Just wondered how widely the dancing net was spread on here!

I did ballet for years till the age of 12, my teacher had a bit of a life breakdown so it kinda fell apart I'd been doing it since I was 3 but never got very good, though I enjoyed it.

I did tap with the same teacher for a few years.

I did some more tap and Charleston in a school production in my teens.

At uni I had a go at ballroom dancing, but only managed one lesson before my partner dropped out

One summer home from uni my mum had taken up line-dancing - I went along under sufferage, got hooked, and dragged her out 3 times a week at least for the entire summer

And last year I had about 6 months in a modern dance class.

And I guess I have done generic shake-your-booty in discos when it's been dark enough not to be embarrassing

So far the only one I didn't enjoy much was tap.

I've done salsa, Argentine tango, ballroom and latin - all as an adult. Started salsa in 2000, went regularly then occasionally until 2005 when I took up B&L. Started AT last year and put B&L on hold. Unfortunately I've been really lazy since the last Strictly began and haven't gone to any classes as they clashed with ITT

LOL

I'd love to try Argentine Tango - as someone with health issues it isn't crrrazy like, say, some of the Latin dances, but looks like it must feel amazing to do well. The problem would be finding someone to learn with me!

Asking me to dance is like selling whisky to the Indians - others will string you up for it!

JJ - not poetry in motion.

Not sure I should say really.

Absolutely no training in any shape or form, but I used to go to folk dance workshops and do 17th/18th century, playford stuff. Its probably closest to what Alesha and Matthew did in their waltz (musically too).

Otherwise, I pogoed and disco danced in my teens (always did like contradictions) and boogy on down in night clubs whenever I get the chance (not very often these days).

My friend and I plan to go to ballroom/latin workshops starting next week, but I don't possess a single pair of shoes with heels....help!!

ETA...just found a dance shop in the toon, and I have to go up there tomorrow anyway. Not sure I'll find something for my clod hopping size 7.5s!! I used to do playford in flat sandals, just never put my heels down!! Probably not a good idea!

i have done latin and ballroom for about a year and a half and have attempted to learn the following
paso - love it
samba - love it
cha cha - love it
jive - love it
rumba - not overly keen
argentine tango - love it
bossa nova - hated it
waltz - love it
foxtrot - heel turns are hard but the dance is beautiful
quickstep - not done an awful lot of this one but do like it

just about to start to learn the ballroom tango next week too

I have done country dancing as a child for about a year but it was just skipping round a pole lol!

I did about 5 weeks of Modern and Contempary. I loved it but it got discontinued as the school couldn't afford the dance teacher

I took up Ballroom and Latin in June 2006 and have loved it ever since. I don't intend to stop either. Its the only dance experience I actually have as I never really remember much about the other 2...

ive done the dances off boogiebebbies with my lil girl does that count (sorry couldnt resist)

Playford is miles removed from skipping round a pole. Its really complicated and involves doing figures with your partner and other couples. As I said Alesha and Matt's waltz is about the closest I can get to describing it, especially the opening and closing sequences, and yes I've seen the Romeo and Juliet bit. All choreography borrows bits, even ballet choregraphers. Watch Pride and Prejudice!!

I enjoyed it 15 years ago, but not now.

lol...never heard of that, but I have been known to bounce around the kitchen with my kids....does that count?

its a very bad show but it gets kids moving which is good they do dances about the most weird things my favourite is the penguin or excavator lol

If that counts I used to dance to the wiggles with younger children to amuse them...

Oh and I learnt the Steps and S Club 7 routines off by heart (showing my age here haha!)

no i knew them aswell!!!! Dont watch the wiggles it scares me

lol....so was I!! I didn't really pogo that much, I was a bit too young, it was more the New Wave phase, and you young 'uns won't know what I'm talking about. Bands like The Beat, UB40, Elvis Costello, The Jam, Blondie etc etc etc...

As a child I did some ballet and tap and jazz. Never any good though. As a teenager I did some tap (not a "dancer") but needed it for the musicals I was in. I thought it was the bomb and so have a longing to learn the quickstep.

In my 20s, I did bellydancing to help a bad lower back (and it cured me of that problem actually) for 6 months or so. I did classical Indian dance for a short while but they were too expensive to continue for long but loved those. I also took an African dance workshop weekend once which was lots of fun (and made me realise that I really wish that I could move my buttocks separately) and some modern dance (which I would have liked to take more of in a world of limitless cash and time and energy). I've been going to Bollywood lessons off and on which would rock the house but the teacher's crap.

I did lindy hop and swing dancing for a number of years which was great fun but then got married to someone who couldn't dance and let that stupidly stop me.

So now, I'm divorced and heading on back to maybe lindy but trying salsa and tango lessons. I think I'd like to give ballroom a go as well.

And, of course, I shamelessly shake my bootie while doing dishes or singing at the top of my lungs when I think I'm alone. That's when all my best moves come out.

I have had the sum total of one salsa lesson.

I love it.

Only thing that stopped me doing it agin is sheer utter complete LAZINESS. I come home from work and cannot be arsed to get off my lazy backside and dance.

However! I have been inspired by Mattesha and will look into staring up again. Shouldnt be too hard to get into it again, what with me being so experienced and everything. Gonna be easy peasy. Oh yeah, easy peasy.

I danced a lot as a child. Started off with ballet for a few years but I was never quite 'delicate' enough to continue with that

I then started ballroom dancing at about the age of 7 until 11/12. Only stopped because the dance school closed and by that point my interest was wandering... but we competed all over the place including Blackpool which I still remember vividly (mainly due to the fact that as we walked onto the floor with our formation team I slipped and slid about 6 feet on my bottom - in my big dress - and nearly wiped out two of my team members!! lol. Managed to get on my feet before the dance started and we somehow managed to win )

Oh happy days!!

I then went on to be a majorette Stopped when I was 15 because it was WAY too embarrassing - I mean, american tan tights with white knee socks over? Please!

During my teens, twenties I could be found on the dancefloor shaking my ass along with the best of them. ( I went out recently for the first time in ages, danced all night and discovered muscles that I'd completely forgotten about )

And now, hooray, I'm about to start Latin classes!! Wish it hadn't taken me so long to get round to something I have always loved so much.

There you go - potted history of my 'dance' experience

Hmmmm....that's why I stopped too. I like my lifestyle and my kids too much to get divorced, so I'm just gonna have to go to dance classes anyway, without him.

I do actually was bought up with them, along with cliff, kenny rogers, and abba

Have been truly inspired by Alesha and Matthew to take up dancing this year. Spent most of the day looking up dance schools/classes and have got plans to visit one every night next week! Unfortunately I'll be going on my own so want to visit a few initially and see which one I like the feel of. That is unless anyone on here lives in London and fancies accompanying me.

Looking to take up:
a) Salsa
b)Cha Cha Cha
c) Waltz

Am scared of:

a)the people not being friendly
b)being paired up with a smelly old (or young) man
Last edited by aleshafansazzy : 04-01-2008 at 21:51

Wow, there's a huge range of dance stuff everyone has done!

Took up dancing about 10 months ago, inspired by a need to lose weight and my love of SCD. Absolutely love it, only wish I'd been brave enough to take it up after Series One (when I first thought about it).

Cuban salsa - group lessons. There is a core group of us who now feel comfortable dancing together. Its the nearest to my style of club dancing but obviously danced solo in a club (but that was far too many years ago). Enjoy the social side, we now all go for a drink afterwards. Understand Alesha's call for everyone to go to a salsa club, I'd recommend it if you enjoy latin music and r&b's dancing.

Waltz - Loved it from the first time I managed to have enough steps to get around the studio. Felt like a princess.
Quickstep - Enjoy it now I've learnt not to 'skip'. It looks good and makes me smile.
Tango - Knew the steps. Now adding technique, feels much better now.
Viennese Waltz - asked teacher to include this dance, I really enjoy a spin around the studio (but only once).
Foxtrot - I'm with Alesha on this one - I just don't get it. I've been told to just learn the steps and trust that I'll really love it once we add some technique (which he is not going to do until I'm comfortable with the tango - one dance at a time!). Quite enjoy doing heel turns - feels like an achievement.

Cha Cha - Enjoy it, especially now teacher is demanding technique. Fun
Jive - Now I don't feel like a grandmother doing 'rock & roll', its fun.
Rumba - I enjoy this one so long as the whole dance is done AWAY from the mirror. At least then I can dream that it looks good.
Samba - Hate the routine but love the samba steps and bounce action. So I ask loads of questions about technique and manage to practise the steps without ever having to get through the whole routine.
Paso - Only played with this dance a couple of times but made me laugh as I felt so silly.
The paso is one of the dances my daughter is learning for her DoE Award. She loves it, but she IS a drama queen.

Argentine Tango. Had a couple of group lessons and enjoyed it but found the group a little daunting. Went along on my own and most people had been going for a good few months and were mostly couples. Treated myself to a private lesson and really enjoy the dance - highly recommend. Luckly the teachers recognised that the group I went to needed to move up to allow a new group of beginners - and they have started a new beginners group, which I'm going to next week.

Looking up on the web, there are quite a lot of AT teachers around. Most run classes and then practise sessions afterwards (or even on separate days). There is quite a strict etiquette about asking and accepting offers/requests to dance which should make it easier for a singleton.

Years ago used to go to the tango bars in La Boca in Buenos Aires to watch the locals dancing. Just amazing, and they ALL dance brilliantly.

Saw enough to know that I was never going to be able to do it.

Aleshafanazzy quote:
Am scared of:

a)the people not being friendly
b)being paired up with a smelly old (or young) man


I've lived in lots of countries and gone to lots of dance classes (which has been hard and a bit mebarassing at times) but found that if you don't like it, just try another studio or place and eventually something fits. You don't have to keep going to a place you don't like because there are just some places that will "suit" you better than others. Some teachers that will explain things so that you understand and others, well....

And some places are really cliquey where no one will talk to you and others where everyone is really friendly. Some places are full of groping men to be honest, and others are unbelievabley full of fun and flirty guys You just have to be willing to try a couple different one to figure out where and what is best for you.

My most recent strategy is to explain in no uncertain terms to a number of cute male friends of mine exactly how many women there usually are to men in these kinds of casual classes and they've all agreed to come (thank you Striclty Come Dancing). At least I know I'll be entertained.
Last edited by mermaidswing : 04-01-2008 at 21:59

Are you going to now tell us that you can already move your buttocks separately? That it's natural talent, like being able to twist your tongue?