Diamond Jive-lympics 2012

Stamina, sweat, style, smooth moves and smiles, it can only be one thing.....the Diamond Jive Olympics!

Yes, the London 2012 Games are well underway, and on Saturday night, Diamond Jive City held an Olympic special. 

There was a marathon amount of dancing going on...

There was an Olympic torch....

There was cheering from the crowd....

There were prize-winning smiles all 'round...

There was a tag-team event...

 There was woof-lifting....

Diamond Jive, held once a month at The Libertine, is always fun (and freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!) with a nice relaxed, intimate vibe.  There was a particularly great turn out this month, and I really enjoyed seeing so many friends as well as getting my dance on.  There were also two birthday girls in the house and we know what that means....birthday jams!

DJs Frankie V and Lil B kept the crowd dancing with a good mix of 50s rock n roll, r'n'b and swing...it felt great to dance the night away!  London Fun and Games 2012!

The cherry on top was that the tubes are running later during the Olympics, so we managed to avoid the dreaded night bus journey home (which, incidentally, takes forever from London Bridge) and enjoy the evening at our leisure.

A super duper fun night out....Diamond Jive City takes Gold!

Photos borrowed from Aaron Dunmore, Claire-Michelle Goble and Diamond Jive.

I hold a torch for you...

Ok, I'm going to come out and admit it - I'm gripped by Olympics fever.

My only regret is that I don't have tickets to any of the events or the opening ceremony...unless by some miracle a ticket falls into my hands between now and tomorrow afternoon - *fingers crossed*.  Still, I'm looking forward to watching the Games on tv, especially the athletics and gymnastics.  Go Team GB!

Getting into the spirit of things, I went to watch the torch relay as it passed nearby my workplace this morning.  People lined the streets - cameras at the ready - to catch a glimpse of the torchbearer running along.  I did a great job of waving my little Union Jack flag...less of a good job taking photos....

 
So, I have borrowed some pics from my colleagues, who managed to take great pictures.  Why mine were such an epic fail, and theirs were so good, (even though we were standing near to each other) I'll never know....maybe it's some kind of iMagic? 

Photo by Nino Tchitava

 Photo by Vahideh Hosseinipanah

I saw that Eddie and Patsy from AbFab carried the torch down Kings Road this afternoon...torch on fire, rolling down the roaaaaad...sweetie, darling!

Photo by Josef Valentino

Some other Olympic sights that I have noticed nearby on my lunch breaks....

I am not too keen on the Olympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville, as they are rather...meh (what are they supposed to be?) however, I do like that they are decorated in lots of different colourful designs and have sprung up all over town.

So after years of planning and preparation, the 2012 Games will begin tomorrow (ok, ok, the football has already kicked off) and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Team GB.  I know that public transport is going to be a nightmare, but it's only for a couple of weeks...so suck it up!

GO TEAM GREAT BRITAIN! GO, GO, GO!

Busted!

One of my all-time favourite movies is Dirty Dancing - which I think I just may have mentioned (on multiple occassions) before....

I have previously posted about how I sometimes feel like I am living out Dirty Dancing, and in true inconspicuous fashion - *ahem* - a photo from my sister-in-law's wedding surfaced this weekend....

Photo by Marlowe Ramirez

TOTALLY BUSTED!!!  This photo has been providing me with endless unashamed amusement!  Well, my husband's nickname is Brown Swayze...

You really can't take us anywhere.

The Inteli-Gents Cotton on...

Summer has finally landed in London...hoorah!  This amazing sunshine, coupled with a super dooper weekend, has me in a tip top mood, I must say.

Saturday was a marathon party day, with a summer soirée garden party in the afternoon, followed by a friend's leaving drinks at the Crown and Sceptre pub in the evening, and ending with a night of dancing at Black Cotton Club.

Hosted by DJs El Nino and Lady Kamikaze, Black Cotton Club takes place every third Saturday of the month at Volupte Lounge, where there is usually a live band, and our hosts spin jazz and swing roots music from the 1920s-1940s.

Volupte Lounge is near to Chancery Lane - a part of town that holds a special place in my heart, as it is where my husband and I held our wedding reception.  So we set off on our date night on Saturday, and arrived at the nightclub where everyone was dressed to the nines, the music was hot and the cocktails were fancy.

I must say, loverboy looked particularly handsome and was most definitely stylin' and profilin'...I'm a very lucky girl...

This month, The Inteli-Gents took to the stage, and having seen them at their debut gig last summer (how time flies...) I was overdue a dose of doo-wop, and was keen for loverboy to hear them.

Well they did not disappoint!  They still have those dulcet vocal harmonies, wrapped up in charisma, that appealed to me the last time I saw them.  I do love a band that is obviously having fun, as well as having musical talent (and they are nice guys, to boot)!

 Photos by Lady Kamikaze

As well as being stylish to look at, The Inteli-Gents also play music that is great to dance to - which is a good thing, as I spent most of the night dancing (and thusly, sweating).  For me personally, their brand of r&b contrasted perfectly with the earlier swing records that the DJs were spinning, as it meant that the night had a great variation of styles to lindy, charleston and jive to!

Sweaty, happy faces!

Good music, fun dances, great friends, a warm night, and a two-minute wait for the nightbus meant that we went home with big smiles on our faces.  All in all a top night, I'd say!