Loco de Javea, dancing spiderman – meet Bournemouth’s Beachdancer

He’s often seen dancing his way across the sands at Branksome or Sandbanks in his favourite headphones – and we wanted to know more about what inspires him. Here’s our Q&A. 

1. What got you into dancing? Has it always been in your blood, or did something else inspire you to start boogying?

I have enjoyed dancing since I was a teenager, which is a long time ago. At that time I saw the movie 'West Side Story' and thought how wonderful it was the way the gang members moved and also the fantastic Latin dance scenes. I don't know if that was the thing that started me dancing, but it lingers in my mind.

Back then I was awful, I had no sense of rhythm, but after a while girls started telling me that I was a good dancer. There is nothing quite so encouraging as having girls come up to you in admiration.

Bizarrely, now that I am an old man, if I go to a discotheque, which I rarely do, young women still come over to dance with me. In one disco, before I danced, I spoke to a young woman who danced in a style that I did not recognise, but which was very attractive. She asked me if I danced and in what style. I sheepishly explained that I dance on the beach. She burst into a smile, "It's you! You're a legend."

2. When did you decide to start dancing on the beach? Is there something extra special about dancing on the sand?

There are several things special about dancing on the sand. Firstly it’s horrible, secondly it wrecks your knees and thirdly it moves dangerously under your feet, but you are in the open air with the beautiful sea and the lovely Downs.

The reason I do it is that I prefer being in an uplifting environment, connected to nature in its most spectacular quality and the bonus is that the breeze takes away the stink of ones own sweat. Oh, that didn't end as poetically as it began.

One day I was on a beach in another country on a hot sunny day listening to music via headphones and I thought to myself, 'Am I brave enough to dance here?' I wasn't sure, but I started and after a few days I broke through the fear barrier. You know that wall that we construct around ourselves that is social inhibition. A small child walked over to me and said, "Do you know that you are dancing on a beach in public?" I feigned surprise, "Am I? Oh, dear!"

Someone videoed me and put the video on-line under some title like 'Dad dancing in public', which was the first of many rather silly video clips that people take of me and put on-line under various names.

My favourites are "Loco de Javea" (which means Crazy man), "White men can dance" and one which is near Bournemouth Pier, near but not on the beach "Cregan & Co and the dancing spiderman".

For every nice clip there's one that makes me cringe a bit and some of the comments allow people to vent their inner frustrations such as the one who uploaded a clip and wrote, "Does he have music in those headphones or is he just totally mad?"

Some people tell me that they admire me because I don't care what people think, which is ironic because it pleases me to be told this.

3. How would you describe your dance moves? Who is your dance icon?

I rarely see myself dance so it is hard to describe what I do. I mention West Side Story as an early influence, and there was Gene Kelly and even Fred Astaire in movies when I was a child. They must all have some small effect.

More recently Michael Jackson, although I don't do any of his moves and even when people command me "Do some Michael Jackson" I don't. Not only could I never do it anywhere as well as he did, I have no desire to imitate anyone.

There are famous singer/dancers who I admire such as Jason Derulo and Chris Brown, and the fabulously inventive Lady Gaga but I can't do what they do. One day I watched a music video and thought, oh, he dances like I do. Although, I have never paid much attention to him that famous person was Justin Timberlake, but I don't claim to dance like him, I just saw a similarity in the moves.

The people I really admire are real dancers, persons who can do things I will never be able to do, but which leave me spellbound. One has to be Maddie Ziegler who's only about 12-years-old and I hope I live long enough to see her dance as an adult.

Then there are hip-hop dancers, complete unknowns such as Chris Kerr Rio, or Anthony Welch and people who do odd things that I don't even have a name for such as Les Twins. I am left breathless when I watch the stunning control and grace of ballet dancers earned through sweat and pain and when there is a good dance sequence on TV I have to try it.

(Which reminds me I was in a supermarket in an overseas holiday resort and a complete stranger saw me and said "Bruce Forsyth" which stunned me.)

4. Why did you choose to beach dance at Sandbanks and Branksome Chine?

I live there in the summer, but not knowing what you are going to write in the Bournemouth Echo, will I dare go there again?

5. What is your real name and where do you come from originally? Do you have a day job? Or do you spend all day dancing?!

I have been called variously by different people and in print, Geoffrey the beach man, the dancing man, Loco de Javea, Happy Human, **** of the first magnitude, Jeremy, dancing spiderman, idiot, and lunatico, but my real name is The Beachdancer.

I suppose I originally came from my mother's womb, but I am not sure what relevance that has.

I would like to spend more of the day dancing, but it takes a physical toll that has to be paid in terms of rest. As another pastime I like to make badly animated films, I would prefer to make well animated films, but that is currently just an ambition, much like my ambition to be a good dancer, something to work at and hope for.

I am very aware that I am not a good dancer because I watch and compare myself to those who are. I move well, and for my age I'm agile and passionate, but I am not and never will be a great dancer.

I retired some time ago, didn't I mention that I am an old guy?

6. What does the future hold for you with your beach dancing? Will you be teaching classes, or do you prefer to dance solo?

My future was probably in the past, my future now certainly holds endless struggle against decline and then inevitable submission to death. Beachdancing is a delightful way to fill a few hours most days of the week with the benefits of exercise and the strangely social aspect of dancing alone.

I hope to continue this as long as my creaky old legs will let me, but at any time something could snap, twist, tear and it will all end.  

On the other hand I did get seen by a filmmaker who put me in his music video for a song recorded in Rio Brazil. The funniest thing about that was that after dancing the whole piece 7 or 8 times he said, "And now for the close-ups."

I said: "Are you kidding me? Why on earth do you want close-ups of my leathery old face?"

I was actually more nervous at the screening, I really thought I would look awful, but it turned out okay.

At times I have given impromptu dance classes and sometimes this is fun, but yes I prefer just to dance. In a class you have to do the same thing over and over exactly the same and in slow motion, it is a completely different experience.

I have been to a number of classes in the Pavilion Dance studio in Bournemouth and also in Spain, but it isn't as much fun as just interpreting music and letting your subconscious take control of your limbs and just flying in a cloud of music and selfless being.

One evening I danced at one of the open classes at Pavilion Dance that they hold each year. At the end a group of young adults asked me when I hold classes. I explained that I don't teach classes to which they replied with considerable annoyance, "don't lie to us."

There are few things in life that are more enjoyable than dancing. It is a great shame that so few people do this or are even aware of the physical pleasure that it gives.