Maniacal Women

April 23rd, 2018

“Busy day! June is back with us after a spell of ill health and it is wonderful to see her. Today we are in the Millburn bar, which is a wee bit tricky as it is hard to get the tap-mats there, but everyone loves the space because of its openness and feeling of connection to the rest of the building and the opportunity of chance encounters it affords as staff pass through. Lots of chat about Betty and what we will do when she comes next week. Did more of the Truckin’ dance along with,  the Carioca, the Continental, the quickstep, the Rumba with a scarf, and the Charleston. We topped that off with ballet and slow free-form dancing. As I said, a busy day!

Marie’s arms are extraordinarily expressive, especially when dancing to Saint-Saëns Dying Swan. It is a sight to behold and quite mesmerising watching her caught up in the music and the sensation and quality of the movement she is creating. She talked lots today about going to keep-fit classes with her sister with The Woman’s League of Health and Beauty and learning jumpin’ jacks and star jumps. Katie hasn’t heard of either of these keep-fit staples so we give her a lesson, me demonstrating, and we all have a good laugh at our antics. Marie is also keen to ‘see what a Quick-Step feels like nowadays’ and of the Charleston says ‘I daren’t say I remembered it but I certainly learned it and never forgot” Her final quip, looking at the windows across the street from the theatre is ‘people will be looking in the windows here and thinking these women are quite maniacal”! Maybe we are! Maybe we are, for once we get started there is no stopping us! – Janice Parker