AQUARIUS BALLROOM
Victoria Street, Hednesford, Staffs WS12 1BT

J11 IS BACK ...  AND AT THE AQUARIUS!

The Aquarius being taken over by new, professional management was the deciding factor for J11 to take up the challenge when approached to run events here for a second time. News of this change, and the return of the club to the regular soul calender will be welcomed by members old and new... especially those who have visited the Aquarius before.

THIS TIME , we have ALL THREE major components in place...
J11 Club, the fantastic venue, and crucially the right management behind us all the way.

With an amazing turnout for our relaunch night in January, J11 is back-on-track as one of the 'must visit' soul venues for 2010!.

After January's fantastic re-launch, J11 and management have had time to evaluate the night, and discuss ways to improve the events.

With such a great turnout, there were some queues at the bar at certain times.
This was a bit of mystery at first, as although we had experienced this on our previous stint at the Aquarius (which was due to under-staffing), this time around there were ample bar staff on hand which should have eliminated any undue problems of this kind.

After a little head-scratching, it was found that the main cause was slow-flow of the pumps behind the bar, causing each glass to take much longer than usual to fill.

The Aquarius management have got straight onto this, and a visit from the brewery has now put this right.

In addition, it was also decided to set up one end of the bar to be used exclusively for bottled drinks... beer, soft drinks, water etc.
This will help greatly in cutting down waiting times, especially those who wish to take on refreshment before heading straight back to the dancefloor!.

Many thanks to the management for being on the ball with this, and sorting things out so quickly ready for our next night in February.


One aspect of the soul scene; (loved or hated by folk in equal measures!); is the use of talc on the dancefloor.

We must make it clear to all visitors that the Aquarius Ballroom is a totally TALC-FREE venue.

Signs were place around the venue to this affect, but it was noted that a couple of areas had been treated with the white stuff.

We do need to keep the venue free of talc, full stop. Please don't bring any, you can't use it!.
(These guys are doing their very best to make our soul nights a big success. We can all do our bit by sticking to this fair rule).

Two reasons for the rule:

The Management view....

The Aquarius features a Match Class Dancefloor, and is used 7 days a week for dancing in various forms by folk from all over the country.
Unlike other venues which may have a few days to clean up after a soul night, the Aquarius has to be up and running the very next day.
It's not just the floor which needs cleaning. This stuff gets kicked up into the air, and settles everywhere!.

The J11 Club view....

Using talc at the Aquarius actually makes things worse!. We know this to be the case after our previous experience running events here.
The reason is due to the combination of floor type, a slightly lower ceiling than usual, and humidity. Add talc to the equation, and we soon get a sticky, clumpy mess :-(
We also end up breathing this stuff in for hour after hour. Although you may not see it, it's there.
Ever gone home with a dry or sore throat from a soul night??, it's most likely the talc you've been inhaling all night.
(We have numerous 'unusable photos' from around venues where talc is in use. The flashgun picks this 'invisible' stuff up as a thick fog!).


Treat the 'no talc' policy as an improvement, not just a venue restriction. It's there not only for the benefit
of the management, but your fellow soulie's health!.

All the very best from the J11 Crew, many thanks for your fantastic support in January, and see you on February 27th.