BalanceAprilIssue2017 - 27

STE P P ING OUT

Dateover

THENG
I
DAT ERT
EXP

Stuck in a rendezvous rut? Fear not, Balance
aims to change your dating patterns for good...
THE DATE

Nana Wereko-Brobby
runs dating events
club Social Concierge
(socialconcierge.co.uk),
for people who prefer
to date offline...

8pm-late,
Jones Family
Project, Shoreditch

'I arrived on time (he
didn't) and spent the first
few minutes perusing the cocktail
menu before Kevin arrived, puffed
from rushing to get there. We quickly
discovered that red wine drinkers
and beer drinkers must compromise,
so ordered a bottle of rose.
'The whole evening was spent
chatting and nibbling away in the
romantically lit restaurant basement.
I found Kevin to be smart and
savvy and I very much enjoyed our
conversations about my favourite
topic of discussion - television.
'We talked a lot about accents and
by the end of the night, his Australian
drawl had somewhat improved. We
hugged goodbye before I enjoyed a
pleasant stroll home.'

THE CONSULTATION
Wednesday, 6pm, Notes Coffee
Roasters & Wine Bar

Matthew's move to London was
a conscious decision to make a
clean break from Australia and
lay down long-term roots.
'Nice' is the word he uses most
to describe his ex. There's no
acrimony there, but equally there
was no excitement.
Matthew took on the position
of carer rather than lover,
supporting his ex (who was
five years his senior) through
a change in career direction.
Emotional intelligence bonded
them but not passion.
So Matthew left in
pursuit of more sizzle,
MEET
but ended up with
MATTHEW, 30
dates who were all
An Australian PHD student in London,
high drama and
at the tail end of his studies in social
advocacy. Playful but a bit of a thinker,
zero level
he is looking for someone who
headedness.
connects with both his serious and silly
These days, he
sides. As passionate about activism as
flip-flops between
he is about the pursuit of fun, finding
bookish types
a date with arguably contradictory
who bore him,
characteristics is tricky. So far, he has
and wilder fellas
tried to settle and pick a side
who make a sensible
- and it hasn't worked.
dad figure out of him.
The challenge is to offer
him someone who stands on both
sides of the divide, combining
excitement with drive.

THE VERDICT
Matthew says:
'I'd be interested
in getting to
know him more,
but he said he
hated alone
time. I'd find
this difficult in
a longer-term
sense, as I love
alone time!
But I liked
Kevin's ambition
and how familyminded he is, so
we'll see.'
7/10

Kevin says:
'Matthew was
charming, kind
and well put
together, but
the chemistry
was lacking. He
seemed to be
on a different
wavelength
and a touch too
serious. Would
I go out with
him again? Yes.
On another
date? No.'
6/10

PHOTOGRAPHY: WILL IRELAND

THE MATCH
Kevin, 24, is a digital marketing executive from
California. Recently sponsored by an agency
to remain in London after his studies, he
is transitioning from hedonist to careerist.
Fresh out of academia, he has the
cerebral boxes ticked but also
the passion of a traveller. Unlike
Matthew's previous flames, he
is confidently forging his career
but refuses to compromise on
just how much fun he can
have doing this. It's this mix
of focus with frivolity that
makes him a potentially
exciting match for Matthew.

Nana says... Maybe Kevin was
a little too vivacious for Matthew.
It's unclear whether the formality
of the date prevented Matthew
from loosening up. This was a great
test and perhaps it's confirmed
that Matthew is better suited to a
more serious match.

Do you want us to find you a date? If you'd relish the chance to take part in the
next Dateover, simply sign up at balance.media

April 2017 BALANCE

27
http://socialconcierge.co.uk
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