Competition: Win £150 Voucher for vintage boutique Pretty Eccentric

This Spring we have teamed up with the vintage boutique Pretty Eccentric for the MyCharleston Speakeasy, part of the Brighton Fringe and this year there is the chance to win £150 for the shop!

Pretty Eccentric Dresses and headpieces 

Now in its third year, the MyCharleston Speakeasy will have you dancing the iconic steps of the 1920s. With a twist of Jazz and a dash of Electro Swing, this is a modern take on a classic Speakeasy. Be enthralled by live music, workshops, competitions and mesmerising performances! As soon as you enter, the band will get you in the swing of things.

A highlight of the event is the annual Charleston Dance-off which Pretty Eccentric will be sponsoring. Anyone can enter, all you need to do is take to the floor and dance. If you make it through to the second round you will be given a golden ticket and perform a dance-off against the other competitors. Pretty Eccentric’s very own designer & Owner, Michelle will be picking her winner and the prize is a £150 voucher to spend in store or online. 

Winner 2017

Pretty Eccentric are also giving you the chance to WIN tickets to the Speakeasy event, click here to enter

Once you have got the moves, the next big thing is what to wear? Here a quick check list for what you need for the flapper look.

A flapper girl needs:  A dropped waist dress with plenty of sparkle  Plenty of pearls, Elbow length gloves, Headpiece with a feature and of course her dancing shoes.

You can pick up everything you need at www.prettyeccentric.com  and get 10% off when you use discount code DANCE10. 

Pick up your fringe tickets here

Giving back to the community

Dance in Brighton is about to boom, with a dedicated dance space being created in what used to be the Old Market, Circus Street. With cranes already dominating the skyline, South East Dance are working hard to engage people from the local Tarner community through The Welcome Project, their 3 year programme of dance activity in the lead up to the opening of The Dance Space.

Tarner is a little known and historically under-privileged area tucked between the Amex building, Planet India and the Setting Sun pub. So MyCharleston boldly went where no Charleston teachers have gone to before: The Brighton unemployed families project to surprise them with a pop-up Charleston dance class.

We had no idea how well our gorilla tactics would go down, especially as it was straight after lunch! But as people began to finish eating, we introduced ourselves and to our delight everyone stood up when requested. The group seemed genuinely happy to give Charleston a go and you can’t ask for more than that.

I don’t know if it’s down to the music or the dance but there is something about Charleston that always seems to put a smile on people’s faces. We had entered the building feeling very nervous and left with that life affirming feeling, everyone had been welcoming and enthusiastic. As to there dancing abilities, we were super impressed! not only did they master the Charleston, they even learnt a short routine, which they danced with energy and style.

Charleston is such a happy dance and it’s easy for beginners to pick-up. Over the years students have told us how dance has helped them with anxiety, confidence and social interaction. I know I am evangelical about the power of dance but I really believe this project by South East dance will bring a real gift to the Tarner community.

How to Have the Perfect First Dance

When I was a little girl, I had images of myself and my husband doing a beautiful waltz as our first dance for our wedding.  Unfortunately, as the date of our wedding started to get closer I was reminded that my husband-to-be had two left feet and had never danced in his life. My aspirations of a vienze waltz worthy of the strictly final flew out the window.

However, Michael knew how important dance was to me and suggested that we did a surprise Charleston dance as our first dance as our guests would never suspect it. I was already taking on  huge craft project by making all the decorations and stationary for the wedding, I was not sure that I also had time to teach him to dance. 

To help Mike get the basic moves mastered, I put him in the trusty hands of Elena and Fiona and he attended the beginners Charleston course with MyCharleston. He quickly realised why I love the Charleston so much and I was impressed with how quickly he picked up the moves.

I caught him practising his Charleston everywhere, while doing the washing up, in the garden, brushing his teeth, you name it he was charlestoning. Not only did he perfect the basic Charleston, he was also doing the 1930s Charleston too! 

We practised in our living room, which at the time was filled with craft projects for the wedding, so we didn’t have much space. When it was sunny, we pracised in the garden, and our neighbours must have thought we were crazy.  Rehearsing together was so much fun, and was easily one of my favourite parts of wedding planning. We laughed so much and it was a great way to de-stress from all the difficult parts of wedding planning.

As the wedding drew closer, Mike started to get a bit nervous but I knew he was going to be great. The only people that knew about the first dance were the girls from Savoy Kicks, MyCharleston's dance troupe and I was so pleased that we had managed to keep it secret. 

Our first dance was one of our favourite parts of the wedding. The Charleston is the a perfect dance for us as it is silly and fun, and we just had such a great time performing it. Our guests were so surprised and they were all cheering and clapping the whole way through. As soon as we started Charlestoning, I could hear my sister scream, it was lovely to see our guests so happy.  When we did the lift in the middle of the routine, our friends and family all went wild.

We did our Charleston dance to ‘Yes sir that’s my baby’ by Firehouse Five plus two as this was the music that Mike first saw me perform with Savoy Kicks. Before the Charleston, we danced to a cover of The Book of Love by Airborne Toxic Event. Mike introduced me to the band when we first got together, and this song means so much to us.

After our first dance, my friends who run the company MyCharleston got all our guests on the dance floor and taught them how to Charleston. It was incredible to see all the people we love all doing the Charleston together. It was a great way to kick off our evening celebrations. No one could use the excuse that they could not dance to avoid joining in, as if Mike could do it. Anyone could do it.

New for April: Vintage Musicals Course

Ever wanted to dance like a vintage movie star? Well now is your chance as MyCharleston takes on its first ever vintage musical course.

Each term we will be learning an iconic Charleston routine from some of the best vintage musicals from the Golden Age of Cinema and first up is the ' All I Do is Dream of You' from all time classic Singin' in the Rain.

Within the course we will be learing iconic moves from the routine and week by week putting it together to learn this iconic Charleston routine. Music will also be insipred from the film.

Our first routine starts on 17 April at 7pm at Open Space Studios and will be a mixes ability group. 

The Great Gatsby Fair takes on Bexhill this Summer

After much upset that the Bexhill Roaring 20s festival will not be running this year, Sharon Blagrove, Event Director of Bentley Fairs, has salvaged the beloved 1920s event by putting a new vintage weekender with a twist for 2018.

'My first thought was how everyone in the town, and those that look forward to it and visit from far and wide would miss this huge event. I decided to step up and put my own event on which ironically was being planned for another seaside location,  but with the title The Great Gatsby Fair it seemed destined for Bexhill after all, and just at the right time' 

The event is held along Bexhill seafront from the Metropole Lawns to East Parade and this years’ event will be over the whole weekend. A big celebration of the 1920's era, of people in period vintage costumes and all the song and dance acts that go with it.

There's something for everyone, with children's entertainment from 10-1 both days and nonstop music on the seafront with Morris dancers, Ukulele players, Dance school productions, Singers, jazz bands, Dixieland bands 40's singers, Dance troupes, competitions for fancy dress and Charleston dances. The Highland piper will play outside the Bexhill Sailing Club at 1.15 signalling the start of the procession towardsThe Metropole Lawns at the De la Warr Pavilion where there are ticketed afternoon parties from 2pm both days. 

Saturday 2pm-5.30pm is The Charleston Party.  Savoy Kicks will lead the way with a Charleston lesson on stage followed by a competition to find the best Charleston dancers who will win cash prizes. The Roaring 20's Orchestra will play and there are fancy dress competitions Bonnie and Clyde (with under 16'sentries too) The Best Dressed Lady and Best Dressed Gent.

Saturday evening entertainment in the large marquee with Swing and Blues bands a bar and food from 7 pm -10.30 pm Sunday Its Peaky Blinders Retro Party with fancy dress and cash prizes for the best Guys and Dolls(with under 16s entries too) and Best Dressed lady and Gent.40's singer Pete Wayre and dancing from 2-5.30. to The Hastings Stompers Jazz group & The Swing Street Orchestra Pop Up Vintage London will curate a fabulous Vintage Fair, and Food and Drink will be brought in courtesy of Food Feast South East.

It is advisable to get your tickets early for the parties. Only Adults need tickets Under 16s go in free. Go to www.thegreatgatsbyfair.co.uk

Chai and Charleston - 1920s Afternoon Tea

Last Saturday, we grabbed our pearls and dusted down your flapper gowns as we headed off to The Hilton Brighton Metropole and stepped back in time to relive the glamour of the Roaring Twenties. On 24 February, we hosted our first decadent Saturday afternoon consisting of delicious afternoon tea, Charleston lessons, feisty flappers and a live jazz band.

This afternoon tea with a 1920s twist came with plenty of tea, cake and dancing. Live music  was from the Soultastics, and Charleston entertainment had our guests swivelling across the dance floor in no time.

Due to the success of the Afternoon Tea we will now we hosting them regularly and have four more in the diary which will be taking place in June, September and a Christmas special so keep an eye of the website for the official date announcements.

Charleston dancing swivels its way over to Ryde

Our Charleston dance school which was recently accepted onto the UK’s largest free accelerator hub, Entrepreneurial Sparks, will be swivelling it’s way to Ryde from 19 Feb.

MyCharleston, led by myself Elena Collins and Fiona Ring, was set up as a passion project after we became hooked on Charleston dancing. After teaching sellout classes back in our hometown Brighton, we realised the demand for the dance was bigger than we initially thought. 

In just under 6 months, we have launched our business in 5 new cities focusing on getting all age groups kicking and flicking across the dance floor.  

“When we set this up we had no idea we’d be expanding over seas” laughs Fiona. “Things have been moving at a giddy pace since we joined the Entrepreneurial Sparks programme.  Elena now works full time on the business and we have expanded along the South Coast recently launching in my hometown of Portsmouth”.

Since then the classes have gone from strength to strength and the latest expansion for MyCharleston is to the Isle of White. ’’Its not international but it is a leap from the mainland and we think Charleston will be a big hit on the Island as the dance offers so much: It’s great fitness, very sociable and chance to have a lot of fun’’

Classes start on 19th Feb at the Ryde Academy at 8pm. to find out more about classes near you and other events run by MyCharleston go to www.mycharlestondance.com

Being Pitch Perfect

Do you think you could pitch your business in just 60 seconds? Explain the value, the traction and it’s future plans all under a minute? At Enterprenuial Sparks, where we are based, we are challenged weekly to constantly refine and pitch our businesses so if the chance ever did occur that we were trapped in a lift with Ducan Bannatyne we would have him reaching for his cheque book by the time the doors opened.

After months of practice, tweeking, chopping and changing the pitch, the ESparks team challenged me to learn and deliver it on local Radio Station, Radio Reverb.

Always up for a challenge and being the competitive person that I am I took them on it and rewrote it (again), learnt it by talking aloud whilst driving and making my poor fiancé listen to it for the 100th time.

After a few days of practice I took myself down to the studio at Open Market to be on the Brighton Business Show and I felt pretty happy with the result. I even managed to beat the time and say everything in my elevator pitch in just 55 seconds, before the lift doors opened… If only Mr. Bannatyne had been there to hear it.

But seeing as you are,  you can listen to the  pitch and the full interview by following the link and tune in from 24 mins: 

How to get the perfect 1920s Bob

Having long thick blonde hair is far cry from the traditional flapper girl bob of the 1920s but when it came to our photo shoot earlier this year I needed to make my hair a lot shorter without taking a pair of scissors to it.

Usually for performances we tie our hair up with a Heidi roll which is perfect for events as it keeps hair in a place for energetic shows but when it came to the photo shoot we wanted to capture the 20s look in a more authentic way.

To make my hair bobbed I followed this guide where I divided the hair into two sections. Firstly, with the undercut I made a small bun then with the rest curled each section using moose and spray the night before the shoot.

In the morning I look all the clips out and brushed them out and clipped the curls into the bun. After a few cans of hairspray the look was complete and just about stayed in place.

Once the shoot was all over and all the clips were out, my hair decide to try another look and embrace my inner Bonnie Tyler…

Elena

What's in a name?

Its happened, we've changed our name! Elena and I began four years ago with the name ‘I Charleston Brighton’ and it will always have a special place in our hearts. But to understand why we changed I Charleston to MyCharleston you need to know the story of how we began.

Elena and I performing Charleston together for the first time in 2014

The First I Charleston flyer design

Elena and I became instant fans of Charleston when we performed in a Charleston troupe for a one off show in 2013. We decided we wanted to continue Charleston dancing and whilst looking for a project we discovered 'I Charleston the World.’ These charming films showcased dancers doing the Charleston in iconic locations around their city. So we decided to put Brighton on the map! The problem was no one was running regular Charleston classes in Brighton, so we brushed up our moves, made a flyer and I Charleston Brighton began.

We had no idea what it would develop into but from the first class we ran in January 2014, we fostered a group who were up for filming, learning, performing and socialising. So many of the students from those early classes are now dear friends and collaborators in the much larger business we’ve become.

Elena’s dynamite ability to market, organise and draw people together for the sheer love of dance was a huge part of our success. She gathered the momentum we needed for the film, with interviews on TV, Radio and publications. The film got over 42,000 hits and the Lord Mayor of Brighton came to the launch. By then all this dancing had made me very large and pregnant and on New Years day, January 2015, I had the child I’d waited seven years to conceive, I called him Charleston – not really but I was tempted!

Lucian ‘Charleston’ Creed 1st Nov 2015

Elena and I being interviewed on Juice Radio 

The classes expanded and we now had a performance troupe, drawing talent from those early classes. Over the next three years our classes grew and other exciting opportunities came our way such as breaking world records, flashmobs, performances, festivals and speakeasy events. But all this had to fit around full-time jobs and motherhood. We would conduct our business over lunch breaks, evening calls and a lot of chats in car parks!

This summer we decided to throw everything at growing our classes into an actual business after we were accepted on the Entrepreneurial Sparks programme. So many people had told us how much they loved Charleston and wished there was something similar in their area, so we thought lets take our classes to other cities.

Like any new venture it’s been a whirlwind but so interesting and rewarding. One of our first new products was a ‘Dance in a day’ where we took the best moves, music and routines and combined them into a three hour workshop. The response has been phenomenal although the best quote was from I guy who’d been dragged along by his partner and was over heard saying ‘It’s actually alright'.

So there’s the story but why the rebrand? I Charleston Brighton was directly inspired by the ‘I Charleston the World’ project, so it wasn’t our creation. We had also found there was much confusion as to weather it was a small ‘i’ as in apple products or a good old fashioned capital I. We loved the name so much but by simply changing the ‘I’ to a ‘My’ we kept the essence whilst making it personal to all the people who have essentially created our business; Yes you, the dancers who come and embrace this silly wonderful dance every week in class. So whilst we are very happy to have a growing business and love the new designs it is essentially you who have created MyCharleston and for that we thank you.

Fiona