent tea dance attendance.
Edinburgh Party
This was a really interesting Edinburgh party for me. I finally managed to get a dance in with a teacher from Aberdeen and she was a truly wonderful dancer. It was a good night otherwise as well with lots of good dances from lots of lovely ladies. I also had a dance with The Tramp. He's an international Ceroc champion so I was interested in having a go dancing with such a proficient lead. It was really interesting following. Unlike most people I follow he was quite capable in leading me into ballroom drops and a somersault move (ok the exit on that didn't go great) and I spent most of the dance in a utter state of confusion. It was good fun though (even if we did have a semi circle of people watching which is a little more attention than I like).
Stirling Tea Dance and Slotted Dancing Workshop
The workshop was really interesting. Since I've been doing a bit of WCS then it was interesting to see how I could apply that slot technique to Ceroc. I try and practice slot techniques in the beginner classes (when I make it) and generally like the style.
Had a really good time at the Stirling Tea Dance. Lots of lovely dancers (many of which were at the party the night before) were there and Tiggerbabe's sets are always spot on. I also took advantage of the cake :D. To say something against it, the sunlight coming in through the large windows made the place even hotter. That mixed with me foolishly drinking coffee and not enough water made me feel faint at one stage. Sensibly I took a break though. Despite there being very few people there I still didn't get around to dancing with all the women :(.
