What we were Watching !


BBC 4 ON FRIDAY 20TH AT 7PM

WHAT WE WERE WATCHING SONG AND DANCE SPECTACULARS 60’S 70’S 80’S

Well that was so special last night watching the programme with Dougie..

We have had the most lovely response to the programme and much well deserved praise to Dougie …

Huge thanks to producer @SIMONGORETZKI ON TWEETER

SIMON DOWCONZKI Who did a marvellous edit with his team how I would of loved to have been a researcher on this programme !

Beautifully presented by Grace Dent

Seeing all my dancing hero’s that inspired me because as a kid that’s what I wanted to be in the young generation as I’m sure a lot of you did to! I was fortunate to have my dream .. I joined the last group of 1976/77 when Nigel was choreographer ..this is before I worked for DOUGIE and the 2nd Generation family ! Although Dougie and I paths crossed before when I had won an award when I was a kid and I don’t know how it happend but with award money I was lucky enough to have a weeks training with the newly formed 2nd Generation when they were doing 2 G’s and the pop people! I remember I was in awe of them ... and had the most amazing time !

Luckily I got to work with some of my hero’s ! With special mentions of Wei Wei ! Bobby ,Roger and still till this day dance along side the one and only Trev Willis ( I think he was in nearly in every clip of last night show !

What was amazing at the time of the shows the showed of the 6Os and 70’s there were only 3 tv stations ... with high viewing figures and Dougie creating their own individuality personality’s they were stars in their own right.

Last night after watching Dougie said I didn’t have a style of dancing, it changed all the time depending what we were doing ...

To me that you can recognise his style and work. Not only for the originality and the dancers individually he used the cameras as a dancer ..so it all became one ...

It’s been lovely seeing all the messages and comments and I know how much it has meant to DOUGIE ...

The impact he has had on so many of us ... is very special ... xx

A Memory!

Not seen this before but a while back in the 80’s I assisted Dougie who staged “Anita Harris ‘s Act” at her sell out season at the ‘TALK OF THE TOWN “

It was a great act, and she was fabulous to work with no detail unturned … I loved her costume !

heres the link to the video ! the opening titles is very camp ! sponsored by silhotte the sunglasses company

and there a quick glimpse of my self and Dougie in rehearsals at the Talk of the town !

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?view=detail&mid=330080A174EA39B0A716330080A174EA39B0A716&q=anita+harris+at+the+talk+of+the+town&shtp=GetUrl&shid=321cffc9-fb34-4d57-97b9-c8a96cac1554&shtk=QW5pdGEgSGFycmlzIGF0IFRoZSBUYWxrIG9mIHRoZSBUb3du&shdk=QnJpdGlzaCBlbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50IGxlZ2VuZCBBbml0YSBIYXJyaXMgcGVyZm9ybXMgaGVyIGF3YXJkIHdpbm5pbmcgc2hvdyBhdCBMb25kb24ncyBUaGUgVGFsayBvZiB0aGUgVG93bg%3D%3D&shhk=8kJswuuH73FvEVNpc9EmD0b6tmfw%2F8K%2BcJo96EsKoOQ%3D&form=VDSHOT&shth=OSH.mUN9AJi%252FJ2Y4p%252BEgCRMuVQ

BBC 4 FRIDAY 20TH Nov 7pm

On BBC 4 AT 7pm ‘What we watched Song and Dance spectaculars 60’S 70’S 80’S

Looking forward to watching this sounds fun….. chatted with the producer and he said he could of made 234 more programmes out of it … the good old days …

As a child all i wanted to be in was the Young Generation…. and I got in the last group of Y G’S in 1976!

and our first show was A New Years Evening show a Jubilee of Music with loads of top stars from he world of entertainment hosted by Dame Vera Lynn ( my life has made a full circle lol)

Here is a review of the programme tonight !

This, much to my surprise, is a mini-masterclass in how to present a compendium of archive light entertainment. In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, dance troupes such as Pan’s People and The Young Generation were toothsome fixtures on British television. They were naff, brilliant, weird, charming; vaguely hippie-ish, but thoroughly scrubbed clean of all muddy traces of the counterculture.

Their elaborate and sometimes overly-literal interpretations of contemporary pop hits were something to behold. Host Grace Dent is clearly a fan. I was expecting an irony-drenched sneer-fest. Instead, it's a fond, irreverent celebration. Dent's links are brief, she allows room for the clips to breathe. Highlights include a Lulu performance of the Theme from Shaft featuring a cameo from Les Dawson, Aretha enduring awkward comedy banter with Cliff, and The Young Generation launching the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. It’s all wonderful.

 BELOW A PIC OF THE YOUNG GENERATION !

Costume set dressing for RV 2020!

EXCITED ACTUALLY DOING A INVOICE FOR 2020 !

GETTING COSTUMES READY FOR SET DRESSING AT Royal variety performance 2020

can you believe in Blackpool !

HATS WEEK GENERATION CLASS

LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE HAD SOME FUN WITH HATS WEEK !

ME CAUGHT IN ACTION AND SOME OF THE GROUP SENT ME PICS !

IT WAS GREAT TO SEE DEBORAH GOODMAN BACK IN CLASS !

THE SHOW MUST GO ON !

GREAT PIC OF CHRISTOPHER BIGGINS AND BONNIE LANGFORD

WITH “THE SHOW MUST GO ON PRODUCTS “ IT RAISED A LOT OF MONEY TO HELP EVERYONE IN THE SAME BOAT … A WORTHY CAUSE IN SUCH A DIFFICULT TIME X

LOCK DOWN 2

SOUNDS LIKE A SEQUAL MOVIE LOCKDOWN 2!

KEEPING LOCKED DOWN IN OUR VERY SWEET VILLAGE .. ENJOYING THE COUNTRY WALKS BUT NOT ENJOYING THE LEAVES THAT FALL IN THE GARDEN !…..LOOKING AFTER THE DOUGIE ….

PRETTY MUCH VERY QUIET HERE ,ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T SEEM SO HARSH AS LAST TIME ,

THERE SEEMS TO BE MORE THINGS OPEN AND HAPPENING THAN BEFORE …..

SO COOKING UP A STORM … WHEN WILL THIS DIET START !!!

ALTHOUGH APART FROM A FEW TRIPS WE HAVE REALLY BEEN QUITE LOCKED DOWN HER SINCE MARCH

ANYRATE STAY SAFE, STAY HAPPY XX

The Generation Family..

We are so touched … Before Lockdown Jackie and Trev popped down on behalf of the Fabulous Generation family to give us a presentation of a lovely gift to us both .. Jackie wrote a fabulous poem

very funny and oh so Jackie ! It was very moving and a heart full of thanks to all of them … so generous and kind and thoughful… so we are looking for ward to our getaway day at the Vine Yard Hotel in Newbury

Quick trip to London

Just before lock down had to get to London to pick up some costumes …

Lunch in Sloane sq then a very brief walk down the Kings Rd seems absolutely ages since I had walked down there … Brought back so crazy memories !

i feel so sad for all the main stores and all the individual retail shops its been such a tough year on them

well its been tough on every one … thinking of everyone … x

HALLOWEEN GENERATION CLASS!

Sundays class was a halloween and some of the gang dressed up for class !

Mark and Ashleigh went the full hog lol!

Bless them … I had one of those days when everything went wrong that could of!

but some how got through it !

GENERATION HALLOWEEN DANCE CLASS

DONT FORGET THE CLOCKS GO BACK THIS SUNDAY !!

iI feel its going to be a halloween theme !

So dare to dress to impress! Send a pic in and winner will a bottle of bubbles !

Sophie !

The lovely Sophie Treadwell came last Sunday after her 2 week isolation!

Lunch and a trip to the unit ! Always so nice to see Sophie very special!

Generation class going well !

The Generation classes are so well supported by all, I receive such lovely comments , that makes it all worth while !

I must say its quite harsh …

remembering the limited space everyone has …. also not feeding off everyone in a actual class

and not creating group show numbers ! with patterns and choreography,

Lucy mentioned to me didn’t think we would still be doing them 7 months down the line !

Not for one second ! But it has been great that for a hour a week we can do what we love to dance !

AUTUMN FOWERS

The colour of the trees is stunning….. but I hate leaves that appear in the garden !

I have already swept them up so many times … we have big trees near the cottage and the shed leaves all the time …..just as have swept them I turn around AND THEY ARE BACK AGAIN….

But the autumn colours are beautiful !

CHA CHA SLIDE !!

Another memory popped up its face on my face book …. which brought back memories of my time at Blackpool Pleasure Beach …. We did some crazy things while I was there and this day was no exception!

The Brownies from all over the UK were coming together for a day at Pleasure Beach over 8000 of them !

We worked on ideas for them to have a long lasting memory of this special event day ,The heads of the Brownies were very keen to break a new world record to mark this occasion and asked if I could some how create and teach over 8000 Brownies the cha cha slide !

Arrangements were made and carefully planned for the whole day from the famous Rides at Pleasure Beach

to special performances throughout the day of the spectacular HOT ICE SHOW

For me to teach all the Brownies we had permission to close off the rd that is half way under the park

built a stage with lights and sound , and pods all up the rd for my assistants to demonstrate the routine !

I cant remember how many classes we did … A lot ! we started of with a warm up ! then teach cha cha Slide and a 4.30 pm we performed it all in the tunnel rd and all over the park in front of the judges from the Guinness world records to bet the world record … and we did it !

An amazing day when I look back , it was freezing and I was in the wind tunnel from the prom in a rainy October day too ! Thanks to all the team players from Stageworks the tech crew were just fabulous in achieving what we produced …and all the amazing staff that worked all over the park making it such a memory day for all the Brownies .

A year ago... A happy Memory

It was this time last year that I was awarded and honoured with a TDCI Carl Alan Award

for Outstanding services to Dance, Just to be nominated was a huge thrill to me …

Never did I think I was going to win the award, it took me of guard on the night , I was so surprised and thrilled, and to receive it from Phil Winston made it more special.

My thanks to Chris Booth and all his team at the Theatre Dance Council International

For such a heart felt honour .That I will always cherish …..

Dougie's Podcast

Here is a short clip from Last nights podcast Charley Izabella King interviews Dougie https://www.instagram.com/tv/CF2zsxOjEVO/...