Dance Competitions

[Guest HelplessDancer]

All of the soul venues I have ever been to that have a dance competition have always followed the same sort of format. That format means that a dance comp is announced and the entrants take to the floor to be "judged"

In my experiance, this can mean that some of the best dancers, for whatever reason, sit it out, and those dancers that do take part might be dancing to a tune or a style of song that they either dont like, dont know or dont suit them

It seems alot of trophies might be taken home by people that weren't nessecerilly the best all round dancers on the night (or day) but may have been the best of those brave enough to get up or happened to be lucky enough to get a song played that suited them perfectly

Wouldnt it be better to have a dance comp that wasnt announced and for the judges (whoever they are) to judge the best dancers throughout the whole event. That way, people wouldnt have the pressure to perform and they would be judged on various styles and tempos ect "in secret"?

Forgive me if this sort of dance comp allready exists, but I havent been to a venue where it did

[grantdyche]

All of the soul venues I have ever been to that have a dance competition have always followed the same sort of format. That format means that a dance comp is announced and the entrants take to the floor to be "judged"

In my experiance, this can mean that some of the best dancers, for whatever reason, sit it out, and those dancers that do take part might be dancing to a tune or a style of song that they either dont like, dont know or dont suit them

It seems alot of trophies might be taken home by people that weren't nessecerilly the best all round dancers on the night (or day) but may have been the best of those brave enough to get up or happened to be lucky enough to get a song played that suited them perfectly

Wouldnt it be better to have a dance comp that wasnt announced and for the judges (whoever they are) to judge the best dancers throughout the whole event. That way, people wouldnt have the pressure to perform and they would be judged on various styles and tempos ect "in secret"?

Forgive me if this sort of dance comp allready exists, but I havent been to a venue where it did

If the folk who dance in the competitions win or lose the fact that they have entered is proof that they want to be looked at,

The other good dancers as you say sit them out because they dont need the attention,

As for a on the spot type comp,I don't think so,

Get up if you want,sit down if you dont,I would not want some Dj or other telling me I had won an unknown dance comp,whilst I was enjoying myself,(F**k off) may be the answer,I'm dancing

Grant

[The Tempest]

In my humble opinion I can't stand dance competitions ! , they belong in the 70's / 80's and as you previously stated are normally won by people who are " good dancers " but not the best in the room at that time as some folks will just turn their back on the thought of getting up to enter , even though they would probably win it !!!

Forget the russian gymnastic display , I mean good shufflers / spinners , who can make that 2mins 30 secs look like a work of art as they float across that floor ,

I've won a couple in my teens but usually had no intention of entering unless I was skint , ( normal routine ! ) , or saw a record I wanted that I could'nt afford and tried my luck to generate the extra cash , on both occassions there were mates in my crowd who would of danced me into the ground but it just was'nt they're thing to enter a dance competition .

Still don't understand why we have them , Blackpool one , being a prime example ,

[Naughty Boy]

In my humble opinion I can't stand dance competitions ! , they belong in the 70's / 80's and as you previously stated are normally won by people who are " good dancers " but not the best in the room at that time as some folks will just turn their back on the thought of getting up to enter , even though they would probably win it !!!

Forget the russian gymnastic display , I mean good shufflers / spinners , who can make that 2mins 30 secs look like a work of art as they float across that floor ,

I've won a couple in my teens but usually had no intention of entering unless I was skint , ( normal routine ! ) , or saw a record I wanted that I could'nt afford and tried my luck to generate the extra cash , on both occassions there were mates in my crowd who would of danced me into the ground but it just was'nt they're thing to enter a dance competition .

Still don't understand why we have them , Blackpool one , being a prime example ,

ooooH What the Northern Soul WORLD dancin championship

They were ok int 70ts but today nah....now they are just cheesey. When they do them the format is wrong imho watched one recently the tempo of all the records used were the same no way to judge it and a good few dancers as stated in earlier posts cannot be arsed or need it . why they cannot play say six to eight records with an across the board tempo with both 60t n 70ts "move them feet to the beat"

Rob

[Patto]

Seen loads of comps over the years and in every case there have been better dancers in the venue than the winners, and after the comp is finished the better dancers return to the floor only for people to tell them you should of entered you were miles better than the winner.The comps are entertaining and good to watch but be under no ellusion they do not find the best dancers just the biggest egos

[grant]

Seen loads of comps over the years and in every case there have been better dancers in the venue than the winners, and after the comp is finished the better dancers return to the floor only for people to tell them you should of entered you were miles better than the winner.The comps are entertaining and good to watch but be under no ellusion they do not find the best dancers just the biggest egos

totally agree and even seen some win it (a case of who you know), and they still do! who cant dance for toffee. they are a thing of the 70's and shud stay there IMHO, who wants to see someone trying to do handstands and semi-splits to a slow/mid-tempo tune in a dance comp!

[Goldsoul]

totally agree and even seen some win it (a case of who you know), and they still do! who cant dance for toffee. they are a thing of the 70's and shud stay there IMHO, who wants to see someone trying to do handstands and semi-splits to a slow/mid-tempo tune in a dance comp!

As for the World Northern Soul Dancing Championship held at Blackpool Tower ,Sat Nov 14

we welcome the very best dancers. Don't be shy, get up there!

[grant]

As for the World Northern Soul Dancing Championship held at Blackpool Tower ,Sat Nov 14

we welcome the very best dancers. Don't be shy, get up there!

can i pick the tunes

[ImberBoy]

The Blackpool dance comp is soooooooooooo bad it's good!

It has to be thee most cringingly embarrassing moment in Northernsoul history ever!

Edited September 28, 2009 by ImberBoy

[grant]

The Blackpool dance comp is soooooooooooo bad it's good!

It has to be thee most cringingly embarrassing moment in Northernsoul history ever!

she's certainly a lively fecker

[ImberBoy]

Richard Serling walks up to a dancer at the end and says............

"Guess what...................."

The clip ends abruptly here, can we have a caption type comp to finish Richards words off?

"Guess what...................." I've lost the plot

[Goldsoul]

can i pick the tunes

Course you can.. Providing it's Landslide, Lou Pride and Chuck Wood!

[Goldsoul]

can i pick the tunes

Course you can.. Providing it's Landslide, Lou Pride and Chuck Wood!

[Patto]

Richard Serling walks up to a dancer at the end and says............

"Guess what...................."

The clip ends abruptly here, can we have a caption type comp to finish Richards words off?

"Guess what...................." I've lost the plot

Guess What-----------I'm judging Strictly Come Dancing Next week

or

Guess What-----------I used to be the greatest Northern Soul DJ on the planet

[Ian Parker]

If the folk who dance in the competitions win or lose the fact that they have entered is proof that they want to be looked at,

The other good dancers as you say sit them out because they dont need the attention,

As for a on the spot type comp,I don't think so,

Get up if you want,sit down if you dont,I would not want some Dj or other telling me I had won an unknown dance comp,whilst I was enjoying myself,(F**k off) may be the answer,I'm dancing

Grant

I dont think people should get slagged off just because they enter the dance competitions, & i dont think they do it just to get attention or they want to be looked at

Its just a bit of fun

I would not enjoy entering myself, but i did end up in the Skeg competition by accident

i was right at the back of the hall, so i did not hear that the comp had started, one of my fav records came on so i was up, after the second record i had realised i was in the comp, i felt quite sick & very stiff & could not wait to get off the floor, by the end i nearly ran off!

so i think the folk who get up are very brave

all i can say is well done for having the guts to get up

it frightened the life out of me!

Edited September 28, 2009 by parkash

[Paul-s]

Whats the point, watching a load of old duffers doing bad acrobatics or watching them do steps they used to do when they were 16! Grow old gracefully and dance as your soul demands...listen with new ears and adapt to the times. The other extreme, i once saw at Cleethorpes, is a bunch of Japanese guts dancing like Keb, but without any soul or timing or musical feeling...so, in fact, nothing like Keb!

Time to stop the competition thing, it was right in the 70's, but unless new , younger blood enters the Northern Soul scene, it remains a sad anachronism.

Also, they are usually judged by a bunch of dj's who dont really dance themselves!

And surely dancing cannot be judged...its a subjective expression of joy, feeling and hopefully, soul.

I have never seen thse emotions surface in a dance competition, BUT have witnessed them at events, observing people just dancing for themselves......as it should be..

The people who usually want dance competitions are those who rate themselves as good dancers...which is a consquence of ego and usually means, for me, they are shite at dancing!

Peace.

[Mach]

Great post paul, the best dancers are always the ones that are really ,truly feeling the soul,.. not just pretending and dancing ad-lib i.e spins , splits etc willy nilly and not at all in time with the music,( you see it all the time),it bugs me,.. it dos,nt have to be acrobatic, just in cink, with the tempo , i agree with the points made regarding leaving the competitions back in the 70s, dont think it fits todays scene,..and i myself were considered an above average dancer, and even won a comp in the late 70s at halifax civic all-dayer....judged by searling himself, my prize a "sounds of the grapevine" album demonstration copy.mind you i travelled with good company at the time, Vernon, Paul.murphy, Paul Wilky etc etc. i even got sacked at the supermarket where i worked, because everytime the boss came round the corner,..i was "spinning" in the aisles..happy days.

[Guest brivinyl]

As for the World Northern Soul Dancing Championship held at Blackpool Tower ,Sat Nov 14

we welcome the very best dancers.

So this is the future of the soul scene is it ? World Northern Soul Dancing Championship Tea Dances in Blackpool Tower ballroom !!!

Show me the BACK STREET !!!!!!!!!!

[grant]

Course you can.. Providing it's Landslide, Lou Pride and Chuck Wood!

but i had the following in mind -

steve karmen - breakaway

CODs - She's Fire

Flaming Emeralds - Have Some Everybody

[Guest Bicks]

Great post paul, the best dancers are always the ones that are really ,truly feeling the soul,.. not just pretending and dancing ad-lib i.e spins , splits etc willy nilly and not at all in time with the music,( you see it all the time),it bugs me,.. it dos,nt have to be acrobatic, just in cink, with the tempo , i agree with the points made regarding leaving the competitions back in the 70s, dont think it fits todays scene,..and i myself were considered an above average dancer, and even won a comp in the late 70s at halifax civic all-dayer....judged by searling himself, my prize a "sounds of the grapevine" album demonstration copy.mind you i travelled with good company at the time, Vernon, Paul.murphy, Paul Wilky etc etc. i even got sacked at the supermarket where i worked, because everytime the boss came round the corner,..i was "spinning" in the aisles..happy days.

Surely a pair of bags, a vest and a Keep the Faith tattoo are a better gauge of the best dancer than anything as random as having rhythm.

[Russoul1]

Surely a pair of bags, a vest and a Keep the Faith tattoo are a better gauge of the best dancer than anything as random as having rhythm.

and the fact that the 3 or 4 records selected will be the only tunes they know!!

if you havnt got rythmn, might as well give up!!!

[Naughty Boy]

as random as having rhythm.

like a few of those in the vid

Rob

[pikeys dog]

Stop mocking the poor lass - Thrush can be a terrible affliction, and sometimes a 'bit of air' to it is a blessed relief.

[sister dawn]

The Blackpool dance comp is soooooooooooo bad it's good!

It has to be thee most cringingly embarrassing moment in Northernsoul history ever!

Oh Man that's still bad even now ... Liam would have pi**ed that if he'd worn a thong!

[Naughty Boy]

and the fact that the 3 or 4 records selected will be the only tunes they know!!

if you havnt got rythmn, might as well give up!!!

Thats why they got " frankie " and some of em gave up

[Paul-s]

Oh Man that's still bad even now ... Liam would have pi**ed that if he'd worn a thong!

Its beyond FUNNY!!! What is that woman doing rolling on the floor! PLEASE STOP COMPETITIONS!

[KevH]

Stop mocking the poor lass - Thrush can be a terrible affliction, and sometimes a 'bit of air' to it is a blessed relief.

Remember her now!!!!.Its the "Look at my box" girl.

"She'll catch a cold".

[NEV]

Its beyond FUNNY!!! What is that woman doing rolling on the floor! PLEASE STOP COMPETITIONS!

Whats funny Paul ,is people arguing who was robbed ,he/she should have won

People actually take it seriously

For me it's just a confirmation ,that it's a nostalgia event ,desperate to re-enact the past.

Sad when you remember how furkin good a lot of dancers were in the 70's ,and how the majority of the current entrants aren't

[Billywhizz]

Its beyond FUNNY!!! What is that woman doing rolling on the floor! PLEASE STOP COMPETITIONS!

At the end of the day paul, its just a bit of fun, it breaks the night up i know ur passionate about the scene, i personally think she had the guts to do it, i noticed on the handstands, she kept on pulling her skirt down, i was one of the judges that night it shouldve been liam imo only, thats all history now take care.

Billy

[Guest Bicks]

It adds a whole new dimension to the term 'floorshaker' when some of those big lads hit the floor attempting all the acrobatic moves they were so good at when they were 20 years younger and five stones lighter.

[Billywhizz]

It adds a whole new dimension to the term 'floorshaker' when some of those big lads hit the floor attempting all the acrobatic moves they were so good at when they were 20 years younger and five stones lighter.

R u reffering to me or just pissing in the wind.

Billy

[Guest Byrney]

Whats funny Paul ,is people arguing who was robbed ,he/she should have won

People actually take it seriously

For me it's just a confirmation ,that it's a nostalgia event ,desperate to re-enact the past.

Sad when you remember how furkin good a lot of dancers were in the 70's ,and how the majority of the current entrants aren't

There was a thread on here a few months back about a midlands charity dance competition. I think there were handbags at dawn because the winner didn't do floorwork and therefore wasn't 'a proper' northern dancer.

Dance competions - quite cringeworthy IMO

[Guest Byrney]

Its beyond FUNNY!!! What is that woman doing rolling on the floor! PLEASE STOP COMPETITIONS!

Dancing to Into The Valley by The Skids?

[NEV]

R u reffering to me or just pissing in the wind.

Billy

Now,now Billy

Everyone knows ,there is always an exception to the rule

And you are it as far as the ageing wigan dancer goes

bit like old brickies eh Bill ,they don't die,they just get faster

[Billywhizz]

Now,now Billy

Everyone knows ,there is always an exception to the rule

And you are it as far as the ageing wigan dancer goes

bit like old brickies eh Bill ,they don't die,they just get faster

point taken young nev,i was out of order,Billy.

[Chalky]

At the end of the day paul, its just a bit of fun, it breaks the night up i know ur passionate about the scene, i personally think she had the guts to do it, i noticed on the handstands, she kept on pulling her skirt down, i was one of the judges that night it shouldve been liam imo only, thats all history now take care.

Billy

Personally Billy I think they spoil the night these days. I witnessed the same one Wicksy did and the best dancers sat it out.

To get on in a dance comp it seems you have to either look wierd or throw themselves about for the whole duration neither in time to the beat and totally lacking decent footwork. Like Rob said the choice of tracks for dnace competitions doesn't give those with decent footwork the chance to shine, the choice of tracks certainly needs looking at and the judges should be looking for the dancers first an formost not the acrobats....don't get me wrong I love to see the floor tricks but it has to fit in with the track, in the breaks etc not for the whole track.

[Little-stevie]

Like most things these days, you have both camps or many different ones..

Some will like the dance comp and see it as an important part of the night..

Others ( myself included )would see it as a chance to go for a walk/ piss/ fag etc...

Like Chalky and others say, whats the point really as some of the best dancers don't ever take part and we see some pretty poor entrants with very limited footwork who throw themself on the floor, it looks like they aint dancing to the record being played ....

Don't go to any events apart from Cleethorpes where the comp would be held....

Never liked this kind of thing, did enter just once after tooooo much vino and other stuff.. Its like a bad dream to think of it now...

Maybe its like x factor they aint the best by no means but the only ones who would have the front..

peace xx

[Billywhizz]

Personally Billy I think they spoil the night these days. I witnessed the same one Wicksy did and the best dancers sat it out.

To get on in a dance comp it seems you have to either look wierd or throw themselves about for the whole duration neither in time to the beat and totally lacking decent footwork. Like Rob said the choice of tracks for dnace competitions doesn't give those with decent footwork the chance to shine, the choice of tracks certainly needs looking at and the judges should be looking for the dancers first an formost not the acrobats....don't get me wrong I love to see the floor tricks but it has to fit in with the track, in the breaks etc not for the whole track.

Hey Chalky,theres only dancing comps at weekenders i.e.Cleethorpes and Blackpool,maybe a few allnighters in the year none come to mind. I do agree with you the timing and the music as 1,to me northern is energetic and physical dance, expression and passion,everyone to there own,as i said earlier its just abit of fun.

Billy

Ps.Chalky is there any chance you can go on lifeline spot later on in the night,as i came in earlier you were playing some great stuff.

[Professorturnups]

So this is the future of the soul scene is it ? World Northern Soul Dancing Championship Tea Dances in Blackpool Tower ballroom !!!

Show me the BACK STREET !!!!!!!!!!

Nice One!!

Mark C (Backstreet Soul Club, Norwich)