This blog is now only a memory…
These guys aren’t playing regularly at The Highway anymore but now play at different pubs around Adelaide. To find out more follow them on Facebook.
The Highway Hotel has long been a staple on the Adelaide Pub scene. It’s always open, it’s always busy and there’s always something happening. We went along on a summery Sunday afternoon and danced to the groovey reggae/funk tunes of Reggae On.
Let’s Look Back at this Fabulous Afternoon…
This event was not a structured, organised ‘dance night’ as such. Instead was the perfect opportunity for us to prove what we do!
Teach people to be able to dance multiple partner styles at pubs and hotels around Adelaide regardless of wether it’s a pre-arranged dance event or not. And boy, did we dance!
The Venue
If there is one thing the Highway Hotel is known for it’s their stylish and expansive beer garden. They have taken it to a whole new level with a long back wall that has been converted into comfortable booth seating, lounge areas, high bars, a separate bar just to serve beer garden patrons and even a huge cinema screen. All of this is then lit by the soft glow of colourful festoon lighting to give the garden a relaxed ambiance.
We arrived at 5pm, an hour before the band started and were shown to our reserved booth in the beer garden. From here we had a clear view of the band, the rest of the patrons and the area that would soon become our dance floor.
This gave everyone plenty of time to arrive, find a spot and have a chat before the dancing started.
The Band
At 6pm sharp the band, Reggae On, started up. They were great at what they did and had more variety than I had anticipated which kept it interesting.
Of course they played all of the reggae classics from Bob Marley to UB40. What I found impressive though was their ability to play modern pop, funk and rock songs with a reggae twist.
The variety in the music they were playing lent itself to both Cuban and L.A. style salsa and even the occassional rock’n roll. Don’t know the difference? Find out more here!
The break between dancing are longer than what we are used to with the band generally playing for 40 mins and then taking a 30min break. But on the flip side this gave us time to rest our legs, get more drinks at the bar and even order something to eat.
The salsa dancing went on into the evening as the sun went down. With the perfect weather coupled with the outdoor lights slowly coming on and flooding the dance floor with beautiful colours… We could have been salsa dancing in Jamaica!
A dance teachers’ advice…
As this is not an organised dance event you do need to be quite brave to get up and start dancing on your own. It is best to go with a group of dance friends or perhaps suggest to your dance school to head there as a group.
Be aware of is the size of the dance floor and the practicality of dancing salsa in such a crowded space. As is often the case when dancing in a pub/club you need to keep all arm styling to a minimum and avoid applying pressure through your heel when you back rock. You don’t want to step on someone!
There may be drunk people dancing close by so watch out for them and give them a wide berth!
Please Note: This event is no longer running but you can still find Reggae On playing at various pubs and hotels every weekend. Head to their Facebook page for updates or head to our Where To Dance In Adelaide blog and get your dance shoes ready!
One of our favourite venues to see them play is The Royal Oak on O’Connell Street . You can join us there on Sunday 15th September as our next QuickSteps outings. See you there!
