One of the great things about modern jive is the music. Because it can be danced to any music – from golden oldie to contemporary pop, from dance to latin. While main room music tends to stick to a similar 4 count beat, within a tempo range, more and more modern jive organisations offer specialist…
Dance motivation: why do you dance?
Dancing doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Many people of my generation and older remember dancing from their childhood – either ballet lessons or being forced to do country dancing. Nowadays, dance in schools is more fashionable with street dance the favoured dance style. But as adults many people are taking up dance. Whether they’ve been…
Bad teen to ballroom queen – attracting young dancers
To keep modern jive (and other social dances) alive, we need to keep bringing beginners through. In recent years, venues have closed, or sometimes changed to focus on freestyles rather than the 2 class format. That means as a community we’re reliant on people learning dance elsewhere, then transferring over. In some areas, the modern…
How to look good on the dance floor (it’s not just about clothes)
When you’re watching someone on the dance floor what are your thoughts? Assuming they’re not falling over or making huge over the top movement that you can’t fail to see. Mostly you watch people dance because they’ve got a spark, something that makes you notice them. It could be what they’re wearing. It could be…
What makes modern jive such a social dance?
Harking back to the days of our grandparents and earlier, a social dance was where you went on dates and met friends. It was a huge social occasion, largely based on social ballroom style. There were dance halls in most towns and cities, compared with recent years where there’s few dance venues left. However my…
When are you ready for modern jive freestyles?
When you start social dancing you might not know about modern jive freestyles. You might just be looking to learn how to dance. Maybe learn to dance for your wedding. Or you’ve been dragged along by a friend or partner under duress. But even after one modern jive beginners class you’re encouraged to get on…
Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella at the Birmingham Hippodrome
After years of ballet lessons and going to see the ballet, it has been some time since I’ve been to big ballet production. I’d managed to buy tickets for the last night of Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella at the Birmingham Hippodrome and Saturday was our time to go. I quite often go to the theatre on…
