Cunard story on their web site about ballroom dancing

[ballroom-cruisers]

I came across this Cunard story on the Cunard web site:

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/cunard-stories/shall-we-dance

 

The story is from 20th July - can anyone comment on whether this is the reality at the present time on QM2, or the other two ships right now?

[majortom10]

Certainly wasn't the reality in May on our roundtrip TA on QM2.

[ballroom-cruisers]

Not the reality for us either - so wondered how they can publish this if it is not the experience on current voyages?

[Winifred 22]

I am on in two weeks time for a  there and back TA. Even though I am a solo, this is something that does not interest me especially the solo meet ups but happy to wander over to Queen’s room and see what’s what and report back. 

[NE John]

There was a very nice couple who were dance hosts and maybe one more host during our June TA. They were at the midday dance classes and checked in with us (me really…) afterwards for follow-up. 
However, the impression of a floor full of dance hosts for single dancers in the QR is a fantasy.  
Why would Cunard increase passenger “atmosphere” expectations in the QR when the reality doesn’t match? 
 

[BklynBoy8]

On the September and recent July sailings. We did recognize and view a Dance Host offering his assistance to each side of the room with female passengers accepting their offer.

 

Past Sailing we have viewed them assisting in BINGO also.

 

Also in the past,  as an accompaniment on shore excursions to help keep those in the rear with the group together.

 

So yes Dance Hosts have been active on our past sailings.

[ballroom-cruisers]

The question was not about past sailings but current voyages.

[SusanS54]

I read this too and was a little surprised - particularly with the comment "up to 10 dance hosts"   I have travelled on 9 Transatlantics (or segments of the World Cruise) since 2014 and there have only ever been a max of 6 dance hosts - usually 4 on TAs / 6 on World.   Because of health issues after the pandemic I could only start back cruising in November 2022.   There were no dance hosts on the November cruise but there were two on the last minute Coronation Cruise.     I am looking forward to the Dance the Atlantic Crossing in two weeks time and would be delighted to see 10 dance hosts but am not expecting to see more than 2.      The dance hosts did always host the solos coffee morning but these were unhosted on my two recent cruises.    

[ballroom-cruisers]

I would also be interested to hear if there are any dance professionals on board at all - there have been very recent changes that would suggest there may be no ballroom dance professionals on board at all on any of the ships from now on, and that there may be no more than 2 dance hosts - who may be doing the ballroom classes because the dance professionals who usually do so may not be on board.  So anyone on board at the moment who could say what is happening on current voyages would be very useful to hear what the situation is now.

[Pushpit]

On the QV service that left last Sunday, there were no dance professionals, but Victor and Linda were dance hosts and introduced as such; they also ran the classes for beginners. There was also a group of skilled dancers who wore badges and at least unofficially were happy to be paired up with solo dancers.

[BklynBoy8]

2 hours ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

The question was not about past sailings but current voyages.

 

As mentioned, last September and last month is as current as I experienced and viewed....Sorry...

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, Pushpit said:

On the QV service that left last Sunday, there were no dance professionals, but Victor and Linda were dance hosts and introduced as such; they also ran the classes for beginners. There was also a group of skilled dancers who wore badges and at least unofficially were happy to be paired up with solo dancers.

 

On QM2 the June 30th - July 7th we did have a two Dance Professionals that preformed in the QR twice during the sailing. Also saw them giving lessons twice before BINGO in the QR. Don't remember their names.

 

And the last several 4th July sailings on the QM2 we had the group with name badges that sort of took over the dance floor and danced with their own group. Never offered to a Solo or Dear Lady with a companion with 2 left feet.

[ballroom-cruisers]

I believe the big changes o the dancing arrangements have happened in the last couple of weeks, and correspond to the situation that Pushpit has described a couple of posts ago - I don't know the couple called Victor and Linda, but the description of them as dance hosts who ran the beginner dance classes, is exactly what I heard is the 'new way' that Cunard is bringing in - no dance professionals, and therefore no show dances on Gala nights in the Queenrs Room, and the dance host couple run the beginner ballroom classes on sea days as well as act as dance hosts all evening in the Queens Room, and also meet up with solo passengers at the solos meetings in the Commodore Club.  Given that some weeks ago I also saw theatre dancers attend the beginner dance classes when they were being run  by the dance professionals, it is possible that there may be some plan to get the theatre dancers to act as dance hosts as well, but that is why I asked the question about anyone currently on board to see whether these changes are being brought in on all three ships, or just QV at the moment. No doubt I will see changes when I am next on board later this summer.

[Pushpit]

OK, that makes sense for the other "skilled dancers" at the 2 evening sessions, I hadn't realised they may have been theatre dancers, but it makes sense: they all knew each other but tried to dance with other people more than with people in that group. As theatre crew they would have a badge but not necessarily a fixed attire. Three or four of them definitely knew their stuff, e.g. on foxtrots, and the others seem adept at picking up moves fast. I didn't really notice them at the lunchtime practice session.

[Se1lad]

12 hours ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

Not the reality for us either - so wondered how they can publish this if it is not the experience on current voyages?

I suppose ‘up to ten dance hosts’ can also mean zero!  The story does make it sound like the dance hosts are going to be readily available though!

[surreymum]

I have 2 friends that are dance hosts and they have just set sail.

[JAT0303]

We are just off the Queen Elizabeth and the only dance hosts were the two professional dancers.  The floor was always very crowded (recorded, duo and band) and not a very good dance experience.

[axelskater]

That article sounds like QM2 before covid. I have not been on her since then. But I was on the QE in July. Zero dance hosts. Music in QR is not my favorite. The most crowded night of dancing was the Big Band Night. I am not sure why Cunard has gone completely modern in their ballrooms. I am not really wanting to dance to "Don't ya wish your girlfriend was hot like me"? in the ballroom. Yes I am younger than many of the "average" age of Cunard pax but I sail Cunard because we love hearing big band and Sinatra and the like. 

Not sure why they cannot mix a few modern songs along with a few standards in the evenings i the ballroom if they are trying to trend in that direction. From my observations, it was not a popular change. I think people want a mix but who knows. The most popular night was the night we heard all the standards. The article linked by the OP was a complete fallacy. 

As for International dance couple - we had one and they performed in the queens room, gave all the lessons, and danced in the Yacht Club with passengers. 

[ballroom-cruisers]

19 minutes ago, JAT0303 said:

We are just off the Queen Elizabeth and the only dance hosts were the two professional dancers.  The floor was always very crowded (recorded, duo and band) and not a very good dance experience.

 

That is pretty unusual - the dance professionals have never acted as general dance hosts in the past - but only did paid-for sessions in the evenings, as a training 45 minute period if solo dancers wished to pay for that service. But I would be interested to know who that professional dance couple are on QE at the moment, and whether they are finishing their current contract and then leaving, or whether they are continuing to further contracts with Cunard as dance professionals, but with added responsibilities to be dance hosts as well as their previous duties?

[ballroom-cruisers]

6 minutes ago, axelskater said:

That article sounds like QM2 before covid. I have not been on her since then. But I was on the QE in July. Zero dance hosts. Music in QR is not my favorite. The most crowded night of dancing was the Big Band Night. I am not sure why Cunard has gone completely modern in their ballrooms. I am not really wanting to dance to "Don't ya wish your girlfriend was hot like me"? in the ballroom. Yes I am younger than many of the "average" age of Cunard pax but I sail Cunard because we love hearing big band and Sinatra and the like. 

Not sure why they cannot mix a few modern songs along with a few standards in the evenings i the ballroom if they are trying to trend in that direction. From my observations, it was not a popular change. I think people want a mix but who knows. The most popular night was the night we heard all the standards. The article linked by the OP was a complete fallacy. 

As for International dance couple - we had one and they performed in the queens room, gave all the lessons, and danced in the Yacht Club with passengers. 

 

There are quite a lot of people who, like you and I, love the Big Band era music, the swing era, the RatPack era music, both to listen to as well as to dance to. But in recent years we have also danced to more modern music that is not just pop music but has a tempo that matches one or other of the International Standard dances - there are pop songs that are cheeky superb cha cha, wonderful waltzes, fabulous foxtrots, romantic rumbas, and fit beautifully to those dances despite being pop songs. 

If the band is aware of how people dance, they can indeed play a mix of traditional classic pieces or modern songs if they understand the rhythms properly.  There are also lots of classic film themes that are great ballroom or Latin dances - some of the Bond film themes are lovely foxtrots or rumbas for example. There are certainly disco music sets where dancers can also dance various ballroom or Latin dances to the music - and jives of course too.

So yes I didn't understand how the article I linked had any connection to what happens on today's voyages, from several of the bits of information in that story, which is why I raised the issue as a question.

[axelskater]

8 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

 

There are quite a lot of people who, like you and I, love the Big Band era music, the swing era, the RatPack era music, both to listen to as well as to dance to. But in recent years we have also danced to more modern music that is not just pop music but has a tempo that matches one or other of the International Standard dances - there are pop songs that are cheeky superb cha cha, wonderful waltzes, fabulous foxtrots, romantic rumbas, and fit beautifully to those dances despite being pop songs. 

If the band is aware of how people dance, they can indeed play a mix of traditional classic pieces or modern songs if they understand the rhythms properly.  There are also lots of classic film themes that are great ballroom or Latin dances - some of the Bond film themes are lovely foxtrots or rumbas for example. There are certainly disco music sets where dancers can also dance various ballroom or Latin dances to the music - and jives of course too.

So yes I didn't understand how the article I linked had any connection to what happens on today's voyages, from several of the bits of information in that story, which is why I raised the issue as a question.

Oh, I of course did not mean anything by it towards you - more that I cannot believe Cunard put out this article which makes one think of the way the voyages were pre-2020. I am glad you posted it because it makes me wonder if they are getting complaints and are trying to assure people they will still have all genres... One thing, is I do not mind the modern music mixed in. I do not really need 3 hours of it every night in the QR. I hope they find a happy medium. 

[ballroom-cruisers]

Sure and it sounds like Cunard have been making changes after change to a number of staff in headquarters who have 'new' ideas to make Cunard more modern!  I will be most interested to hear how things change this summer on each of the ships, because dancing is so important to my enjoyment of a cruise.  Of course the orchestras vary, and we have seen some who are really superb but others who are in the Queens Room who are not experienced playing music suitable for dancers, and at times play music that leads to the room slowly emptying. It is pretty obvious when they play suitable music because people get on the floor and enjoy themselves, whether classic dance pieces or more modern songs that really are suitable to dance to. The one common factor seems to be when they play modern music that is almost impossible to dance to and when that happens very few passengers get in the floor at all.

[NE John]

4 hours ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

Sure and it sounds like Cunard have been making changes after change to a number of staff in headquarters who have 'new' ideas to make Cunard more modern!  I will be most interested to hear how things change this summer on each of the ships, because dancing is so important to my enjoyment of a cruise.  Of course the orchestras vary, and we have seen some who are really superb but others who are in the Queens Room who are not experienced playing music suitable for dancers, and at times play music that leads to the room slowly emptying. It is pretty obvious when they play suitable music because people get on the floor and enjoy themselves, whether classic dance pieces or more modern songs that really are suitable to dance to. The one common factor seems to be when they play modern music that is almost impossible to dance to and when that happens very few passengers get in the floor at all.

We had a problem with pop songs arranged (to us) oddly and modern music that is almost impossible to dance to as you stated exactly. We found many arrangements off, as I mentioned in a previous post. 

[ballroom-cruisers]

6 hours ago, NE John said:

We had a problem with pop songs arranged (to us) oddly and modern music that is almost impossible to dance to as you stated exactly. We found many arrangements off, as I mentioned in a previous post. 

 

Yes indeed.  A good orchestra with top level musicians will be able to play a wide range of genres but still understand tempo and phrasing to fit with all the necessary dances.

 

On some voyages the musicians have not been up to that level, and particularly if the percussionist does not understand dance rhythms.  There have certainly been times when the timing of the beats in a cha cha has been odd such that you have to mentally ignore the drummer, and focus on only the start of each bar, and do your own timing in your soul (!) so that your body can move naturally - which is not easy. Similarly some rumbas have been totally wrong clave beat timing within the bar, and some foxtrots have had the incorrect phrasing for slows and quicks, and sometimes outside of acceptable tempo ranges  - and it certainly doesn't help if the vocalist is singing her heart out, but not phrased to the underlying correct rhythm, for any of the dances. 

 

We have had situations where the orchestra leader has announced that they will play a piece of music 'in the style of a samba'. They start playing and the dancers look around the room, and at each other, with a quizzical expression, each thinking, 'errm, that is no way a samba'.  One couple will get on the floor and attempt a samba, and struggle like mad and be at odds with the music - another couple will get on the floor and start to do a jive, with the first couple then switching from samba to jive also, and both couples then 'get by' even though the music doesn't actually work for any dances! Others tarts to leave the room as the dancing is not fun to do and no fun to watch!

 

However on other voyages the orchestra has had excellent knowledgable musicians and vocalists, who really do know what dance music is about, and then dancing to the live music is second to none in terms of enjoyable experience of movement.  I rather like this latter kind of orchestra!

[ballroom-cruisers]

I realised there was a typo in my post - in the penultimate paragraph the word 'tarts' should have been 'start' - but I can no longer edit the post!

Edited July 31, 2023 by ballroom-cruisers
typo