https://www.dancenorthern.com/dvd.html   -    

 

 

"It's fit, it's fun and very, very soulful."  -  is the catch phrase and marketing. So is it?

 

Is it just me, or is this like a new line-dancing thing?

 

Can anyone explain what it has to do with any scene that was meant to inspire individual spirit, anarchy through individuality and LISTENING to the music yourself and developing accordingly.

 

Shockingly bad and nothing to do with Northern Soul?

 

Or should i just forget that moniker and what it meant and accept it has been hijacked by a bunch off sad, opportunistic, self-appointed, self important, self contained, self - congratulatory, controlling re-emergers?

 

World Northern Soul Dance Championships? Really? What world? Is that because the Blackpool event is so multi-cultural and representative of the World scene? Should it not be The Blackpool Dance Competition? I mean who makes this stuff up?

 

Its all so plastic and weirdly in-bred.

 

For those who say "forget politics and dance" well maybe you were not there in the first place. I got into it as an act of rebellion against the mainstream offerings of the time when i was young and kept that spirit through the 80's and 90's when a lot of Wigan goers had just packed in and a group of dedicated, soulful, anarchistic, caring people kept the scene alive.  Developing it in the spirit of discovery that had inspired it in the first place.

SO, politics gave 'birth' to the scene, it was an act of rebellion that inspired many of us to nurture it and ourselves within it.

Now the phrase "forget politics and dance" seems to cover a multitude of acts such as Dance Dvds and their accompanying guru's, World Championships, Dancing on crap TV and listening to the same 500 records over and over again..........

Politics is a necessary thing, not a dirty word as many proffer  in their simplistic arguments for doing what is basically a load of old tat. 

 

Thank the soul gods for the small clubs and true people that maintain and nurture the original political spirit of rebellion through their love of music. No DVD's to tell people how to dance, no top 500 hammered to death like nails in a coffin, no World domination through competition and a memory of the astronautical spirit of exploration and discovery that inspired many of us in the first place. 

 

So I say "Remember politics and dance"...

 

Just my opinion of course....

Edited April 2, 201411 yr by paul-s

NO, in a word mate. Elaines Company ran a dance club for 3 years (in preparation for the film) and I basically organised it and invited people in. No steps were taught as we were trying to create a method that mirrored how we did it originally. Which was dance, observe, share, copy, invent. Of course we were making an historical film so it had to have some references to that period in terms of dancing and we would discuss these and point them out. It was 3 years to allow an organic process and one that had some real soul to it. The last year these sessions were some of the best i had been to in a long time....full of energy, a social group who travelled and looked forward to seeing each other and  a discovery and re-discovery of music. For many of them they were hearing what we call oldies for the first time and their joy and energy at hearing them, made me re-listen to stuff i was sick to death of hearing  hammered to death at mainstream events. They gave it a sort of new life (hard to explain, but it was real). I never taught one step in those sessions and often i would say just look and if you want to learn something ask the dancer to show you or try to mimic them. 

I really enjoyed Soul-Funktion, a breath of fresh air and the people there had great heart and soul, left me with a smile on my face. 

that's it then nowt spontaneous about this then , 3 years in the making ,that's just the dance rehearsals before filming ,

they don't practice that much for strictly and millions watch it every week ,

This is also an aim of mine, so far I have one ban and one warning but I do have about 40,000 posts.

Pete, as you know, I am an admirer of your diplomacy and your ability to suffer fools gladly, But if a 'Mint', like you averages one ban and one warning per 40,000 posts. I have no chance, I have 111 posts and a mild telling off to my collection. I will re-write my bucket list and start again.

This is also an aim of mine, so far I have one ban and one warning but I do have about 40,000 posts.

Stop exaggerating you've only got 36,000   

Stop exaggerating you've only got 36,000   

 

Soz, I just guessed!

Any more off-topic posts and Im not going to give you a warning.

 

ROD [Forum Moderator]

Any more off-topic posts and Im not going to give you a warning.

 

ROD [Forum Moderator]

Pete, as you know, I am an admirer of your diplomacy and your ability to suffer fools gladly, But if a 'Mint', like you averages one ban and one warning per 40,000 posts. I have no chance, I have 111 posts and a mild telling off to my collection. I will re-write my bucket list and start again.

 

Pete,the Kofi Annan of SS.

NO, in a word mate. Elaines Company ran a dance club for 3 years (in preparation for the film) and I basically organised it and invited people in. No steps were taught as we were trying to create a method that mirrored how we did it originally. Which was dance, observe, share, copy, invent. Of course we were making an historical film so it had to have some references to that period in terms of dancing and we would discuss these and point them out. It was 3 years to allow an organic process and one that had some real soul to it. The last year these sessions were some of the best i had been to in a long time....full of energy, a social group who travelled and looked forward to seeing each other and  a discovery and re-discovery of music. For many of them they were hearing what we call oldies for the first time and their joy and energy at hearing them, made me re-listen to stuff i was sick to death of hearing  hammered to death at mainstream events. They gave it a sort of new life (hard to explain, but it was real). I never taught one step in those sessions and often i would say just look and if you want to learn something ask the dancer to show you or try to mimic them. 

I really enjoyed Soul-Funktion, a breath of fresh air and the people there had great heart and soul, left me with a smile on my face. 

that's it then nowt spontaneous about this then , 3 years in the making ,that's just the dance rehearsals before filming ,

they don't practice that much for strictly and millions watch it every week ,

 

 

 I think you mis-understand mate. we basically created a dance club, like any dance club...100 club, Wigan, Cleethorpes etc. YOUNG people were invited to come and dance, enjoy the music and create a social circle based around their discovery and love of soul music.....I think your misunderstanding the word spontaneous. Because something has longevity, it doesn't negate spontaneity. If that were true, the night after the first Wigan or Torch or whatever would, in your interpretation, be rehearsed and un-spontaneuous. I never said we had dance rehearsals, thats your word, so i guess every time you go to an event more than once, your rehearsing it? Whats strictly, is that a ballroom dance thing? Millions watching anything is not, for me, a justification or affirmation of its worth or its method...in fact its usually the opposite. When we did 'Dead Mans Shoes' 1500 people went to see it in the UK on the first weekend! Terrible box office figures...but now its a stone cold classic.   Best P

Edited April 8, 201411 yr by paul-s