Ceroc Weekender

20-23 April 2007

Well in true Melissa fashion I wasn't going to let a weekend in the UK go to waste, although this one was a little more intense than most!! Driving up in Will's car (a very nice Toyoya MR2 Roadster!) we left London on Friday afternoon, arriving in Prestatyn (North Wales) in the early evening for two solid days of Ceroc workshops. Caught a "Ceroc with Mambo footwork" class that evening and then freestyled until half one in the morning - so good way to start a crazy weekend.

Saturday I was up bright and early to check out the beach and go for a swim (it was a bit too chilly so ended up in the pool) The coast was crazy as there were wind turbines out in the middle of the ocean so not very picturesque at all... First class was line dancing at 10:30 which was a lot of fun and a great class to get moving first thing in the morning. There were two rooms with different workshops going on right throughout the weekend so sometimes it was hard to choose. Did "Smooth Techniques" to add some style to my dance and "Dance Psychology" was interesting to say the least. After a quick bite to eat (and a power nap) I was re-energised and that afternoon while Will went off to a reflexology session I tried pole dancing (always wanted to do it but classes are really expensive in London) had a great time and even came away with a couple of bruises to prove I wasnt taking it lightly!!

Didnt have the confidence to do the "Drop Zone" class at 5 so instead got my face painted and hair done all Fame style ready for the "Dance with an 80s stranger" competition that evening. Ceroc is a fusion of salsa and jive and was created in London in 1982 by James Cronin so this weekend doubled as Ceroc's 25th Anniversary, so there was a huge party to celebrate with over 2500 people taking part in the whole weekend. There was a cabaret on that night and with some awesome performances - two hip hop routines, a Mary Poppins one and even one to Thriller. The night turned into freestyle after that and I managed to make it until 3am!

The apartments that we were staying in were self catering and we did pretty well keeping up our energy with porridge, dip eggs and coffee in the mornings and keeping our carbs up with sandwiches, spag bol and cabonara's for lunch/dinners. Sunday was just as intense as Saturday, couldnt believe when I got up that we had another full-on day in front of us! Started with an "Argentine Tango" class first up, "Liquid Latin", "Salsa for Beginners" and a "Partnered Hip Hop" Class to complete my 4 hours in a row. A quick sandwich break (no time for a nap today) was followed by another "Smooth" class and then a choreographed routine to "Boogie Tonight". Dinner, a final cabaret (with a taster of what I'll be missing out on at the Ceroc Champs in two weeks time) and then freestyled until 2am before a quick nap then back up to dance right until the end at 6am. If you want to see more of the professional photos taken that weekend check out http://www.cerocphotos.com/main.php/v/chill2007/

It was a totally crazy weekend but a lot of fun! I think my Ceroc improved heaps and I even got to try some other styles of dancing - might even look into taking up hip hop and salsa, we'll see if Ive got the time... Cruised back via Will's parents place near Swindon for a late lunch and got back into London on Monday evening for a well deserved sleep, nice sitting down at work for a break! Bring on next weekend in London : )