What is decaDance?
Please see the following page on our website
What is partner dancing?
Partner dancing is one of the earliest forms of recorded social entertainment, and it's still as popular today!
Millions of people partner dance in Uk every week and many become addicted like us. Its sociable, great exercise and exhilerating. There
are many different forms of partner dance (not just those you see on Strictly...) but essentially what links them
together for us are two core elements. Connection and Lead + Follow (see below).
Do you welcome beginners?
Totally! Please see our vision page (http://www.decadancenights.co.uk/decadance/id9.html). One of the reasons we started decaDance was as a means of introducing new people to partner dance in a low risk, relaxed, fun
environment. All you need to bring is yourself and a willingness to give it a go. You will be amazed how easy it
is to let yourself go, once you start feeling the music. Lots of friendly dancers and local teachers will be
around on the night eager to help you out. There will also be plenty of info about where to take local classes if
you see anything you want to take up.
Do I need to bring a partner?
Not at all! More than 80% of people who partner dance do not dance as a fixed couple or even attend dances
with their permanent partner. During the evening you change partners frequently and will get asked to dance by lots of
different people. It is totally relaxed and sociable and safe with absolutely no strings attached. Ladies please
remember to also ask guys to dance and same sex dancing is totally welcomed. One piece of etiquette we also really believe
in is you must have a very strong reason to refuse a dance.
Will it be formal, like ballroom dancing?
Completely the opposite.This is not ballroom dancing! Its casual social dancing in a nightclub. There are no set moves,
no lessons. There is also no dress code. If you want to dress up feel free but equally if you want to come in your
relaxed work or street gear, noone will mind. This is your night not ours, and we want you to feel its a place to
relax, have fun and be yourself.
What is freestyle?
Freestyle is basically an evening of dance without formal lessons. Its all about the music and the dancing. We will feature
occasional short performances but its pretty much non stop dancing all night. However, we are firm believers in taking dance
classes to improve your dancing. For a list of these locally please go to our links. We know all the local teachers and can
point you in the right direction for your preferred style.
What kind of music will you play?
We love all different types of music from the sound the rain makes on a dustbin lid to a full orchestra
at a classical concert.
At decaDance though we will be focusing on music which is essentially ideally suited
to expressive and interpretative social partner dancing. Most of this is firmly rooted in the black music tradition. This
will include blues, reggae, salsa, jazz, soul, rnb, swing, tango, show tunes. What
we want to encourage is people to try their styles of dance to very different musical genres. WestCoastSwing dancers
do this a lot. Tangoing reggae is also highly recommended! You will also hear a lot
of music that is slower than what you might get at a regular partner dance night. Trust
us slower tracks provide much better opportunities to interpret the music and really improve your dancing enjoyment!
When will I hear my music?
We will rotate music throughout the night ensuring all tastes are covered. We will try and provide short blocks
of each style. There is nothing worse than only having one tune to get your feet and brains to engage on a salsa track before
the style switches to something different. There is equally nothing worse than listening to a long set of music you aren't
comfortable dancing to. These style blocks will continue rotating many times during the night so you wont ever
have to wait long for your favourite style. We will also run a second very cosy room where we will restrict music
to tango, mellow
acoustic tunes, and loads of slow blues. These styles will of course feature throughout the evening in the main
area as well!
Is there any music you wont play?
Never say never but I think its highly unlikely you will hear heavy metal or grunge at decaDance! We also will not
play high tempo garage + house. There are countless clubs which cater for this and even when we manage to keep up the
pace we dont find much room for dance interpretation.
What is connection?
Connection is the way two partners communicate. Different dance styles emphasise different connections. It
can come through many means (hands, upperbody, signals, eyes). Yes you dont even need to be touching your partner
to have a connected partner dance.
What is lead and follow?
Most of the partner dancing we do has a clear leader and a clear follower. Roles can be fulfilled by either sex but it
is important that roles are defined. Lead+Follow is essentially the way you get your partner to move in the direction, tempo
you require. Some styles use the concept of encouraging or inviting your follower to respond (tango) whilst others are
a bit more directed (jive). What is universally agreed is that followers want their leaders to provide good clear leads and
leaders really want followers who read and respond to their lead. Once you become more experienced as a dancer and are
comfortable with your partner there are plenty of opportunities to switch roles and for the followers to hijack
the lead in the dance. Yes ladies, occasionally the men like being told what to do!!
Can I get involved with decaDance?
Feel free to contact us if you share our vision and would like to get involved.
Can I link to decaDance?
Initially we are only linking to organisations we have personal experience of and ideally also supportive of what
we are trying to do at decaDance. Please note we are still constructing the links page and we have lots more to add. If
you think we have forgotten you or you believe you would be a good link please contact us via email.
Do I need to bring id?
If you are lucky to still look young enough to be asked for it, please bring id! All Brighton clubs strictly
adhere to this. Also if you are eligible to pay concessions rate (see Tickets) our own door staff will ask
to see suitable proof.
