Status: | Active, full but can join waiting list |
Leader: |
Sandra Mills
Tel: 07388 153930
|
When: | Weekly on Tuesday evenings |
Venue: | Village Hall |
Our meetings are very light-hearted, so whether you are a complete beginner or have danced before you will enjoy it; we do have members available to teach the steps. The cost is £1.50 and we would welcome some new members.
News From the Line Dance Group
It is with some sadness that I have decided to retire from my role with the Line Dance Group. When I offered to help out on a temporary basis, until another teacher could be found, little did I realise that something like eight years later I would still be in the role.
During this time I have seen the class grow from a small group, meeting in the bar area of Burnham Sports Centre, to a much larger group having to move to the Carnival Hall.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the group on a Tuesday evening and also, in the past along with members, as we visited most of the Nursing Homes and other charitable Clubs in the area providing entertainment for the residents. If they enjoyed it as much as we did then I know we did a great job.
The Line Dance Group is a success because of its members. They are a friendly, welcoming and happy bunch of people, and I know that many friendships have been formed over the years. Many members of the group reading this will remember the moment we hit the headlines by appearing in the Southminster Variety Show. Once the nerves were overcome, and we finally managed to agree who would be in the front row, our public performance was warmly received and we ended up with two slots in the show.
I would like to thank Sandra Mills who like me, took on the role of Group Leader as a favour until someone else could be found. I believe Sandra has ended up in the role for twenty years or more and has done a great job in monitoring memberships, looking after the finances and generally keeping everything in order. Sandra has also decided to retire from this position and will be sorely missed.
The Group’s last meeting for 2024 will be our Christmas party night on 10th December and hopefully by then there will be a new Group Leader and Teacher to take the Group forward into 2025. I am sure that the u3a Committee together with the membership will do everything they can to ensure that this happens.
I can only thank the Line Dance Group members for their wonderful support, enthusiasm and sense of humour over the years and Tuesday evenings will not be the same.
Best Wishes to all
-Ivan Rickett
March 2024
The Line Dancing group has continued it’s success with a number of new members joining over the last couple of years. Although we cater for new or inexperienced line dancers, the class generally, has progressed to dances of a much higher level. With such a large group, Tuesday evenings are also very much a social event with everyone enjoying the friendly and lively environment.
This year should see the return of our visits to Nursing Homes and other social groups in the area where we provide an entertainment program with dancing and singalong sessions for the residents or those attending on a daily basis. Covid put a stop to our regular visits and we are only just getting requests to start visiting again. With an average of twelve or more members volunteering for each visit we have a thoroughly good time ourselves and know that we have brightened up the day for most, if not all, of our “audiences”
We also have a sizeable group who attend Country and Western clubs around the county where we can line dance and enjoy live country music. These clubs provide great entertainment and the closest one to us is “Latchingdon Corral” which meets on the second Saturday of the month.
Line Dancing is an enjoyable way to keep active and fit, and at the same time enjoy a great genre of music in good company. Long may the section last.
-Ivan Rickett
4th April 2018
Last year the Burnham U3A Line Dancing group were asked if we would go to a local Nursing Home to entertain the residents. This we did with an hour of Line dancing interspersed with a sing song to a recording of Max Bygraves (song sheets were provided for those who didn’t know the words). These events proved to be so popular and well received by residents that more bookings came flooding in.
Ivan, Ann and Sandra (our Leaders) arranged for special red Line Dancing Tee Shirts with our Logo on the back, for anyone in the group to purchase. The Twin River Coasters had arrived!
This year we have already visited Squeaks in Southminster, Mansion House in Althorne and Lodge View in Maldon. With visits to Firstlings, Heybridge and Southminster Nursing home to follow. The entertainment group varies from six to ten people, depending on availability. Its excellent fun and we all really enjoy it. Sometimes the Nursing Homes are very hot so that when dancing we sometimes end up as red as our tee shirts. The Lounge or area for us to dance in can be quite small and becomes a challenge to fit our steps in without crashing into each other. It’s a bonus when the Nursing Home staff want to join in with the dancing, as the residents think it’s very funny.
So, to sum up our visits to nursing homes, with Line Dancing song titles in bold.
When we arrive at a nursing home we can be a little nervous so we feel “Down on Your Uppers” but as we sort ourselves into lines we make sure not to be the “First Fool in Line”. When we get into the swing of things and are “Rolling along” to the “Ribbon of Highway” and we “Live, Laugh Love”, until, threequarters of the way through we realise that we are” Old and Grey”. With the heat of the room we wish we were sitting under a “Lemon Tree”, but then with a soft drink and a sing-song we recover and look forward to “The Long Way Home”. The Care Manager says “will you come again?” and Ivan says yes, I will put you in my” Little Red Book”.
So, “Come Dance with Me” on Tuesdays at the Village Hall, 5pm till 7pm.
-DavidG