Rock Bottoms Jive and Blues is next weekend — here is some advance information to help you prepare and to help you know what’s happening when you get there.

The event still has some spaces available but booking restrictions do apply, so if you know of anyone wishing to join the party, please get them to contact Hev — hev@rockbottoms.com

We have a waiting list for ladies booking without a gender balance, but do join the list and we’ll give you a call if places become available. To check availability or to join the waiting list please contact Hev on hev@rockbottoms.com

Once you’ve read this information, feel free to ask any questions you may still have — replying to this email is the easiest option. And during the weekend please ask any of our team if there’s something you think we could help with.

For our regular visitors to Rock Bottoms who don’t need to hear everything again, we have started with details more specific to this event. Further down you’ll find more general information.

This event is all within the Derwent Hotel (part of the TLH Leisure Resort), Belgrave Road, Torquay TQ2 5HL. Entrance to Derwent car park is on Falkland Road — however it will be out of action. So please look for space in the other TLH car parks — Victoria, Carlton, Toorak. If all of these fill up then head for the Riviera Centre next door (Chestnut Avenue) and buy a ticket right through to Monday morning. Derwent reception will reimburse you for your ticket.

Derwent telephone 01803 400100

A detailed programme of events including all workshop timings will be put on our Rock Bottoms Facebook group very soon. This schedule will also be emailed to all participants. Sorry we no longer provide printed copies.

Keith and Sam — Jive
Rob & Amy — Blues
Flávio & Matt — Tango (beginner / intermediate)
Jim & Audrey — West Coast Swing
Abes — Kizomba
Andy & Hev — Pyjama
Andy — Lindy Hop

Jon Brett & Nick Stephens — Jive
Myra Hales & John Dunlop — Blues

You are free to join in any workshop you wish, but don’t overdo it as you’ll need plenty of energy for the lovely long evenings. And if level indicators are given, please do take notice of them.

As always our Saturday night is themed and we’d love it if all of your outfits were linked to the theme of “Carnival”. This is an easy theme for you as any vibrant party outfit will fit the picture. You could go right over the top and create a float, or just add a few feathers to your outfit. Notice I said add feathers and not wear only feathers! If you’d like to perform a carnival dance on Saturday night, do let us know — spot prizes may be awarded.

And do stick around for Sunday evening when the teachers may show off their carnival talents.

Arrival day (Friday) timings are as follows:

12 noon — Car park becomes available but no room check-in just yet — you must go straight to reception to register your car
12 noon — Hotel Bistro opens which is a very sociable place for a coffee, a beer, or for lunch
3:00pm — Hotel check-in opens. You’ll be given room keys and an event wristband which you should put on right away
3:00pm — Rock Bottoms desk also opens where you can ask questions, book massage, buy merchandise and book for future events
4:30pm — “Meet & Greet” — we serve complimentary tea and bickies at “Ben’s Barrow” until around 5:30
5:00pm — Jive music will be playing in the Starlight Lounge until around 6pm so bring your dancing shoes
6:45pm — Evening meal in the restaurant — last sitting is normally 8pm but on arrival day this extends to 8:30
8:30pm — Jive starts in main venue, with a short bottom warmer class at 9pm and teacher introductions at 10. The Blues room will open at 9pm

Note — there are no daytime workshops on the Friday though you may use the pool and other hotel facilities even before you get into your room — just ask at reception.

Jane is our only masseur this weekend but she will be available from mid afternoon Friday. Friday massages can be booked in advance of the weekend by contacting Hev. Saturday and Sunday massages can be booked at the event from 3pm on Friday (please pay cash when you make booking). All massage £40 per hour.

Please can you bring your own towels to the massage.

Wowdancer will be on site throughout Saturday selling a wide selection of popular dance shoes. So do take the opportunity to try on and purchase a snazzy new pair of shoes.

Bring your good condition unwanted dancewear to sell (men and ladies) — labelled clearly with size, price and your phone number. Please bring hangers.

We are a group of 300 dancers in close proximity to each other and we’d like everyone to have a happy and healthy time. So if you feel a major lurgy kicking in just before arrival day, then common sense says stay away.

If you do have to cancel last minute we can provide an invoice to help you claim on travel insurance (a decent annual policy can be found for around £30).

Plug TQ2 5HL into your sat nav.

You are welcome to check into your room anytime from 3pm onwards. You get your room key from the hotel reception where they should also provide you with a wristband (please put it on before you lose it).

Please note — no printed schedules will be given out — we recommend taking a screenshot on your phone from our website / Facebook group.

We’ll be at the Rock Bottoms desk from 3pm where you can ask any questions you may have. We have some Rock Bottoms merchandise to help you look cool, and we have water bottles and fans to help you keep cool.

Music for Jive starts in the Starlight Lounge at 8:30pm each evening. “The Secret Disco” opens at 9pm with Blues through to the early hours. Do look at the printed DJ schedules on the doors to each venue — this will give timings of DJ sets and extra evening entertainment.

A short fun class on Friday at 9pm and its aim is to get people onto the floor, mixing with new people, and dancing.

A tradition of Rock Bottoms is the Sunday morning pyjama class — so do bring your pyjamas. This is a bit off the wall, and is basically about having a good laugh. It does result in a fun routine being learnt as we all dance around in our pyjamas.

We’d encourage as many of you as possible to take part.

We have the teacher cabaret on Saturday night at 10pm, and on Sunday night around 9pm we have extra performances — this weekend we’ll have the pyjama class and maybe a teacher Carnival show?

Alex Hardie will be taking shots throughout the weekend. A good selection of his photos will go up on our website www.rockbottoms.com immediately after the event. To see the complete collection you’ll need to go to Alex’s website www.alexhardiephotography.co.uk

You may not film during workshops, but at the end of a workshop if you ask nicely the teachers may do a short demo of the workshop material — have your phones at the ready. You may also film the cabarets for your own personal use only. Rock Bottoms will upload the cabarets to Facebook (if teachers allow).

During the weekend many of you will make a booking for future events. We like this as it means we know you are having a really good time. But why not beat the rush and get it all sorted before the event. We’ll announce on Facebook when bookings are open. If you’re a member of our Rock Bottoms group then you’ll get to hear first.

You are welcome to check into your room anytime from 3pm onwards. You get your room key from the hotel reception where they should also provide you with a wristband (please put it on before you lose it).

Derwent Hotel reception: 01803 400100

For help in getting to the Derwent Hotel, please check out the hotel pages of our website. Or plug TQ2 5HL into your sat nav.

The Derwent car park is out of action so follow the TLH complex around to the left where you’ll see the Carlton, Toorak and Victoria hotel car parks. On check-in you must put your car registration into the machine at reception.

If all car parks are full up then head for the Riviera Centre next door (Chestnut Avenue) and buy a ticket right through to Monday morning. Derwent reception will reimburse you for your ticket.

To ease the strain on the car parks, maybe check out the train — Torquay train station is less than a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Or put a car sharing message on the Rock Bottoms Facebook group.

There are no daytime workshops on the Friday though you may use the pool and other hotel facilities even before you get into your room — just ask at reception.

Dinner on Friday starts serving at 6:45, though you can still get served if you arrive any time up to 8:30. If arriving after 8:30, please phone hotel reception to arrange a cold platter to be held for you. Note that last serving on other days is 8pm.

Your package includes breakfast and evening meals for the 3 nights of your stay. All meals are served in the hotel dining room, where you may choose to sit with friends or meet some new people.

To easily meet new people during dinner, try our “Meet & Eat” tables — one or two large group tables identified by a balloon or two (door staff can guide you to these tables).

If you are a group wanting to sit together at dinner then we suggest you put your own reserved sign on the table of your choice.

If you’re veggie, vegan, gluten free or something else and you haven’t told us before, let us know now. Chef is always waiting by the restaurant door on Friday evening only to chat with anyone who has unusual requirements — asking at the table won’t work, he’s got a lotta meals to make — bless.

The on-site Bistro is a great place for lunch (between about 12 and 3). Very sociable layout and good food. If you are planning to go out for lunch, it’s about a five minute walk to the sea front or a twenty minute walk into town.

The hotel has a lovely indoor swimming pool, so make sure you bring your cozzie. The hotel also has their very own Aztec Spa — all manner of treatments happening there. The hotel also has a wonderful hairdressing salon which Hev visits every time, the staff are brilliant and it’s a complete bargain — they are especially good at ‘up’ do’s.

If you have any further enquiries about hotel facilities, or if you’d like to make an advance booking, then call them on 01803 400100.

Our workshop venues and evening venues are private to Rock Bottoms, so security is not a big issue. If you all wear your wristbands (issued on arrival) we’ll have no problem in identifying anyone who shouldn’t be there.

You may bring your own soft drinks into the workshops during the day, but please use the hotel bars for drinks in the evenings. Water fountains will be provided at all venues for use day and night.

Wine waiters will circulate during dinner to take your orders — we’ve tried their house white and red, just for research you understand, and they are both excellent.

You must check out of your room by 11am on Monday. If you need to get away super early on Monday, please let reception know when you check in so they can be prepared for you.

Fancy dress for Saturday night — your Carnival outfit
Pyjamas for Sunday breakfast and Pyjama class
Eye mask and ear plugs as there may be some noise from the street at night or from your roomie
Swimming cozzies so you can make use of the fantastic hotel pool
Towels for use at the swimming pool or for massage (hotel provides towels for your room only)
Diaries to check out which future Rock Bottoms you can come along to

Don’t forget to keep an eye on our Rock Bottoms Facebook group for last minute updates.

For more information and to make bookings, please visit our website.

Hugs to all from the Rock Bottoms team.
Replies please to hev@rockbottoms.com