Queen's Room Orchestra: - can they play strict-tempo yet?

[Slow Foxtrot]

My wife and I are are regular cruisers and keen ballroom dancers and we were attracted to Queen Mary 2 by the thought of the biggest ballroom at sea. We therefore joined the ship in its inaugural year but were very disappointed to discover that the so-called Queen's Orchestra were unable to play such basic dances as the waltz and the quickstep in the correct tempo.The waltzes were laughably fast and the quicksteps much too slow. Although nothing should surprise us in this day and age I found it inconceivable that Cunard could spend millions of pounds building a beautiful ballroom and then engage musicians, and a dance band leader, who were not au fait with British dancing. So okay, Cunard is owned by Americans, but they are forever stressing its British atmosphere and credentials! Of course, the band must cater for all tastes but the waltz and the quickstep are absolutely fundamental to any ballroom. Ironically, it was wonderful to dance to a compact disc of real dance music during the interval! Suffice it to say that we have recently returned from dancing on P & O's Oriana and, although it has a smaller floor, on this occasion the dance band really knew their stuff.

 

At the moment we are considering the possibility of another cruise on Queen Mary 2 but, before we book, we would be grateful if any recent passengers who enjoy proper dancing could confirm if the Queen's Orchestra have now got their act together. Let's face it, if Cunard continue to boast about their wonderful ballroom then it's surely not unreasonable for passengers to expect dance musicians who can do it justice! Can anyone please put our mind at rest and confirm that Cunard have seen the light and all is now well? Many thanks indeed for any information.

[ocngypz]

I can sympathize with your plight!

 

You just never know who the orchestra members will be. But I must say it has been years since I've heard an orchestra at sea play strict tempo.

[travel-to-go]

The waltzes were laughably fast and the quicksteps much too slow. So okay, Cunard is owned by Americans, but they are forever stressing its British atmosphere and credentials! Of course, the band must cater for all tastes but the waltz and the quickstep are absolutely fundamental to any ballroom..

 

I can't answer that, as I can no longer dance at all (wisfully) due to medical factors.

However, nothing particularly British about the Waltz and foxtrot! Maybe it's that new youth demographic everyone (including my comnpany) seems to be aiming for.

Oh, wait I see your problem. That wasn't a waltz! They were playing POLKAs

(Oh great, now I have polksa rolling around in my head insted of "a view of the Hudson, just over the drive" )(-see previous post)

 

Karie, Who wishes she could dance- at ANY tempo!

[Slow Foxtrot]

I can sympathize with your plight!

 

You just never know who the orchestra members will be. But I must say it has been years since I've heard an orchestra at sea play strict tempo.

 

Dear Ocngypz, (sorry I don't know your second name!)

Thanks for the sympathy, but we are not talking rocket science here. It should be simplicity itself for any self-respecting dance-orchestra to play strict-tempo. As mentioned in my original post, we recently danced to a Polish quartet on the Oriana and their tempos for all dances were spot on. Okay, so many of the younger generations are not interested in ballroom dancing. But which generation are the shipping lines' best customers? Just check the silver hair to find out! It would be interesting to know if anyone can recommend specific ships that do have excellent dance-bands.

 

Regards.

Slow Foxtrot.

[travel-to-go]

Dear Ocngypz, (sorry I don't know your second name!)

Thanks for the sympathy, but we are not talking rocket science here. It should be simplicity itself for any self-respecting dance-orchestra to play strict-tempo. As mentioned in my original post, we recently danced to a Polish quartet on the Oriana and their tempos for all dances were spot on. Okay, so many of the younger generations are not interested in ballroom dancing. But which generation are the shipping lines' best customers? Just check the silver hair to find out! It would be interesting to know if anyone can recommend specific ships that do have excellent dance-bands.

 

Regards.

Slow Foxtrot.

 

And there is such a thing as a metronome. The new electronic ones they have today can be so small and unobtrusive. And really. any rhythm section that dares to call itself a rhythm section should be able to keep time. It is certainly something I learned to do long before I started college as a music major. I think I was in elementary school when I learned the dfference between lento and adagio and allegretto!

 

Karie, who changed majors when she realized she had passion for music, not talent!

[Jeanne S]

Feel the same way as if they were sleepwalking through the sets.

 

On a Radisson Jazz cruise last August, there was a Big Band and most of its members were excellent, traditional jazz players who were doing this gig for the cruise (and of couse the pay) as the musicians were given full passenger status and balcony suite cabins (not all suites on the Radisson Navigator have balconies). They were wonderful, the passgeners, the same mix you might see on a QE2 crossing, were quite impressed and having a dance background I found it easy to keep in step with the tempo.

[Slow Foxtrot]

And there is such a thing as a metronome. The new electronic ones they have today can be so small and unobtrusive. And really. any rhythm section that dares to call itself a rhythm section should be able to keep time.

 

 

Yes Karie, I am sure it's not that they can't keep strict-tempo time, it's that they simply won't take the trouble to check what the correct dance-time for a specific dance is! One has to admit, some of them are obviously good musicians BUT they are NOT good dance musicians - and therefore any knowledgable Cruise Director should immediately identify this problem and act accordingly. As has been said before, this is not rocket-science; if they would just play traditional waltzes and slow foxtrots at around 29 b.p.m. and quicksteps at around 50.b.p.m. then everyone will be happy. And this includes serious dancers and beginners too. After all, they are playing for DANCING .. they are NOT playing a concert. Ah well, we live in hope!

[Slow Foxtrot]

Feel the same way as if they were sleepwalking through the sets.

 

On a Radisson Jazz cruise last August, there was a Big Band and most of its members were excellent, traditional jazz players who were doing this gig for the cruise (and of couse the pay) as the musicians were given full passenger status and balcony suite cabins

 

Hey Jeanne,

I'm sure that the QM2 dance musicians would be delighted if Cunard gave them all a balcony suite. Er .. not much chance of this I fear. However, even if Cunard gave them all a Penthouse do you think that this would encourage them to play the dances in the correct dance tempo? My solution would be for Cunard to make them 'walk the plank' .. I'm sure this would be more effective.

[Paul NH]

Slow Foxtrot,

 

Here is an excerpt from a review I did of our crossing last June. Reading your observation that the band may not be playing at the correct tempo makes me wonder if that had anything to do with our two left-shoes-experience (probably not, we probably really had two left shoes!)

 

-------excerpt-------

 

The Queen’s Room is definitely one of the nicest. Although we managed to dance in there in the evenings, I do not think we put our dance lessons to much use. The dance floor was so crowded that it was impossible for novices like ourselves to dance the waltz or fox trot. For example, our teacher told us that the ballroom floor would have a pattern to it, a counter-clockwise flow, cautioning us to either stay in the middle of the floor or on the very outer edges, since most seasoned dancers to those two steps would be dancing along, like drivers in the main lanes of a highway. What we saw instead, was a packed floor with no flow whatsoever, and it seemed to me that very few people were actually doing a proper waltz or fox trot, respectively. When it is that crowded, you have to be a skilled dancer to be able to hold your step while navigating around such a crowd. For practicing novices like my wife and I, it was hopeless. No big deal from a dance perspective, but a little disappointing that we did not get to practice what little we knew. Because of the tight space, we lapsed back into our old pattern of dancing, just kind of making our way feelance step style – like most. Still had a good time. Once in a while there would be a focus on a professional couple or two, where they would clear the floor for them, and they were impressive. The band was very good. When we were sitting at our table I really enjoyed just listening to the music. Once in a while they would organize humorous dances with the passengers which was a good break in routine. One of the nights (either when we were heading into the rough seas or just coming out of it) we were dancing in the Queens Room and a larger than normal roll occurred and I felt my wife and I going “downhill” across the floor. I looked around, and the whole dance floor was going in the same direction, with a large area opening up at the top of the floor. Very amusing to watch this effect.

-----------

 

I will have to pay more attention to the bpm later in a couple of weeks.

 

Paul

[arabrab]

My wife and I are are regular cruisers and keen ballroom dancers and we were attracted to Queen Mary 2 by the thought of the biggest ballroom at sea. We therefore joined the ship in its inaugural year but were very disappointed to discover that the so-called Queen's Orchestra were unable to play such basic dances as the waltz and the quickstep in the correct tempo.The waltzes were laughably fast and the quicksteps much too slow.

 

Perhaps the waltzes were Viennese waltzes, which are 160-180 beats per minute, or just about twice as fast as a regular waltz? (It still needs to be strictly timed if you're going to dance to it, but the Viennese is a very fast waltz.)

 

Barb

[Jeanne S]

Hey Jeanne,

I'm sure that the QM2 dance musicians would be delighted if Cunard gave them all a balcony suite. Er .. not much chance of this I fear. However, even if Cunard gave them all a Penthouse do you think that this would encourage them to play the dances in the correct dance tempo? My solution would be for Cunard to make them 'walk the plank' .. I'm sure this would be more effective.

 

I think that they would still be sitting/standing there playing with the same bored expressions, only now thinking they can't wait to get back to their private balcony. You are probably right, it would not matter.

[Slow Foxtrot]

Perhaps the waltzes were Viennese waltzes, which are 160-180 beats per minute, or just about twice as fast as a regular waltz? (It still needs to be strictly timed if you're going to dance to it, but the Viennese is a very fast waltz.)

 

Barb

 

 

Hello Barb,

 

I presume your comment was tongue in cheek. But you are right about the timing of the Viennese Waltz, anything up to 60.b.p.m. (bars, of course, not beats). Can you imagine dancers doing a Viennese Waltz on a rolling ship? .. it would be like something from the Keystone Cops! Seriously, not many dancers do the Viennese waltz - it's one of the most exhausting dances to perform. And more exhausting than jive or rock 'n' roll! I've never heard one played on a ship - (thank goodness). No, we would be happy if they played a normal graceful waltz at 29 to 30 b.p.m. ... it's not asking the world!