Ballroom Dancing Group
Chief Instructor: Contact John Veitch by email, 352-8372
Thursday Dance Class 1.00pm
St Albans Uniting Parish Hall, Nancy Avenue. $7.00 a person.
Saturday Dance Class 1.30pm
Paparoa Street Primary School hall. $7.00 a person.
Note for women alone. We will try to cater for you. Lot's of women in our dance studio are finding there are many advantages of doing ballroom dances without a partner. Better balance. You actually have to learn the dance, because you can't rely on your partner for a lead. Better still your "invisible partner" never makes mistakes. It's a bit like tai chi, or line dancing. With the advantage that it can be a partner dance.
There are a wide range of dancing possibilities. Great for people our age because with a bit of luck you can keep dancing into your 90's. You may have watched the BBC program on living longer, saying that dancing is better than attending the gym for fitness and good health.
The group in 2017 taught the following dances, a Rhythm Foxtrot, the Mayfair Quickstep and the new vogue Gypsy Tap.
We have chosen those three dances first because they contain all the essential skills.
Partner dancing lead and follow
Change of weight in preparation for the next step
Moving both forward and back and sideways
a simple basic turn (Natural Chasse Turn), which for those who think that dancing should begin with a waltz, contains the same elements as the waltz.
We've also looked at - The Merrilyn, the Destiny Waltz, the Swing Waltz, the Tangoette.
There's a request for a Latin style dance. I expect we will teach a Rumba.
If you were at a working men's club in Christchurch, with just those skills you'd get along OK. Better than many of the people who always get up.
Kathryn Perkins and John Veitch on the committee have both danced in many styles.
Your grand children are learning various latin dances, or Ceroc.
Most people our age are learning sequence dances if we want to do partner dancing. Over 100 of those danced in every week, in Christchurch. It will keep you busy for about 10 years.
