Crawley Happy Times were invited down to meet the Topaz Baton Twirling Team at St Johns Church in Crawley to see what they are all about.
Jenny Johnson, Corps Director and Jodie O’Shaughnessy, Trainer, were there to greet us and introduce us to the team of baton twirlers. Jenny started baton twirling when she was just ten years old. Jenny went on to introduce her daughter to baton twirling when she was just three.
What is baton twirling?
Baton twirling is an international sport involving the movement of a metal rod while performing a rhythmic routine. The sport is enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels and is thought to have evolved from the practice of rifle twirling at army parades. Governed by two recognized organizations, the World Baton Twirling Federation and the World Twirling Association, twirlers can compete in various events at the World Championships and International Cup. Baton twirling is a recognized sport involving the balance and movement of a baton while performing a rhythmic, gymnastic-like routine. SOURCE:
Who can attend the Topaz Baton Twirling Team classes?
Jenny told Crawley Happy Times “the class is open to everyone. There are no age restrictions. It is left down to the discretion of the parents, which also goes for any children with disabilities. We would like to get more boys involved to be honest. Our best twirler is a boy. We used to have about twenty five members but have diminished in members since Christmas. We would welcome anyone to come and try the class for free”. Jodie went on to say “Topaz Baton Twirling Team have represented England in the National for the last ten years. We are very proud of the standard of our baton twirlers and have members who travel to the classes from quite far afield”.
Laura Lambert let CHT finger puppet have a go at baton twirling
We spoke to the girls present. They were helping the younger ones with their practise and told us they enjoy the classess and love going to competitions. Laura Lambert told us “it has been a real boost for my confidence and I have made some great friends to”.
When and where are the classes held?
Classes are currently held at St Johns Church in Crawley’s town centre.
Mondays – Beginners Class 18.00 – 20.00
Sundays – Advanced Class 18.00 – 20.00
NOTE: The organisers are currently searching for a new venue with high ceilings (which is affordable). As much as they appreciate St John’s hospitality, they need a higher area. If you have any interest in helping please contact us directly and we will put you in touch with the organisers.
We would like to thank everyone for their hospitality, we were made most welcome.
We took some footage of the members practising and interviewed Jodie and Jenny. Thank you to the Laura Johnson, Rebecca Potterton and Laura Lambert for speaking to us.
Crawley Happy Times at The Annual Crawley Irish Festival
On Sunday, 30th August 2009, flags came out, outfits were donned, jigs were performed and music was played.
Where did this all happen? At the 14th annual Crawley Irish Festival, held on Southgate playing fields. This festival was supported by the Irish Government, through the Dion fund, Crawley Borough Council, West Sussex County Council and the Crawley Town Centre Partnership with additional sponsorship from the Murphy Group and O’Connor Utilites Limited.
The weather was slightly breezy on the day but this did not deter the hundreds of people who attended! Crawley Happy Times had the honour of a stand at the event. We set up and proudly awaited any interest in our posters and pens.
The Lions Club Mascot
The day was full of entertainment and Irish dancers, showing off their talents, from 3 different stages strategically set about the field. There were various other stands, all raising money for the next Irish Festival in 2010. There were some of the usual faces; you know, the ones who always help out and raise money for great causes, and, of course some new fundraisers too. We had the pleasure of seeing the Worshipful the Mayor Brenda Burgess, her lovely husband and we also met John Nolan, Chairman of the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society, who will be speaking to Crawley Happy Times in the near future to update us on the money raised. As soon as he has recovered from arranging this amazing event, that is!
On the Dome Stage the entertainment was relentless: The Olive Stones opened the musical interlude and were swiftly followed by Martin Ruddy, Kathy Durkin, Reelstrings and last, but not least, Shawn Cuddy. On the Trad stage we were treated to a great array of Irish music by Brogue, Flying Toads, Dun The Veil, Siansa and Crannog. The last stage; the Irish Dancing Stage, was the venue for the Irish dance competition. The beautiful children vying for the top prize were either part of the O’Brien School of Dancing or the Andromeda Edmonds School of Dancing. The dancers were immaculately presented and moved like angels. Pictures to follow.
Gordon Skeggs looked after the main stage, including the sound and lighting. Gordon now has a big, red coach which tours on roadshows, promotions, festivals and various other events. The name of Gordon’s company, Just Unique is very apt as so is Gordon!
Gordon Skeggs with his bus
Obviously, at an Irish Festival, there had to be a beer tent. Drinkers weren’t disappointed: Guinness and various other lagers were on tap. After all, a festival is not a festival without a beer tent!
People brought picnics and blankets (some even brought their own chairs) and sat on the field enjoying the music. There were plenty of activities to keep the children happy, including two bouncy castles and a mini fun fair. The local constabulary were on hand, keeping a watchful eye on the day, although, thankfully, their arresting presence was deterrance enough.
The St. John Ambulance crew were also on hand to help with any injuries, which were, thankfully, minimal.
Volunteers for the day
If you have never been to the Crawley Irish Festival in the past 14 years then, we recommend you put this date in your diary for next year.
It occurs on the same August Bank Holiday Sunday, every year. Not only is it a wonderful day for the whole family, it is also a chance to meet up with friends for nibbles and a drink or two.
We very much look forward to attending next year and hope John enjoyed it enough to want to do it all over again.
Our thanks go to John Nolan for the stand, Linda Silence of Visions Photography for taking some great pictures on our behalf and to all those who came to our stand in support of Crawley Happy Times. Oh and a special thank you to Madeleine Mills representing The Lions Club, who let us borrow some ballons for our stand.
“There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them” – Vicki Baum
On Tuesday, Shelley, Becky and I went to Crawley Salsa to trip the light fantastic.
We arrived at Pizza Express, on the Boulevard in Crawley, at 7.45pm for an 8pm start. As we arrived, Jon, the owner of Crawley Salsa, welcomed us and we stood on the sidelines, nervously waiting for the warm up to begin.
Getting started
Shelley and I stood at the end of the row of eager dancers, hoping our videographer, Becky Fuller, wouldn’t film too many of our misguided steps! (See below for videos).
As the warm-up commenced, we quickly got into the rhythm of things and were swaying our hips in time to the music. Sadly, our feet had other ideas…
Once we’d done our five minute warm-up, we broke up into two groups – the initiated and the beginners.
The great thing about Crawley Salsa is that it’s open to everyone; even, as their site’s FAQ proclaims, those with ‘two left feet’. This was music to my ears, as I regularly trip over, even when completely sober.
Three steps to graceful dancing
Duncan and Lucy, the teachers assigned to the novices, expertly guided us through three basic dance moves. The first, ‘Son’, was a simple back-and-forth movement. When we were asked to pair up, Shelley and I immediately went to dance with each other. However, we were soon politely coerced into dancing with one of the four available men.
Dancing with a stranger
I paired up first with Aaron, 21, an electrical engineer from Crawley. As I learned later, this was his second lesson and he was attending with a friend who was dancing in the more advanced group. Aaron told me that he came to the lessons because he wanted to meet new people and add some variety to the working week. When I enquired as to how long he planned to come to the lessons, he grinned and exclaimed that he hoped he would be coming ‘for a very, very long time’. Obviously, Jon and co. had made a good impression.
Shelley paired up with Arturas, a Lithuanian chap, who told me that he was a keen and experienced ballroom dancer. This much was clear, as he demonstrated some great control over the ladies and moved like a pro.
Dance move one: Son
After a few giggles of embarrassment and looking at the floor, we were soon dancing the ‘Son’. In Cuban Salsa Dancing, the man is in control, which caused a little confusion as we were all new to this sexy, passionate choreography. Some of the more dominant women (read: Shelley and I) were a little uncomfortable at letting a man take the lead, but we soon got used to it.
Dance move two: Enchufla
Once we’d got the hang of the basic steps, we moved on to the ‘Enchufla’ (shuffle). The Enchufla includes a turn, which meant a little more co-ordination than the steps we’d learnt before. Stepping back and then forward, both partners must then turn 360 degrees and return to the normal position.
Dance move three: Dile que’no
Once Duncan and Lucy had decided that we were ready to move on to the last dance move for the evening, we were shown the Dile que’no (tell her no). When I learnt this move alone, I was fine. However, when a man was added into the equation, I found it difficult to grasp. It must have just been me, because everyone else seemed to pick it up quickly.
Swapping partners every few minutes added variety to the class and we met lots of new people. The ratio of the class is generally 60:40 women to men, yet as we rotated on a regular basis, we always managed to dance with a partner of the opposite sex.
Advanced dancers
As Shelley and I were so engrossed in sashaying across the glossy floor with our lovely partners, we didn’t see too much of the advanced class. However, from what we did observe, everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time.
I later interviewed Synnove from Norway, and Rachel, from Crawley, who told me that they’d been attending the classes since January. Although Rachel had been ‘dragged along’ by Synnove, who took the lead in finding a Salsa class, Rachel soon started to realise the benefits of attending Crawley Salsa as she had ‘lots of fun’ at the class and had met ‘loads of really great new people’, some of whom are now good friends.
Crawley Happy Times says…
Shelley and I really enjoyed our night. Not only did we have great fun, we learnt some wonderful new moves and have been practicing them around the office! We really recommend that you visit Pizza Express on a Tuesday night, partake of their lovely food, (which we sampled ourselves) and then head upstairs for some saucy, spicy footwork with Jon and all the team at Crawley Salsa!
Watch Shelley and I in the beginners’ class in the video below:
What should I wear?
Some people dress up for the class and some people come in what they were wearing at work, so it really doesn’t matter what you wear, as long as it’s comfortable and doesn’t restrict your movement too much.
Jon says that the best type of shoe to wear is one with a sole that will turn well on a wooden floor. Trainers, whilst comfortable, usually have a rubber sole that will prevent you turning properly, so avoid those if you can. Ladies who wish to wear heels should find ones with a lower heel. I suggest kitten heels for comfort and style. More from Jon, in this video, below:
Or, of course, you can just turn up at Pizza Express [map] on a Tuesday night at 7.45pm.
* As Jon gets a lot of spam, he uses ‘Spambot’ which will reply to your email, asking you to confirm your membership of the human race by clicking a link.
