Taking part
Taking part – getting started & beyond?
Getting started
Berkhamsted, like many clubs, encourages new dancers by running weekly classes, on Tuesday evenings, specifically for you. In the class, you will learn the key steps and formations that go to make up Scottish country dances. At the break, you join other club members in the main hall for refreshments, and to dance the dance you have been working on in the class. As you acquire skills and gain confidence, you will be encouraged to stay in the main hall for longer, but initially, you will go back into the class to review how you’ve got on. When dancing in the main hall, we make sure that you are partnered with an experienced dancer, who will help and support you through dances.
Subject to places being available, you can join the classes at any time in our season, from September to May, although September is the best time to join.
Our new dancer classes will give you the confidence to dance in the club’s Tuesday social evenings and, if you want to take your dancing further, to join our ‘Improve Your Dancing’ classes.
What you will need
Apart from your enthusiasm and a sense of fun, a pair of soft shoes will do to begin with; later you can invest in a pair of dancing shoes. You definitely do not need a partner – there will always be somebody to dance with you and during an evening you will dance with a number of different partners. Ladies may find it easier to dance in a skirt. Men, once they decide it’s for them, may want to acquire a kilt but that is not essential.
Once you’re into it!
As well as social dancing every Tuesday there are a number of more formal dances organized by the club, including our Highland Ball each February and Spring Dance in May. To help beginners participate fully in more formal dances we organise a Nice & Easy Dance in December. As part of club nights there is a ceilidh at Christmas time, Burns Night (of course) and during the summer there are Garden Dances. To help you progress, there are classes as well as a day long Workshop in November. Many members also attend the dances of other clubs and societies locally, nationally and even internationally.
What it costs
The fee for the new dancers’ class is £9 per session, which we ask that you pay for in 5-week blocks. When you first start, you will want to discover if Scottish country dancing is for you or not. So, we don’t ask you to pay for your first 5-week block until the third week. If, by then, you’ve decided that it’s not for you, there is no charge for the first two lessons. As part of the class fee, you will receive the club’s information eBulletins and quarterly eNewsletter – The Berkhamsted Rant – if you so choose.
