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Above: Kerrin and Lucy Osmond of Ginger Jive
Above: Maureen and David Wootton (centre) with professionals Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace
Above: Kat Coburn with husband Jonathan
Ballroom dancing is enjoying a revival across the country. Not surprisingly, as millions of us tune in to see how actors, sports stars and singers fare on the dance floor at the hands of professional judges who pull no punches when it comes to criticism, the urge to follow in their footsteps becomes ever greater. So we went out and about to ask three ballroom dancing enthusiasts just how Strictly has affected them.
Lucy Osmond runs Ginger Jive with her husband Kerrin. The pair hold dance classes around Newbury, Bracknell and Frimley every week. While most of their classes are for jive, their ballroom and Latin classes are growing increasingly poplar.
Says Lucy: “There’s no doubt that the TV programme has had an effect on our numbers. The first night we started a new ballroom class we had 170 dancers and had to shut the doors on some people. Our “Ballroom Blitz” night is designed for people who wish to learn ballroom and Latin dancing just for fun.
We don’t study for medals or competitions. We just want to teach dancers, both beginners and experienced, in a relaxed and friendly environment.
“We started to change the way that ballroom was taught before Strictly because it had an older image. We wanted to make it fun and a lot of established teachers told us we couldn’t do that. But that’s what people want. They don’t want to be told how they should hold their heads or how to position their arms; they just want to enjoy themselves. We introduced more modern music which younger people really enjoy. So now we’ve got a mixture of old and new tunes. The theme from Shrek, for example is a waltz and a lot of Kylie’s tunes are cha-chas like Can’t Get You Out of My Head.
“At the end of our classes people can stay to socialise. It’s a bit like driving really. You can have the lesson but it’s only when you’re out on the roads that you really learn to drive. That’s how it is with dancing. You can have lots of lessons but you need to put it into practice on the dance floor.”
Favourite judge I like Len Goodman because he’s fair. He gives constructive criticism and that’s what people need so they can build on it.
Favourite professional Anton de Beke.
Favourite celebrity I like Christine Bleakley because she’s had no dance training and comes to it with a completely fresh approach, unlike Rachel Stevens who’s been trained already.
Tip to win It’s got to be Austin Healey, although I do think Rachel Stevens does stand a good chance.
Maureen Wootton and her husband David, from Eversley, used to love dancing to live bands, but when recorded music took over they decided to try and do something about it by organising their own dances. They have held two events with live bands but are now planning to move to Dorset.
Says Maureen: “We know that there are some good events with recorded music but, for us, you simply cannot beat the thrill of dancing to a good live band. Nothing, absolutely nothing, feels the same as sharing an evening with a band that understands and enjoys its music, and generates that magical mutual stimulus between band and dancers.
“Those are the evenings that you remember – with bands like the Piccadilly Dance Orchestra, Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Graham and the Grahamophones. Our dancing is not the best, but the combination of them and us felt just great.
“In recent years, we have felt that we must be the only ones out there who enjoy dancing to live music, but we have battled on in a bid to find events. We have listened to bands that play ‘allsorts – something to suit everyone’ – meaning anything from the seventies that you never ever wanted to hear again. But, life should be easier than this – especially now that Strictly Come Dancing has shown the world what we all knew – that, above all, dancing is plain good fun. So, we made a decision – stop the whinging and, on the basis of ‘If you want something doing... etc’, we decided to hold our own events. And so ‘Live Dancing’ was born.”
Favourite judge Arlene Philips.
Favourite professional I think that all the professionals do an excellent job. However, I have a soft spot for Flavia – I think she is a lovely dancer who tackles the full range of dances extremely well. She and Vincent danced a superb Argentine Tango cabaret at our first event.
Favourite celebrity In general, I have no idea who the celebrities are, so do not have preconceived ideas about who I would like to win – I usually develop a favourite based on who seems to be the most natural dancer, plus personality. However, it would be great to see John Sergeant stay in for a while to see if Kristina can build on his natural enjoyment of dance. I thought that Heather danced the only true salsa of the first evening. I also enjoyed watching Tom Chambers’ Latin and Christine’s foxtrot. But I do find that the fascination is seeing how the celebrities develop and how much pleasure they derive from dancing.
Tip to win I am impressed with Austin Healey and we know that Erin is very good at getting the best from her partners, so I think that they have a good chance of winning this year.
Kat Coburn has been dancing professionally for 16 years and now runs Kat’s Steps Ballroom Dancing in Chesham.
Says Kat: “When Strictly Come Dancing is on the TV it’s a bit like Wimbledon really. Suddenly everyone is out on the tennis courts. It’s the same with Strictly – everyone wants to learn to dance when it’s on. I realised just what an effect the programme was having when my husband finally bit the bullet and decided to learn. I think a lot of that is to do with the fact that so many sportsmen take part in the show. In a way they have helped remove the stigma of dancing for men. Strictly has proved that they can make very good dancers and that dancing is acceptable for normal gentlemen.”
Favourite judge Len Goodman. He’s the only one who’s a pure ballroom expert.
Favourite professional Karen Hardy and Anton du Beke. I used to compete against Anton and he’s great.
Favourite celebrity I love Austin Healy’s energy and enthusiasm.
Tip to win I’m really impressed by Cheri Lunghi.
Arlene in Oxford
Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips has choreographed the stage version of Flashdance which comes to the New Theatre in Oxford for a three-week run from December 15. Box office: 01865 320760.
Free dance class for every reader
Ginger Jive is offering every reader a free dance class. There are two different styles to choose from either modern jive or ballroom and Latin. Each dance evening consists of two dance classes and a social evening afterwards. You do not need to pre-book, just bring along this magazine for your free night and join in. You don’t even need to bring a partner. The offer is valid at the following venues during October and November.
Mondays – Modern Jive - Catholic Hall, Bath Road, Thatcham*. 8pm – 11pm.
Tuesdays – Modern Jive – Liberty Ballrooms, New Greenham Park, Newbury. 8pm – 11pm
Tuesdays – Modern Jive - Bracknell Leisure Centre – Bagshot Road, Bracknell - 8pm – 11pm
Wednesdays – Modern Jive – Liberty Ballrooms, New Greenham Park, Newbury. 8pm – 11pm
Thursdays – Modern Jive – Liberty Ballrooms, New Greenham Park, Newbury. 8pm – 11pm
Tuesdays – Ballroom & Latin – Clere School, Burghclere, Newbury – 7.45pm – 10.30pm (starting Tuesday 14th October 08)
*Please note that on Monday 27th October there is a venue change to Royal British Legion, Pelican Lane, Newbury
This offer is open to everyone except current dance members. For further information call 01635 877 253 or visit www.GingerJive.com.