Dance Music QV/QE- Current Situation

[theTom&Carol]

Yes, we were on a week-long HAL ship, and there was only one 'real' dance-band night, and the place was packed. Their Queens room is smaller, too. Bottom line.... guess you forget much about nightly dancing if you're aboard HAL.

Cunard dancing is a better choice.

As dancers, we're sold on good old Sam Cunard dance venues.

(side note).. We don't much care if the Cunard Queens Room (Ballroom) is sometimes crowded.... remember, there's no requirement to always do your Silver-level practiced steps. And anyway, you're not the performing, on-board, dancing professional couple who must glide across the floor to flash your stuff. When you return home, you can always mosey down to the old Masonic Temple large dance floor, and strut your stuff on a dance floor which incidentally is NOT moving at sea.

We read with interest the post about HAL's 'Dancing with the Stars' cruise. We had seen these specialty cruises advertised. A lot of 'flash', but maybe not much more.

Awhile back we were aboard the Disney "Dream", and they had one of the male "Dancing with the Stars" professionals aboard conducting a couple mini-lessons. The women aboard thronged to the class to see and ask questions of their heart-throb. The whole thing was rather a hype.

Keep on dancing.

[Dancer Bob]

Just booked Q330 so I'm going to find out first-hand.

My experience on Oosterdam was even worse than Strictly's. They put sticky gunk on the dance floor! Try to do anything remotely like a pivot and your knees and ankles were at risk. My expectations regarding those DWTS cruises seem to be amply confirmed.

And Strictly, what did you think about the frames that you saw in that video?

Edited October 2, 2013 by Dancer Bob

[Strictly Ballroom]

Just booked Q330 so I'm going to find out first-hand.

My experience on Oosterdam was even worse than Strictly's. They put sticky gunk on the dance floor! Try to do anything remotely like a pivot and your knees and ankles were at risk. My expectations regarding those DWTS cruises seem to be amply confirmed.

And Strictly, what did you think about the frames that you saw in that video?

 

That would explain so much. I did find the floor in the Queen's Lounge on Oosterdam very difficult to actually turn on. Even in my dance shoes, I felt like my feet were stuck to the floor!

 

Which video are you referring to, Dancer Bob? The one linked above about the dance host, or was there one that I somehow overlooked in my post cruise haze? :D

 

Please let me know how the QE is for dancing! Though I'd have to think it must be much better than last week's experience!

[Dancer Bob]

Yes, Strictly, the host video. Besides shoes, I look at two things whether someone might be worthwhile asking to dance- if her left hand is on his shoulder blade rather than his arm (tends to bring her weight too far forward) and if she's looking to the right (twists her body away, often so badly I can't swing my right leg forward at all). I think you would call that frame. I didn't see anyone I would call a good example. The old guy, who I would assume is supposed to be something special, I would hesitate with anyone who would tolerate dancing with him.

I have high hopes for Q330, I've found the Southampton sailings to have lots of good dancers and very sociable people.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Dancer Bob

[Dajo5601]

Dancer Bob, if your TA gets his dance cruise sorted, can you please publish which cruise it is on this forum so that I can avoid it, thanks.

[Persephone]

Floor craft does't really figure with some younger guests as they probably haven't had much opportunity to learn it unlike many of us of a certain age and I mean my own age group who went to dance halls regularly and had to work with crowds dancing round. We often wonder how the ones dancing round in the wrong direction don't notice they are going against the "flow" and causing problems?

 

We didn't encounter this problem on our Cunard cruise, but I do know what you're talking about. My dear husband and I, whilst not of a certain age, attend lots of balls, including many in Vienna, Austria, and the last time we were there, which was at the Officers' Ball 2013, we encountered several Americans who had apparently never danced a step in their lives, and completely went against the flow of traffic. They were quickly, politely, but in no uncertain tones told that dance floor rules mandate that one travels anticlockwise with experienced dancers on the outside and less experienced dancers on the inside. The Austrians are rather direct.

 

My generation (I am well under 40) can be very thick-skinned and unfortunately quite egocentric and entitled. It's very possible that they neither care nor notice that they are causing problems. You may have to take a page out of the Austrians' book: tell them, and if they don't change their behaviour perhaps a staged accident can change their minds?

[lucky white heather]

We didn't encounter this problem on our Cunard cruise, but I do know what you're talking about. My dear husband and I, whilst not of a certain age, attend lots of balls, including many in Vienna, Austria, and the last time we were there, which was at the Officers' Ball 2013, we encountered several Americans who had apparently never danced a step in their lives, and completely went against the flow of traffic. They were quickly, politely, but in no uncertain tones told that dance floor rules mandate that one travels anticlockwise with experienced dancers on the outside and less experienced dancers on the inside. The Austrians are rather direct.

 

My generation (I am well under 40) can be very thick-skinned and unfortunately quite egocentric and entitled. It's very possible that they neither care nor notice that they are causing problems. You may have to take a page out of the Austrians' book: tell them, and if they don't change their behaviour perhaps a staged accident can change their minds?

 

 

Without checking individually on the couples who insist on dancing against the general "flow" of the dancers around the floor ( any floor) as to their nationalities, I reckon you don't have to be brain of Britain to see you are causing problems. If the woman partner is being pushed round by the man then it is his job to see where she is going really and try to keep both of them out of harm's way, and/or harming others by spiking the ankles of passing couples with backward movements of stiletto heeled shoes.He could steer easier with the "flow" if he was paying attention. A staged accident might work though!

We are in the "well over the biblical allowance of years allotted to your expected presence on earth " age group....if you get my drift.... but we can still get round the floor quite adequately and have never ( as far as I can recall anyway), caused a problem to others sharing the floor.I still believe it is the years of experience in frequenting ballrooms in our youth where we danced with many partners over an evening and became experienced in what was the right thing to do even if you didn't actually know you were following the specifics of floor craft.

The younger generations don't have that opportunity now because ballrooms died out...in our area anyway... the wonderful floors were sold, the buildings usually became bingo halls.The young folks had to find another venue to meet people , so IMO pubs became the new dance hall.

 

I look forward to the cruising on Cunard simply because we get an opportunity to dance with an orchestra/ singer and a great floor area . We do enjoy watching others , especially those who always go to a corner to begin, (obviously going to dance lessons) , and those who have got lots of routines to show everyone but usually go off and sit down when they can't get space to do them, and those who are not "freestyle" who have to start their carefully learned routine all over again from the beginning if someone inadvertantly gets in their way.

 

It's a joy!

[Persephone]

Without checking individually on the couples who insist on dancing against the general "flow" of the dancers around the floor ( any floor) as to their nationalities, I reckon you don't have to be brain of Britain to see you are causing problems. If the woman partner is being pushed round by the man then it is his job to see where she is going really and try to keep both of them out of harm's way, and/or harming others by spiking the ankles of passing couples with backward movements of stiletto heeled shoes.He could steer easier with the "flow" if he was paying attention. A staged accident might work though!

We are in the "well over the biblical allowance of years allotted to your expected presence on earth " age group....if you get my drift.... but we can still get round the floor quite adequately and have never ( as far as I can recall anyway), caused a problem to others sharing the floor.I still believe it is the years of experience in frequenting ballrooms in our youth where we danced with many partners over an evening and became experienced in what was the right thing to do even if you didn't actually know you were following the specifics of floor craft.

The younger generations don't have that opportunity now because ballrooms died out...in our area anyway... the wonderful floors were sold, the buildings usually became bingo halls.The young folks had to find another venue to meet people , so IMO pubs became the new dance hall.

 

I look forward to the cruising on Cunard simply because we get an opportunity to dance with an orchestra/ singer and a great floor area . We do enjoy watching others , especially those who always go to a corner to begin, (obviously going to dance lessons) , and those who have got lots of routines to show everyone but usually go off and sit down when they can't get space to do them, and those who are not "freestyle" who have to start their carefully learned routine all over again from the beginning if someone inadvertantly gets in their way.

 

It's a joy!

 

I definitely understand your frustration having had my toes stepped on, a piece of flesh gouged out of my foot, and a hole torn in a dress by stiletto heels. I did not want to make a generalisation regarding the nationalities of offenders, but at the Officers' Ball it was easy to see as military uniforms are good identifiers.

 

You are quite right that most young(er) people at least in the UK, and probably elsewhere, too, have not had much social dancing experience. Leading and following are skills that take time to develop, and many people focus too much on their feet to pay attention to where they are going. I mostly grew up in the UK (Dad's a Brit), but my mum is Austrian/Bavarian, and in Austria young people still learn how to dance. They attend special classes where they get to waltz, foxtrot and cha cha their way around the room. My mum signed me up for my first ballroom class at the tender age of 14 or 15 - this was in the 1990s.

 

I do envy those in the "well over the biblical allowance of years allotted to your expected presence on earth " age group (love the expression), as they grew up with dance halls where one could dance informally. However, I am pleased to report that tea dances are making a comeback amongst the 20- and 30-something crowd, and the Blackpool Tower Ballroom is attracting uni students again - or so I am told (I am not in Lancashire). Perhaps things will improve in future. Happy dancing on your next cruise!

 

P.S. I love Edinburgh. My aunt lives in Balerno.

[lucky white heather]

I definitely understand your frustration having had my toes stepped on, a piece of flesh gouged out of my foot, and a hole torn in a dress by stiletto heels. I did not want to make a generalisation regarding the nationalities of offenders, but at the Officers' Ball it was easy to see as military uniforms are good identifiers.

 

You are quite right that most young(er) people at least in the UK, and probably elsewhere, too, have not had much social dancing experience. Leading and following are skills that take time to develop, and many people focus too much on their feet to pay attention to where they are going. I mostly grew up in the UK (Dad's a Brit), but my mum is Austrian/Bavarian, and in Austria young people still learn how to dance. They attend special classes where they get to waltz, foxtrot and cha cha their way around the room. My mum signed me up for my first ballroom class at the tender age of 14 or 15 - this was in the 1990s.

 

I do envy those in the "well over the biblical allowance of years allotted to your expected presence on earth " age group (love the expression), as they grew up with dance halls where one could dance informally. However, I am pleased to report that tea dances are making a comeback amongst the 20- and 30-something crowd, and the Blackpool Tower Ballroom is attracting uni students again - or so I am told (I am not in Lancashire). Perhaps things will improve in future. Happy dancing on your next cruise!

 

P.S. I love Edinburgh. My aunt lives in Balerno.

 

Persephone ... we'll be getting back on the dance floor in a couple of weeks back on QV .Where we live ...10 miles south of the city ....in Penicuik ....we don't have anywhere to practise between cruises.

Your aunt will know exactly where Penicuik is!

I haven't seen any tea dances advertised here but if there was something handy we would probably go along just for the opportunity to get the old legs working between cruises. Perhaps a visit to Blackpool and the Tower ballroom should be our next holiday plan!

"Strictly" the TV show has done its part in reviving interest in ballroom but of course it doesn't really show you how to do the dances or how to manage in a full ballroom, but we do enjoy the show.

Hopefully the next trip you make to EDI will allow you to see the city as it should look ..we've had the saga of "the trams" for 4 years or so , and perhaps by then we might even be able to use the ones they currently are trialling... they had to employ a man to keep driving them round and round because they had been standing so long waiting for the tracks to be prepared for them their wheels were going square with the weight! Can you believe that ?

I wish you plenty of opportunities to keep up your dancing..it's a great " sport" to enjoy...you can do it for years and years.... we still try to keep working at it despite the problems with people on the floor who don't understand ballroom etiquette!

 

Enjoy!

[Dancer Bob]

Yes Strictly, I've found a lot of commonality in latin/smooth, different names for much the same thing. Usually when I go dancing in Tampa at the USADance chapter, I don't have any trouble doing my regular latin steps, and I've picked up some nice ideas from American teachers.

Tango is wildly different, but my International Foxtrot seems to work well enough as a "silver" foxtrot. (OK, I admit my foxtrot is pretty ghastly, foxy would run screaming from the room if he saw it.) I don't think you'll have any problem with Quickstep, if any of the hosts can do it. The American version of VW is actually more interesting, if you have the room for it. The 9.15 set on QE I've found is usually very crowded, the last set only the hosts & Handbags are left.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Dancer Bob

[Slow Foxtrot]

...OK, I admit my foxtrot is pretty ghastly, Foxy would run screaming from the room if he saw it.....

 

Don't run yourself down Bob. At most decent social dances, even on spacious floors, if there are maybe 20 couples on the floor then it would be most unusual to see more than three or four couples doing an acceptable Slow Foxtrot.

The fact is that in this particular dance you do need a regular and very competent partner to do it justice. Even with an excellent partner it's rare that this opportunity occurs on cruise-ship floors due to space limitations.

 

Foxy

[Dancer Bob]

Alas, foxy, I'm afraid "competent partner" hits the nail on the head. Women who "love to dance, can follow anything" but haven't maintained the flexibility for a feather step, or step to the side on a heel turn. Very glaring errors in beginner-level figures.

Strictly Ballroom sounds like she's had excellent training and would be a pleasure to work with, but I'm on Q330, she's on a later cruise. At one time I would always expect to find partners of her calibre on Cunard, but recently, I've been very disappointed. Since Q330 leaves from Soton, I have high hopes it will attract dancers.

[gillianrose]

Add fighting crappy music and stuck behind navigation buoys who won't move makes it hard work, not fun at all.

 

Perhaps not for those people you call "buoys", either.

 

How do you know that they don't have a legitimate orthopedic problem that prevents them from moving around to suit you or to follow the rules of "floormanship?"

 

If you have not walked a mile in their prosthetic....

[Slow Foxtrot]

Alas, foxy, I'm afraid "competent partner" hits the nail on the head. Women who "love to dance, can follow anything" but haven't maintained the flexibility for a feather step, or step to the side on a heel turn.

Strictly Ballroom sounds like she's had excellent training and would be a pleasure to work with, but I'm on Q330, she's on a later cruise. At one time I would always expect to find partners of her calibre on Cunard, but recently, I've been very disappointed. Since Q330 leaves from Soton, I have high hopes it will attract dancers.

 

Great pity that you and 'Strictly' are not on the same cruise. I notice that you are booked on Oriana next month. We cruised to the Far East on her last year and the two ex-professional dance teachers (Roger & Anne) were extremely sociable and hosted many of the dance nights. Anne would often dance with single gentlemen who were without partners. Incidentally, if things have not changed in the past year they may feature a few sequence dances in addition to the usual ballroom and latin dances. Everything is normally in international style. The music is normally very good strict-tempo and we've had some enjoyable evenings dancing on Oriana in past years.

 

However, the dance atmosphere varies on every single cruise according to many factors; the dance teachers often move around to different vessels, dance bands may change and the number of people wishing to dance has a bearing on floor space. I sincerely hope that everything turns out fine for you.

 

Foxy

[BobBranst]

Perhaps not for those people you call "buoys", either.

 

How do you know that they don't have a legitimate orthopedic problem that prevents them from moving around to suit you or to follow the rules of "floormanship?"

 

If you have not walked a mile in their prosthetic....

I can't speak for disabled dancers with prostehetics on ships, but we have several seniors in our local dance group who wear prostehetics and have no trouble following the rules of floormanship. Those who are unable to move in the line of dance simply move into the center of the floor where they can dance without blocking the floor to other dancers on the perimeter.

[fantasy51]

I have just returned from 24 days on QV. I can report that sequence dancing is alive and well. On the nights they had it for the 7:15 session, the ballroom was full of sequence couples while there were very few in Hemispheres dancing ballroom and latin. The social hostess has even taken to placing a few sequence dances in the balls.

 

We had 4 dance hosts. One of them was excellent - ex-competition, dance teacher, etc. Those of us who wanted to improve our dancing, learnt an incredible amount. A non-dancer met in the lift once commented that she'd see people dancing with 'that tall chap' and within 10 seconds they'd look better. He worked on posture with those who needed it. He taught me steps I'd never done before. We were doing a great throwaway oversway by the end! We didn't persevere with the same-foot lunge, though. As for the Viennese Waltz ... fleckle and all! My ballroom is better than my Latin, so we only worked on ballroom. He said he enjoyed having a partner who could follow him. We used the whole floor and kept to a good speed. We tried to get down the length of the ballroom in three locks during one quickstep, and made it in two locks and just room to get in the turn at the end. It was scary, challenging, exhilarating and fantastic fun!

[Slow Foxtrot]

I have just returned from 24 days on QV. I can report that sequence dancing is alive and well. On the nights they had it for the 7:15 session, the ballroom was full of sequence couples while there were very few in Hemispheres dancing ballroom and latin. The social hostess has even taken to placing a few sequence dances in the balls.

 

We had 4 dance hosts. One of them was excellent - ex-competition, dance teacher, etc. Those of us who wanted to improve our dancing, learnt an incredible amount. A non-dancer met in the lift once commented that she'd see people dancing with 'that tall chap' and within 10 seconds they'd look better. He worked on posture with those who needed it. He taught me steps I'd never done before. We were doing a great throwaway oversway by the end! We didn't persevere with the same-foot lunge, though. As for the Viennese Waltz ... fleckle and all! My ballroom is better than my Latin, so we only worked on ballroom. He said he enjoyed having a partner who could follow him. We used the whole floor and kept to a good speed. We tried to get down the length of the ballroom in three locks during one quickstep, and made it in two locks and just room to get in the turn at the end. It was scary, challenging, exhilarating and fantastic fun!

 

 

Well, that's a very encouraging report and nice to know they are doing some sequence dancing on the Queen Elizabeth as well as on the Queen Mary.

We are very keen ballroom dancers but we join in with some sequence dancing as it gives some relaxing variation and, obviously, one doesn't need floorcraft. The throwaway oversway is an impressive move in the waltz, as is the same - foot lunge. However, a busy floor meant that we didn't see many of these last month of the QM2.

Perhaps someone can give us an update on the dancing aboard Queen Victoria?

 

Foxy

[fantasy51]

Well, that's a very encouraging report and nice to know they are doing some sequence dancing on the Queen Elizabeth as well as on the Queen Mary.

We are very keen ballroom dancers but we join in with some sequence dancing as it gives some relaxing variation and, obviously, one doesn't need floorcraft. The throwaway oversway is an impressive move in the waltz, as is the same - foot lunge. However, a busy floor meant that we didn't see many of these last month of the QM2.

Perhaps someone can give us an update on the dancing aboard Queen Victoria?

 

Foxy

 

Hi Foxy, my post was about the Queen Victoria (QV).

[Slow Foxtrot]

Hi Foxy, my post was about the Queen Victoria (QV).

 

Ah well, it's been a busy day and the red wine was particularly good :). The amendment now reads - can anyone tell us the ballroom-dancing situation on the Queen Elizabeth and do they have sequence dancing sessions as they do on the QM2 and the Q.V.?

 

Foxy

[Dancer Bob]

I've been told sequence is very popular in the north of England, somewhat less so in the south. It's pretty well unknown around here, but I don't expect many North Americans on Q330. I'll see what I can find out about the demographics as well as how much sequence is scheduled.

[fantasy51]

On the QV's last voyage, some of the Hosts started to learn sequence dances and join in! I think it stopped them getting bored with the same old, same old.

[Dancer Bob]

Currently on Oriana. So far, the music is everything foxy said it would be. Sequence dancing is mixed with ballroom, although six couples seems to be an average number. It seems like there's someone from just about everywhere in the UK. Some other things.... well, best if I wait a bit to decide.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Dancer Bob

[Slow Foxtrot]

Currently on Oriana. So far, the music is everything foxy said it would be. Sequence dancing is mixed with ballroom, although six couples seems to be an average number. It seems like there's someone from just about everywhere in the UK. Some other things.... well, best if I wait a bit to decide.

 

It's over 18 months since we danced on Oriana having switched to the QM2 last year and this year. However, it's good to know that the dance music is still fine for ballroom and latin dancing. In fact it's always been good ever since Oriana was launched in 1995. Is the dance-band Natural High on board? And have they got a good professional dance couple that give lessons etc?

In the early days I can't remember much Sequence Dancing but even Cunard now allocates some time for this on its vessels that have predominantly British passengers. Always a little frustrating of course for dancers who are not familiar with this.

What's the dancing format now? Is there still dancing every night?

Have a good cruise Bob.

 

Foxy

Edited November 7, 2013 by Slow Foxtrot

[Dancer Bob]

It's currently James Brown Trio. There seems to be some difficulty with music, the dance couple were only supposed to MC band breaks but have done the entire evening a couple of times. They say it's their first time on a ship. They're IDTA- I'm ISTD, don't think there's really much difference. It is kind of an old crowd, the sequence dancers were going to bed by 10 PM, the others by 11 PM, although the younger crowd is showing up now, last night still busy at midnite.

Still think QV/QE are the nicest ships, but Oriana comes close.

[Slow Foxtrot]

It's currently James Brown Trio. There seems to be some difficulty with music, the dance couple were only supposed to MC band breaks but have done the entire evening a couple of times. They say it's their first time on a ship. They're IDTA- I'm ISTD, don't think there's really much difference. It is kind of an old crowd, the sequence dancers were going to bed by 10 PM, the others by 11 PM, although the younger crowd is showing up now, last night still busy at midnite.

Still think QV/QE are the nicest ships, but Oriana comes close.

 

James Brown Trio have been on Oriana for many years but they normally alternate with another band, usually Natural High. Is there no other band playing on other nights?

Of course, the Cunard ships are much bigger and much newer but we still like the character of Oriana - it's very British although it got a little more cosmopolitan when it did World Cruises. Are you managing to get any decent partners?

 

Foxy