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Fanny Smith – SkiCross World Champion

#skicross #worldchampion
Needless to say, she’s just gorgeous and great fun to hang out with, so check out the video to get an idea about Fanny Smith’s day job…and don’t forget to take your chin off the floor afterwards. We met the Skicross World Champion in Villars-sur-Ollon, in the Swiss mountains high above Lausanne and Vevey, when she had just come back from competing on Germany’s Feldberg in the Blackforest. She is an incredible athlete, with her eyes on the big prize at the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022, but first has to prove her staying power on the slopes in order to maintain the crown of World Champion this coming season 2019/20.

Being an athlete

Fierce. Fearless. Fabulous. That’s just three 3 words to describe the Swiss Athlete Fanny Smith. Talking to her though, you realise she’s charming, funny, down-to-Earth and just a normal young woman. Throw in the word DRIVEN, and then you a get a better picture of the transformation from the person in front of you to the person on the slope, competing in World Cups! The winter sport she just excels in year on year is SkiCross, and so one wonders what she wants to prove or why she’s racing downhill at break-neck speed!

Fact is, she has a real talent for what is required to be the best in the world in this skiing discipline: she’s committed, she takes her training super seriously and she’s competitive as hell. Learning the odd thing or two about skiing downhill from a very early age helps, of course, and that’s where Dad came in, skiing teacher and paragliding pilot Christophe Smith. Growing up and still based in beautiful Villars-sur-Ollon in Switzerland, she will even be welcoming the Youth Olympic Games YOG in Lausanne in 2020 as a YOG Ambassador, which is a huge deal and a massive recognition of her achievements.

Mental determination

However, one gets the feeling that whatever Fanny does, she wants to do on her own terms, which is fair enough. So, where does the drive come from then? Well, Fanny is the first person to tell you herself that school wasn’t a great environment for her, as she is dyslexic. She got bullied for it, which isn’t nice, and unfortunately many kids experience this when growing up in an environment that’s not necessarily geared to children with certain requirements. However, the seriously impressive thing is, how she channelled these experiences and emotions into deciding that she wants to become the best there is in the world in at least something.

And bang: give her the right environment and she is a force to be reckoned with. She is indeed fearless, and has incredible style on the slopes. She flies down the hill and seems not the slightest bit intimidated by her competitors. She’s clear about what she wants to achieve and will do anything to get her there. Today, she is the ski cross world No.1, and for that we salute her.

Competition calendar 2019/20

So, where will this the season 2019/20 competitions and championships take her? Well, getting involved with the YOG 2020 is going to be a big deal, but until first there’s dozens of races to get out the way, which are part of the World Cup, the European Cup, as well as local races in Pitztal, Montafon and Aros, to name just a few. In the last Winter Olympics she won Bronze in Skicross, and we somehow get the feeling that unless it’s proper Gold, it’ll never be enough for her. So, she’s got her eyes firmly on Beijing 2022, but until then, she’s got her work cut out to keep the crown of world champion. She is a realist and she knows this. So, good luck for the coming season, Fanny, and we already look forward to seeing you compete next time. (fanny-smith.com)

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FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2019/20 until 26 April

#wintersports
Talking sports competitions and championships, that’s summer over with, so let’s get down to business in the snow! We love the World Cup’s various disciplines in the precious White, staged in the most incredible winter destinations and skiing hot spots not just Europe, but throughout the world. Visit just a single tournament and you’ll be hooked by the crazy vibe, excellence in sports and brilliant atmosphere in the resort! Make this not just a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but something to be part of every winter.

Competition Disciplines

The International Ski Federation’s calendar is relentless! The disciplines to be contested are Alpine skiing, Freestyle & Freeski, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, Ski Jumping and Cross-Country! Competition dates start at the end of October to the end of April, which is a full 6 months of winter sport to determine world champions to make their countries proud. You don’t need to be a skier yourself to appreciate the atmosphere on the ground during the championship. However, if you’ve ever watched a ski jumping event live, you’ll realise the tremendous skill that’s required, which actually applies to all the respective disciplines. You just have to be a bit crazier flying through with skis strapped on, rather than testing your mettle in the down-hill races.

One of the relatively young disciplines gaining more attention and fans by the season is Skicross. Do check out our interview with the current World Champion Fanny Smith, as she is one hell of a gal with great talent indeed. She’s part of the Swiss National Team and has a great future ahead of her.

FIS Ski World Cup

The circuit doesn’t just travel to European destinations in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France and Germany, but all over the world, including the USA, Russia, Latvia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden, amongst others, but also China and Japan…wow! 6 months training and 6 months competing – it’s a tough life, but someone has to do it. However, for the athletes taking part it is a calling! Their physical and mental fitness has to be at the highest levels and what they’re asking from their bodies over the years of competitions is beyond what any fitness level most of us will only dream of. However, if you ever go to any championship, in any of these disciplines, the energy and crazy atmosphere at these sporting events will catch you and get you hooked instantly. It is a memory-making experience every time, and following your favourite athlete around on the circuit is simply mind-blowing.

International Snow Day

The FIS has even created an International Snow day, to celebrate the precious white flakes! For kids and families, snow holidays are just huge fun, for speed junkies and those who take their sport more seriously, it provides a unique ground surface to reach their physical pique. For naturists, who want to simply enjoy the outdoors and watch the change of our Earth during the winter season, a walk to enjoy the fresh air will do just fine. Check the FIS calendar to find an event of your choice in your favourite winter sport in your favourite ski resort NOW!

‘Break a leg’ for good luck then…

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Cuttin’ Headz x FUSE x LNOE – Day Rave at Tobacco Dock London

#EDM #dayrave
Tobacco Dock in London’s East End was absolutely heaving that Saturday. Brilliant sunshine, we couldn’t believe the glorious weather for this day rave.
People came from far & wide, as this was by far not just a London event. Having bumped into Cassy in Marrakesh the week before, it was mega-cool to hang out with her in the DJ booth on the LONE stage in the venue’s car park. 6000 ravers turned up in London’s East End that day, and forgetting about the sunshine, we all got totally lost in the subterranean vibe happening in the bowels of the building.

Jody Barr was on before her, delivering a blinding set, so when Cassy came on, it was time for some serious EDM girl power. The fierce lady of dance, certainly delivered, so watch the video to join in the fun!

As lovers of all things music and dance, TA-DAH.TV went to Tobacco Dock in September for Cuttin’ Headz’s latest house event – and what better place to go and hang out with such talented artists than London! A day rave dedicated to stomping beats and two-stepping till you drop, we loved spending some time with Jody Barr & Cassy in the ‘Last Night on Earth’ DJ booth.

The Event

It goes without saying that house music sounds even more amazing than normal in the summer – and on Saturday 21st September we had one last opportunity to turn the speakers up a few notches and emotionally wave goodbye to what has been an amazing summer season!
It was a glorious day down in the East End of London and the place was heaving by 5pm! 6000 eager ravers turned up to strut their stuff and have a dance – and we loved every minute of joining in! The Great Gallery had thousands of partiers in awe by the pulsating house beats, accompanied by a light show that would send all house lovers into delirium!
Every summer tells its own unique story in London, full of twists and turns that converge together in perfect synchronisation. Of course, the electronic music scene is what we love best and that’s why we’re so glad that LNOE (Last night on Earth set) hosted their first London party in 2 years!
The finale of summer is always key; to put an exclamation point on yet another remarkable raving season in the English capital. The crew have officially cemented themselves in British raving culture history be ending the summer with their best event yet! And all in the heart of a historic venue: Tobacco Dock
Tobacco Dock

Smack bang in the middle of London’s East End, Tobacco Dock is a Grade I listed warehouse that is, in modern times, used for office space, corporate business meetings and events. Ambitiously restored in 2012, the venue is one of the most famous landmarks in the country. Featuring genius industrial architecture, Tobacco Dock has become an icon of the city’s landscape! However, it has previously had many purposes.

Completed in 1812, Tobacco Dock originally served as a place to store imported tobacco – hence the name! Due to financial issues after the war, the docks were in and out of business. However, in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympics, the venue was used as barracks for the military to provide security for the famous event. That is what makes it so impressive; that it is now home to the best UK raves and events! Can’t imagine, that the military were having a day rave down there though!

Artists

The biggest name, headlining the event, were The Martinez brothers! Raised in the Bronx, New York, brothers Chris and Steve Martinez started DJ’ing from an early age. After years of hard work and implementing their passion, they have become one of the world’s leading house and tech house artists to date. After becoming club residents at DC10, their status as house kings was solidified. They often play B2B with another legend: the incredible Seth Troxler. TA-DAH.TV has bumped into all 3 of them several times before, including another London dance event: the ‘Eastern Electrics’ festival, so check out their shout-out, as well as their European tour dates in the Club Night Diaries of the channel’s MUSIC section.

Here is a list of the other great DJ acts on the day’s set-lists:

Cuttin’ Headz – Great Gallery
The Martinez Brothers
William Djoko
Jesse Calosso

FUSE – Terrace
Enzo Siragusa
Archie Hamilton
Rich NxT B2B Seb Zito

Last Night on Earth – Car Park
Sasha (extended set)
Jody Barr

Cassy
Konstantin Sibold

Disco – VIP
Jasper James B2B William Djoko
Griff
Siggy Salls
M-A-X
Oliver Moon
Paolo Francesco
Frankel & Harper

Above is the video  link to Ta-Dah’s trip to the rave. Have a fantastic day!

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The Oasis Festival has been renamed to Oasis: Into The Wild

The Oasis Festival is just brilliant: the incredible line-ups for their various stages offer something for absolutely everyone, their designated areas are excellently designed and make sure there’s no overcrowding, and the fact that it is just SO cosmopolitain, makes it massive fun. The whole of Europe seemed to have descended onto the Fellah Hotel complex, with French, Dutch, German and Arabic to be heard every where, never mind English, you really had the feeling that this gig was 100% European. It’s organised extremely well (wifi-zones, meeting points, plenty of food available and cool spaces to have it in) and the way it’s run meant that there were no huge queues to encounter or you’d go hungry because the food stalls had run low, meaning: there was happiness all around you!
Talking line-up and stages, the Oasis stage had the crowds heaving to techno beats, the Mirage stage offered a mix of disco, funk & house and the Bamboo stage sent every raver into oblivion with a healthy mix of house & deep house, peppered with bits of funk, soul and rock – with the forest being lit in all these psychedelic colours, it was quite trippy and the better for it. We hung out with DJ Optimo and Seth Troxler during their set, so needless to say, we had a whale of a time.
Hit that start button right now to join in…

Everything You Need to Know About Marrakesh’s Oasis Festival

With there being an abundance of music festivals all across the globe, it would be hard to recommend one particular festival to a friend. There are so many different factors that contribute to a festival being a huge success or a catastrophe: the line-up; the location; the organisation; the other activities to undergo and many more. Usually, festivals tick a few of these boxes but underperform in some departments.

However, that is not the case for Oasis Festival in Morocco, Marrakesh. Located on the outskirts of the city, the festival is set amongst the beautiful view of the Atlas Mountains. Never before has a festival been set somewhere so aesthetically pleasing – whilst boasting a stellar line-up all at the same time! It is no surprise that the festival’s strapline is “Dance Somewhere Different”. Let’s take a look at why Oasis Festival is second to none.

Line-Up

Entering its fifth year since its inception, the festival has its best line-up to date! Having
already had the privilege of the techno king Carl Cox headline the festival previously, it
would have taken something extra special to surpass it. But alas, they have! There is a vast
array of dance music across the weekend, ranging from two-step techno to house music
that you can’t help but pump your fist to.

One act to look forward to in particular is that of Amelie Lens. Having seemingly rose to the
top instantaneously, Amelie has headlined the biggest festivals all over the world. Now it is
time for her to own the Oasis stage. Mixing bass heavy minimal techno with acid and tribal
house, Lens creates a world of her own on the stage. Never before has a DJ been better
suited to performing at Oasis festival. Amelie, we’re ready for you!

The abundance of musical talent continues with the alternative Four Tet. Boasting a
whopping 36-minute single, there will be no shortage of groovy tunes to bounce to. Mixing
a plethora of sub-genres, (particularly alt-rock and jazz) Four Tet’s experimental methods
have allowed him to reach the heights he is currently at. Using the likes of Radiohead, Black
Sabbath and Lana Del Ray in his work, this is a DJ who will make you question what you
thought you knew about music.

With his love for music deriving from listening to funk and soul in his kitchen and touring
with hip hop artists, Loco Dice has become something quite unique. Dice knows what it
means to feel human and portrays this within his live sets. His use of minimal tech house is
jaw-dropping, fascinating audiences of thousands as a result. Due to previously being a
screenwriter, his live sets take you on more of a compelling narrative than any film could.

Other Activities

Food: The array of luscious food and drink on offer highlights the rich, culinary tradition that belongs to Marrakesh.

Squidsoup: The amazing art collection Squidsoup will be lighting up the Oasis stage with their one of a kind, immersive light show.

Secret Garden: The ultimate place to relax at the festival. With Marrakesh cocktail joint Barometre providing tropical drinks!

Travel

If you are looking to travel to Oasis Festival by flight, there are two recommended airports.
The first one, which is the preferable one of the two, is Marrakesh Menora International
Airport. The festival is roughly a 30-minute drive away the airport and there are multiple
travel options available. If this airport doesn’t suit you for whatever reason, the second
most ideal airport is the Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport. This is situated
around a 3 hour drive away from the festival but is also the busiest airport in Morocco.

You can also travel to the festival 4 days prior and indulge in a bumper surfing and yoga
experience in the bay of Taghazout. On the first day, feel free to make yourself at home in
the hotel with a welcome dinner and slow yoga practice. Then help yourself to 3 days of
surfing on the sunny beach and as much yoga as you’d like. This relaxing experience really is
the perfect preparation for the fun that lies ahead.

So, come on down to the festival that has well and truly put Marrakesh on the music map.
We hope to see you and your friends dancing in the sun very soon.