20th “thing” achieved: 7. Visit every Ceroc venue in Surrey

I was introduced to Ceroc almost 10 years ago, by a friend at work. At the time I was a little skeptical about it as I’d been dancing Ballroom for a while and I regarded with disdain the lack of discipline, footwork or technique that I had become accustomed to.

However, when I tried it, I suddenly saw the appeal! Ceroc is a form of partner dancing which combines a fusion of different dance styles with an easy, fun attitude and a focus on accessibility and enjoyment rather than prescribed musicality, steps and technique. I fell in love with the freedom afforded by the diversity of styles and music, which meant every dance is different and I love the culture of swapping partners so you get lots of variety and avoid the scenario of being left out or having no-one to dance with.

I started dancing at the Stoke pub in Guildford on Monday nights. The venue eventually closed and shifted to Worplesdon on Tuesdays, and I moved with it. Over the years I have been demo (helping the teacher demonstrate the moves), Taxi (a kind of helper for beginners) and Taxi Manager (looking after the Taxi team). However I have never really tried any other venues as I felt comfortable in my own environment. Also as dance evenings can run until 11pm or later I didn’t want to travel too far!

Ceroc Surrey has the following venues:

1. Worplesdon – Tuesdays
2. Surbiton – Wednesdays
3. Mytchett – Wednesdays
4. West Byfleet – Thursdays
5. Ewell – Tuesdays
6. There is also a sister venue in Shalford on Sundays

There are some parts of a Ceroc evening that follow the same formula, no matter where in the world you go; it starts with a 30-40 minute beginners class, which teaches set moves in a prescribed way. The theory is that you can drop in to any class and still be able to pick up the dance.

 

There is then a short break followed by a 30-minute Intermediate class, which is aimed at those who have mastered the basics and are looking to improve further. During this time the beginners have a review/practice session with the Taxis.

Finally the evening finishes with a 1.5-2 hour “freestyle” where the DJ plays music and people just dance!

 

The one thing that I noticed is that apart from different locations or evenings which might be more or less convenient for people, there might be a particular venue which appeals to different people. It’s almost like each venue has its own personality! The teacher is different, the DJs have slightly different tastes or styles, the Taxi team differs, and the regular attendees also differ. Although you do get a lot of cross-over between the venues as many people frequent several venues each week!

Some venues are incredibly social, almost like a little family or social group; some are very nurturing and particularly suit beginners; others have more advanced dancers and appeal to improvers. Some focus on fun things such as dressing up or silly themes, others offer advanced classes or play a wider variety of music. Some venues can be quite “young” with an average age in the 20-30’s, whereas others may be more popular with older dancers. Some venues will offer tea, coffee and cake during the evening, whereas others decamp down to the pub after closing!

 

I’d definitely say it is worth trying out all the venues in your local area to find the one (or three) that best fits your style and personality.  For me, there’s something about each venue I like – my only issue is finding time to go to them all!

For more information:

• Ceroc Surrey website
• Ceroc Surrey Facebook page
• Ceroc Shalford