Ben McArthur
THE organisers ordered no mucking around from its attendees at last weekend’s Gippy Rocks freestyle dance competition at the Sale Hall, which saw 80 competitors, from children to the elderly, up against stone-faced judges, dancing to classical rock and roll music from the 50s and ’60s.
The event’s organiser Andrew Camp, called it “serious business.”
“The people on the door won’t let anyone in if the music’s playing. There’s not allowed to be any speaking on the floor either because we take it that seriously,” he said.
Therefore, so long as the music played, that door which divided the foyer and the hall had to remain shut.
But the door itself didn’t lock, so Tash Fall, a volunteer security guard stood behind it and held the handle.
Her objective was to follow Mr Camp’s instructions and not let anyone through, even if a line started forming in the foyer or an old man came by saying his grandson was performing right now.
“Well, in that (scenario) he should have come earlier,” Ms Fall said.
Indeed, Ms Fall couldn’t let anyone through, barring perhaps someone who announced themselves as emergency services.
Mr Camp also said there can be no movement from the crowd; if a “fast song” plays, the audience can scream, holler and cheer, but moving is still banned as it distracts the dancers and judges.
For example, if someone wearing an ugly bowler shirt was cheering and shouting, they would have been at home in the audience.
But if they stood up and moved around in the excitement of watching dancers do the twist, the bop, flips, swings, and the jitterbugs, then as the MC made clear from the beginning, the crowd could turn hostile.
It would be particularly egregious if this occurred during a “slow song” — perhaps Ms Fall would escort that person out.
One competitor, Matthew ‘Hipshiggins’ Higgins, who dreams of a third national title in the fast lifts category, called the Gippy Rocks, a precision sport and compared the judging that is seen in ballet or diving.
“It’s all technicalities with the judges. Everything is! If one hand’s half-cocked and the other’s up, or you have a flared foot instead of a pointed foot, or you get the timing wrong by a smidge, then the judges will go nuts and lower your ranking!” he said.
The event received a grant of $6000 from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
