SCD '20 #9: GOAT (Greatest Of All Threads, or GO Away Tens)

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

You decide.

Previous thread

Men dance in flat shoes. Why don't women? I'm always amazed that they can dance in high heels, I can't even walk on them

Is there any evidence that Bill's "dance experience" is more than the half a dozen ballroom classes he did as a teen that is less than 10 hours (or one strictly training day) nearly 40 years ago (or nearly 70 years ago if you have Shirley's view of Bill's age! )

I’m not sure maireas

I suppose I am a bit conditioned to think that for dancing, it gives a more flattering line.

Maybe - just maybe - Clara might not have looked so stompy in a bit of a heel.

You know I know nowt though so my opinion is irrelevant!!!

@Maireas

Men dance in flat shoes. Why don't women? I'm always amazed that they can dance in high heels, I can't even walk on them

If you look at the mens shoes, they aren't totally flat I don't think. Clara's looked flat as a pancake!

I also can't walk in heels! Would definitely break my ankle trying to do a jive in one.

I dunno if heels would have made a difference. She was pounding through that floor.

I don’t think there is a floor strong enough in the world that would withstand me doing a jive.

I’d have to be going through the motions ten feet up. Suspended in Ann Widdie’s sling.

Given that JJ went to.public school and then university, why was he only a Lance Corporal in the Marines, and not an officer? Seems odd.

I did ballet for a while and can't imagine doing any of the steps in heels! (especially the jumps and lands). It wrecked my feet as it is.

JJ was a teacher and in the Reserves, not the Regulars. Does that make a difference? I don't know.

Not voting JJ here and we are a forces family (but like her ladyship we are RAF so perhaps Navy types for voting for him?) In reply to the comments a million years ago about him being apart from his wife and children if 2020 had gone to plan he would have been away from them for the Invictas Game and possibly for the Paralympic too. The reality of life for lots of families is separation for long periods.

I was always too chunky for ballet (or was told I was)

Proper envious of anyone graceful.

“Run of the mill private school” would mean anything that doesn’t fall into the tiny loosely defined group of “public schools” defined mostly by their age and having huge pots of cash stashed away: Eton, Harrow, Rugby, and some less well known ones including Radley.

If the Scots on this thread say that Strathallan falls into that category I’ll bow to their superior knowledge, but I still think that BVB, coming from a family with baronetcies and hundreds of millions sloshing about is a slightly different proposition in terms of poshboy status.

Isn't Radley (where Jamie went) considered a Tim Nice But Dim school for the posh families who've been advised the son isnt going to cut it at Eton?

I know NOTHING about public schools but the threads about them are FASCINATING

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Laing,_Baron_Laing_of_Dunphail
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Alexander_Grant,_1st_Baronet
Dear old Jamie comes from a Scottish 'trade' family if you want to be snobbish about it. And it's pronounced 'lang' not 'laing' Jamie

After a bit of digging, I came across an interview with Jamie's Mum. She said that whilst McVities paid for his schooling, and a small inheritance gave him the deposit for his flat, that was the end of it. He had a mortgage and had to work to pay it.

His Dad left when he was 9 and his mum remarried a nice businessman and that's the person who advised him on setting up Candy Kittens.

His Dad doesn't work for McVities at all, he owns a travel agency. Not a great area to be in these days!

@christmassongs

Unpopular opinion - the cartwheel was an unnecessary show off tactic. The dance would have been better without it.

Agree. Len would never have approved.

Ah, I love a cartwheel in long skirts so I was easily swayed.

[quote derxa]JJ went to a run of the mill private school, and as far as I can tell comes from a reasonably normal, though financially comfortable family - his father just happened to achieve high office
If you say so
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strathallan_School
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chalmers_(moderator)[/quote]
Goodness, my brother went there. He absolutely hated it. Mind you, that must have been at least 25 years before BVB.

Oh, Strathallan is not run of the mill! It's proper twee!

I think one of the issues evil is that English people would not consider any Scottish fee paying school to be 'top notch', but they would be overlooking Gordonstoun and Fettes there. Strathallan is more of a small rather quaint 'naice' school.

My friend form Edinburgh went to a very posh day school. At uni she was literally shunned by very posh English girls who assumed she was rather common because she went to the 'wrong school' Sigh.

@Maireas

Men dance in flat shoes. Why don't women? I'm always amazed that they can dance in high heels, I can't even walk on them

It pushes your weight forward — for jive you want your weight really fat forward (furthest of any dance).

Men's latin shoes typically have a 1.5" heel. Some men (if their partner is quite tall usually) will wear 2".

Eurgh. Shitty Shitty Gang Bang next week. I'm sure JJ is lovely and he has done incredibly well to overcome his injuries but (I will go to hell for this) he's boring.

I personally have never been asked to leave a rugby club. In fact I got invited to a New Years Eve do at one and Austin Healey bought me a vodka & coke. DS also used to play rugby but not to an age where I could get so drunk he would be embarrassed.

Thanks Polkadots. Although the women are routinely wearing higher heels than the men. Still don't know how they manage!

You’re right Piggy, the English are frequently clueless about the Scottish class system and some Scots have even been known to use that to their advantage. When Susan Calman was a regular on the News Quiz on Radio 4 it was hosted by Miles Jupp, who is everyone’s idea of posh, and they frequently played the roles of Glaswegian commoner vs Southern toff for comic effect. One day however she told him not to patronise her just because she was common and he shot back, “well no, if I was going to do that to anyone it certainly wouldn’t be the privately educated daughter of a knight of the realm”.

Only slightly OT because there is a Strictly link: I certainly don’t recall when Susan’s lovely old mum and dad were shown watching her at home in Glasgow that he was introduced with his title (gained for meritorious service as Scotland’s First Medical Officer to be fair, not inherited, but still not the impression you’d have got from watching her VTs on Strictly).

I suppose originally it was just that women did wear heels more than they do now.

It's probably a self-fulfilling prophecy — women wore heels, so steps are designed with wearing heels in mind. I'm so indoctrinated I'd dance up on my toes to mimic wearing heels if I'm dancing in flats.

I've found it also help match heights a bit — women have longer legs and a shorter torso, so a 2.5" heel will bring your hips up level with a man who's 5/6" taller than you, which is probably the average-ish difference.