Meet the HSDY Partygoer: Bill Smith

Quantity Surveyor

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On the HSDY blog we love to share partygoer’s stories and we’re delighted to introduce you to Bill.

Bill loves music and loves dancing and is getting on his mountain bike to do the London to Brighton Off-Road ride for the British Heart Foundation this month

What's your HSDY story?

My wife and a few of her friends went to HSDY in the early days at Hither Green and the Trafalgar Tavern and then she asked me if I’d like to come along. She said I’d love it as I love music and I love dancing, but I was a bit cynical about the idea of a 70’s night. I’d been to Car Wash years ago and it wasn’t my thing. I used to be an indie kid, and a bit serious, but things change. I really needed to get out and let my hair down, and I wasn’t about to go back to the indie clubs of my youth – the punters would be a good 20 years younger than me. I’d always listened to soul music when I was growing up and my dad was a huge Barry White fan. I have two older sisters with great taste in music and I inherited all their 45s, so along with pop, reggae and glam rock stuff, there was lots of soul and disco.

"I felt so comfortable. I felt at home".

So I gave HSDY a go and I really couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed myself the first time I went. I felt so comfortable. I felt at home. I felt like I could actually dance like nobody was watching. It was brilliant and I haven’t stopped going since. Now we always try to get a crew together and spread the word it’s on. I don’t think anybody I’ve been to HSDY with hasn’t enjoyed themselves. It’s impossible not to. I don’t do fancy dress though. I’m still a tiny bit serious.

When you are not dancing at HSDY what else do you do?

I work for Transport for London as a Commercial Manager and have spent most of my career working in major rail or transport infrastructure projects. I’m currently working on the Jubilee Line Optimisation project. It’s pretty dull if I’m honest, ha!

I have two beautiful children aged 10 and 7, and love to spend most of my time asking them to either put their shoes on or tidy their rooms.

I love to cycle; we used to do a lot of mountain biking before the kids came along and we’d venture off to the Welsh Mountains, The Peak District, The Alps or the Sierra Nevadas in Spain, climbing for miles before charging downhill very fast. As the kids get older we have been picking up mountain biking again and have enrolled for the 75 mile London to Brighton Off-Road ride for the British Heart Foundation in September. Click here for to my woefully low Just Giving page I’m not sure I’ll be able to dance for a while after that!

I live in Eltham, right next Oxleas Woods. It’s a beautiful spot overlooking the woods and meadows. It’s like being in the country. Eltham gets a lot of knocks due to being linked to the terrible Stephen Lawrence incident but it has upsides; it’s green, it has a fantastic new cinema, a few good pubs; The GPO and the Park Tavern particularly), and a couple of decent places to eat, plus we love Eltham Palace which is free if you are an English Heritage member.

Now all it needs is a venue big enough to hold HSDY on my doorstep...

Favourite HSDY venue?

Has to be Blackheath Halls! I love the Christmas party and it’s always a great night, I just wish it could go on for longer. 3am finish please!

Favourite HSDY track?

I have too many! Runaway by The Salsoul Orchestra, Turn the Music Up by The Players Association, Across The Tracks by Maceo Parker, Searching by Change. I always love HSDY best when a surprise drops; when Lord Ant played Your Love by Frankie Knuckles, or the first time DJ Da’Lynne spun The Tom Tom Clubs’ Genius of Love. They were a couple of choice HSDY moments for me.

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So that's it from Bill. We're really looking forward to seeing him at the Trafalgar Tavern next month. If you fancy sharing your HSDY partygoer story then drop us an email at info@haventstoppeddancingyet.co.uk and you could be next.

See you on the dance floor!

Nikki

xx