dancewarehouse

New Beginners

dancewarehouse — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:22:10 +0000

We started a BRAND NEW Beginners Class on Monday the 16th January, 8.15pm – 9.15pm and we will hopefully be starting another New Beginners Class soon… watch this space or local press for details.

********************************************************************************************************

The Beginners Class is for Absolute Beginners who have never danced before have three left legs and not sure which one is the left one. If you missed the beginning but still would like to learn, why not contact us and we will see what we can do for you. There are always a number of teachers at the class that can help if you have problems… and if you cannot make a class for any reason, holidays, illness, work, etc, we can offer a 30 minute personal tuition lesson with one of our fully experienced staff at a time to suit you for the same price as the class, to easily catch up… no need ever to miss a thing

********************************************************************************************************

A great fun class where you pay for each class as you come along, just £6 per person per week, or if you prefer to pay in advance for a group of 10 lessons you get 10 for the price of nine. Pay when you come along or via Paypal at our shop.

********************************************************************************************************

Dancewarehouse is the place to learn, great atmosphere, great teachers, licensed bar and friendly staff.

dancewarehouse Couples

dancewarehouse — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:05:46 +0000

[nggallery id=7]

Newsletter No 10. June, 2011

dancewarehouse — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:25:05 +0000

Dancewarehouse Newsletter No. 10 June 2011

Here we are again almost at the end of yet another month! 2011 is really racing by. Once again, we’ve had a very busy few weeks, what with Blackpool and the Medal Tests.

I was criticised about the last newsletter for not having enough news and info – sorry. I will try a little harder this time, but can’t promise.

As far as I am aware there has been no scandal, certainly none that I can reveal at the moment. There has been just one new baby, to Megan, a baby boy who has been named Isaac. There have been two or three birthdays… I know this because of all the sweets that appear on the counter from night to night (can anyone find slimmers’ chocolates - I’m on a diet again). I lectured recently and got very big blisters through wearing the wrong sized shoes; you probably saw me hobbling in class, battling bravely on without complaining (much). The University of Warwick, who train with us at the Studio every Wednesday won the Northern University Championships for the first time. My car engine blew up and I was left without a car for a few weeks. It’s the Fight for Life Charity bash that I help organise, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane, London, on Wednesday 29^th June, all the Strictly Dancers and celebs will be there along with a fair few celebrities, TV personalities, film stars and me. Jamie and Courtney have been asked to dance in front of the star of Les Mis whilst she sings two numbers at the same event. Charlotte and I have been asked to choreograph two dance slots for the Dance Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in October in front of royalty… other than that it has been quite a quiet month this month. I will keep a record for the July newsletter, to make it more interesting.

A few of you may have noticed my absence at the end of May, for the usual 10 day break in Blackpool: my once a year holiday escape!! Once again, it was a brilliant dance festival, with many couples from the studio competing at the famous Winter Gardens. Well done to all those who competed, not least of all Jamie and Courtney who finished an incredible 9^th place in the Amateur Rising Star Ballroom Championship when their ranking and expected result would have been around the 96 mark… what a jump! Let’s hope they can maintain this. And a big thank you to the team left behind in sunny Solihull, who ran the studio day-to-day. I’m sure you will agree we have a great team here at the Dancewarehouse. I’m thinking of going to Blackpool more often. What about November?

November Blackpool

And talking about November… remember November 2012 when I will be organising the World Professional Ballroom Championships at Blackpool on behalf of the Ballroom Dancers’ Federation and the World Dance Council. We will be taking a large party to witness the British Championships on the Saturday and then the Worlds on the Sunday. I have already booked rooms at the Imperial hotel at a very good rate and will let you have more details closer to the time.

Saturday 11^th June was the Stars of the Future competitions in London, our very own Matt and Ellie won both of the Juvenile Championships (under 12) and then unfortunately split to go separate ways as they enter the Junior section of dancing. I can only say how proud I have been of them both over the past couple of years, winning almost every trophy in sight and becoming wonderful ambassadors for the Studio. I know they will stay in the Studio but with different partners and I wish them both continued success in their dancing.

Sunday 12^th June was Medal Test day: a day packed with a whole range of exams from rosettes and one-dance, through bronze, silver and gold, up to professional. Despite the usual nerves, it was an enjoyable day. The examiner was impressed with the level dancing at the studio, which was reflected in the results; one comment on a report ‘a standard of dancing far in excess of the level expected for this grade’. It was without doubt the best results we have ever had, 65% of all the medals taken received Honours (the top mark possible), 31% received Highly Commended (that is 85% or over in every dance), that is a staggering 96% of the examinees achieving over 85%. Well done to everybody who took part, both students (children and adults) and teachers who have worked so hard over the past few months.

Kate increased her qualification list, now becoming professionally qualified in Viennese Waltz and also in Argentine Tango. Next time Freestyle??

June has also seen an increase in the number of people coming to party at the Zumba classes here at the studio. As the numbers of party goers has increased, we have increased the evening slots from two to three. You can now come along on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm for your Zumba fix. In addition, from 27^th June, the morning sessions are resuming. If you’re free, why not try a Monday or Thursday morning 9.30-10.30? What a great way to start the day!

And if you don’t know what Zumba is… where have you been the last few months? It is everywhere, just obviously much better at dancewarehouse with the best teachers around.

For those Tangueros and Tangueras amongst you (I think these words are correct… I’m sure Kate will let me know), don’t forget that the 2 Argentine Tango classes on a Thursday evening have now merged back together (9.15 to 10.15), and as we head into July we are concentrating on adapting the figures we have learnt so far. If you’ve missed a few classes, don’t worry. Why not come and see how you can improve what you already know?

The same goes for any of you who have missed any class. Remember, a private lesson with personal tuition for 30 minutes costs the same as a class, so there should never be a problem with you catching up on what you have missed. Drop me an email and I will organise it.

The Wednesday mob will have noticed the absence of Jacquie, who has decided to go back to an honest way of earning a living, and don’t be surprised if you see her on the TV programme ‘airport’ soon. She has joined BMI and is working from Birmingham Airport, so anyone heading off on hols or business trips, get to Jacqui’s desk and she will probably upgrade you to the cabin crew.

Also there’s great news about Sarah: she is up and shouting again, albeit occasionally in a high voice, but our girl of steel will be back soon. She does want to thank everyone personally who have been so great during the past few weeks to both her and Mike, and they both will be back to do just that very soon.

If I think of anything else I’ll put it at the end of this newsletter… you have all probably nodded off by now or lost the will to live.

WEB SITE

As always, current news about the studio, classes etc can be found on the website. Remember, you can also pay for your social dance lessons in advance through the site. You need never worry about leaving your wallet at home again.

I am regularly bombarded by people who say they cannot get the members section installed. In the main it is because they are mixing up signing in as a member or signing in for the newsletter. You do not need me to give you a password, all you need on the initial application is to insert a username (please remember this) and your membership number (if you have forgotten this you can get it at the studio the next time you come along) and press enter. I will then send you an email because I need to verify that everyone who goes on there is a bona fide member with the correct number otherwise the data base throws a wobbly. The next time you log in you will be asked for the password…. make one up (but please remember it), then you are up and running.

Remember not all of the dance steps are on the web. Originally they were specifically only intended for the beginners’ class and group 2, so if the steps you want are not there the odds are you are looking for advanced stuff.

www.dancewarehouse.biz

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Saturday 25^th June: Last Saturday of the Month Social. 8.00 to 11.00pm Now that the Wednesday night practice is no longer running, this is your chance to have a go at all those new figures you’ve been learning in class. Everybody is welcome. I may even think of a joke to tell!

Saturday 2^nd July: Medal Presentation for the Children who took medals recently. Tickets will be on sale next Saturday at the Studio only, not online.

Saturday 30^th July: Last Saturday of the Month Social. It may be holiday time, but we’ll still be here. It’s an ideal opportunity to practice, or simply prop up the bar, and keep Carol company.

AND THE VERY LAST WORD (I promise)

Many of you have been in classes over the last few weeks where I have talked about poise and hold. This has been a problem for dancers for a long time, and is nicely illustrated in ‘Don’ts for Dancers’ published in 1925 (and no, I don’t remember it first time round!) They give the advice: ‘Don’t keep your eyes on the floor. The moment you begin watching your feet, or those of your partner, you lose your poise. And that lost, all is lost.’

Enjoy your dancing!

Martin

Newsletter No 8/9, April/May 2011

dancewarehouse — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:59:43 +0000

Dancewarehouse Newsletter No. 8/9 April/May 2011

Sorry for the delay in producing this newsletter and note it’s a two in one effort. Such a lot going on at the moment and no time for anything, thanks to Kate for providing me with a few helpful snippets and PLEASE, if any of you have any comments or pieces of information that we could all sharein the next newsletter, let me know either from the web site or at martindcutler@aol.com

April & May definitely brings the busy season in at the Dancewarehouse. Many of our junior and juvenile couples will be competing at the end of April at Blackpool in the Junior Dance Festival, then the youth and adult couples will be competing in the Open British Championships again in Blackpool at the end of May. Good luck to all of our couples. The 1^st May saw the formation team also competing in Blackpool and although they danced extremely well they unfortunately did not make the final missing out by just 1 point.. very unlucky. Some of you will have witnessed their training as you come in for Zumba on a Monday evening, and will have seen the hard work they have put in.

But it’s not just busy on the competitive front. Saturday 16^th April saw a fair few of you turning up for a workshop in Argentine Tango with Paul Bottomer (four times world champion in Argentine Tango) and his partner Kasia. It was a very enjoyable evening with plenty of laughs and a lot of partner swapping. We hope to encourage Paul to come back later in the year to give us some more hints and tips. If you missed out this time, hopefully there will be another chance for you to join in. Just keep reading your newsletters.

If you’ve not yet experienced the joys and frustrations of Argentine Tango, then why not come along to our absolute beginners’ class on Thursday’s at 9.15? We began the Argentine Tango as a fourteen week course back in January, and we have been amazed at the response. It’s great to see so many of you enthusiastically embracing a new dance (spot the pun?), so we’ll continue building on the technique and variety of steps in the advanced class which is Thursdays at 9.45. If you want any more information, please pick up a leaflet from the studio, or speak to a member of staff.

Talking of staff, we had a surprise visit the other week from Sarah. She managed to pop in to say hello to the Wednesday night class, and update us all on how she is doing. She’s certainly still very cheery and positive. We can now confirm that the bone marrow transplant was a complete success and despite a few hiccups, Sarah is now home recovering under the very caring eye and culinary expertise of Mike and although she says she is still very tired and finding it difficult to get out of bed before lunch she has set herself the bench mark of going White Water rafting in September, then back to the Studio to keep me on the ball with the Wednesday classes.

Congratulations must go to West Brom for beating Aston Villa and commiserations to all Blues fans who must be very nervous this Sunday. Hope all goes well for all the midlands sides and we are all still in the premiership this time next week.

WEB SITE

Most of you now use our website, but for those who don’t please do visit the site. We do have updated information on there about classes and events. You can buy tickets for any events that we run at the studio, or pay for your social classes (and you get discounts). You can also leave (polite) comments to let us know what you think about lessons and events. We are also on Facebook and Twitter, for those who are young at heart. So get talking, get sharing, and join in with the dancewarehouse online.

Anyone having problems getting onto the Members page and accessing the ‘Step’ videos, please drop me a line and we will get you up and running asap.

www.dancewarehouse.biz

ZUMBA

These classes on a Monday and Thursday are getting extremely busy with incredible numbers turning up for each session. We are looking to start another one when we can find a slot, but for those of you who pay online for these classes, this will guarantee you a place whenever you turn up. You pay a lump sum for the classes (£25, £30, £35, £40) and we then reduce from the classes you attend, it will not affect any discount you are entitled to for twice a week attendance.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Saturday 28th May: Last Saturday of the Month Social.

Sunday 12^th June: medal test day. If any of you adults are interested in taking a medal please speak to one of the teachers, they can give you full information and guide you along

Saturday 25^th June; Last Saturday of the Month Social.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

For those of you who simply cannot get enough dance in during a week, you might be interested in two shows coming up in May. For anyone who’s caught the Argentine Tango bug, you might consider heading to Warwick Arts Centre on 5^th May for Tango Fire ‘Flames of Desire.’ Later in the month (23^rd-28^th May) Vincent and Flavia are at the Hippodrome with their new show ‘Midnight Tango.’

POINTERS FROM THE PAST

As an aside this month, here are a couple of pieces of advice which were published in 1925 in relation to dancers. For the gentlemen, ‘Don’t grip your partner’s hand as in a death-grapple. The hands need to do no more than support each other.’ For the ladies (although the men could also take note), ‘Don’t lean on your partner. Hold your body erect but not rigid.’ So nothing changes: couples were being told the same things back in the 20s as they are now in the 21^st century. Be warned: there are plenty more where these came from.

Martin

Newsletter No 7, March 2011

dancewarehouse — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:42:47 +0000

Dancewarehouse Newsletter No. 7 March 2011

This month is definitely feeling more like Spring: on sunny afternoons the studio is beginning to gain that greenhouse feel, and the daffodils are blooming by the front door. There’s a really positive feel in the air.

On the positive front, some of you may have made the acquaintance of Charlotte’s new partner, ViKtor. He’s been with us a couple of weeks now, and is certainly getting stuck into studio life. If any of you would like to practise your Hungarian, Slovakian or German he’d be more than happy to oblige. Or you can stick to just plain English if you prefer. We wish Charlotte and Viktor every success when they get out on the dance floor.

Talking of getting on dance floors, some of you will have been aware of the planned Strictly Come Dancing night in April. Due to a variety of problems, mainly due to the holiday period, we have decided to postpone this even. It WILL still be taking place, but later in the year. Those of you already practicing in secret can continue to do so; the rest of you will need to keep your diaries free to come along and support. Details of dates and tickets will be released soon, so watch this space.

It’s now only a couple of weeks to go to the end of the Argentine Tango course. Who would have thought 14 weeks could fly by so fast? It has certainly been a popular class both with beginners and seasoned dancers. We’ve all had our challenges, me included… especially as my Spanish does not seem to be the same as Kate’s Spanish, but it is beginning to feel like we might know what we’re doing even if we can’t say some of it, by the way Il sandwichita is the right word, and for those who don’t come along I will leave it up to your imagination how we all do the sandwich, or of course you can join the next Beginners Class and find out the ‘nice’ way. We’d now like some feedback from you: some people have already asked if we are going to continue the class after Easter, and we are going to try. We are also going to start a new beginners lesson for those of you who thought you might like to have a go, but missed the opportunity first time round. See the details below for the new times. The same goes for anything else we do: if you’ve got suggestions on how we can improve the dancewarehouse experience just get in touch.

Sarah is back home again and thanks to Mikes attention is boasting thats he must be the only cancer patient who is actually putting on weight. Still a long way to go but all the news now is extremely positive and I know you will all be with me in wishing her the best of luck and the fastest recovery possible.

WEB SITE

Apologies to those of you who have had difficulties recently with our website. We have had a few gremlins in the system, but we hope they have been evicted. Remember, this is a facility for you to use, so log in and watch the videos of the class routines; pay for your lessons online, or simply give us some feedback.

If any of you have not yet picked up your membership cards with your numbers on them, please see a member of staff. Without them you will certainly not be able to log on to the members section

www.dancewarehouse.biz

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Saturday 14th April; We are hoping to have a Special Argentine Tango Night with guest teacher, Paul Bottomer a former World AT Champion and writer of the first technical book on AT. Keep this date free and we will confirm in a couple of days.

Saturday 30th April: The day after THE Wedding, and probably a lot of fetivitating (I have used this word to upset our walking dictionary, Kate!) The last Saturday of the Month Social. An ideal opportunity to dance off those Easter eggs. What a way to spend bank holiday weekend!

NEW BEGINNERS ARGENTINE TANGO

As you will have read above, we are intending to start a New Beginners class on Thursday 19th April, starting at 9.15 until 10.00pm, the Advanced Class will be from 9.45 to 10.30pm. Now for those who read these newsletters thoroughly you will have spotted what you think is a mistake, but I can tell you it is intentional. With the first AT class we found that EVERYONE wanted to know more and more about the hold, the lead, how to follow and much more of the technique including a word that I think Kate found one day whilst she was reading the dictionary over breakfast, ‘Dissociate’. So the 15 minute overlap between 9.45 to 10 will be of advantage to both the Beginner group and the advanced group, in fact should be a must.

Of course, anyone wanting to do both sections can do so, those who are still not sure of the basic variations should come along to both, and those who already know them can use the time as a practice session. The advanced class will be challenging, but this time as we show a new step we will also discuss the technique of that step, thus making you not just able to perform the steps, but truly dance them.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

For those of you who simply cannot get enough dance in during a week, you might be interested in two shows coming up in May. For anyone who’s caught the Argentine Tango bug, you might consider heading to Warwick Arts Centre on 5th May for Tango Fire ‘Flames of Desire.’ Later in the month (23rd-28th May) Vincent and Flavia are at the Hippodrome with their new show ‘Midnight Tango.’ If you fancy making up a party, let me or Kate know urgently and we will; do what we can.

A word of warning… we do seem to have a new virus that is hitting the studio, in particular, one person, whose name, for health reasons will be kept anonymous. It seems to have the symptoms of you continually falling over for no reasons whatsoever, causes vomiting and an inability to open ones eyes in the light, speech tends to get very slurred and actions rather silly. After a serious attack you will need to sleep for 24 hours without interruption and will most definitely wake with a serious headache. It would appear that the only remedy is prevention, to hide all of the bottles before she arrives and supply an abundance of H2O.

COMPETITION NEWS

A couple of really good bits of new, Jamie and Courtney were recently invited to represent England in Paris for an International Ten Dance Championship, unfortunately I wasn’t there to see the competition but news from the British judge in attendance was that they danced incredibly well and actually finished in second place behind the French Champions, an excellent result. Then last week at the South of England not only did they make the final of the Ballroom Championship but finished a superb 4^th place, a timely arrival of ‘form’ as the British Championships are just six weeks away.

There is also the Junior Formation team, who will be winging their way up to Blackpool on 1^st May to dance in the British Championships and we wish them the best of luck and know they will do us all proud.

Martin

Newsletter No 6, February 2011

dancewarehouse — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:42:00 +0000

Dancewarehouse Newsletter No. 6 February 2011

Once again, it’s apologies for the lateness of the February newsletter, but it is here now. It has remained a busy time at the Dancewarehouse, and we have continued to be beset with problems.
Many of you will have noticed the lack of heat in the last week, after the heating system decided to gas us all. The cold was preferable to the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, however normal heating has resumed, in fact it has been too hot on occasions… never thought I would be saying that, but now there’s no need for the extra layer of thermals (Jacqui)! Fingers crossed it keeps going through the Spring.

On a more positive note, it is great to see so many of you attending the weekly Ballroom and Latin classes, with many people attending twice or three times in a week! We’ve had a lovely atmosphere, and really positive feedback, so a big thank you all round. And if you haven’t already tried it, why not come down and practice what have learnt in class in our weekly supervised social practice on Wednesday nights. The staff are there to help, so if you have any problems just ask them and they will go through the steps with you.

Argentine Tango on Thursday nights also seems to be going down a storm, with really strong attendance. Most people have managed to master their ochos and passadas, and are getting more adept at el sandwichito (yes, it really is spelt like that!). We will be adding the routine so far to the website in the near future, so that you will be able to practice at home. And watch out for a quick Volcado… and there’s no cure!

Zumba too is proving to be extremely popular, with Monday and Thursday nights packing the floor with enthusiastic dancers. If you are looking for a good cardio workout and the added bonus of lots of fun, then why not come down and give it a try?
And then the very good news. Sarah is out of hospital for the time being and her blood count has gone up, not only that but they have found a potential SIX matches for a bone marrow transplant. However, it’s Mike that now needs attention apparently losing weight because ‘he hasn’t time to eat’, anyone who would like to make a vegetarian meal (he will eat fish) for one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, call me and I’ll give you the address.

WEB SITE.

For those of you trying to remember new sections of the class routines, don’t forget the videos on the website. Not all the routines are on there yet, but we hope to add to the video collection soon.

If you haven’t been on to have a look at the videos, remember you need to log-in to the members’ section on the website. To do this, you will need your new 2011 membership number. This will be on your membership card, and will consist of a letter (denoting which night you attend class) and a number. If you have mislaid your card (or still need to pay your membership) please see a member of staff. We’ll get you up and running in no time.

We also have the facility now for you to pay for your lessons online. If you want to take up this opportunity, go to the DWH shop and buy a series of 10 lessons. You’ll never need to worry about forgetting your wallet again.
And not only that, tickets for the forthcoming events at the Studio can also be purchased online, then collected from the Studio the next time you are there. Payment is secure so no need to worry.

If there is anything you would like to see on the web site that is not there already, or if there is anything that is wrong, please speak to me or email me with the details and I will pass them on to Jamie (of course you could speak to him yourself…)
www.dancewarehouse.biz

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY.

Saturday 26th February: Last Saturday of the Month Social. Yes, it’s social night again! Come and join us for a drink, good company, good tunes, and maybe even get on the floor and try out your routines.
Saturday 26th March: Last Saturday of the Month Social. Come and join us for a drink, good company, good tunes, and maybe even get on the floor and try out your routines.

Saturday 16th April: Strictly Come Dancing, with all of the Staff taking partners from one of the classes to dance in a competition, full dress and ‘no holds barred’ confrontation, including me this time… I can’t lose to my kids or the rest of the staff so in serious training… running, rowing, practicing for hours every day. Tickets will be on sale soon, either at the Studio or at the web site shop.

Will endeavour to be a little more punctual for the March Newsletter, wow just seen a pig fly by!

Martin

GREAT DEALS!!

dancewarehouse — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:18:03 +0000

MARTIN’S GONE MAD!

For his best offer to date visit the website to pay for your classes in advance. When you do, for every 9 classes you visit, you get the 10th absolutely free!! That’s 10% off!

Our online system is completely secure and works through the well-known PayPal system, so there is no need for worrying. Simply visit the ‘dw Shop’ on the website and follow the onscreen instructions.

For the regulars amongst you, you’d be mad to miss out!

Click HERE to visit the shop now!

The downloadable offer has now finished. Never fear though, check back regularly as we’ll be putting more great offers up soon!

Argentine Tango

dancewarehouse — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:14:03 +0000

We have a BRAND NEW 13 week Argentine Tango course starting on the 13th January. 9.15pm – 10.15pm

The Argentine Tango is the most famous style of Tango that originated in the streets of Buenos Aires, characterized by its passionate hold and complex leg and foot movements, it takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. Get up close and personal with your partner in the most passionate of all ballroom dances.

Martin & Carol

dancewarehouse — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:16:01 +0000

Want to see what your teachers were like!? Look at these videos of Martin and Carol from when they were competing.

Keep an eye out for the grey catsuit around 2min 05sec

dancewarehouse on twitter

dancewarehouse — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:02:01 +0000

The dancewarehouse is now on twitter!

For up-to-date goings on at the studio follow us now!

Click here to be taken to our page