Spreadin' the Funk

Things have been busy the last couple of weeks at Funk Forever, hence no blogs but plenty to talk about so here goes..

Tasters

I have been working in conjunction with West Dunbartonshire's Active Schools to run a series of free taster classes in Primary Schools around the area. Initially this was to give kids an idea of what my classes in Dumbarton Academy are like and to encourage them to do something healthy but fun at the same time. So far the reception from both children and teachers has been great, and i was completely blown away with how fast they picked up the moves - in just 40 minutes we had a Michael Jackson "Bad" routine down. I even had some teachers joining in with it!! I would have loved to put a video up but due to security i wasn't able to film :( in any case, i hope to see some of you down at class on a Tuesday night @6pm for some more hip-hop styles!! Hopefully i'll be back in again in the new year!

Little vid of the MJ track we used - "BAD"...

Weekly Classes

In our weekly classes i've been covering a range of styles (not just hip-hop) from popping to dancehall. In general classes consist of a warm-up, stretch, key moves/drills which we then go on to put together into a wee routine and do a few times. Every week is different, so you don't have to be concerned about "catching up" on a piece of choreography which you missed previously! Next week on 12th December will be the last class before we finish up for Christmas so if you want to come check out what we do, it's not too late, and at least you know what to expect in January :) 

Fit-hop Classes

I know Christmas hasn't even arrived yet, but come January everyone will be looking to lose some of the pounds piled on from turkey, chocolate, alcohol - i could go on!! The good news is that in January i will be a qualified fitness instructor and will be starting up a fitness class which will consist of some cardio work and body toning (i.e. bums, tums & thighs!!). Times tbc but likely a Thursday at 7-8pm in Dumbarton Academy, only £5/class plus I'll also have loyalty cards so there will be special offers coming - keep your eyes peeled!! The best part is it will be along to some funky tunes, so you'll leave the class with a smile on your face having sweated it out without realising!! Much more fun than the gym!!

Thanks again to all those who've made it down for the classes and here's a quick reminder of class times which finish up next week on the 12th December...

Funk Forever Class Days/Times:

Kids 5-11yrs 6.00-6.45pm

Teens & Adults (Basic drop-in) 7-8pm 

Dumbarton Academy

Costs:- 

Adults - £5/class

Kids/teens (up to age 16) - £4/class

Discounts available for block bookings, ask for more details.

Getting into Poppin Styles & intro to waacking

So last weekend, a few of us from class went to the launch of a new monthly hip-hop night ran by hip-hop group Hector Bizerk called "Stigma" (downstairs in Stereo). Each night will have a theme and on Saturday it was focusing on females in hip-hop and combating negative stereotypes. A great night was had by all, with DJ Shelltoe Mel on the decks and even a guest appearance  on the mic by hip-hop legend Jeru the Damaja (who'd been gigging the previous night). It was a good mix of folk, banging beats, chilled atmosphere and we didn't stop dancing all night :) roll on the next one!!

Having just about recovered from severe lack of sleep, this week at Funk Forever classes has been funky as ever and we've had a fun time learning some more about hip-hop styles. 

In the kids classes we started learning some movement styles in popping such as the robot and learned a great wee routine to practice our 4 characters (you'll have to come to class to learn more about them ;) . Since MJ is one of our favourite dancers in this class, we couldn't help but jam to "Beat it" and learn some of his classic moves. Great fun and well done to those who came along.

On Thursday, in the beginner's class it was time to get our waack on and we focused on lots of arm movements (great for toning up the wings!!) and then brought in some steps to create a choreo. It was looking great by the end!! Well done girls :) 

Waacking/punking emerged in the 70's in Los Angeles and is danced to funk and disco music (not to be confused with voguing which emerged in the 80's in New York and is done to house music). Here is a little vid from a fierce dance group from Sweden called P*fect to clear up the differences in style:

In the second class (advanced) we continued to train our popping drills and introduced some boogaloo rolls to the mix. We built on our struttin' choreo from last week by adding a new section onto the beginning using a few of the different boogaloo movements and it looked awesome when we grabbed it on video!! All of these words sound like another language, but really not a difficult as they sound ;)

Sneak preview to the video:

Thanks to all who came down this week, you're picking up loads in such a short space of time and having fun with it - keep up the good work! :D

Keep it funky!!

Nadz

Funk Forever Class Days/Times:
Kids 5-11yrs 6.00-6.45pm
Teens 12-16yrs 6.45-7.30pm
Adults (Basic drop-in) 7-8pm 
Adults (Advanced drop-in) 8-9pm

Costs:- 
Adults - £5/class
Kids/teens - £4/class
Discounts available for block bookings, ask for more details.

Dimestop - Funkstyles Jam every Wednesday:

7-9pm - St Matthew's next to Possilpark & Parkhouse train station

We do lots of drills then get down to practice. Great opportunity to learn technique!

Cost split between everyone (normally £3-4)

Back to the Roots!

Another fun week at Funk Forever and lots of knowledge and skills to learn and pass on. I was feeling very inspired after a popping jam session at the Dimestop where i learned more about the origins of popping in the California Bay area thanks to Tesko! Going way back before the style we know as popping was named, there was a style known as "Struttin" which was performed by groups in a very military/robotic style, using lots of angles with cannon timing. You can see how the style was inspired by mime artists in those days when we only had TV and movies to watch. It looks so effective when everyone gets the movements synchronized and is also alot of fun as we found out!

Here is an impressive video of the Medea Sirkas (OG's of struttin' = pioneers!). 

You can see where the Jabbawockees got their moves now??

On Thursday i had a popping session planned for our advanced class so i decided to bring in some struttin' to the choreo section and here was the result! The girls done really well getting this down in less than an hour and we had a great laugh trying to get the timing spot-on!! (excuse my ridiculous laugh at the end!)

Hope you enjoyed the videos getting back to the roots of this amazing dance style, see you this week at class!!

Nadz

Funk Forever Class Days/Times:
Kids 5-11yrs 6.00-6.45pm
Teens 12-16yrs 6.45-7.30pm
Adults (Basic drop-in) 7-8pm 
Adults (Advanced drop-in) 8-9pm

Costs:- 
Adults - £5/class
Kids/teens - £4/class
Discounts available for block bookings, ask for more details.

Dimestop - Funkstyles Jam every Wednesday:

7-9pm - St Matthew's next to Possilpark & Parkhouse train station

We do lots of drills then get down to practice. Great opportunity to learn technique!

Cost split between everyone (normally £3-4)

Hallowe'en Special - THRILLER

So this is my first proper blog since starting up my hip-hop classes in Dumbarton. I want to use this page to keep people updated on what we're doing in classes, including photos and videos for your entertainment and inspiration!

The classes got off to a good start and given the time of year, it would have been rude not to do some of MJ's Thriller (masks included)..here's a snap of the class in action!

"Cos this is Thriiiillllerrr!!!"

I was very impressed by the kids, teens and beginners class who picked up the moves in well under an hour. In another hour's rehearsal you would have been ready for the stage no bother!!

So with Hallowe'en now a creepy memory, we'll be continuing into Nov/Dec by learning some new hip-hop dance techniques such as locking, popping and waacking. These are all styles which grew popular in the 70's and 80's in the USA, and have influenced alot of the current dancers in new style hip-hop.  I'll be chatting alot more about these in class so you'll need to come along to find out more ;) 

We'll work on basic techniques so you can improve your dance skills in all of these areas, and combined with groove steps which i teach in every class - we learn a short routine every week. 

The main objective of Funk Forever is to "Enjoy Dance & Be Happy", so if you leave the class with a smile on your face...my job is done :D

If you haven't been along to a class yet..then give it a try! It's a drop-in so you won't have to remember choreo week-after-week. It's more about learning rhythm and enjoying the music.

Class Days/Times:
Kids 7-11yrs 6.00-6.45pm
Teens 12-16yrs 6.45-7.30pm
Adults (Basic drop-in) 7-8pm
Adults (Advanced drop-in) 8-9pm

All held at Dumbarton Academy.

Costs:- 
Adults - £5/class
Kids/teens - £4/class

Discounts available for block bookings, ask for more details.

Contact:-
natmouni.teacher@gmail.com
0788 058 6113

Keep it Funky!!
Nadz


PS On a side note i would just like to thank all my friends and family who've supported me in the last few months and motivated me to make my dream happen. "When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person realize their dream" (Paulo Coelho)

Coming soon....

Getting excited about the new classes which will be starting up in October..keep your eyes peeled for news!!!