Twirling good fun with rock ‘n’ roll
Reporter puts on her dancing shoes for this rock ‘n’ roll story.
When it comes to dancing, a lot of people panic and think they have two left feet.
Admittedly, yes, I was one of those people.
That was until I was challenged to try a rock ‘n’ roll dance class taught by Cambridge’s Colleen Ryan.
I arrived at St Andrew’s Church Hall on Thursday evening, obliging partner in tow. I was nervous, and I think it showed. I was way out of my comfort zone.
But they call it a reporter ‘‘challenge’’ for a reason, right?
Fortunately, I was not the only absolute beginner there, and there were some experienced dancers there to help us newbies.
We started with some simple steps, repeating them without music until we got into the swing of things.
Colleen has been involved with rock ‘n’ roll dancing for nearly 30 years, and is a head judge for the dance form in New Zealand.
She’s been in Cambridge for about eight years and started holding classes last year. She wanted to make it more ‘‘official’’ this year and set up a course to introduce people to the genre of dance.
‘‘It’s a great way to meet friends, it’s engaging, and it’s joyful,’’ she said.
‘‘People that think they can’t dance can dance, if you can walk you can dance, it’s just about being mentored in the right way, it’s fun and easy.’’
I can attest to that. Although I messed up my footing a few times, especially when it came to doing twirls, it wasn’t difficult. Once I got it, I got it.
I just hope I can remember all the steps necessary come next week’s class!
The classes are social and not competitive, but Colleen said she was happy to coach people towards competitive dancing if they wanted.
It’s not just for women, either. The class I attended was about 50/50 men and women, and we all ranged in age from about 20-years- old to over 65.
After mastering some individual dance steps, and some dancing with a partner, we all formed a giant circle with men on the inside and women on the outside.
Again this was quite out of my comfort zone, because it meant swapping partners and dancing with people I had never met before.
But it turns out that was all part of the fun.
After a series of steps, claps, and a circle arm-in-arm with one partner, the women rotated onto the next person, going around the circle until we had danced with everybody.
Some of the men had been dancing for many years, and others, like me, were having their first attempt at it that night.
Some small stuff-ups made for a good giggle, but we were never made a mockery of.
One thing that scares me about trying new things is being embarrassed if I muck it up, but this group was super supportive and genuinely wanted to help the beginners.
It’s safe to say that I will be going back.