Loop Dance Company, Medway Council and South East Dance are very proud to be hosting the inspiring event, U.Dance Medway 2016 – and it is only two weeks away!
Tag: Dancing
My Top TV Moments of 2015
It’s been a good year on the box, hasn’t it? SkandiNoir is now a generic term to describe any moody, atmospheric murder mystery being unravelled in damp weather, while Mad Men did the unthinkable and ended.
A Guide to Strictly Come Dancing Fans
The ‘Hints’ blog post was becoming a little too long, so I split them into two parts – just like the Strictly Come Dancing Final itself!
A few hints to understanding Strictly Come Dancing
The Strictly Come Dancing Final is upon us!
It’s normally the celebrities who experience a rollercoaster ride but this year, it seems that Series 15 itself is suffering more.
Dance lovers – get moving!
The People’s Strictly Blub-Fest
The People’s Strictly kicked off last night – and shares in Kleenex must have soared!
With an audience potentially split between this, The Brits and Wolf Hall, it quickly became clear that for depth of character, drama, passion and all round life affirming goodness, BBC1 was the place to be.
This wasn’t just any emotional rollercoaster. This was us being more emotionally rollercoastered than ever before, as we met three of the deserving Strictly Come Dancing fans being given their chance to shine in the Strictly ballroom.
Michael, Cassidy and Heather are three of the most inspiring people you’ll ever meet. Their selflessness in the face of shattering adversity in their own lives just serves to remind us how powerful the human spirit really is. Read all about them below, along with Trishna, Anna and Phil, who we’ll be introduced to next week and whose stories are just as incredible.
From left to right of the above image (top row and then bottom):
- Anna Kennedy, who set up a school for people with autism, is dancing with Robin Windsor
- Former Marine medic, Cassidy Little, is dancing with Natalie Lowe
- Heather Parsons, who set up a charity to support intensive care patients and their families, is dancing with Ian Waite
- Youth theatre company director and fundraiser Phil Barnett is dancing with Janette Manrara
- Multiple Sclerosis fundraiser and awareness campaigner Trishna Bharadia is dancing with Aljaz Skorjanez
- Meningitis fundraiser and awareness campaigner Michael Pattie is dancing with Aliona Vilani
The couples will compete for the People’s Glitter Ball in a live show on March 11, hosted by Tess and Claudia. We’ll vote for our winner, who’ll be crowned The People’s Strictly champion during Comic Relief on March 13.
The Twitter timeline was awash with virtual tears and tributes to these amazing people. Here’s a selection (to prove it wasn’t only me sobbing my heart out!)
The Three Heroes (click to read the quotes)
The Heartbreaking One
The Men Sobbing
The Competitive Edge
The Unashamed Tributes (a fraction)
The Last Words
Love dance? Join the Medway Dance Network
Hosted by Rebecca at The Right Step Dance Company and Heather from Sun Pier House, the Medway Dance Network is a brand new and exciting opportunity for Medway’s dance professionals and other interested parties.
MDN will include monthly networking meetings as well as dance classes run by the dance teachers involved with the network (see poster below). The first meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 27th, from 9.30am – 11am in the Tea Room at Sun Pier House.
The initial session will identify dance needs within Medway and find those who would like to get more involved with MDN in the future. It will also be an opportunity to find out about current dance happenings, and to network with fellow dance fans, tutors and dancers, so do take along leaflets and business cards to share. If you have any ideas or items you would like to contribute, please let Heather or Rebecca know.
Sunday Slackers
The Internet of Fascinating Things …
Being active online means coming across far too much good stuff than I can personally read during the week or can be shared on my Twitter and Facebook timelines without annoying the hell out of friends and followers. So I’ve decided to collect them all together in one handy blog post that I can enjoy at my leisure, along with the hope that you do too 🙂
Miscellaneous: Bikeshedding and Parkinson’s Law – In thirty odd years of employment, I’ve come across this a lot! I’ve been to meetings where the only decision made was – the date of the next meeting! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law
For writers: Two heads are better than one http://www.bang2write.com/2013/06/4-reasons-2-heads-are-better-than-1-by-gareth-meredith.html
Nature: An excerpt from Chasing Ice – the largest ice glacier calving filmed. Awe inspiring and yes, scary. http://uk.businessinsider.com/largest-ice-glacier-calving-filmed-2015-1 and some ice pictures to show up close how beautiful it cab be http://www.boredpanda.com/natural-winter-snow-ice-art/
Music: You know that joke about someone’s singing sounding like cats? http://www.reshareworthy.com/boys-choir-sing-funny-song/#xqUKpalS67mwzoZ5.01
Creativity: Cassy’s 100 ways to get creative. What are you waiting for? http://www.cassyfry.com/2015/01/100-ways-to-get-creative.html/
Humanity: Restore your faith in 4 minutes flat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btiDHCuWyBA
Animals: Literally shaking a tail feather https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bt9xBuGWgw
Festival: The first South Coast Jazz Festival, 23-25th January, support it if you can. http://www.southcoastjazzfestival.com/
Practical joking: I started laughing at the description, then got mildly hysterical as it went on, which became maniacal cackling. http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2015/01/09/limbo-stick-prank/
Quote of the Week:
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain
Tricky lifts and dancing
… and watch out for the B word.
Yes, it’s the annual week-before-we-go-to-Blackpool bonanza.
But back to my original reason for coming here. OLA!!! Steve can dance – just because he can throw throw you from one side of the dance floor to the other doesn’t mean we didn’t want to see those amazing Charleston moves again that we saw so brilliantly in the quickstep, and all too little of, in this Charleston. Grrr – so frustrated last week, – that could have been the dance that netted them the undying devotion of a whole bunch of viewers, just like it did for Team Cola. Such a missed opportunity 😦
It was the same disappointment I felt when Natalie walked out in a leotard with Ricky Whittle, and similar repulsion for Lisa and Brendan. As for the World Champion Show Dancers, well, I’d rather watch Scott and Joanne’s foxtrot again. Seriously – I agreed with Len, re the dance off – Scott’s foxtrot was much cleaner than Alison’s, and the whole routine was a pretty decent effort, considering where he’d come from.
Frankie and Kevin stormed the dance floor again with their tango – such an emotional song and they danced it perfectly, she’s become a strong favourite for me. Mark and Karen have brought themselves right into contention – and the training footage for tonight looks to cement that position.
Caroline is still being Miss Consistent, Sunetra still has her lovely arms, I too noticed Jake’s flappy foot a couple of week’s ago, and Steve will hopefully put in a strong showing in the Paso – he needs a big dance. As I write this, Carmen’s Overture has just begun playing on the radio – a good omen, perhaps? Let’s hope so!
Draw inspiration from Croquis dancers
Traditionally, Croquis is quick sketches drawn by artists watching a model who occasionally changes position. However, the Croqis being introduced to Medway is a collaboration between Rebecca Ashton of The Right Step Dance Company and Richard Squarecube of Squarecube Artisans, who’ve taken it a step further by incorporating dancers.
The artists are inspired in many different ways and are encouraged to explore the concept using their own techniques. Mostly, they’ll sketch with pencil or charcoal, but already one enterprising soul has used an iPad and others using different forms such as sculpting or modelling are also welcome.
Taster sessions will be held in November, with the official launch in January 2015. It’s an intriguing add to the creative pot of Medway events, so why not go along and try it out?
Sunday 16th November, 2-3.30pm ‘An Introduction to Croquis Events’
Sunday 23rd November, 2-3.30pm ‘Explore Croquis Your Own way’
Sunday 30th November, 2-3.30pm ‘What Can We Do With This?’
All held at Sun Pier House Gallery and Tea Room, Medway Street, Chatham, ME4 4HF
Just £15/session or £10/session if you bring your own materials.
Book one of the limited places now, by email to: info@therightstepdc.co.uk
An invitation only promo session was held, for which there is an archive with images and feedback – the blog about it can be found here:
http://www.therightstepdc.co.uk/2014/09/17/croquis-event-promo/
The artists also gave verbal feedback and that’s on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/croquisevents
There’s more information online…
Website: http://www.therightstepdc.co.uk/organisations/croquis-events/
Twitter: @Croquis_Events
Jaye Nolan 