March 12th, 2018
The usual staff tap class (rewarding to see people progressing), and our first workshop for Glencairn Care Home. Four people are coming and we spent the morning planning music and content. It was a satisfying day and fabulous to host in this way, Marie’s new tap shoes arrived and she is chuffed with them.
Our planning chat in the morning raised some concerns about how best to pitch the workshops. It was good to plan and talk about our concerns and, of course, we delivered a splendid workshop – warm-up, chair ballet, then tap – both seated and standing. The excitement and joy of putting on tap shoes and folks tapping for the first time was palpable! And it was really important to be able to teach be-spoked one-on-one tuition as well as collective group moments. We talked about the fact that this was not solely an exercise class, how dance differs from exercise, and how dance brings out so much more in people. It would be good to talk more about this, and attempt to articulate what is different and why it is dance. In Doreen’s words; “we were swept up in the arm movement; The arms are not theirs anymore“.
We’re still talking about the book launch and the film, and basking in the glory including a celebratory evening out to ‘Hello Dolly’, at the King’s Theatre, what a magnificent show. Sad news about a dancer, Betty Melville, one of Doreen’s colleagues, who has died, or as June would say ‘gone to that big cabaret in the sky’. – Janice Parker
An Audience With... 