The CBM Files

In reaction to the recent world events we wanted to discuss how it would effect the world of dancing especially as Blackpool is coming up. We dive into cheery subjects of politics, cost of living and barriers that might arise for hobby and professional dancers.As always these are only our opinions shared for entertainment and educational purposes.

Continuing our series where we focus on one dance at a time and go over its history and specifics. This week we're looking at tango, Ballroom that is. We are talking about its Latin roots, influences and evolution.As always these are only our opinions shared for entertainment and education purposes only.

The definition of Ballroom and Latin dancing is a natural movement of a human body in relation to music. Sounds simple enough. But we, as dancers, often overcomplicate things. In this episode we're talking about how we can keep things simple for ourselves and achieve greater results faster.As always these are our opinions only shared for educational and entertainment purposes.

In this episode, we're looking at what February looks like in the world of Ballroom and Latin dancing. We're covering UK Open results, the future of the UK dancing, upcoming competitions and Hannah, as always, has some follow up questions. As always these are only our opinions shared for entertainment and educational purposes.

In our New Year's special we look forward to the upcoming year. Neil takes us through the calendar for the upcoming major events in Ballroom and Latin dancing in the UK. As always these are only our opinions shared for educational and entertainment purposes.

In this Christmas special episode we're talking about what the Christmas traditions that exist in the world of Ballroom and Latin dancing. Neil shares some funny stories and David becomes a victim of some Christmas roasting. Happy Christmas everyone!These are only our opinions shared for educational and entertainment purposes.

We're starting another series. This time it would be about technique books - what they are for, what's in them, what role they play in dancing and many more questions. Starting with the Ballroom, we're talking about what books are out there, how they connect to different associations and when they are used. In the future episodes we will go into more detail on both Ballroom and Latin.As always these are our opinions only shared for entertainment and educational purposes only.

With this episode we are starting a new series where we focus on one of the ten Ballroom and Latin dances to take a closer look. We start with Cha cha - its origins, first things to think about when you start learning and how it might evolve over time.As always, these are only our personal opinions shared for educational and entertainment purposes.

Today we're talking about a recent trend that we've observed in the dance world - stripping back the dance routines. It coincided with some of the work we were doing in our school anyway, so it was a great time to dive deeper into why and when it could be an idea to come back to more basic actions.As always these are our opinions only , expressed for entertainment and educational purposes.

In our special Halloween episode we're talking about a few jump scares we've encountered at our recent competitions before covering some stories of hauntings in the famous dance halls.

In this episode, after a long rebound weather, we discuss misconceptions about dancing that exist specifically among boys and men. What might stop them from dancing and what are the case studies of those barriers being broken.

Today we're talking about leading and following in dancing. Why it matters, how it should feel and why the dance industry seem to be moving away from it even though it's an essential skill. Also, making Hannah cry.As always these are just our opinions shared for entertainment and educational purposes.

Today we're talking about the Internet and how it influences how we learn, who we learn from and how we perceive dancing. As always these are our opinions only shared for entertainment and educational purposes.

Today we're continuing the topic of accessibility covering age, race and gender among other issues. As always the train of thought takes us to weird and wonderful places like governments, apocalypse and Yellowstone. These are our only our opinions expressed for entertainment and educational purposes.

In this episode we're focusing on accessibility. We start with how affordable dancing is and how it positions itself as a sport. We also touch on how accessible the information and coaching directions are in dancing, is it seen as easy to learn. We will follow up with the part 2, where we will continue discussing accessibility for different cultures, ages and backgrounds.As always these are our opinions only expressed for education and entertainment purposes.

Today we're talking about different kinds of toxicity that can be encountered in the dance industry. Between a coach and a student, between students in one school, between competitors and even towards yourself. We're discussing how it can be recognised, what's the best mindset to approach it with and how to be less toxic yourself.There are only our opinions shared for educational and entertainment purposes.

In this episode we're talking about all kinds of wedding dances. What's the process for Neil as a coach and what to consider for you as a couple. Different kinds and themes of wedding dances that Neil's choreographed and, of course, some funny stories about naked people.These are only our opinions shared for education and entertainment purposes.

Today we're talking about what technique in Ballroom and Latin dancing is and what's the correct way to approach it, especially if you're a beginner. We also discuss how social media approaches it and what dance students should be aware of while watching those videos.These are only our opinions shared for education and entertainment purposes.

In this episode, we're discussing one of our recent competitions. We're sharing our observations and talking about judging, support from the school and coaches at competitions and how that affects other schools and the industry as a whole.As always, these are just our opinions shared for entertainment and educational purposes.

Today, we're answering some of the questions from our community. Expect to hear about the most gruesome accidents, famous people and dance trauma: spicy topics and funny stories across the board.

Today we're talking about medal tests: what they are, why they are and what to expect when you're taking one. Neil is sharing his experience as a coach in organising and preparing his students, Hannah is asking lots of questions and, of course, there is a funny story about an examiner. As always, these are just our opinions shared for educational and entertainment purposes.

In this episode we're introducing a new section - The New News. We're talking about some recent drama in the dance world and news from Blackpool. In the second half, we're discussing some misconceptions and expectations that people have when it comes to dancing and arguing about what's the best apocalypse to have.As always these are just our opinions, expressed for educational and entertainment purposes.

In this episode we’re talking about where beginner dancers can start when they’re looking for places and resources to learn dancing. Neil is explaining his approach to his own beginner program and gets animated about people teaching dancing online. As always these are our opinions only and serve educational and entertainment purposes.

Today we are talking about judges and their process. You will find out what the requirements are, how they think, what they do and what they look at. As always there will be some controversy but you might need to listen till the end.As always these are only our opinions that serve entertainment and educational purposes only.

The final part of our Blackpool saga. We’re back and it’s time to analyse how we did. Were our hopes and dreams realised? What are our impressions about the weekend? Neil is sharing his thoughts as a coach about our performance and shares some observations about differences in mindset that can help any competitor in the future.These are our opinions only expressed for education and entertainment purposes only.

Today we are chatting to our entire team of competitors about their thoughts, feelings and preparation for the main competition of the year. Live from Blackpool, we are sharing our expectations and hopes as well as answering some of Neil’s hardest questions.As always we’re only sharing our opinions for educational and entertainment purposes.

Today we’re talking about an upcoming competition in Blackpool that we will be taking part in. This more conventional episode will cover the structure of the competition, how it’s different from others and our personal feelings about it.As always these are only our opinions and serve educational and entertainment purposes.

Continuing our topic of clothes from last week, in this episode we’re discussing clothes dancers wear for competitions. We talk about the best approach to picking competition clothes, some of the problems industry faces and why it’s important to eat something you love when picking your next look.As always we’re just expressing our opinions for educational and entertainment purposes only.

In this episode we’re diving in into the world of practice clothes, discussing what to wear, how to choose the right practice wear for you and its current state in the industry. No matter if you’re a social dancer, a beginner or an experienced competitor - you will find something useful for yourself that will improve quality and enjoyment of your dancing. As always these are only our opinions expressed for educational and entertainment purposes.

Today we’re sharing our thoughts about the films and tv shows that feature Ballroom and Latin as well as dancing in general. You will hear about some of our most and least favourite films, thoughts on Strictly and a review of its Ukrainian version.As always these are our opinions only and are shared for entertainment and educational purposes.

In our 10th episode we’re stepping away from Ballroom and Latin for a moment to discuss another amazing dance - Salsa. We’re talking about its origin, styles and Neil is sharing his experience working and learning authentic Salsa in Cuba. At the end you can find out about the biggest salsa events around the world!These are our opinions only, which serve educational and entertainment purposes.

In this episode we’re talking about practice: why any dancer should do it (both social and competitive), how to do it correctly and what mindset to approach it with.As always these are just our opinions and are for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Continuing the theme from last week, today we’re discussing why no one should be scared of competitions. We’re sharing the benefits of competing for dancers of all skills, ages and sizes. What mindset to have when thinking about competitions and how jumping in as quickly as possible is the best approach.As always these are our opinions and serve educational and entertainment purposes only.

We’re talking about the recent competition we went to - Let’s Dance in Alfreton. Sharing our experiences, discussing the atmosphere, the community and our observations. Neil is getting a little feisty at the end so get ready for some spice. As always, we’re only expressing our opinions and the content is serving entertainment and educational purposes only.Below are contact details for the organisers of the competition: Sharron Moncaster: [email protected] Webster: [email protected]

Following up from our episodes about the UK structure, we’re exploring dancing beyond Britain. Our guest Glafira is sharing her experience dancing in Sweden as we discuss the differences in the approach and how that affects the perception that Ballroom & Latin dancing has. We compare different systems and find the one that works best. Which one would it be? Listen and find out!Everything we say is just our personal opinions and serves entertainment and educational purposes only.

We continue looking at the way Ballroom and Latin industry is structured in the UK. In this episode we cover amateur and professional parts of open circuit, touching on what it means to be a professional, what pro am is and what to consider when choosing between medalist and open paths. Everything we say is just our personal opinions and serves entertainment and educational purposes only.

In this episode we’re taking a step back to look at what Ballroom and Latin industry looks like in the UK. In the Part 1 Neil is walking everyone through medalists, university dancing and some open circuit. Everything we say is just our personal opinions and serves entertainment and educational purposes only.

In this episode we're talking about dancing shoes, specifically for Ballroom and Latin dancing. You will find out the types of shoes that exists, how to choose the right one for you and what to consider when buying a pair. Everything we say is just our personal opinions and serves entertainment and educational purposes only.Neil’s video about dance shoes - https://youtu.be/bSOEV7OVZ1w?si=De-Rtywi9ZZfcLU8

Following up from the previous episode, we're looking at the benefits of Ballroom and Latin dancing for children. We're covering what parents should consider, how dancing affects children in a long run and sharing some personal stories from our own childhoods. Neil is also sharing his experience of teaching children earlier in his career. Everything we say is just our personal opinions and serves entertainment and educational purposes only.

In our first episode, we're exploring the benefits of Ballroom and Latin dancing for adults. We're looking at physical, mental, emotional and many other perks any dance student can experience from young adulthood up until old age across all levels. Everything we say is just our personal opinions and serves entertainment and educational purposes only.