Update : Cunard Dance Hosts

[NYCSev20]

This has been an interesting thread and maybe a little disappointing to be honest.  I am taking my first cruise on a solo crossing next year and was looking forward to the onboard lessons.  I always wanted to lean but my wife has never been interested so I thought this would be a good opportunity.  I hope they continue with the host dancers and lessons. 

 

I think I should learn a little before then so what is the one dance all of you excellent dancers suggest  for a beginner?  One that is the easy to learn that is enjoyable for a few dances a night that I might become proficient enough to not disrupt everyone else on the dance floor and hopefully not embarrass myself. YouTube has a lot of sights for online lessons, any suggestions?  

[ballroom-cruisers]

I would try to take a few lessons at a local dance school if you can. Most people start with basic waltz for ballroom and cha cha for Latin. The advantage of a human dance teacher is that you can ask questions and they can see what you're doing and offer advice on fixing basic faults. I'd also find the teacher with the best reputation near you for ballroom teaching, if possible. Don't worry about being on the dance floor as a beginner. The more experienced dancers should have no problems going past or holding on the spot until there is space to move. Either way have fun learning.

[Dancer Bob]

I agree, it will be to your benefit to take some lessons on your own.

There are a large number of schools in the New York area. In the US, dancing is broken into "Smooth" and "Rhythm". In smooth, foxtrot (sometimes called "social") is the most useful. In rhythm, it will depend on what's popular in your area, but rumba or chacha wouldn't be bad choices..

If you have some spare cash lying around, you might try one of the Stardust Dance weekends in the Catskills near Monticello. A bit overwhelming for a beginner, but they attract a lot of people from New York, and most of the instructors are from New York. You'll see a broad range of dancing, to get an idea what interests you.

[NYCSev20]

11 hours ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

I would try to take a few lessons at a local dance school if you can. Most people start with basic waltz for ballroom and cha cha for Latin. The advantage of a human dance teacher is that you can ask questions and they can see what you're doing and offer advice on fixing basic faults. I'd also find the teacher with the best reputation near you for ballroom teaching, if possible. Don't worry about being on the dance floor as a beginner. The more experienced dancers should have no problems going past or holding on the spot until there is space to move. Either way have fun learning.

Thank you.  There is a place close to where I live and they have been around for years so I'll look into it.  

[NYCSev20]

9 hours ago, Dancer Bob said:

A bit overwhelming for a beginner

Thanks Dancer Bob, I'll try a local place near me.  The Catskills sounds like something in the future if I really enjoy it. 

[Dancer Bob]

I suggest you ask about a "Bronze Medal" program. It's a substantial, multi-year commitment, but if you decide you like it, it's a concrete goal to aim for. If you reach that level, you're well-qualified as a dance host or just as a social dancer. The actual program varies slightly depending on the organization. (The two US groups I'm familiar with are DVIDA and AIDA.)

[CruiseJunkie64]

Just got back from a  Cunard QM2 transatlantic voyage Southampton to New York. There were two male  dance hosts who worked tirelessly for the whole trip, 7 days. The two dance professionals Yv and D taught basic latin and ballroom every day. These lessons were extremely well attended. We have heard a rumour that dance professionals will no longer be employed on Cunard ships. This I believe to be a big mistake. It is true that ballroom dancers do not drink as much alcohol as some other guests may do while dancing but they makeup for it in the bar later. The lessons on board encourage those people that would not normally give it a go to participate. If there is a cruise manager or director reading this then just look at any dance lesson or sequence event to gauge popularity. Many dancers choose a Cunard ship because it has a ballroom and they will be extremely disappointed if professionals are no longer engaged as this will not encourage novice and beginners to dance.  Most experienced dancers want to encourage people to dance. Removal of dance hosts mean that many single ladies will no longer book a Cunard cruise as they have no one to dance with. Remember what demographic has the most disposable income and most available time. Can you not think about encouraging more people to dance rather than removing the incentive to dance?

Thank you.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

We also just returned from the westbound TA, and though a new knee (his) and toe surgery (mine) kept us from dancing, we noticed a decline in the number and quality of musicians onboard. Except for the classical guitarist and, to a lesser degree, the pianist in the Commodore Club, we found the musicianship poorer than before. The most annoying change was that the lobby piano was used only to play itself. In the past, we’ve loved pausing to listen to a human being playing well as we moved around the ship.

 

Perhaps the arts are no longer a priority for Cunard. In any case, we expressed all of this in the survey we returned. That complaints about dance hosts seem to have made a difference makes me think perhaps we can hope for a return to overall better music for next October as well.

Edited December 26, 2023 by 2Oldpeopleinlove
Correcting poor sentence structure

[Sdancer]

2 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

We also just returned from the westbound TA, and though a new knee (his) and toe surgery (mine) kept us from dancing, we noticed a decline in the number and quality of musicians onboard. Except for the classical guitarist and, to a lesser degree, the pianist in the Commodore Club, we found the musicianship poorer than before. The most annoying change was that the lobby piano was used only to play itself. In the past, we’ve loved pausing to listen to a human being playing well as we moved around the ship.

 

Perhaps the arts are no longer a priority for Cunard. In any case, we expressed all of this in the survey we returned. That complaints about dance hosts seem to have made a difference makes me think perhaps we can hope for a return to overall better music for next October as well.

I have met a couple last Fall who just came back from their Cunard crossing.

They were very experienced ballroom dancers.

Based on their feedback I have cancelled my 2024 round trip crossing from NY.

They also mentioned about two dozen unsupervised children running around  QM2 ballroom floor during the dance.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Sdancer

[gapiro]

10 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

We also just returned from the westbound TA, and though a new knee (his) and toe surgery (mine) kept us from dancing, we noticed a decline in the number and quality of musicians onboard. Except for the classical guitarist and, to a lesser degree, the pianist in the Commodore Club, we found the musicianship poorer than before. The most annoying change was that the lobby piano was used only to play itself. In the past, we’ve loved pausing to listen to a human being playing well as we moved around the ship.

 

Perhaps the arts are no longer a priority for Cunard. In any case, we expressed all of this in the survey we returned. That complaints about dance hosts seem to have made a difference makes me think perhaps we can hope for a return to overall better music for next October as well.

As someone who is a professional musician, Cunard, and carnival in general, are VERY BEHIND with their demands on musicians. 
All cruise lines are struggling to recruit musicians and in some ways that’s come as a good thing - some of the US based lines now offer musicians contracts with no additional duties and access to guest facilities, and with individual rooms. 
Carnival don’t offer those things. Meanwhile UK cruise muso contracts are offering around the equivalent of a 25k ish salary which also hasn’t changed in probably a decade. That combined with being away from everyone you love for 6 months  at a time means you’re basically looking at very young (graduates) or retirees.  Most musicians in that respect would rather earn more money doing a day job and then work as a musician on land. 
 

The result is that a lot of the ensembles are struggling - our last cruise the jazz band ensemble had members of the show orchestra covering it daily for example. 

[gapiro]

10 minutes ago, gapiro said:

. Meanwhile UK cruise muso contracts are offering around the equivalent of a 25k ish salary which also hasn’t changed in probably a decade.

I say that. I just dug out the last agency who contacted me about a cruise contract -

 

The details were below 
Caribbean Cruise P&O Arvia
Showband
27/10-31/03 (possible to split contract if starting on 27/10)
£476 weekly, self employed no deductions or tax of over 4 months at sea.

so salary, assuming no tax, works out at the equivalent of a taxed salary of around 28k. Given the level of ability required, it’s still rather low for a full time professional job. 
 

[TouchstoneFeste]

5 hours ago, gapiro said:

As someone who is a professional musician, Cunard, and carnival in general, are VERY BEHIND with their demands on musicians. 
All cruise lines are struggling to recruit musicians and in some ways that’s come as a good thing - some of the US based lines now offer musicians contracts with no additional duties and access to guest facilities, and with individual rooms. 
Carnival don’t offer those things. Meanwhile UK cruise muso contracts are offering around the equivalent of a 25k ish salary which also hasn’t changed in probably a decade. That combined with being away from everyone you love for 6 months  at a time means you’re basically looking at very young (graduates) or retirees.  Most musicians in that respect would rather earn more money doing a day job and then work as a musician on land. 
 

The result is that a lot of the ensembles are struggling - our last cruise the jazz band ensemble had members of the show orchestra covering it daily for example. 

Curious ... what are "other duties"?

 

Do the same conditions apply to the "headliners" (the lounge pianists and harpists)? I presume not to those who appear in the theater?

 

[Victoria2]

2 minutes ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

Curious ... what are "other duties"?

 

Do the same conditions apply to the "headliners" (the lounge pianists and harpists)? I presume not to those who appear in the theater?

 

We have seen the Ents staff help with tours and occasionally, being the staff member on a tour bus.

[TouchstoneFeste]

15 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

We have seen the Ents staff help with tours and occasionally, being the staff member on a tour bus.

That must have been on a very large bus, but at least you wouldn't lose them in a crowd at a tourist site.

 

[Victoria2]

59 minutes ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

That must have been on a very large bus, but at least you wouldn't lose them in a crowd at a tourist site.

 

I don't understand your reply

[gapiro]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

We have seen the Ents staff help with tours and occasionally, being the staff member on a tour bus.

Yeah it varies line to line but typically it’s general ‘need a body’ things like boarding , life jacket demonstrations , tours etc. on some lines they have to be on the fire crew rotas etc too. 
it also varies if you’re in the theatre band , or party band or (in the case of Cunard) the ballroom band. The theatre band on cunard is usually rehearsing in the day with the evenings guest if it’s a guest singer etc. or they work doing jazz in the lion instead.
The guest artists usually have a passenger cabin or individual crew cabins. 
 

[TouchstoneFeste]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

I don't understand your reply

Ents are the tree-people in J.R.R. Tolkien's books - a popular crossword puzzle answer if nothing else. (I know their also onboard entertainers.)

[TouchstoneFeste]

2 hours ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

Ents are the tree-people in J.R.R. Tolkien's books - a popular crossword puzzle answer if nothing else. (I know their also onboard entertainers.)

Sorry "they're onboard entertainers"

[MelbTone]

My last pre-Covid QE cruise had a couple of dance hosts assisting in hosting the solo meets.

[Dancer Bob]

Several years ago I saw some management bios that seemed to emphasise drink-til-you-drop bar experience. I have no idea what turnover has been since, but the philosophy doesn't seem to have changed.

I see this thread is up to 5.6k views. Although I suspect that dancers of all kinds, don't add a whole lot of dollars to the bottom line.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Dancer Bob

[Napagirl]

We're taking our first cruise with Cunard in 2024 and I was incredibly excited about the dance hosts. I love to ballroom dance (I also do vintage dancing) but my husband almost never wants to. Ah well, we shall see. Also, as a professional jazz singer, I have always ended up being invited to "sit in" with the bands and crooners on our cruises. Wonder if we can work that out this time too? Sounds like there might be an opening. haha!

[NE John]

27 minutes ago, Napagirl said:

vintage dancing

Please explain. 1920’s flapper-type dancing?

[Napagirl]

3 minutes ago, NE John said:

Please explain. 1920’s flapper-type dancing?

Vintage dancing is an authentic recreation of historical dance styles. Usually in a big hall with a live band and we dress formally, with some in historical attire. For more info, you could google Gaskell Ball and PEERS which are the two I've attended. We dance waltzes, galop, schottische, polka and many more including line dances such as Strip the Willow.

 

But for what it's worth, I can also dance like a flapper 😉 

[Queenvee]

FYI...On the November 19, 2023 QM2 crossing, the ship was full and there was one dance host couple - man and woman.  A dismal reduction from a few years ago when there were at least 4 male hosts on crossings.

[ballroom-cruisers]

A little update on the recent QV Christmas cruise - on that voyage there were two dance hosts who were invited to that role for the 15 night voyage, and worked tirelessly and really nicely throughout the voyage as dance hosts in the evenings, as well as running the beginner ballroom classes on sea days. In addition there were to young guys who were also dance hosts every evening, and in the ballroom classes, who were crew members from the entertainment team working that role as part of their longer contracts.  There was no professional dance couple, to do show dances on Gala evenings as used to be the case previously. Whether this arrangement, with four dance hosts, or something different, will remain to be seen as we go through this year.