So at school they spend years telling you to read widely so as to develop a wide vocabulary. Undoubtedly this has its uses. You can sound intelligent, knowledgeable and well-read. All things that will get you far in life. However, in the DS studio you really don't need to be a particularly loquacious being ( ;D ), you only need to know one word: WERK! If you pretend that you have a very mild case of tourettes and that your only ticks are to: 1. occasionally (or actually pretty frequently) shout out the word werk; 2. wag your finger from side to side, then you will be pretty much set. In other words, you better WERK.
It's no secret that us Dancer-Stationers are hard-core Raggatonians.
It's also no secret that I'm a different type of onian and have a love-hate relationship with Raggatone.
The last couple of weeks it has been really balancing hard on that line due to the amount of isolating ability needed to do this combo with any form of competency.
Watching those who paid attention in nursery when singing heads-shoulders-knees-and-toes and consequently know where all the individual parts of their musculoskeletal system are located, I came to the conclusion that it was one of my favourite combinations - @katymillslondon in particular was killing it - only helped in part by the fact that it was set to one of my favourite songs: 'If it's loving that you want' by Rihanna.
However, others of us spent too much time trying to stay inside the lines in nursery and never really learned those other things. For those of us in this second camp, the reflection was not quite so flattering.
Indeed, my pelvis is beginning to develop a persecution complex....only problem being, persecution complexes are generally completely unfounded in reality, and the reprimands that my pelvis gets from @MlleGinger etc. are, unfortunately, not exactly unfounded. Instead you may as well start calling me number 5 - the robot from the classic 'short circuit,' which comes to life after being hit by lightening- as this really is the only explanation i.e. I cannot locate my muscles or my skeleton as I in fact have neither - only electrical circuits that have gone wrong .... really, really, REALLY wrong - so wrong that the newest member's constant proclamations of 'Whaaaat?!?!?" were extremely appropriate.
The thing is that I can't stay mad at Raggatone forever, because the therapy I have received courtesy of RARC has helped me realise that Rihanna really is very wise, and when she sings (and I sing along with her to distract from the fact that I look like a fish that's just become entangled in the tentacles of a Portuguese Man O' War) "I'll be your friend, I can be your homey" it is a highly accurate description of Dance Station.
This is because, in a recent interview I was asked to convince a group of complete non-dancers to go take class at the weekend in 30 seconds. I waffled on about it being fun, good for confidence and fitness....all of which is 100% true of course .... but what I should have said was: for friendship. There's no way I would willingly spend an hour every week making myself look WAY more awkward than enticing (and admittedly quietly loving it), if it wasn't for the other people in the room.
So whilst it may be that we are the supposed 'lost generation' as the media likes to call us, or it may be that we're not lost at all - we're simply in different spaces than we were before, having to fight a bit harder, but very much still here because we have each other to rely on.
So come to class, get yourself in shape so your legs will hold you up better, whilst at the same time finding some people who will catch you when the Reese's temptation becomes just a bit too much and you just have to give in!
Right so you've heard of askjeeves and yahoo and that other search engine that sounds something like frugal but I can't quite remember it's name, I think it must have been a very small insignificant company. Now I'm introducing Ask Carlee. If you've got a question about Dance Station, or about other matters (within reason, there are certain other matters I'm less well informed on) - where to go if there is an apocalyptic flood for instance (isn't that right b-girll julie) - hit the ask Carlee Banks link on the left of this blog and drop me a line. Or just email directly dancestationblog.com and I will endeavour to answer them, or I'll point you in the direction of someone who can - for example, if you want to know if it's ever ok to wear leggings in the street then please speak to @MlleGinger or read lejournalroux, or if you want to know how to speak squirrel contact @trixiecantswim.
So we love Santa, how could we not, but given our ever-growing popularity we're just not sure he'll make it round all our members this Christmas and seeing as they are all equally deserving we have decided to take matters into our own hands. Yes to Dance Station Power! Thus we are having our own studio secret santa (wicked idea or what?!?!?!). The limit is just £5 and is going to be great fun - though the fact that they don't sell atlases for this amount may make create a challenge for whoever draws my name from the hat, luckily Geeks seem to be in vogue (about time too) and as such there are numerous appropriate accessories out there! If you want to get involved, let us know on the Facebook group before the end of the week. https://www.facebook.com/events/385994564817476/386410818109184/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity
It's true, our Street Team and Facebook campaigners are doing such a stellar job, we've surpassed the 600 'likes' mark - making our 700 fans by Christmas target seem well within our grasp. Problem is our family is getting so large I don't think we're going to have enough mince pies to go round - alas the problems created by popularity! But added hostessing stresses are a minor sacrifice for being the destination of choice this festive season. So thanks guys let's keep it up!
So all that means is 'thank-you for the music' and ABBA were saying it some thirty or forty odd years ago but seeing as yesterday was thanksgiving, it seemed an appropriate time to comment.
We really are all thankful for the music, for the fun and for the friendship of Dance Station. It's a place where you can indulge your passions for the wacky and the wonderful with like-minded people and not feel like a complete and utter loon.
So we will be spreading these sentiments tomorrow on the streets of Richmond - come say hi if you can!
... no Hannah Montana fans out there? Ok so I'm not talking about the Hoedown Throwdown but the one and only THROWDOWN - the monthly battle held in Brixton's plan B. It's always a hype night but tonight it was the LAST EVER waacking battle! As such, it was always going to have a little bit extra but I don't think anybody expected it to hit the levels that it did. For starters SO many waackers entered that right from the prelims the atmosphere was electrifying. Everyone was going all out and it was obvious that everyone had really stepped up their game. Particularly ingenious were the entrances with everybody werking it to the max. Of particular note were: (of the @Waacktitioners) the Prince of England (@NikSnode) standing directly under a red light and then strutting down the bleachers like he was on a deadly mission; Tin Mantis with his acrobatics and GLOWING GLOVES (which I wasn't at all tempted to steal); @EleanorOfficial werking a fur coat like only she can; Dance Station's own @MlleGinger intermingling with the unsuspecting audience to great effect; and Spike who went all tango-tastic to the crowd's delight. Even Dance Stationers @trixiecantswim, @susieq_licious, @CarleeBanks and DS friend Miss Mane seemed to have been infected - living off the enthusiasm of all present and (in the case of Carlee and Trixie) the fact that they KNEW THE SONG!!!!!!!!!. Unsurprisingly the aforementioned 5 (plus Bagsy, Divalicious K and Jade) went through to the quarter finals and this is where it got MENTAL! What followed were some of the best rounds I've ever seen (and I know I'm not alone in this opinion) - they were just sooo exciting, especially seeing the @Waacktitioners pitted against each other and watching how this played out. First up was @MlleGinger vs. Tin Mantis both of whom bought it. With props (physical) and FIRE (metaphorical) galore it was hard to move your eyes fast enough. The originality and dynamism of these two is really something to witness and something that makes it very hard to determine a 'winner' meaning that an extra round was needed (yay from an audience perspective) raising the excitement levels of the battle to such a level that I'm pretty sure they were illegal. Then came @MissEleanor and @NikSnode - fierceness overload and even more props (although of a slightly less savoury nature this time - hmmmmm). Again the level of dancing was off the charts but what was even more entertaining were the interactions between the two on the sidelines of the battlegrounds with @MissEleanor clearly portraying her disgust at the Princes' very unprincely behaviour (evidently Harry is the influencer and not William) to great aplomb. Thus it's the confidence and presentation of these two that always gets me. You've got to love how waacking let's you fully embrace self-expression and push it to the maxx and it still be enjoyable to watch. From here, it was the men who went through to the semis bringing more wonderful theatrics but being knocked out by Divalicious K and Bagsy who went on to create a final of two very different interpretations of waacking - something that is very interesting for the audience - that Divalicious deservedly won, great to see a fierce dancer not being afraid to embrace her femininity and make it look strong not simpering. By this stage the adrenaline of everyone in the building was so high I'm pretty surprised there weren't any medical emergencies during track from the hat (in fact I think I'm going to have to suggest that werkaholism is added to the medical dictionary as a genuine affliction to prevent any future catastrophes) only luggage disASters on the way home when delirium had set in. Overall it was an AMAZING night. It is really hard to describe the effect that events like these have on the collective morale of those present but I definitely don't think anyone feels blue the next day and for good reason. It's amazing to see a scene that doesn't discriminate but lets you get what you want out of it and evolves as a result. So major props to all involved, I could not have been in Alyssa's shoes.
.... that is not the question because the answer is far too obvious! Of course you want to join the Dance Station Street Team because if you are reading this, you are by my definition super fly and that is the only requirement for joining! Basically, we here at Dance Station were raised so well and are such a generous bunch that we feel not enough people in greater London are experiencing the joy of being part of our possy and so we want to share! But in order to do this we need some people to help us spread the word by completing challenges so challengingly vile they rival those on "I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here' ..... only kidding of course! The challenges are really very simple, just a little bit of Facebook marketing or some flying/VIP-ing of the unsuspecting public (although not in the style of Apprentice candidates we want people to want to come and experience the wonder that is Dance Station, not send them away in need of counselling!) and take up minimal time. If you're interested in helping us out then get in touch: info@dancestationrichmond.co.uk 020 8940 5577 Next outing will be next Saturday - be there or be square (yes I just said that!)
Oh my gawd, we're like so totally popular! So you know that feeling you get when you check your phone and you have a text and an email, and a tweet and a bbm and a Facebook notification etc. etc. and you just sit back and bask in your own fabulousness as people clamour to send you friend requests? (Ok well maybe I don't personally but I have a good imagination). That is how we at Dance Station are feeling today as we hit our 400th 'like' on Facebook. Whilst some people may say like 400 times in a sentence and so not see it as anything momentous, for us the feeling is so truly tremendous only the Pointer Sisters can express it in a way that does it any justice. Thus I leave you with this link as a thank-you. Enjoy it and keep the likes a-coming.
This is the brand new Dance Station blog to keep everyone up to date on all the shenanigans that go on both in the studio and out! The aim is to let people know that Dance Station is so much more than just another commercial dance studio, it's a community, and one that we are very proud and fond of. In keeping with this aim we'll post on anything to do with the dance world that our members are talking about (even if this mostly consists of SHOES) to keep the conversations flowing. In that vein if there's anything you want us to discuss just let us know! So for now get comfortable, read on and get acquainted with the wonderful world that is Dance Station.Warning the saying 'err on the side of caution' definitely doesn't always apply in our case and neither do we always err on the side of sane!
P.S. Want to know why all the writing is in italics??
It's because everything is cooler with a tilt. This is a FACT.
Dance Station turned 1 in September and because we need far lesser excuses to party we celebrated in style (or at least we tried to!). Vodka Revolutions in Richmond played host to us for the evening and for ambience and atmosphere it was great - it's music choices, however, were slightly lacking. Despite numerous attempted negotiations with the DJ we just could not get our own way, determined as he was to stick to the charts and not stray into the unchartered (in recent years at least) territory of disco and old-skool hip hop! This may have been because our demands were in the minority and not the majority but would it have really hurt to play cameo's "candy" at least once when we were so willing to perform the dance routine for what surely would have been the entertainment of the remaining clientele?!?!?! I think not! But apparently dancing on masse went out of fashion along with hair rats and platform shoes - Alas. Luckily our moves are such that we can dance to anything (within reason) so long as we've got good company and that we had in abundance. Thus all in all a good night was had by all - bring on the Christmas Party!
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