BAGKLIST
M her secret love ot‘ dancing to workmate Gordon. who had been harbouring a similar weakness. lll live lessons. tlte Wood method has delivered a generic quickstep and .ii\e. (‘oming nest: the rumba.
In their late 20s attd early 3(ts respectively. Gordon and Elizabeth are the youngest regulars in class. bttt there
is a resurgence ol‘ interest among the older generation. inclttding the poor
woman forced to stiller tny graceless grappling.
Glasgow has always been a dancing city. and this is reflected in May l‘est‘s I095 programme. .-\s well as the -- what else‘.’ -— tea dances held regularly during the festival. this year’s programtne features a slow t‘os-trot down Memory Lane connnetnorating the 50th anniversary ol‘ \"li Day with dances at The Plaza and Barrow land.
To prove it's not just nostalgia that keeps the Beguine beguiling. Glasgow's Donnie Burns and dancing partner Gaynor l:;tll'\\'CLllllL‘l'. eleven times World Latin Dance champions. will be strutting their stuff before a
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BALLROOM DANCING
3(l()(t-strong crowd at The Shed in Govan. Festival director Paul Bassett
aims to give the city 's people what they want. and a little market research has
shown dance comes high on the
agenda.
But as the tea ladies pttt in another bttlk order at the wholesalers". as Dave
'. Wood laments the terrible day when the i Twist was devised. heralding the end of
dancing cheek to check: as Gordon and Eli/.abctlt look on envioust at the
' l'ootwork ol’ Donnie and Gaynor; as all
this goes on. I'll have my feet tip. Forget Saturday Night Fever — I'm still
recovering from Friday Night Malaise.
7 W
' I Ballroom Blitz Glasgow Film Theatre.
Rose Street. Old! 332 8128. The high- tack glamour ot'cult movie Strict/v
Ballroom and BBC Scotland‘s lit—S ‘ special on Scottish Latin American world 7 champ Donnie Burns iii a dance tilm
double bill.
I Coming Home: Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather The Shed. Glasgow. Sat l3 May. 8pm. £5 (£2). Call ()l-ll 227 55 ll for details. Eleven times reigning World Latin Dance champions Donnie Burns and Gaynor liairweather return to
; Glasgow to dance with the Andy Ross
()rchestra.
I VE Night Dance The Plaza Ballroom. ; tiglinton Toll. Glasgow. Sun 7 May. 8pm. £l()(£7l. Call (ll-ll 227 55 ll for details.
Step back in time to I945 at the Plaza and celebrate the 50th anniversary ot‘ Vli day in true 40s style.
BALLBDDM GLASSES
I The Dance Factory 142 Calder Street.
Glasgow. (ll-1| 423 9430. Ballroom dancing; fun dance classes (jive. cha cha). Phone for details.
I ‘lhe Plaza Ballroom l 1—27 Victoria Road. Glasgow. (H41 423 3077. Ballroom evenings; sequence and ballroom classes. Phone for details.
I Dance Base Assembly Rooms. 54 George Street. Edinburgh. ()l3l 225 5525. Ballroom basics. ballroom blitz. jive. Latin American. Phone for details.
Above and top: scenes from Strlctly Ballroom - the tllm that did for sequence dance
classes what Fame did for drama schools
Strictly ballroom
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Take your partners: Ballroom dance teacher at Edinburgh’s Dance Base,
Marina Delicata shows how it‘s done i best bet is to head for somewhere like 3 The Dance Factory in Glasgow, or Edinburgh’s Dance Base.
Both establishments cater for those after a less serious approach to gliding round the dance floor and generally attract a younger crowd than Glasgow’s Plaza Ballroom. ‘At least 50 per cent of those attending our ballroom classes are under 40,‘ says Cindy Sughrue, general manager of Dance Base. Some have been inspired by the cult movie Strictly Ballroom, she explains. Some are 3 brushing up for a wedding and others i are just looking tor somewhere to i meet new people. ‘lt’s a turn of the t century thing, a sense of wanting to i get back to a simpler Iitestyle.’ (Ellie i 1
Every now and then couple dancing comes back into vogue and when it does, most people need someone to teach them the skills involved. the heady days of local dancehalls may be long gone, but there are still enough of those who know their waltz from their fox-trot to pass on all they know to the generations that missed it first time round.
Of the hundreds of ballroom dance classes on otter in Glasgow and Edinburgh, many are of the ‘Come Dancing’ variety - all high-heeled shoes and cheesy grins, and not much fun unless you have a pathological desire to become the next regional rumba champion. It like most tolk, you are only after the chance to sort out your left toot from your right, notch up a few steps and have a laugh, your
“MW latZOWM
An eclectic collection of second hand clothing, jewellery and accessories including 505, 605 & 70s Retro, cashmeres, men's and women's contemporary clothing, cuff links etc. .
Carr)
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