MayHeyDays January 2020

mayheydays@lists.phcomp.co.uk

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4 discussions

Dance competition and ticket deadline
by Announcements for May HeyDays 31 Jan '20

31 Jan '20

1. May Heydays: Annual Original Dance Competition The festival proposes in this and future years to invite any caller out there to devise an original composition to be danced and judged by dancers at the event, with a single winner. The author's attendance at the festival would be very welcome but is not a condition of entry. This year's genre will be "Playford-style", by which loose term we mean a dance which might have been published between 1651 and 1801. The tune used will not be part of the competition, but may be new or existing, or a description can be given of the music required (such as 3 x 32 bar smooth jigs). The dance must be suitable for an ordinary dance club in England, rather than for a display team or workshop. Full rules for the competition will be published shortly. 2. The Deadline is Nigh Today's the day, so don't delay, to book your place at May Heydays It must be said, no other way, tomorrow morn the price we raise…... Early-bird weekend ticket today: £85 Weekend ticket from Feb 1st: £97 (With apologies to those already booked and anyone who appreciates accomplished verse). Mecki and the team

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Workshops - a clarification
by Announcements for May HeyDays 28 Jan '20

28 Jan '20

The wording in our previous mail on workshops to be provided by Carol and Joanna seems to have led to some confusion. It was not our intention that those who have booked for the weekend had to state which workshops they would attend. It was to give the chance to be involved in developing the programme by asking people to vote which of the offered workshops they would like to see included over the weekend. The choices on offer can be accessed via the Programme page on the website - which leads to the following page: mayheydays.org.uk/choices.html You can vote for up to 6 of Carol's offered nine workshops, and up to 5 of Joanna's offered ten. Mecki will base her selection on the votes received. Saturday's Costume Ball Due to the popularity of the Saturday Ball we have decided to utilize our "spare" hall, the large gym, if at all possible. We will have to get some anti-reverberation measures in place to overcome issues that hearing aid users may have with the acoustics. We are working on that. So, please bear with us, while we try to sort this out. Meanwhile, please keep stating your ball preferences on the booking form. Mecki and the team

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May Heydays Update
by Announcements for May HeyDays 26 Jan '20

26 Jan '20

Dear Supporters IT’S ON THE UP! Come all ye festival supporters, toe-tapping sons and swinging daughters, All those who’ve not yet filled the urge to book a ticket, make a splurge, The time is nigh so act at once, delay no longer, be no dunce The ‘Early-bird’ will soon take flight and disappear on Br*x*t night - From Feb the 1st the cost gets higher - read it on a May Heydays flyer. We want you, one, we want you all, we’re waiting here to take your call Come book in droves, you dancing host, online, by email, pigeon post, Remember though, the deadline’s tight, Jan 31st, at 12, midnight! A weekend ticket for May Heydays costs £85 until Friday, then moves to £97! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Further news: 1. Workshop Preferences Those who are booked and have not yet done so are invited to pick their preferred workshops: by Carol Ormand <http://www.mayheydays.org.uk/choices.html#Carol> and Joanna Reiner <http://www.mayheydays.org.uk/choices.html#Joanna>. Just reply to this mail with your selection. 2. Costume Balls The Saturday ball has now reached its pre-bookings limit. However, it will be up to Joanna to decide when we have a full house. Dancers who have not booked are welcome to queue in the hope of getting in. The good news is that Rhodri's Sunday evening ball still has pre-booking places left. Dancers can also queue on the night (last year everyone who wanted got in). 3. New Callers Keeping up the Eastbourne tradition of offering new festival callers a training experience, we have a double session "New Callers' Showcase" on Saturday afternoon. If you wish to take part, please reply to this mail and we will pass your name on to Rhodri and John who will be your mentors in 2020. So far, these sessions are under-subscribed - we'll pinch the second slot for a surprise workshop if numbers remain low (last year we had 6 callers). 4. Callers' Forum For the first time, this year we are offering a double "Callers' Round". These are two workshops where callers can discuss issues close to their heart. Colin Hume has volunteered to facilitate one of these, we are not sure yet who will do the second one. We're open to offers. 5. Sorry Love, Tea Dance is Off! The tea dance will not be happening this year as too few of last year's 'trainee' callers wished to take part. With a shortened weekend, we'll to use the hall for other things. We are all really pleased by our weekend numbers so far (currently 170, with 37% new to the festival) but please don't worry about space. We have a spare hall!!! Mecki and the team Tel 01308 423 442

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Points of Interest
by Announcements for May HeyDays 13 Jan '20

13 Jan '20

An Update on How We Are Doing - and Points of Interest. 1. Attendance It's a pleasure to report we have just received our 150th weekend booking - ahead of last year at this time (131). Over 35% of these are newcomers to us - including two from Brisbane! But, we'd like at least 50 more (100, says Mecki !). Lots of our regulars are still to put pen to paper - so, remember you have until 31st January to book at £85 a ticket - then it goes to £97. 2. Callers' Showcase As in the past few years, we will be running the Callers' Showcase. So, if you are a newish caller who would like to call at May Heydays, please reply to this mail, and we'll pass your name on to Rhodri and John who will be leading the workshop. Feedback will be given behind the scenes, while the next caller starts explaining their dance. That way we'll get through more dances than was the case last year, and it should be a more satisfying experience for everyone involved. 3. The Hard of Hearing We've had a mail from a dancer affected by hearing loss, and we want to ensure all can enjoy the weekend. The points raised have been discussed with callers, the sound team and the school; all will do their level best to make our weekend a pleasurable experience for EVERYONE, not just those who have no trouble with their hearing! An advice sheet has been developed for callers and the sound team which will give tips on how to facilitate the process of enabling everyone on the dance floor to have the chance to hear what the caller is saying. This will include using a microphone on the dance floor when demonstrating a figure, for example. However, it is important that everyone in the room is considerate and keeps the noise down, especially during walk-throughs. As we all know, noise levels can be high and difficult for all dancers, not just those with hearing issues! From looking at the venue pictures, fears were raised that there will be reverberation issues with some of the halls. We have spoken with - and been round - the school twice, with a member of the sound team. The smaller gym has had some remedial work done which, we have been assured, has addressed reverberation issues in that particular hall. The only other hall known to suffer from reverberation is the Large Gym. This is a space suitable for over a hundred dancers but in view of current number expectations we do not anticipate its use this year. Should numbers rise substantially, such that we need this Gym, we'll look into working on the reverberation issue beforehand. The guide for callers regarding hearing loss issues will be published shortly on Facebook. The whole team is keen to hear of further points anyone would like to see added. 4. Carol's Workshop Programme. Once you have booked to come, you get the chance to participate in the Programming Process! Carol Ormand has sent us a list of 9 possible workshops. Unfortunately, we only have space for six! Have a look at this page: http://www.mayheydays.org.uk/choices.html. It gives you the chance to state your preferences. Voting closes on 31 January! Mecki Testroet, Director Monty Crook, Ticketing -- Tel 01308 423 442

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MayHeyDays January 2020