Well I am happy to say that I am managing to keep my New Years Resolution of making 2010 a great dancing year. There has barely been a week I have not been out to at least one venue and generally it is 2-3 times a week and I am loving it!

Having stopped dancing for a few years due to illness and then being busy with college, it is great to be rediscovering my old passion and finding that it is alive and well and continuing to flourish and evolve. I was also pleased to discover that I can remember how to dance, some of the techniques are a bit rusty but just need dusting down and will be fine.

I started gently at a local modern jive club to allow myself to build up my fitness again. At first I was doing one dance and having to sit down for a few to get my breath back. It is definitely improving but I do look forward to the days when I can just dance back to back tracks and not worry about it anymore. (I do not think I will ever be able to emulate the moves as seen here:-)

I just love dancing! It is a fabulous way to meet new friends and get fit while having fun. You can go on your own and not feel out of place. The class structure allows you to mix with the people you are going to be dancing with later. Even good dancers benefit from the classes, particularly if they are new to a venue, as it allows them to meet the regulars. What is even better is women can ask men to dance, it is encouraged and acceptable:-)

So what kind of dancing do I do? I started my jiving in the world of modern jive clubs like Ceroc and Le Roc and I still to this day, enjoy going to a good modern jive night. You do get a great mix of music, however some of the Europop does not do much for me and I generally use the time those tracks are on to take a break.

The music that really makes me move and smile is swing and blues and for that reason, I love going to swing dance clubs like Hula Boogie, any of Swingland’s events, No Name Jive and a host of other great nights. Not only do I love the music, I find the people friendly. There seems to be an extra element of fun and musicality that you can express through swing dancing that just makes me beam from the inside out!

I love to see people having fun when they are dancing. I still find it a little odd to see people with straight faces being very contained while jiving. I can understand it in tango but jiving is about moving, interacting and having fun surely? Just watching two people on the floor loving the music, getting into it and exchanging smiles, really boosts me, it is infectious and you feel yourself smiling too:-)

I went back to the my old favourite dancing haunt this month, the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley. I was delighted to see over 300 people enjoying a live band and dancing the night away in such wonderful and authentic surroundings. If you have never been there, make a point of going, you will not be disappointed! Jive Party do a monthly night where modern jivers and swing dancers get together and get down.

I hear lots of comments from people singling their preferred dance style out as the THE best and putting down other dance classes or organisations. In my opinion, it is horses for courses…what suits one can never suit everyone! I definitely recommend trying out lots of different classes and styles and you might just surprise yourself by finding a few moves or the added bonus of new/ old friends that you didn’t expect

I am excited to be finally going to learn a style of dance I have been interested in for years but just never got round to, Balbao. As a present for my birthday, my family has bought me a course over the next four Sundays learning Balboa with Simon Selmon. I am one happy lady and look forward to being able to put some of the new skills learned into practise as soon as possible.

I like to have an eclectic approach to my dancing in much the same way as I do with the music I listen to. Musically I consider there to be two main types of music, good and bad (I like the good stuff of course;-) In dancing I am pretty much the same, if I like it I do it. If you have never tried it you cannot know if you like it…so get out there , try something different and Let the Good Times Roll!