2015 Round Up

As 2015 draws to a close I wanted to take a step back and have a look at all that’s happened and all that’s been achieved this year.  2015 started with a dream of a larger space to call home as Phases continued to add more students and classes to the timetable.  Never did I expect that we would be lucky enough to end up where we are now!  When we first started discussing studio space with the Dreamland Trust in 2014 we were looking at the space that would later become the Octopus’s Garden and the decision was ultimately made by Sands Heritage that a children’s play area was a better use for this space.  Back to the drawing board (or the commercial rent classifieds!) for us until the Sands came back with an alternative idea that would, in the long run, result in the studio
we now have.

What followed was a mass of meetings, contracts and finally at the beginning of April the keys to the first floor of the former Escape nightclub.  As we stood looking around on that first day we couldn’t believe what we’d agreed to, the overwhelming sense of ‘what have we done?!’ at first was hard to get past.  But, the potential we could see in the space prompted us to start the renovations and would be the thing that we would keep reminding ourselves of at the times when the dread threatened to overwhelm us once more.  It’s here that I must once again say massive thank yous to everyone that helped us out during the renovations.  Without you the whole thing would have taken so much longer and the space may not have become what it is now without you.  To some in particular I will give an extra special mention for the extra work you did for this- Ade and John for the constant support, hard work and everything else you had to put up with during this period and also for the fact that this is the second time you’ve done this!  I promise that it won’t be happening again any time soon!  To Nicky and Wayne, I truly don’t know what we would have done without you both.  Your knowledge and expertise were without a doubt the reason that this project progressed as quickly as it did, and for you to be coming in after doing a full day’s work of the same is something that very few people would have done and I am eternally grateful for you both.

Would you believe that from getting the keys on April 1st we did the first class in the new studio on May 23rd?  That’s only 53 days!  Yes, it wasn’t finished and the side space was effectively a dumping ground for building supplies and equipment but surely that has to be some kind of record for a project of this size. 😀

Throughout the build, which practically dominated our thoughts for 2 months, we also had preparations for the second Kent Pole Championships to think about, the final of which took place on May 17th.  Now originally we had wanted the new studio keys at the beginning of March so that there would be no clash with KPC preparations.  However, delays in the safety aspects of the building meant that we didn’t get the keys until April and so were a month behind ourselves.  So, instead of finishing off one project before moving on to the main event of the second project it all kind of happened at once.  We do like a challenge don’t we?! 😅😅  (Again I need to give extra thanks to the build team for the resulting late nights and mad rush that week.  Love you guys!)  No matter though, it was great to have a break from painting and take time to appreciate the hard work that all of the competitors put into their routines.

Looking back I am extremely proud with how KPC went this year.  Yes it was a bit of a gamble to go for a bigger hall and stage after only one event but I really think it paid off.  The stage looked amazing and I’m proud to say that KPC was the first regional competition to have fixed poles at it’s Grand Final.  A lot of work went into building that stage so I need to say thank you again to the brain behind it, Josh, and to the team that helped put it together at silly o’clock in the morning.  From there the day went so smoothly thanks to the hard work of the Phases team of volunteers and it was an absolute pleasure to see all of the routines from all of the competitors, some of whom had come from as far away as Devon and the Midlands to compete.  The addition of a Men’s category and a Doubles category certainly added more variety to the proceedings and are increasing in popularity for the 2016 event.

I’d like to give a special mention to Hazel Harris who made it to the final of the Beginner category and to Kinga Olesciewicz who placed second in the Intermediate category.  Congratulations on your achievements ladies and thank you for representing the Phases team!

Zoe, Hayley, Kinga, Kris, Heather & Jodie

June saw a group from Phases take part in an event that has been long awaited by the whole of Margate- the re-opening of Dreamland!  On Friday 19th we arrived bright and early to set up our poles and aerial rig amidst the last minute flurry of activity to get the park ready for it’s 10am grand opening ceremony.  As part of a celebration of both Dreamland’s and Margate’s shared history we were invited to perform pieces created to showcase different highlights of youth culture.  From punks to teddy boys/girls and beach Belles to disco fever we brought these uniquely different eras and incorporated them into a pole and aerial extravaganza.  It was such an honour to be a part of this historic event and we had a truly amazing day, we even found a bit of spare time to enjoy some of the newly refurbished rides and amusements.  Generally people appreciated the artistry of what we did but who can forget the ‘bum-gate’ debacle?!

Oh yes!  We also found ourselves a celebrity! 

In July was the World Pole Sports Championships which Heather and I competed in.  Having qualified in April in Newcastle which was far to far away for anyone to come and watch (we appreciated the studio based support though!) it was great to have several of you there to watch and support us in the final.  We took 5th and were pleased that we got to share part of that experience with you.  Who fancies next year?!

Studio support in April.

We had a lot going on in August with photoshoots, workshops and another trip out for members of the future Phases performance troupe.  Kinga and I had an evening out at The Quaterdeck to entertain the patrons with something a little different to our usual repertoire.  In keeping with The Quaurterdeck’s Hawaiian themed, end of summer party we brought out the coconut bras and grass skirts and did some hula dancing.  Let’s just say that with all of the hip circles the routines went down a storm.  Next year I definitely want to work on building a performance troupe to cover all styles of dance and circus so that we can go out more into the community and really get involved with more events.

By the end of the summer we decided that we really needed to get the studio finished so we set ourselves a date for the Official Opening Party.  This meant that is had to be done by September 12th because otherwise we’d be asking people to sit on paint pots and exposed floor boards instead of chairs and sofas.  So, after the Worlds we got back to it to make pretty the side part of the studio and get pictures and stuff on the wall to make the whole thing feel more lived in and less sterile.  In typical us style we were still putting the finishing touches to the place as people were walking in the door.  Why change the habits of a (studio) lifetime?  (Did you know that the bathroom sink fell off the wall in the old studio on the day of the Opening Party back in May 2013?  We never do things easily do we?!).

Betsy with all of the Opening Evening performers.

Despite all of the last minute tasks the Opening itself went smoothly and we all enjoyed the various performances from students, instructors and our special guest Mr. Ian Matthews and generally had the chance to chill out after all the hard work getting the studio finally finished.  Another trip to The Quaterdeck finished things off quite nicely.

After the Opening the next event to focus on was the Halloween Showcase.  I couldn’t be prouder of the performances that everyone put together.  You all worked so hard on them and put so much thought into your costumes and then you performed them so well.  I’m sorry for all of the emotional intros that I gave you all but I promise that it’s because I was so proud of you all! 🙂  To have the showcase at the studio I think was a massive achievement.  We were worried that it wouldn’t have the same significance that the Winter Gardens had but with the decorations (again courtesy of Nicki and Wayne!) and the lighting (Josh!) and the layout it all went so much better than we could have imagined.  From the fantastic to the down right scary (Jodie and Hayley- that makeup!!!!) it was a night filled with fun and fright.

Unfortunately, after the showcase we said farewell to one of our founders.  Zoe has put so much into Phases and it is with a lot of sadness that she leaves us.  On a positive note Zoe is doing a lot better and her symptoms are less with being able to rest more in the evening.  We all wish her well and can’t wait to see her at Phases’ next event.

Since Halloween we have been winding down towards Christmas and New Year.  We have to say a big thank you to Jodie for organising the Christmas meal- Giorgios was a good choice both for the food and for the cocktails!  It was a good chance for us all to get together, chill out and socialise outside of the studio.

2015 has been a massive year for Phases.  We couldn’t have done it without the continued support of all of our students, friends and family.  We already have big plans for 2016 with the 3rd Kent Pole Championships (which more of you are having a go at than before!), a Phases performance troupe in the pipeline and the Thanet Ju-Jitsu Academy coming to join us.  I love you all and I can’t wait to see what else 2016 has in store for us all! 😀