Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog » Dancing Holidays

Middle Eastern Sunshine

Tracy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:01:15 +0000

Despite the chilly climate we wait patiently for the sunnier months ahead. Don’t worry sun lovers as International dance teacher Afra Al Kaihira will be bringing some Middle Eastern sunshine next month to Torquay!

Trying out belly dancing is an amazing experience and something a little different for filling the dull winter weekends off .

Locals have an opportunity to learn this graceful and elegant dance throughout a weekend in March at the Toorak hotel, Torquay.

Host Afra Al Kahira is a renowned teacher and performer, with over 30 years experience. She has danced for top politicians, members of the royal family and other VIP’s and dignitaries. She is also highly respected for her warm and approachable teaching style.

The dancing weekend includes tuition and a talk on the history, costume and styles of belly dancing. During the Saturday night, you will be entertained with a GALA show, featuring performances by Afra and invited guests in a variety of different styles. At the end of the weekend you will be able to put all of your skills learnt together to perform a routine.

You also have the option to dine at the hotel during the Friday and Saturday evening.

What a better way to drive the winter away. It could be the girlie-get-together that still hasn’t been arranged yet, a fun way to exercise or the chance to surprise your partner with some exotic moves!

Learn to Belly Dance Weekend 2-4 March 2012.

Check out the TLH website for more details or call 01803 400500.

Middle Eastern Sunshine is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Belly Dance Break

Vicky — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:35:02 +0000

Not sure about booking the male stripper for your hen night?

As brides we want a fun and memorable occasion for the last fleeting moments of our ‘freedom’. The lively and even racy nights with flowing alcohol may not be up everyone’s street. Some may just want a simple and quiet dinner with the girls or a weekend away of pampering or encountering a new experience with close friends. There are so many hen experience packages available from cocktail making, learning to surf and even learning a new dance.

Trying out Belly dancing would be an amazing experience and something a little different from the usual pampering hen party weekends.

Afra - Silk Wings

Hosted by International dance teacher Afra Al Kahira, you and the girls can enjoy a new and exciting Learn to Belly Dance break at the Toorak Hotel. The break includes welcome drinks, tuition, dinner and a talk on the history, costume and styles of belly dancing. On the Saturday night, you will be entertained with a GALA show, featuring performances by Afra and invited guests in a variety of different styles. At the end of the weekend you will be able to put all of your skills learnt together to perform a routine.

What a better way to surprise your guests and even your husband on the big day! If that sounds scary, maybe persuade your girl friends to perform instead!

Check out the TLH website for more details or call 01803 400500.

Belly Dance Break is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Dancing Duo

Vicky — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:35:56 +0000

Henry and Jeannie Clark, known as Dancing Duo, are among the latest additions to our dance hosts at TLH Leisure Resort and will be at the Toorak Hotel this December and again in March. The couple have been running dance breaks and evening classes around South Devon for over 12 years.

It was the dire need for a hip replacement some years ago which stopped his dancing, that led to a new retirement career fro Henry and his wife Jeannie. By running dances, he reasoned, they could still keep in touch with their many friends in the dancing world.

So from small beginnings, with afternoon tea dances, the hobby shared by the couple has grown into a rewarding business with a busy schedule.

Nowadays, seasoned dancer (on two artificial hips) Henri and Jeannie often partner single people in their dances, while Henry simultaneously plays the very best of CD music for Ballroom, Latin and Social Sequence dancing.

The Torquay based couple are great believers in making every dance evening feel like a special event with an ambience created by themed stage decorations and attractively dressed tables around the ballroom. The music is always carefully selected to appeal to enthusiastic dancers at all levels.

Up to six dance holidays a year and even their more local dances, attract support from far and wide. Henry and Jeannie aim to provide ‘quality dancing with an element of fun’. By mixing closely with their dancers, they both encourage great social evenings. Only the best hotels with good well-sprung dance floors are selected for their breaks in coastal resorts such as Newquay, Dawlish, Bournemouth and now the Toorak Hotel in Torquay.

Before their retirement hobby became a new career, Henry was a farmer at Staverton near Totnes and Jeannie, a former journalist and public relations officer in TV and publishing, was a hotelier in Totnes.

You can join Dancing Duo at the Toorak Hotel on the 11^th December for 3 nights and again on the 12th March for 4 nights. To find out more visit www.tlh.co.uk/dancing

Dancing Duo is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Benefits of Lifelong Learning

Vicky — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:22:44 +0000

Does ‘learning’ conjure up school desks and musty old books? It’s a word we often associate with our school days but it is something we can carry on in to adulthood and gain a lot of pleasure from.

In fact, studies have shown that learning new skills can help fend off dementia and ease depression. Our brains act a little like a muscle and need to be used and challenged in different ways in order to grow and become stronger.

Learning something new needn’t be confined to books or evening classes, what about a skill you’ve never considered before such as painting, flower arranging or baking? Or it could be something more physical like dancing, playing tennis or skiing. Perhaps putting a specific time aside to take a ‘learn to’ holiday is a way to get a taster of your new hobby.

So why don’t more of us venture into new territory? Is it fear of failure maybe? Or lack of time? A few of these quotes may help you to reconsider:

Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.-Brian Tracy
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. – Gandhi
You learn more quickly under the guidance of experienced teachers. You waste a lot of time going down blind alleys if you have no one to lead you. – W. Somerset Maugham
You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself. – Galileo Galilei

Taking a break to discover new things will benefit mind, body and soul. What new things will you learn to do in 2012?

Benefits of Lifelong Learning is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Valentine Tango Delight

Vicky — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:47:20 +0000

With BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing season well underway, you may have wondered ‘how can I learn to do that?’ Well, TLH Leisure Resort’s programme of Learn to Dance breaks is the ideal way to have a go, combining a great break in Torquay with learning a new skill.
Not yet seen on this series of Strictly (I may be wrong – please do correct me!), is the thrilling Argentine Tango. This is definitely not to be confused with the Ballroom Tango – Argentine Tango is more about self expression and innovation. Basically that means it’s accessible to everyone – you just have to feel the music!

And a perfect time to learn this passionate dance style, would of course be at Valentine’s. What better way to treat your loved one – a romantic weekend away but with a twist! You both get to learn a dance which, you never know, may add a whole new dimension to your relationship!

Hosted by professional teacher Fernando Guidi, you can enjoy an Argentine Tango for Beginners Break next February at the Carlton Hotel & Spa. The break includes the equivalent of 5 hours of tuition and is suitable for those who have no experience or have maybe just started having Argentine Tango lessons. In keeping with the Valentine’s theme, there is a romantic candelit dinner and a ‘dress to impress’ red and black themed evening on the Saturday night.

So, good food, great fun and a chance to try something new this Valentine’s – what’s stopping you?!
Check out the TLH website for more details or call 01803 400500.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Valentine Tango Delight is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Strictly Fever Grips TLH!

Kazzy — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:00:19 +0000

It’s that time of the year again where our Saturday nights and living rooms are transformed into a sea of celebrity dancing– people from the celebrity world join forces with beautiful dancers to form sequinned scantily clad duos. The inevitable questions arise – who will fall for who (in both the romantic and literal sense)? Who will succumb to the dreaded first vote off? What will they be wearing? Who will be the next Anne Widdicombe?

It’s inevitable that it will only be a matter of time before Strictly Fever hits the nation, here at TLH Leisure Resort our lunch breaks are already filled with the latest gossip from the shows! We’ve all, perhaps inadvertently, seen the programme and let’s be honest, we all secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) wish we could lavishly transform into elegant dancers the way the celebrities on Strictly do.

At TLH we are well aware that not everyone has been dancing for the majority of their lives and we have seen a stark rise in the people taking an interest in learning to dance. That is why we have launched our ‘Learn to Dance’ breaks, starting with our 3 stage Ballroom & Latin breaks where you can learn your favourite moves with Pam Peters, one of our most experienced and popular dance teachers at TLH Leisure Resort, Torquay. The breaks are divided into 3 stages, stage 1 for beginners, stage 2 for intermediate and stage 3 for advanced. Whether you want to start from the beginning and work your way through the 3 stages, or simply join in at the middle or end, this is the best place to perfect your steps to a various array of dances, including the Waltz, Social Foxtrot, Quickstep, Tango, Cha Cha, Samba and Rhumba, along with some popular social dances.

Alongside our Pam Peters breaks, we are also offering Ballroom & Latin for complete beginners or for beginners & improvers, both hosted by Gerald and Margaret Thompson, former Modern Ballroom competitive dancers who retired from the world of competition dancing and qualified as Professional Teachers of Dance. This break is perfect for you if you wish to further develop your dancing or update your dance techniques, or perhaps you have already attended one of our Learn to Dance breaks and you simply wish to improve your Ballroom and Latin dance moves.

Thirdly, Philip Wylie is hosting our Modern Latin & Ballroom Learn and Improve sessions for all levels, which include basic and advanced choreography, movement, styling and floor craft. The break also offers a separate programme for guests wishing to ‘Learn to Dance’ in easy, friendly and fun sessions.

So, whatever your dancing ability there really is no reason why you too can’t learn to dance like the stars!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ballroom & Latin with Pam Peters

Stage 1: 24th – 27th October 2011

Stage 2: 9th – 11th March 2012

Stage 3: 29th June – 1st July 2012

Ballroom & Latin with Gerald & Margaret Thompson

Complete beginners: 13th – 17th November 2011

Beginners & Improvers: 22nd – 26th January 2012

Modern Latin & Ballroom with Philip Wylie

2nd – 5th January 2012

Complete beginners: 12th – 15th March 2012

Strictly Fever Grips TLH! is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Strictly Come TLH!

Kazzy — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:20:31 +0000

Learning something new after the age of, well let’s be honest, any age where you are no longer a child, can be quite a daunting experience. But it really needn’t be. With programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing increasing the popularity of dancing tenfold, more and more people are taking to, or wanting to take to the floor.

TLH Leisure Resort in Torquay offers ‘Learn to Dance’ holidays which includes fantastic coaching and facilities to dancers of all abilities – from those who are experienced to complete beginners. Instead of us telling you why TLH offers some of the best dance holidays in the UK, we asked Mrs Preece, a guest who has recently started learning to dance with us, to tell you her story of dancing at TLH.

“I have been keen to learn to dance for years, I danced a little as an early teenager but ballroom dance is completely new to my husband; I did have to work on him a bit to get him to come along. We were looking specifically for a dance break and I searched the internet for dance holidays and found your website easily with plenty of information. As we are living in nearby Exeter the journey would be short and convenient for us.

We have been to two dance holidays so far at TLH Leisure Resort and have booked two more for in the near future. We started with Pam Peters in June of this year, and attended another dancing break with Linda & John West last month. As we have only been dancing for three months we found the latter break much more challenging but still very enjoyable. We are progressing well with our dancing, my husband and I are now at the same level and it works very well, and most importantly, my husband now loves it! We found that we were able to bring back the steps we learnt at our recent break in August and use them in our weekly dancing classes that we now attend at home.

We love the TLH dance breaks for several reasons. Firstly there is so much dancing available over the stay and the tuition is a fantastic bonus. The hosts have been friendly and welcoming towards us even though we are still both quite novice dancers. They were willing to give lots of help and advice and are always very encouraging. We love that we get to meet like minded people over the weekends, it’s great making new friends.

The facilities are very good, especially the pool complex and the Aztec Bistro is also very nice. I have not yet had chance to take advantage of the Spa facilities as we are always occupied with dance in some way. The Hotel food is very enjoyable; there is always a great selection and plenty of it and the staff are very pleasant and helpful. We do look out for other dancing breaks around the UK, however we do so much enjoy the facilities that TLH has to offer it’s hard to find the same combination elsewhere.”

So really, you don’t need to take our word for it.

For further information and details on our dance breaks click here, or call our reservations team on 01803 400500.

Strictly Come TLH! is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

The Shelmerdine Family – 3 Generations of TLH Holidays

Vicky — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:04:36 +0000

Jack & Sheila, Darren & Terri and Kimblerley & Melissa Shelmerdine

At TLH we pride ourselves on providing the ultimate family holiday experience and nothing is more rewarding to us than seeing the many familiar faces of our guests returning year on year.

The Shelmerdine family is the epitome of the true family holiday experience. Jack & Sheila Shelmerdine and their two sons first stayed with us in 1981, initially attracted to the dancing on offer in the Victoria. However, it was their sons Darren and Ian who persuaded their Mum & Dad to keep coming back (they had previously never been to the same place twice before then) and subsequently have never missed a year since! Jack & Sheila always felt it important that the children were happy, then as a result the overall holiday would be more relaxed and enjoyable for everyone.

The Shelmerdines originally hail from Manchester and their regular visits to TLH have become an integral part of their family tradition, with visits usually amounting to 2 or 3 a year, including a longer break in the summer (which usually ends up being extended!). When we asked Darren about the memories he had of coming here as a child, he stated that he remembers his trips to TLH as a youngster very fondly. Up until 1996 their grandmother, Mrs. Shelmerdine senior or otherwise known as Eleanor, also stayed with them and it was a family ritual to all meet in the reception at 11.45pm and walk down to the seafront for a midnight stroll along the beach.

Darren now has a family of his own with his wife Terri but this has not stopped that tradition of visiting TLH continuing. Along with their daughters Kimberley and Melissa, their visits now comprise of 3 generations of Shelmerdines, all of which continue to stay in the Derwent, as like Jack and Sheila they feel that that particular hotel offers a better atmosphere for their young children.

When we asked the Shelmerdines the inevitable question; ‘just what is it that has you all returning year on year?’ they came back with a unanimous answer. Firstly, not only do they love Torquay because there’s always something to do and see in the area, but fore mostly, they love TLH because there is so much on offer for all ages to enjoy, particularly the entertainment and leisure facilities – a pivotal draw for a family with ages ranging from 3 to 80 years old. They have nothing but praise for the staff that make them feel so welcome, the warm and friendly family atmosphere, and as Sheila particularly mentioned, how accommodating the hotel has always been with regard to her gluten free diet; “nothing is ever too much trouble.”

And of course as you would expect, the family have not only become well known and welcomed faces among the staff here, but they have also developed numerous friendships with the other families who also regularly return to TLH. They try to coincide holidays with them whenever they can, alongside the anniversaries, birthdays and family occasions that they celebrate here at TLH.

We hope this family tradition continues for generations to follow and look forward to welcoming the Shelmerdine family back very soon!

The Shelmerdine Family – 3 Generations of TLH Holidays is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Waltz on down to the Toorak Hotel, Torquay for Jive!

Lara — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:11:46 +0000

Watched Strictly or Dancing on Ice, thought about Salsa, Ballroom or Latin classes or just thought I would love to be able to dance?!…Well we here at the Toorak Hotel, part of TLH Leisure Resort, Torquay have the answer…

Torquay Jive, run by Nelson Rose of ‘Floorplay’, has now moved to the Chatsworth Suite in the Toorak Hotel, Torquay. This lovely venue (part of TLH Leisure Resort) has a great dance floor, lots of space, intimate feel and comfy chairs to rest your weary feet between tracks. Unlike the previous venue the Toorak comes complete with a licensed bar too, that should help to steady those nerves as well as satisfy those who just like getting out for a dance and some socialising with friends!

Whether you are a complete beginner or have some experience in jive or other dances, there is something in these classes for you. Doors open at 7.30pm and the evening begins with a beginner class at 8pm where you’ll learn 4 moves over the 40 minute class which is followed by a little freestyle – some time to practice or grab a drink from the bar!

The intermediate class will follow the freestyle time but beginners - don’t run away! There are coaches to take anyone new aside and go through everything again offering extra tips and also highlighting that you’re seldom the only beginner… meet others in the same boat! The coaches are also more accessible if there’s a particular problem you’re having (dance related though, they’re not trained for counseling). Finally dance the night away with more freestyle, right through til 11pm.

Modern Jive is a great way to meet people and make friends, it’s a very social dance that draws in people from a wide variety of backgrounds and a whole range of age groups (16-116… or whenever you chose to retire!). Whatever your age you’ll fit in and it’s great exercise too! Because of it’s structure you can dance Modern Jive to pretty much any music you like so learn some moves to wow everyone at that wedding/party you’re going to… it doesn’t matter how many left feet you have, what shape/size or level of fitness you are, you’ll be able to adapt it to you. Maybe learn a few steps for your wedding dance.

Every Wednesday night (even during school holidays) in the Chatsworth Suite at the Toorak Hotel, Torquay from 8pm – Modern Jive, come join in the fun!

Waltz on down to the Toorak Hotel, Torquay for Jive! is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog

Dancing in Torquay at the English Riviera Dance Festival

Vicky — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:40:08 +0000

For all lovers of dance, whether you just can’t keep off the dance floor, or you simply enjoy watching the spectacle, the annual English Riviera Dance Festival is a must.

Unless you’ve been living on the moon, you can’t have escaped the ongoing craze for all things dance related. It started with ‘Strictly’ a few years ago, but now we have ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, followed by ‘Dance with the Stars’ and ‘Got to Dance’. Dancing is even extended to the ice rink with ‘Dancing on Ice’. There is seemingly no end to our appetite to watch professionals and amateurs alike get their dancing shoes on.

And where better to indulge your love of dance than in Torquay on the English Riviera? Even a recent well-known insurance company advert made reference to Torquay as a dance holiday destination – it’s where the characters are off to for a dancing break!

Click here to view the embedded video.

So the English Riviera Dance Festival (ERDF), now in its 29^th year, is in the very best place!

The great thing about the ERDF is that it is available to everyone. The June extravaganza, organised and hosted by dance impresario Philip Wylie, of Holiday and Dance, has wide-ranging appeal. The invitation to join this unique dance holiday is extended to learners, improving dancers, experienced social dancers, up to medallists or competition dancers and, of course, simply spectators. Ballroom dancing, Latin American and some Sequence are included in the programme. You’ll be able to see dance champions in cabaret, take part in dancing sessions morning, afternoon and evening, join in with learn and improve workshops, or master-classes for the more experienced.

Based at the popular dance venue, the Victoria Hotel in Torquay, the extensive dance programme is given some extra sparkle and glamour with two gala evenings at Torquay Town Hall, plus the added excitement of the Sunday competition session. A full programme of events is available online, or you can call TLH Leisure Resort on 01803 400500.

And if all the dancing gets too much, you can revive your tired tootsies in the luxury Aztec Spa, with a Luxury pedicure – 70 minutes of complete bliss. Or go the whole hog and try an Elemis Complete Spa Ritual for total top-to-toe pampering. As part of TLH Leisure Resort, this luxury spa is right on your doorstep and just perfect for a spot of ‘me-time’.

So dust down your sequins, get those dancing shoes on and come and join the English Riviera Dance Festival at the Victoria Hotel, Torquay between 3 – 10 June 2011.

Dancing in Torquay at the English Riviera Dance Festival is a post from: Torquay and Devon Holiday Blog