Blackpool... without your partner?

[Chris Stratton]

Question: would you attend blackpool without your competition partner?

I had been planning to go watch this year, because I always contemplate it but never do, but recently started training in a promising new partnership with someone who would not be in a position to go this year.

Con: feels weird to run off without partner, plus miss 11 days of practice

Pro: all the original reasons for going, a break could be good, plus most of the coaches being out of town has in the past meant that practice can get out of calibration anyway.

[danceronice]

Would you go on a vacation elsewhere without your partner?

Unless you're dating, what's the difference?

[Becca]

Gosh, for me Blackpool is an absolute must! Nothing but NOTHING could ever stop me from being there. It's the highlight of my life, every single year.

[Katarzyna]

and you can always go for just part of blackpool to see the finals of main events. Don't have to go for the whole thing ;)

[Laura]

Good lord, go. Bring your partner back a little present though--a hair sparkly thing, or a poster or a book :)

I have a hard time counting Pro/Am as a "partnership," but I've gone two years in a row without my teachers also being there--missing 2 weeks worth of lessons, etc. I always come back totally jazzed about dancing, because I learn and absorb so much just by being there. It's good for me and it's been good for my teacher and my work together.

[Chris Stratton]

Would you go on a vacation elsewhere without your partner?

I probably would not plan to go somewhere with no dancing for that amount of time.

[Ithink]

You should definitely go and like Kat said, you don't HAVE to go for 11 days. Can just go for a week.

[Casey]

There's a practice floor in the Winter Gardens. You can go there and practice - and it's possible that you could find someone to teach you. There's another practice floor up at the Imperial for North American competitors, but they probably wouldn't kick you off -I can't speak to that one, though - and some years, they have lectures up there. There's the Congress also, if you want to catch some spectacular lectures. There's also a dance floor in the Blackpool Tower where you could go do some social dancing. So you don't have to be over there not dancing for x number of days, just not dancing w/ your partner.

[Warren J. Dew]

I'd go without a competition partner. I'm not sure I'd go without a partner at all - all that general dancing time would be wasted.

Be prepared for some dead time, especially if you haven't developed more of an interest in Latin recently.

[BasicsFirst]

I had been planning to go watch this year, because I always contemplate it but never do, but recently started training in a promising new partnership with someone who would not be in a position to go this year.

Would they be in a position to go NEXT year? (Assuming it all works out.) You've waited this long... what's one more year, especially if it's between going this year w/o partner and potentially next year WITH partner.

[elisedance]

Personally, I would want to go without DP - but I wouldn't end up doing it. To me Blackpool is the ballroom mecca and i would really want to share it with someone that appreciated what it was all about.

Thanks for the thought though. I'm going to see if I can talk him into planning to go for 2011. And why not aim to compete?

Is that also a possibility for you Chris? Could you think of competing in 2011?

[Joe]

question: Would you attend blackpool without your competition partner?
btdt.

[elisedance]

for once I got it!!
and was there any reprocussions?

[Chris Stratton]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. Just made my reservations.

[Katarzyna]

Wow congrats !!!

[njdancegirl]

Good for you! Have a great time!

[elisedance]

Yes indeed. I hope its a wonder....

[Egoist]

Where would I be able to find a seating chart?

A local couple that bought their tickets and won't be able to make it is trying to sell them to us. I don't want to buy tickets that will end up being worse (e.g. behind a column) than just standing.

[Casey]

You must have looked online already, right?
Where are they? You can tell by the row # whether it is flat or raised. And I think if you are facing out from the stage, East is on your right and West is on your left and North is the long section across from the stage.

[Egoist]

1st Balcony, North, B11 & B12.

[Casey]

oh, sorry, I can't help w/ the balcony - but Laura said she was happy w/ her balcony seat last year and SD Salsa Guy is also good with the layout, so they might be have more info. I actually had the same seat last year and the year before, or so I thought, when someone came along last year and said I was sitting in his seat. It turned out I had the same row & seat #, but on the other side of the emcee and band are. So instead of being w/ the Americans, Canadians, and Germans, I was in the middle of the raucous Australian section w/ a small group of French people. It seems like there are some Americans up in that balcony, though. On the ground floor, B is a flat row, but it would be strange not to bank the whole balcony.

[NonieS]

I'm going to blackpool this year!!! I have tix to see pro latin and standard :) I'm so excited.. but I will probably be in so much pain from standing through most of the events (I have day passes, but those don't gurantee a seat)

Still, IT'S BLACKPOOL :D

[Laura]

I'm dead center in the 1st Balcony East and love it, except it gets HOT up there when the entire ballroom is packed full at night.

[Standarddancer]

If you financially can afford to go, I would go, so much to see, such nice finals to watch! With or without partner, blackpool is a spectacular event to attend!

[Becca]

I'm going to blackpool this year!!! I have tix to see pro latin and standard :) I'm so excited.. but I will probably be in so much pain from standing through most of the events (I have day passes, but those don't gurantee a seat)

Still, IT'S BLACKPOOL :D

You're definitely in the best place.

I will never buy seats. I only ever want to stand. I mean, I actually can't imagine NOT being at the level where they can all make eye contact with you when they're at your end of the floor. That would just kill Blackpool for me.

[Ithink]

I've heard numerous stories that standing for a week is not only painful but you have to get there very early to take up your spot (I mean people literally get there hours before) and NOT leave it the whole night or you're SOL... Usually, if I stand still for an hour in heels my back becomes one giant spasm so I think standing may not just kill Blackpool for me but kill my back too... On the other hand, not sure how much you can see from a second row of the balcony... But at least with a guaranteed seat you can get up and go down to the floor if you want to try to stand and if you can't find a spot go back and sit in your seat. If you don't have seats and you don't want to stand for hours or can't find a good spot, aren't you pretty much screwed?

[elisedance]

Brings 'floorcraft' to a new level... :)

[Bella]

You're definitely in the best place.

I will never buy seats. I only ever want to stand. I mean, I actually can't imagine NOT being at the level where they can all make eye contact with you when they're at your end of the floor. That would just kill Blackpool for me.

Yeah, I think I'd wanna stand too. Even if I had a seat I'd be on my feet.

[Becca]

We get there every day before the first round and don't leave until midnight, so that's pretty much 9 hours standing when you're going from 3pm until 12am.

But it's more than worth it for the view, we're always right at the front and get to interact really well with the competitors.

[Bella]

But it's more than worth it for the view, we're always right at the front and get to interact really well with the competitors.

I'm drowned in envy right now, sigh, to be close to Riccardo and Yulia... Too bad Andrei Gavriline retired, because I'd love to be close by him too lol!

[Casey]

In latin, though, 3 of the dances are stationary, so you might not be close to the couple you want to see. Bryan & Carmen usually danced right in front of the German section, but did their final competitive jive at the other end of the floor. All the other pros but one couple ended up down there, too, as kind of a tribute and crying party. And last year, I completely missed Anna Kuzminskaya & Andrei Zaitsev because they were down at the other end of the floor the whole time and even in the samba cut a huge corner. So it's good to be able to wander around in the qualifying rounds and the early rounds in case you end up sitting or standing somewhere your couples don't prefer. This problem doesn't occur as much in standard, though Marcus Hilton gave endless lectures last year about the standard couples cutting off corners.

[NonieS]

Too bad Andrei Gavriline retired, because I'd love to be close by him too lol!


god, that man is delicious!!!! LOL

[NonieS]

You're definitely in the best place.

I will never buy seats. I only ever want to stand. I mean, I actually can't imagine NOT being at the level where they can all make eye contact with you when they're at your end of the floor. That would just kill Blackpool for me.

Where would be the best place to stand.. for maximum viewing pleasure?? lol

Also, what time should I arrive to get a good standing place?.. I hear that in the early rounds some of the seats are empty so it is possible to nab one of those to rest for the evening portion...

I might just go in flats so I don't kill my back... or do the socially unacceptable thing and take off my shoes if they are high heels.. *gasp* offensive, I know!! but at least I'll be able to walk the next day!!!

[Laura]

On the other hand, not sure how much you can see from a second row of the balcony...
I'm in the second row of the balcony and I can see just about everything except when a couple is on the extreme end of my side of the floor.

As far as standing goes, my friends used to stand and they would take turns guarding their spot.

You won't have to stand for the entire thing -- during the afternoon most people aren't there so you can watch the early rounds from anywhere you want before you go stake out your standing spot.

[NonieS]

If any DFers are going and are standing I would love to meet up with them at the festival... especially if you are a veteran stander lol... It would be way more fun and relaxing if I had someone to guard my spot if I have to use the bathroom etc...

[Becca]

Where would be the best place to stand.. for maximum viewing pleasure?? lol

Also, what time should I arrive to get a good standing place?.. I hear that in the early rounds some of the seats are empty so it is possible to nab one of those to rest for the evening portion...

I might just go in flats so I don't kill my back... or do the socially unacceptable thing and take off my shoes if they are high heels.. *gasp* offensive, I know!! but at least I'll be able to walk the next day!!!

I always stand bang in the middle of West Prom - 'the use' we call it! And absolutely do not worry about the shoe thing - I won't be seen dead in less than five inch heels, so if you're stood anywhere near me, my friends and I ALWAYS end up with our shoes off by the end of the first round!

The worst days for getting a space are the Saturday for the Team Match, that one I haven't really got my head around yet (I think the idea for this one is get there as early as you possibly can and then progress forward as the evening moves on - 2007 I was really unlucky and had the worst view of my life, last year I got at the front actually, but it wasn't without hard work!), Tuesday for amateur Latin and Wednesday for professional Latin - for both of those I just turn up in my evening dress from the first round and literally don't move all night. Don't care one bit how stupid I look! Thursday and Friday aren't so bad as many people go home after the Latin. If you want a veteran stander to meet up with, look no further! I'm in a group of about ten or so people usually so always somebody to save you a space!

As for not seeing your favourites - I never seem to have that problem - they always seem to find me, but then again maybe that's because they can actually hear me shouting from the opposite end of the floor! I'm convinced my group is the loudest in there! The interaction we had last year was immense, I absolutely hope we can create that again!