Brean

My first time at Brean Sands for three years, so I was very careful to pace myself - in bed by one on the first night. I was surprised how few people from Cardiff were there. I think the Swansea contingent was bigger. Maybe that's because the standard in Cardiff is a lot better than it was three years ago so people don't feel the need to travel.

The quality of teaching was very variable, again: just because somebody can dance spectacularly, as in the shows, doesn't necessarily mean they can teach. And some of the lessons were ridiculously full. Full marks to the teachers who could handle it: I could see why Lee Hunter is UK Salsa Teacher of the Year by the way he taught a very neat and usable intermediate level sequence to a class which must have numbered in the hundreds. Thanks to Anne I have a phone video of me dancing most of it correctly with June so I'll inflict it on somebody on Thursday night...

I've been embarrassed about my crap bachata for quite a while now, so I found Ian and Rohan's classes very useful and danced a lot of bachata over the weekend. Rohan's salsa twosome class (which Kate had been press-ganged into at very short notice) was entertaining and taught a twosome move I've always wanted to learn.

I overheard a group of punters discussing which level to do: one guy was saying "at intermediate level they teach, at Advanced level they just do moves". Most of the Level 3 and 4 classes I went to had too many moves in them and not nearly enough breaking down and explanation. The advanced classes weren't technically difficult, but they were a test of memory. I walked out of one particularly bad example when the teachers piled on yet another move when I'd already lost track of what came next. I've said it before and I'll say it again: demonstrating is not the same thing as teaching, and everybody needs repetition whatever level they are at (or think they are at).

The other thing you don't get in a crowded class is any check on whether you are doing it right: I was told of one lambada class where the teacher failed to notice that all the leaders had got the basic step wrong!

It took me a long time to warm up and really relax into my dancing, so I was relieved when things started to flow in my first dance on Saturday night. This was before it got really crowded, when it became hard to spot people to dance with and there was no space to do anything clever with an unfamiliar or inexperienced partner. Fortunately my fastest dance of the night was with Sara.

While I enjoyed the night and stayed until after 3 I would probably have had more really good dances on a good night in Risa. Which makes me think that instead of a weekender I might do better to spend a night somewhere that does a good class and where the standard is going to be high. I might head up to Birmingham for a Friday night once the festive season is out of the way.

On Sara's recommendation I did David and Jennifer's class on Sunday morning. Really nice moves, taught in a very clear and structured way, but I was half asleep: even though the sequence wasn't that long I lost the plot big time : ( Fortunately I videoed Stellan and Sara doing most of it so I can do some revision. What I did enjoy on Sunday was the free dancing. Too tired to learn anything, but some nice gentle dances made for a good afternoon. I gave Sunday night a miss and headed home.