Dance history.....

I am a fully qualified dance teacher with the IDTA. I was 33 when I had my first dance lesson - and I only really ever wanted to learn to Waltz! That summer, I went on a week’s residential writing holiday - The Writers Summer School - where, apart from the lectures and workshops on writing, they also offered ballroom dancing as part of the evening entertainments programme. One evening, as there was nothing exciting happening in the bar, I went along just to watch, but found myself being coaxed into ‘having a go’. The rest of that evening was spent going from one awkward embrace to the next, as a succession of well meaning partners dragged me round the dance floor and tried to teach me how to Waltz. I was so terrible at it and very cross with myself for not being able to do it (especially as it looked so easy!), that when I got home, I vowed to learn how to do it properly! So, that September, I enrolled in a ten week Ballroom & Latin beginner course at the world famous Spencer Dance Centre in SE London. When that finished, I signed up for the second stage ten week beginner course, and when that too finished, I bought myself a pair of Latin dance shoes and joined the intermediate class. I danced on and off at Spencers for around three years attending classes in Ballroom, Latin, Modern Sequence and Rock ‘n’ Roll and, although I loved dancing, I always found it hugely frustrating that there were very few decent male dancers around – which meant that I always seemed to end up either sitting out or dancing the men’s steps (and I hate dancing man!), so when Spencers started offering line dance lessons, I was first in the queue! Back then, in the old days when Line dancing first became popular, it was done exclusively to modern American Country music - which was already a passion of mine. Line dancing meant that I could dance ALL night (no partner needed) to my favourite sort of music - I was in Heaven! I carried on with my Ballroom and Latin for a while, but eventually dropped it as Line dancing gradually took over my life: I would rush home from work, pull on a pair of jeans, my cowboy boots and don my hat and off I would go to Boot Scoot away my evenings and weekends. I visited Nashville and drove all over the UK in pursuit of my hobby. Between 1995 and 1997 I’d be out almost every night of the week line dancing somewhere - I even met my husband through my love of Country music and linedance! It was during one of my many evenings out, that somebody asked somebody, who then asked me, if I knew anyone who would be interested in teaching, so I said, ‘Yes, me!’ and...well...read on..... That teaching job led to another and then another and at one point during 1998 I was teaching for three different clubs in SE London/Kent & Surrey as well as running workshops, doing displays and making TV appearances. During one of several TV apprearances, I taught dancing on live TV on the 'Vanessa Show', and many Saturdays were spent setting up promotional stands in shopping centres where I taught shoppers 'Twistem' and 'Electric Slide'. I've worn countless holes in my boots dancing on concrete, under marquees, on grass, in the rain and, along with Line Dance UK, I hosted lots of Wild West evenings. Line dancing really was the most fun you could have with your boots on! Dancing became more important to me than my 'proper' job, and in early 1999 due to a crazy mid life crisis (if you want more details - it'll cost you several large glasses of wine and a couple of hours!) I decided, with the support of my husband Dave, to change my career - I was a director in a publishing company - and train to be a Dance Teacher. I qualified with the IDTA whilst working with Dancewize - a dance education specialist, and in October 1999, together with Dave, we started our own line dancing classes. (www.steppingoutlinedancing.co.uk). Stepping Out’s first six months as a line dance club were featured as a regular column in Linedancer Magazine - and we're still going today - although we've grown to six line dance classes a week, plus I also teach 'Dancing In Line' for Len Goodman (Strictly Come Dancing) once a week at his studio in Dartford. My love of dance is not just restriicted to Line Dance as in 2003, together with a colleague, Lucy Coates Murphy, who I worked with at Dancewize, I also started my own dance school for children called Urban Dance Factory which teaches Jazz, Freestyle, Lyrical and Street Dance for ages 4-16. URBAN DANCE FACTORY is now a successful and established dance school covering the SE London & NW Kent area and is run by myself, my daughter Charlotte, who is also a qualified dance teacher and four other teaching staff. If you would like to find out more about Urban Dance Factory, Stepping Out Linedancing or The Goodman Dance Centre - please see the LINKS page.

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