Thursday 12 June 2014

The Sunshine is arriving...

Well at least Summer is arriving, maybe not so much the sunshine, but we have lots to look forward to over the coming weeks so i just wanted to give a quick update on what we've been up to at Funk Forever and what we have coming up very soon!!

Active Schools Dance Festival

On 9th June, West Dunbartonshire held their annual dance festival at the Playdrome where local schools get to showcase their talents across a variety of dance styles. This is the first year i have been involved in the event and i was very lucky (or some may say crazy) to have 3 schools participating in the show, each with a different themed piece:

Aitkenbar Primary took part in an old skool hip-hop crew battle
St Peter's Primary paid tribute to Michael Jackson with a mix of his famous tracks
Haldane Youth Services performed a 7 min-long piece - showcasing dances and costumes from different Commonwealth countries.

It was a great event, and good to see the talent from different local schools and crews.  It was some of the children's first time performing and despite being very nervous they done so well in front of an audience of about 150-200 people, and were well chuffed getting a medal at the end!

Hopefully we will get invited back next year again!


Haldane Youth Services - Commonwealth


Summer Camps

Just a quick update on our camps! We are now pretty much at full capacity for both weeks now (only 2 spaces left in first week!). Timetables are almost confirmed and letters will be going out to parents and carers over the next couple of weeks to tell you what to expect and what to bring along! 

For those who attended at Easter Camp, you can expect more of the same plus MORE exciting activities including some music/singing as well as a very special guest teacher - Chris Maule from the Flying JalapeƱos bboy crew (Glasgow) will be coming along to show some breakin moves on the Mondays at camp. 

I can't wait til we get started!!

End of Year Mini Showcases



Just to give you a reminder note of the dates for our end of year showcases which will take place on the same evening as your child's usual class. I think it's really important that the kids get to perform in front of an audience and show off the skills they have learnt in the last 5-6 months (some of them less time!). It helps to build their self-confidence and make them feel like they have achieved something at the end of all the hard training. They have all come on so well and i'm sure you will agree when you see them busting some moves on the night! 

Tuesdays Classes (both 5-7s and 8-11s) || Dumbarton Academy || Showtime 7:30pm 
Wednesdays Class (5-11s)                    || Cutty Sark               || Showtime 5:30pm
Thursdays Class (5-11s)                       || Dumbarton Academy || Showtime 7:30pm 

Please arrive 10 mins prior to be seated.
Entrance is free & we will have donation tins for a local charity.

N.B. Children should arrive at 6pm as normal on all nights for a dress rehearsal!

Pioneers Workshops coming up

It's really important to learn from the source of a dance style, and one of the main problems with streetdance in the UK is people do not learn the basic techniques and in the end are passing on mis-informed knowledge. This would never happen in ballet and other traditional styles and becomes detrimental when people start teaching their students the wrong moves as the streetdance and hip-hop culture will eventually be so watered down, it will completely change and lose it's original essence! One of my aims is to preserve the original streetdance styles and this year i am fortunate enough to be taking part in workshops with some pioneer street dancers from the USA and other locations including:

Kumari Suraj (USA) - waacking, house & dancehall  (Coming back to Glasgow on 21st June)
Archie Burnett (USA) - waacking, vogue and hustle (London, 7th June 2014)
Sugapop (USA) - popping and party grooves (coming to Manchester, 19th June)

As Archie said "We are always students"..and i think we should be modest enough to admit that we will continue to learn throughout our lives!



If you have any questions about these styles, or feel like coming along to any workshops then just let me know!! In any case i will be passing on the knowledge in my classes of course ;)

I think that's all for now!

Until next time (which will probably be July!)

Keep it funky and see you at class!

Nadz x

Wednesday 14 May 2014

SUMMER CAMPS ARE COMING!!

Hey everybody!!

So the sun is shining today and i'm really excited to announce our plans for the Summer Streetdance camps @ Funk Forever.

All of the details are on the flyer below..









Also check out this short video of feedback we had from the Easter Camp..




If you have any enquiries please get in touch with Nadz:

0788 058 6113 || natmouni.teacher@gmail.com
Facebook || Funk Forever with Nadz
Twitter || @funkforevernadz




Monday 21 April 2014

Fun times at Easter :D

We had a busy time during the Easter holidays at Funk Forever and i am here to give you to a quick update on what we've been up to and what's coming up in the next few months.

Easter Streetdance Camp || 7-11th April 2014

Our fully booked Easter camp took place down at the Burgh Hall for 5 days and we had an action packed time taking part in dancing, crafts, sports & games everyday! 

Each day was a little different with a new streetdance style to learn - from popping and locking, to Scottish Highland dance and everyone put their full energy into learning the new dances in preparation for our Friday afternoon showcase.

As well as keeping active with dance, sports and games we also took a bit of time out to get creative with some Easter themed crafts, getting messy with fingerpaints and on our last day a fun Easter egg hunt!! 

We have had some great feedback from parent's and children from the first ever Funk Forever camp and here are just a few of the lovely comments we have had:

"My son attends class on a Thursday, always enjoys it and has a big smile when he comes home.He also attended the Easter camp which was excellent. He had great fun everyday." 

"It's the first thing my daughter has been to in a long time that she has been so interested in." 

"My daughter had a wonderful time at Easter camp and enjoyed the balance of dancing and crafts. Thank you." 

"Just a message to say my son had great fun at The Easter Camp. I still cant believe how much he has came out his shell since he started your class so thanks for everything" 

"I just wanted to say thank you for the Easter Camp. My daughter has not stopped talking about the camp all week and showing off her highland dancing! You obviously have a good time with them too. We will be first on your summer camp list!"


And just for the blog readers..here are a couple of our show routines!!


FUNK FOREVER EASTER SHOWCASE - "BAD"



FUNK FOREVER EASTER SHOWCASE - "HIGHLAND DANCE"


We will definitely be running more camps in July so please stay connected with our Facebook for updates as spaces are always a limited number and given on a first come, first served basis.


NEW TERM - NEW CLASSES! 
So with our camps now a distant memory, it's time to wipe the Easter egg  chocolate off your face and get back into it! We have classes kicking off again from Tuesday 22nd April and running for 10 consecutive weeks until the end of June and school term. Fees are payable at the first session and are dependant on the class so please contact me for details. 
 
Dumbarton Academy
Tues || 5-7 years || 6-6.45pm (WAITING LIST IN PLACE - PLEASE CALL!)
Tues || 8-11 years || 6.45-8:00pm 
Thur || 7+ years || 6-6:45pm 

Cutty Sark Centre (Bellsmyre) 
Weds || 5-11 years || 6-7pm (WAITING LIST - PLS CALL!) 

As well as Funk Forever's own classes, we will also be working alongside 3 local schools in the run up to West Dunbartonshire's Dance Festival taking place on the 9th June 2014 where we will be showcasing a variety of streetdance styles. Exciting times!!

If you are interested in attending any of our classes,  please drop me an email/text/call/Facebook on the following:

0788 058 6113
natmouni.teacher@gmail.com
FB: Funk Forever Streetdance & Fitness
Twitter: @funkforevernadz







Tuesday 25 March 2014

Spring is a comin'

That time of year when the days get longer and daffodils start popping up everywhere..no better time for an update on what we've been up to and what we have planned for the coming months!!

Kids Classes

The response to Funk Forever classes has been beyond what i expected at this early stage and we have more than doubled attendance since the last time i was on the blog thanks to a new opportunity coming up in Bellsmyre. 

The Bellsmyre community trust has just recently opened a shiny brand new centre called the Cutty Sark and it was perfect timing as they were looking for activities to get local people using the space. I had been in doing some taster classes at the 2 local schools and also at the youth clubs just to show the children what they could expect at the classes so many of them knew my face already. So on the night of our first block 16 attended! This was a great turn out and also some really great young dancers so it's going to be great working with them in the future :) we're already operating a waiting list for this class it's been so popular!

Due to demand i have also opened up a Thursday night class at Dumbarton Academy for 7+ (6pm - 6:45pm) so it's a perfect time to join us if you're new to streetdance! Here's a little snap of the 8-11yrs class..




Easter

A reminder that classes will be off for the 2 weeks over Easter hols and we kick off again w/c 21st April.

However there is still an opportunity to keep dancing at our Easter camp from 7th-11th April :) only one space is left as class numbers will never be more than 20 in my classes to ensure children get the additional support they need to learn this style of dance. We'll not only be dancing but also playing sports games, Easter crafts and putting on a wee showcase on the Friday afternoon for families and friends. Lots of fun!

If you have missed out on this camp, not to worry as we'll be running Summer camps as well so keep your eyes peeled on Facebook for updates!

5 hour marathon masterclass with Kumari

I believe dancers and instructors should never stop learning which is why i travel and get to as many good streetdance workshops as possible! Last Monday, Emma and myself were blessed with the opportunity of going along to a masterclass in Edinburgh with one of streetdance's top choreographers and dancers - Kumari Suraj alongside the amazing Lady Cultura. This woman has worked for many big pop stars including Lady Gaga and she has choreographed for So You Think You Can Dance USA. She also helped to drive the waacking resurgence and has founded many crews worldwide. So she's basically a legend in my eyes!

We covered a few styles - dancehall, waacking and house to be specific and it was fast paced and challenging. We were all drenched in sweat by the end but it was totally worth it! I hope to show you some videos of the class in the future but for now here's a little snap of us after the sessions! If you ever get the chance to take class with her DO IT!! Thanks to Emma Jayne Park for organising this :)

@KumariSuraj  
@LadyCultura

I just wanna make you sweat..


That's all for now folks, here's a quick reminder of our classes!

Thanks for reading and keep it funky,
Nadz

Dumbarton Academy
Tues || 5-7 years || 6-6.45pm
Tues || 8-11 years || 6.45-8:00pm 
Thur || 7+ years || 6-6:45pm (NEW BLOCK - MSG TO BOOK!)

Cutty Sark Centre (Bellsmyre)
Weds || 5-11 years || 6-7pm (WAITING LIST - PLS MESSAGE ME FOR DETAILS!)

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Holiday Dance Camps & Battle time!!

Hi everyone,

So today the sun is shining and felt like a good time to tell you all about the camps which i will be running during Easter and also the month of July.

These will consist of a dance and creative camp for kids 5+ years, involving street dance, games, crafts, home-baking, singing and lots more fun things. It will be held in a local hall in Dumbarton (tbc). If interest is high we can even get some external instructors to teach breaking (break dance) and learn some cool moves!

At the end of each week (Fri at 2.15pm) we will do a short demonstration of some of the pieces we have created over the week for parents/grannies/aunts/uncles/brothers/sisters etc. This will be £1.50/ticket which will go into materials/costumes.

EASTER CAMP (5 days)
w/c 7th April 
10am-3pm

Cost = £10/day or £40 for full week (EARLY BIRD RATE*)

SUMMER CAMP (4 weeks)
w/c 30th Jun, 7th/14th/21st July
10am-3pm

Cost = £10/day or £40/1 full week or £160/4 weeks (EARLY BIRD RATE*)

*The above costs are EARLY BIRD rates for booking & payment before 11th March (Easter Camps) and June 3rd (Summer camps). Thereafter costs will be £12.50/day or £50/week or £200/4 weeks.

Please register your interest by calling Nadia on 0788 058 6113 or email - natmouni.teacher@gmail.com
N.B. We would require between 10-15 children attending each day therefore a waiting list will be in place.




In other news, on Saturday i went along to a streetdance battle with some of the girls from the adult class. These things don't come along too often in Glasgow (well not as often as i would like!) so it's good to take advantage and support the hip-hop scene. It was held in a new dance space called "The Centre" in Govan, which has recently opened as a training area and will hold weekly sessions with some great dance intructors. It's only £4/week membership and you get access to all class and training space so a pretty good deal if you ask me. I'm definitely going to be taking advantage and going along to some classes on a Wednesday - waacking and house to be specific.

Anyway back to the battle! I hadn't actually planned on entering as it seemed to be just young kids participating in the bboy battles, however Shelltoe Mel came along and talked me into it "if you go in, i'll go in" style. So of course i couldn't say no to that! Two things pushed me, mainly the fact that there was no one representing funkstyles - and we wanted the younger kids to see where the foundations of streetdance come from by demonstrating some popping and locking. The other reason being the lack of females, not sure why but there were only 3 of us in the battle despite the fact there were plenty of female dancers observing. 

I got through the first round as i ended up battling a young boy who must have been about 8 at the most? He was really good, and hit out with some MJ moves which were impressive. The song was "Lose Control" by Missy E so quite a good one for popping. 

ROUND 1 VIDEO 

Through to semis, i ended up battling against one of the fiercest dancers Devine! The music was pretty tough for me, DMX being the first track i struggled to pop to it. We ended up a tie in the first round so round 2 we had to give it our all! The track was Nelly Furtado "Promiscuous Girl" - i know it but again not the best track to pop or lock to sooo i had to bring out some waacking moves! Devine hit back with some great moves, and unfortunately beat me in terms of attitude. I was still happy i managed to stick with the foundations when it could have easily become a "twerk-off" which i'm sure the audience would have loved haha.

SEMI FINAL VIDEO

The rest of the battles were so entertaining and Mel managed to get to the final which was meant to be a 3-way but ended up with her battling one of the younger guys. He was really good and in the end took the prize!! 

FINAL BATTLE

All in all a fun day and i'm looking forward to the next one as i would really like to bring some of the kids from my classes! I have always said i'm not a battler but it's amazing the buzz it gives you and it can get quite addictive as that's the second battle i have under my belt! It's definitely a way to push out of your comfort zone, which can't be a bad thing right?!

Thanks for reading!!
Nadz








Friday 14 February 2014

A sneaky peek video of Funk Forever's classes..

It's the moment you've all been waiting for haha! I think the video speaks for itself..and as you can see we have a lot of fun - if you leave the class with a smile my job is done!


Enjoy!!



Friday 31 January 2014

Hello 2014 :D

Hey everyone, it's a bit belated but here's our first blog of 2014! 

Lots has been happening in the first month of the year so here's a quick update on what i've been up to in the last few weeks.

Fitness
It's that time of year again when everyone looks to lose the Christmas pounds and tone up a bit before summer approaches. If that sounds a bit like you, then get yourself along to my new fitness class "Fit-Hop" which you can see below for a bit more info on what to expect. So far, we've been sweating it out through kick-boxing and toning up with resistance bands - no pain, no gain! Each month the class routine will be refreshed to keep everyone motivated.



Kids Classes (Tuesdays)
So far this year i've been visiting local Dumbarton primary schools to give them a wee taster of what Funk Forever classes are all about, it's been well received and the boys & girls have been having alot of fun getting down with some Michael Jackson-style and also breaking moves. We also have new faces joining us at class every week which is great, if you're interested here are the details for each age group. 

5-7 years || Tuesday 6-6.45pm || £4/class or £15/block of 4
8-11 years || Tuesday 6.45-7.30pm || £4/class or £15/block of 4

PLEASE call or email to book as especially the first class only has a couple of places left. Thereafter you'll be placed on a waiting list and a new timeslot will open soon.

Teens Classes
This week i had the first session with Dumbarton Academy's lunchtime dance club to expand their knowledge in streetdance styles and teach them some new moves. The first session focused on learning a little bit of hip-hop history then some waacking drills along to funk & disco tunes, we ended with a choreo to Earth, Wind & Fire "Let's Groove" which is one of my favs!! The girls had alot of fun doing something different and we'll be continuing the sessions and some after school classes throughout February. I hope to see some new faces down next week! Teens are also welcome along to my Thursday night classes @ Dumbarton Academy.

Thursday Classes
This month we've covered a diverse range of street styles including popping & locking, as well as a bit of early 90's hip-hop choreo and a commercial choreo to Beyonce's "Flawless". I hope everyone has enjoyed learning as much as i have teaching you it! It's great to see how quick you pick it up :) more videos coming soon!!

Class times:
Fit-Hop Fitness|| Thursday 7-8pm || £5/class
Hip-hop Choreo|| Thursday 8-9pm || £5/class 

**Discounts:- Loyalty card 10 classes for 9 or attend both classes for £7.50/2 hours

Artizan
Following some community work i did in December with the Artizan Centre in Dumbarton they have nicely put together a short clip of the session. As you can see anyone can participate in these sessions as i had a wide variety of ages - and they all had a good laugh. If this is something you are interested in for an event or special occasion then feel free to get in touch :)

ARTIZAN SESSION:- http://vimeo.com/84122167

I think that's all for now, next month i will be updating you further on what we get up to! 

Keep it funky,

Nadz