Moving on

Ready to rumba? There's sure to be a class near you: 

• See www.dancesport.uk.com mentioned above for details of dance studios and teachers in all manner of styles and locations;
• Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Imperial House, 22/26 Paul St, London EC2A 4QE, tel: 020 7377 1577;
• For more information about belly dancing, see www.bdancer.com ;
• Take a look at www.ceroc.com for classes featuring ceroc.

Fancy footwork.

Dance has been hitting the headlines: 

• Country dancing is making a comeback with education authorities across Scotland set to introduce ceilidh dance lessons to help in the fight against childhood obesity.
• Ballet has become much more popular with boys since the release of the film Billy Elliot, says the Royal Ballet School.
• A recent study by the Albert Einstein Center, New York, monitored the mental health of 500 Americans age 60 and over who attended dance classes on a regular basis. The study showed that the senior citizens who danced experienced less mental deterioration than those who were inactive or who engaged in physical activity without the social components of dancing.
• The Women's Sports Foundation says dance is a great way to get women to exercise. "Public health messages about the link between a sedentary lifestyle and poor health are really important but they can be a big turn-off for women and girls who are sensitive to body image and fed-up feeling guilty. Dance is the perfect way to have fun and burn off the calories at the same time," says Policy & Research Manager Helen Donohoe.
• On the strength of her Strictly Come Dancing triumph, Jill Halfpenny bagged the lead role of Roxy Hart in the West End hit show Chicago.

Dancing at Denman

The WI's own Denman College offers some highly imaginative and enticing dance-themed courses. How about the Bridget Jones' Diary Dance Weekend? You'll learn moves to fit music from the film and, you won't be surprised to learn, no dance experience is required. You could emulate stars from a different Hollywood era with Dear Fred, Love From Ginger and those smitten by the work of choreographer Bob Fosse can learn to high-kick Chicago-style. If you prefer something more historical you could step back to Elizabethan times on the Tudor Dances course or discover the delights of John Playford's 17th and 18th century dances. All this plus belly dancing, Scottish country dancing, the Jazz Age and creative dance.

Denman College, Marcham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 6NW, tel: 01865 391991, email: i This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.womens-institute.org.uk/college where you can enrol online.