Jive Buddies

We noticed one of our local dancers, Stuart, dancing lots of different styles during a freestyle and we thought we'd find out about his history - we didn't realise it was going to include salsa, modern jive, ballroom sequence, bachata, cha-cha-cha and waltz! And wait till you hear about his line model aircraft flying!   Chapters: When did Stuart start dancing? [0:55] Hear about Stuart's hobby: lin...

The Jive Buddies revisit the topic of dating on the dance floor, by talking about the etiquette of it, with guests Joanne and Jane. This is a frank discussion about some of the things that may be going on while you're having fun dancing.   Chapters: Why have so many people dated after meeting on the dance floor? [2:00] "Just because it's social doesn't meant it is a dating place, it's a place for...

Our guest today, Kris, was semi-paralysed due to an accident. But this is a great story of how he overcame the challenges, identifying the need for a passion, and finding dance. And wait till you hear about how he practises his Ceroc moves!   Chapters: What happened with his injury? [0:57] Losing his passion, Kris looks for a new activity to do [6:11] Kris tries his first Ceroc class, to avoid get...

The Jive Buddies have wanted to talk to Bapi for a long time and so we were at his Be In Time & Be Connected workshop to find out what the fuss was all about. This is a special episode, recorded straight after the class, in Penkridge village - it's a fascinating discussion about thoughts on the workshop and dance connections, interwoven with some of this well loved teacher's history.   Chapter...

For our 100th episode, we had an extra special guest: Tim Sant. And we ask him the questions that only the Head of Dance at Ceroc can tell us: Why do you keep changing the beginner's syllabus? Why was SILC developed? Has the dance styles changed with the music, or is music changing the dance? Who thinks of new ideas to implement in Ceroc classes?   But we also find out some of Tim's personal histo...

Jive Buddy Ton, with his friend Jane, went to the Scarborough Awesome Weekender, organised by Pulse Dance. This is their review of the venue, the lessons, the 2 rooms, the music, and of course, the dancing.   Chapters: How many times has Jane been to the Scarborough weekender before? [0:43] Music in the main room, provided by DJ Lily Duffield [3:00] Jane describes the 2nd room [6:32] Ton lists som...

Jo Emmerson has recently qualified as an intermediate Ceroc teacher. Her dance story illustrates just how much Ceroc keeps evolving. After a hiatus to West Coast Swing, coming back to Ceroc was like walking into a room full of friends she didn't know yet, and a smoother slotted style of dancing.   Listen to her opinions on rotational versus slotted dancing, whether it's harder for leads or followe...

Jive Buddy Paul was at the first ever CORE weekender in Daventry with Carrie and her dance gang. Ton finds out what it was like, how social it was, and what it was like being in a group.   Chapters: How did Carrie find the weekender? [0:53] Carrie's thoughts on going in a group [3:34] Weekenders as an opportunity to meet people, particularly of the same gender [6:27] Differences of going to a week...

We got hold of Tor Khan to find out how she first started Ceroc, how she got into blues dancing and who her biggest influencers were. Listen out for "blue fox", "treacle jive", "bugg" and "practicas"!   Chapters: How did Tor first get started in dancing? [0:50] Some women not keen with Tor leading in the intermediate class [4:23] Listen to what got Tor into the Blues room for the first time [7:20]...

Shannon and Jordan tell us about the wonderful world of dancing competitions: how they started; what the competition bug is; when they got together as a competition couple. They tell us about some of the secrets to their inspiration, what kind of training they do, even what outfits they wear - not sure Jordan should have told us about his grey, smelly blazer! This is a funny, insightful and bicker...

Nigel, a fitness instructor, and Katy, a yoga teacher, try Ceroc for the very first time at Ceroc Inspire Derby. The Jive Buddies get their initial thoughts just before their first class, and then a deep dive a few days later. Listen out for the moment when Katy felt like she was really dancing, and why Nigel got a score of 10 out of 10!   Chapters: Thoughts just before their first ever class! [0:...

The Jive Buddies go to Shrewsbury to visit Matthew Butler in his weekly Ceroc class and the SY2 Sunday chillout freestyle, which he was instrumental in setting up. We find out what the fuss is all about.   Chapters: Why there's a younger demographic at Matthew's class [1:23] The importance of intermediate dancers in a class [5:25] What brought the SY2 freestyle about [8:50] Some opinions from the...

The Jive Buddies interview Gemma about her experience of starting social dancing with her mum. Gemma started with West Coast Swing and only later found Ceroc. We chat about the differences in the learning experience and how her WCS techniques helped Gemma make progress with her Ceroc moves.   Chapters: How did Gemma get into social dancing? [0:37] What made Gemma and her mum go to West Coast Swing...

Dancing is Tom's life. And even with his foot injury, there are too many competitions and exciting opportunities to stop him. We find out how hard it is to stay away. But maybe he should have rested himself better...   Chapters: Tom been dancing for 10 years [0:45] Injury from running a marathon [1:30] Missing Christmas and New Year, staying at home [4:12] Competed at Blackpool [6:00] Xray shows n...

We re-interview our first guest of Season 2, Monica Johnson, who tells us her big news. And this time, we have her Nan, Hazel, as well! You’ll remember it was her Nan who took Monica along to her first lesson. This is a great chat to find out how this dance family keep having fun on the dance floor.   Chapters: Monica tells us she's become a Ceroc teacher! [1:15] Why Monica wanted to be a teacher...

Live from the Ceroc Swish 20th Anniversary event, Brett Stewart gives us an exclusive look behind the scenes of this amazing weekender and spills the beans on how to get a teaching lesson and a DJ slot here. Find out how he had to propose a routine, where he trials it out, and how come he's known as "the one-take wonder"!   Chapters: When Brett first started teaching [0:50] Putting a playlist forw...

Tony Riccardi returns to the podcast to tell us how he puts his music together for weekenders and freestyles. Hear how he uses "guidelines" instead of "playlists". Guess the magic track that he played at Swish. Find out why 40 Years is such a special song for him. This is going to be a deep dive into a DJ's thoughts!   Chapters: Tony's first DJ gig [1:07] How to put a playlist together [2:50] Avoi...

We met a cheeky married couple early in their dance journey, and wanted to know what made them go (spoiler: Tiktok!), what their first class was like, and how it fits into the rest of their social life. There's a lotta laughs in this episode!   Chapters: How did you find out about dancing? [0:45] Beginner's class expectations [3:50] Bethan whisked away while Dan stuck on his own [5:20] Dan finds p...

New Ceroc teacher Nic Lewis has recently started her classes at the relaunched Burton-upon-Trent venue, owned and operated by Ceroc Inspire. We chat with her to find out whose idea it was, what she did to advertise it, and hear about her solutions in adapting to the unique challenges of this venture.   Chapters: Intro First gig at Ashbourne [1:05] Creating social group to get to know each other [2...

What a year it has been! We look back at some of our favourite episodes and highlights of a fantastic year of interviews and fun and laughter!   Listen to our favourite episodes: NRG weekender review with Jan: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4omCoRNYe0Mvz3FvxdWdVN?si=Glj84gMxQIODJPs-v3eCdw   Lucy's Me-Time story: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4VtDX2y9Sa8piouslcEUca?si=iXJtYpIsSCOusyWdJYttag  ...

Martin tells us about his love of disco and trance music and how he's trying to find the moments of "collective euphoria" in Ceroc. His sports psychologist background gives us unique insights into different learning experiences, micro-expressions and how there's a third person when you dance as a couple. It's a fascinating discussion!   Go to our Facebook page and hit our Follow button at https://...

Holly joins us again for a fascinating discussion on sensual connection in dance. It's an open and honest conversation and we were brave enough to bring up the famous George Bernard Shaw quote "dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire".   Listen to Holly's thoughts on other forms of dance connection at https://open.spotify.com/episode/64Y1OLgDVL738Wv6mubdC0?si=gbNML4RuR8CXRAjqu...

We discover how the young Rickie and Zoe got into Ceroc. Their first experiences were scary, but one enjoys it and the other one loves it! Listen to their thoughts on this joint activity. Stay tuned for their news at the end!   Go to our Facebook page and hit our Follow button at https://www.facebook.com/jivebuddiespodcast so you get the links to every new episode.

Jordan travelled across the country to follow his dream. Hear how he went from the East Midlands to South Wales via chill-out events in the Bristol area to owning a franchise in Somerset. It's an inspirational story of how a young man's dream became a reality.   Listen to an interview with his co-owner, Shannon Finn, at https://open.spotify.com/episode/6d6oWd2wqbICYfEAc98nt6     Go to our Facebook...

The Jive Buddies meet up with teacher Barry Watson to hear how he brings in his bachata and zouk influences, with other techniques and insights, into his classes and workshops. There's also a fascinating discussion about the future of Ceroc. But first, we find out what Barry was doing as a kid for entertainment, how he got blackmailed into line dancing and his professional dance background. What a...