The weekends go so fast.... But went to see Bridget Jones confession I loved it!
Renne is fabulous! so is Colin (heart throb!) and Bradley.... laughed ... cried ....
I know its a girlie film... but I enjoyed it!!!
Then Sunday Janet and my mum came round we went for a terrific lunch at "Mitte ABOTT"
My fav restaurant near us.. then a went for a walk around the gardens at Leckford...
then my younger brother called to say he won a big golf tournament .... bless my mother was so proud!
A Picture I have never seen before Dougie looks like a press call
for ALADDIN AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM 1978!
WAYNE SLEEP,DOUGIE,DANNYLA RUE,WEI WEI WEI WONG BYRAN MARSHALL
If you Love to dance and you want to get fit... here's the class for you!
We Bring the Workshop to You!
Workshop Day with Top Choreographer & Director Antony Johns and his team of West End performers
will deliver a fun action packed day of Musical Theatre for all students,With a performance at the end of the day for all to see! All styles of Dance ,are tailor made to suit your requirements.
Antony’s Career has taken him all over the world Performing,Choreographing,Directing in Theatre,Film & Television .Working on many prestigious Royal Events , this year working on HM Queens 90th Birthday celebration at Windsor for Horse Power and ITV
Antony’s energy and passion for all aspects of the Theatre in the world of Dance and Performance will give and inspire all young performers.
for more information email www mail@antonyjohns.co.uk
Great class today! lovely to see new Friends! As well as the oldies !!! Pleased to see that the article in the Observer brought new dancers to the class!!!
Can't get the song out of my head!!! tears on my pillow!!!!!
look forward to seeing you in October 16th 1pm to 3pm Dance ATTIC .. X
Another journey to Devon..... just don't follow Dougie's map reading...
there was a river no bridge but a a ferry .... and we didn't need to go over it in the first place..so had to go round the round about and return !
Always great to see photos of your costumes in other shows and events!
While in Blackpool went to friend's children christening...
It was a fun day... got told of by the priest... with my camera!
Lovely to see children having fun.. a excellent children entertainer made the event!
But watch out Andy Murray!!lol no threat !!!
Went up to Blackpool to do some work and was great to catch up with close friends
and stay with the adorable Beagles.. Molly and Bailey...
Scott and I went for a sundown walk with cameras along south shore
There is something special about the sunsets on the fled coast......
and it was the first pic I took with the tower with out building works for over 8 years!
there is one shot I cannot claim I took it just the most amazing shot of lightening at the Tower while
I was there just a fabulous shot... jealous....
Been doing a fare bit of driving around the country on a return journey from Torquay
I passed Stonhenge at sundown.... not far from where we live....
Went to Ditchling in Sussex to meet the legend of Dame Vera Lynn,
Lovely to meet her again, Dougie worked with her on many television shows, Royal and Veteran
Galas, My first television show at 16 was for the BBC 'Jubilee of Music' News Years Eve Show with
Dame Vera Was in the Young Generation, It was such a honour to meet her and her family... such a true British Icon
Driving past Portsmouth .. I don't know what the area is called now! Portsdown???
It was a glorious Day !!!
Only open once a month on a sunday... its like a Secret Garden!!!
COSTUME SALE!
Everything from Dancers ,Showgirls,Evening Gowns,Themed costumes, Shoes, Accessories , Fabrics, and much more etc ...
for more information
Please contact me on mail@antonyjohns.co.uk for a appointment at the studio based in Blackpool..
After the article in the Observer, Dougie was interviewed on BBC RADIO
HERES THE LINK! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040pdz0.
about 1hour 13 into the programme!!
TV dancers alive and high-kicking 40 years later
High-kicking dancers in sequinned jumpsuits, often with bowler hats or feather boas, were once a trademark of prime-time TV entertainment. And in the 1970s, the Second Generation song and dance troupe led the pack. Regularly appearing on shows such as Morecambe & Wise and The Two Ronnies, its male and female dancers also toured the world giving live performances – at the toe-tapping centre of a variety show bill.
Now, nearly four decades on, the former members of this unusually forward-thinking mixed-gender, mixed-race troupe have started meeting again to “take class” in their old London studio.
“We did a couple of routines and we remembered the steps,” said Lucy Greaves, 58, whose husband, John, also danced with the Second Generation and who went on to become a dance agent. “We all started reliving our careers. We were working with very big stars then. My favourites were the Two Ronnies: they were consummate professionals and very decent people.”
The troupe, set up by choreographer Dougie Squires as a successor to the 1960s Young Generation, worked through the 1970s and into the 1980s. Highlights included dancing for the Queen at the 1977 silver jubilee celebrations. But Squires, now 84, has never stopped. Earlier this year, he choreographed a new dance for the Queen’s 90th birthday at Windsor Castle. And since he still thinks about dance all the time, he wondered if his former dancers did the same, and invited them all to class again, in the battered rehearsal rooms they had always used in Fulham, west London. Many were happy to try again, despite the fact that they’re in their 50s or 60s.
Second Generation on stage in the 1970s
“You can change your body at any time. You can’t make it perfect, but you can change it. Dancing is a discipline for life,” Squires said. “I always used to go for individuals. If someone wore glasses, they’d keep them. Some dancers were small, some big, some black. Mine was the first integrated group on TV and that caused quite a bit of trouble at the time.”
Among those who returned to his class for fun are actress Andrée Bernard, best known for Hollyoaks; Caroline Jeffries, now head of film and television at London’s Arts Educational Schools; Petrina Langford, sister to Bonnie and aunt to West End stars Summer and Scarlett Strallen; and Katie Rabett, who was a favourite of the press when she dated Prince Andrew.
A few of the dancers are sadly missed. Wei Wei Wong, who found fame as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun and appeared alongside Bob Monkhouse on The Golden Shot, died in 1999.
In an age of licensed nostalgia, 1970s TV has been rather ignored – perhaps because of the shadow of historical abuse accusations. Squires believes this is a shame for the rest of the entertainers.
He is proud of the atmosphere he created among his dancers, helping them to cope with the demands of showbusiness: “We were a family. It was a group, but what was important to us was the individuals. I protected them and they could all ring me.”
Squires is also proud of the expressive dance style he pioneered. “TV was a new creative medium and we had to invent a style, addressing the camera to establish a relationship with the audience. The standard of dancing is much higher now, with shows like Strictly Come Dancing, but dancers don’t get the platforms or the range of work any more. Audiences used to have a choice of watching revue dancing, or variety, or tap. And I hate it now when dancers are just wallpaper behind a singer promoting a record” Among those going through their paces once more with Antony Johns, Squire’s long-term partner both at work and at home, is Deborah Goodman, 56. “This was my life and it is lovely to find all the old camaraderie,” she said. “Of course, we used to have to do it all in high heels back then. The changing rooms here are exactly the same though, sadly. Horrendous.”
Goodman, now an arts publicist, went on to present children’s TV with Johns in the 1980s, as well as acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She said she learned more with the Second Generation than at any point in her career. “His dancers were not so much about brilliant technique, especially not compared with dancers now, but we had personality.”
Johns, 56, does not compromise when he teaches the returnees. Soutenus, or quick turns, follow leg kicks and jumps. “What was lovely was seeing them after 37 years. They hadn’t forgotten,” he said. “Dancers don’t give up on dance, but dance can give up on them.” Johns was moved when one former dancer, an acrobatic star of the troupe, told him she had spent the past 20 years bringing up children and not doing anything for herself. “I thought they might all shriek with laughter when they came in, but they wanted to warm up as the music was on. And they were right there when I showed them an old routine. I have lost 20 years somewhere, because when we get together I feel just the same and talk to them in just the same way.”
Second Generation 1970’s dance troupe rehearsing this year in London. Photograph: Richard Saker for the Observer
Here is a article written by Martin Heywood of Viva
On a event I did at Viva Blackpool for Trevor George Entertainments
Q: What Do Event Bookers Want? A: An Easier Life!
Published on July 20, 2016
LikeQ: What Do Event Bookers Want? A: An Easier Life!8Comment1ShareShare Q: What Do Event Bookers Want? A: An Easier Life!4
Martin Heywood
Martin Heywood
ManAaging Director - Viva Blackpool - The Vegas Venue in the Heart of Blackpool
It's a real testament to any new guys on the block to get a pat on the back from experienced event market players... especially when they're huge corporate clients!
We all have event envy. We go to parties, corporates and the like - and we always wonder 'How long has it taken them to put all this lot together?'. Well it doesn't really have to be that complicated...
A short while ago the team at Viva Blackpool (The Vegas Venue in the Heart of Blackpool) were proud to team up with renowned choreographer Antony Johns, Adam Sternberg of London based corporate entertainment specialist 'Sternberg Clark' and various acts & artistes to celebrate the recent acquisition of 'Trevor George Entertainments' by Sternberg Clark - with a grand entertainment 'Showcase' evening with over 200 specially selected attendees from across the UK, many of whom hadn't been to Blackpool in a while.
Whilst this event was all about giving our client the best possible exposure to their invited attendees, it also really highlighted where our own team at Viva Blackpool and the facilities and expertise at our disposal stand head and shoulders above any other events venue in the area.
Where else do you have a dedicated events manager, in house and partner entertainment artists, experienced show producers, a high standard and flexible catering team, a fully functional box office, a marketing team and all the facilities 'in-house' for a truly spectacular event?
Not many other venues can boast delivery of a successful event and offer savings to give the client more for their budget than a venue which has to outsource staging, lighting, audio, production, entertainers, catering and so on...
The feedback has been incredible. We're talking about glowing praise and accolades from huge event agencies, national chains and experienced bookers... and to be perfectly honest we seemed so blasé about the whole thing when putting this together for the client because this is exactly what we do week in, week out and always to a standard which gets people talking for the right reasons.
When approached, we received the brief that this 'showcase' wasn't to be the usual run of the mill event...
Typically showcases are a conveyor belt of artists, punctuated by a compere to introduce and then back announce each artist. That's great, and showcases are very successful with their usual purpose to 'sell' an artist to a room of bookers - but our brief was to make a real 'show' of a 'showcase' and convey the message that Sternberg Clark/Viva/Antony Johns are more than just a provider of great acts and artists... we can make the whole thing 'gel' into a real 'event'.
Choreographer and creative specialist Antony Johns worked with Entertainment Director Leye Johns, MD & Technical Director Martin Heywood alongside our in-house production team and selected artists including 'The Jerseys', vocalist Emma Wright, magician Michael Jordan and the 'High Jinx' production cast, the 'Divas', Children's Party Princesses & Superheroes as well as guest artists including tributes to Celine Dion & Shirley Bassey, vocalist Catherine Kerr, a full troupe of dancers, a spectacular LED hoverboard speciality act, acrobatic and aerial artistes and a whole host of meet & greet acts to make a truly unique show, all condensed neatly into a 2 hour, 30 minute performance... with an interval squeezed in for good measure!
If you're looking to host an event, or have someone organize one for you - speak to us as part of your enquiries. Amy Mantle is our dedicated events manager available on 01253 297 297 or via events@vivablackpool.com
Photo: Getty Images
Heard the very sad news, That Stephen Spence had passed away...
I was total shock as I had only been chatting with him a short while ago...
He was a sweet guy... life and sole of the party.... we worked together on quite a few shows... from the shows I did at Butlins and then the shows in Dubai.
He was quick witted... and always fun to be around... Kept everyone amused in rehearsals...
He greatly admired Danny La Rue... which he quoted at all times ... he was the grandson of Peggy Spencer the Ballroom legend... He loved theatre and show Business... and loved the glamour of the costumes.... throughout the years he kept in contact always admiring the shows I did and loving the costumes .... He Performed at Funny Girls in Blackpool, before I worked with him.... and he had a great Bevel! (Vegas showgirl leg position!) which when we doing shows didn't always come in handy ! But we did do a production at Butlins with him being in DRAG!
Was he the first Redcoat drag performer... He would always ask me is this a good number to open with etc... so it was a sweet friendship we had...
I only discovered yesterday that apart from the red coat family we had very close mutal friends...
small world....
So God bless dear Stephen..... Sweet Dreams x
A sweet picture that Taylor Murphy put on line... HAPPY MEMORIES!
