OAK LODGE SCHOOL CLOSED! MONDAY 2ND FEB

Good morning everyone! Firstly can I just say....brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its a tad on the chilly side today isn't it!!!??? I hope you are all being sensible and taking the day off work? :)
I've just received a telephone call from Oak Lodge to say the school is closed today - apparently they have 9 inches of snow in West Wickham and so unfortunately there will be no class tonight.... I'm missing you all already!

If you need your fix of dancing then go to Andys youtube site (link right next to this post on the right) and have a go at learning my new dance 'Secret Giggles'...:) See you next Monday gang - take care out there! x Ok, over to other news now.....

WESTERGATES BLUE DAY..... Last Wednesday evening we held a Blue Night (not what you may think!) for St. Wilfreds Hospice and raised the grand sum of £45....everyone had to dress in blue and donate £1 to the charity....not only that, but they were also blessed with the opportunity of eating one of my specially baked blue fairy cakes too! (yes, well, the less said about the cakes the better eh? all I can say is this IM A DANCE TEACHER NOT GORDON RAMSEY!!) haha!

When I got home that night I fed a bit of cake to my little dog and he spat it out!!! And this dog eats anything and everything......I was a little hurt I must say...... We also had the pleasure of a bunch of grapes turning up in the form of Gill, Ian, Nicky and Paul - and what a lovely bunch they made - my biggest hope is that they couldnt remove the blue facepaint and that they come back this week with blue faces too!! haha! Call me evil if you may......hehe! Thank you everyone for joining in the fun! Here are a few photos from the event.....

ALDINGBOURNE COMMUNITY CENTRE - FIRST CLASS! FRIDAY 30TH JANUARY 2009

Thank you to everyone that joined our new class last Friday afternoon - it was a blast! I can tell that we already have a good group of friends forming in this class, and can't wait for this weeks class - Im sure the snow will be gone by then......(hopes!)

Many thanks to Linda for helping me on Friday - you are a superstar!

Check back on here later today (Feb 2nd) to find photos of Blue Day folks!

Thanks for reading - go carefully today and wrap up warm...

Julie x

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!

Dear Dancers,

If you are wondering if Monday nights class will be taking place or not because of the Snow we are experiencing....the answer at the moment is....

I'm not sure!!

I will telephone the school tomorrow and see firstly, if its open! and Secondly what the weather is like enroute to West Wickham....

My gut feeling is that its doubtful that the class will run - however if you would like to know for certain - then if you text or call me on 07799741288 by 4 p.m. I will be able to give you a definate answer......and of course - as soon as the decision is made - I will post it on here....

Take care if you are out making snowmen!!

and finally ---- heres a little joke for you!

Whats the difference between Snowmen and Snow women?

answer:

SNOWBALLS!!!

Julie xxx

NEW CLASS OPENING JANUARY 30TH!!

Dear Dancers,

Well! What a great start to the New Year - it's lovely to see you all so enthusiastic and smiley in this miserable weather! You are a good tonic to me, and I'm sure, to each other!

The exciting news this month is the opening of a new daytime class in Aldingbourne Social Club, which starts on January 30th...

If you are reading this after receiving a flyer through your door, or having seen posters up locally, then can I just take this oppotunity to say thank you for looking in on us and for deciding to take up Line dancing as your new pastime!

Linedancing is loads of fun, good exercise and a great way of making new friends and finding a whole new social life at the same time!

Our first class starts at 1.30 p.m. on Friday 30th January in the main hall in Aldingbourne Social Club - please feel free to come in a little earlier to sign in and take a seat before we begin. There is no need to book a place and its 'pay as you go' for each lesson - so if you miss a week, it's never a problem - just come along the following week and get back into the swing of things!

I will be starting you all off with a very careful teach of several classic beginner linedances - all very well known, tried and tested routines which enable you to take part in the social side of linedances almost immediately if you so wish.

I run no pressure relaxed classes and teach each dance for as long as the class as a whole needs to be taught it - before moving on to your next new routine - if you can't make the very first lesson - no need to worry - just come along the following week as we will be repeating the dances for several weeks with complete full teaches.

When a new class opens it is usual for new people to keep joining the class for a few weeks (sometimes months) and it is never a problem - if you come along as regularly as you can after your first lesson you will be dancing alongside everyone else before you know it!

I have had some lovely phone calls already about this new class, and Linda and I are very much looking forward to meeting you all next week. Please remember to wear sensible supportive low heeled (not narrow) shoes that have a fairly smooth sole, so that you have some ability to 'turn' on the dance floor without sticking to it. Ordinary trainers are not usually a good idea as they are designed to grip you to the floor and this puts unecessary strain on your joints so if you have an alternative - please do wear those instead.

Julie

Ok - on to other news now!

Next Wednesday (28th January) in WESTERGATE COMMUNITY SCHOOL we are having a Blue Day in aid of St. Wilfred's Hospice....please do come along wearing something blue if you can - I will be providing some lovely blue cakes (eat at your peril - Im a dance teacher - not a cook! haha) and will be asking you for a suggested donation of £1 each for this worthy cause!

I'm going to bring along some blue nail varnish with me - and will be coming around painting the fingernails of some of my livier dances (Mick and Robin - take cover!)

We are still in the process of trying to find a suitable hotel for our next weekend break which is likely to be in the Autumn of this year.....so watch this space for progress....

And finally.....on to the re opening of the Viking Club in Selsey....

On February 28th (Saturday) the club reopens for the new season - and that means FREE LINE DANCE LESSONS from 1 - 4 p.m. as usual. If you are a beginner please come along for the first hour 1 - 2 p.m. which is tailored to your needs - you are welcome to stay on of course and have a go at the current improver and intermediate dances that are the latest big hits around the UK (and indeed the world!) if you so wish! This club has a licensed bar, so therefore you are not allowed to bring your own drinks in and have to purchase them over the bar instead. But, I'm sure you will agree that this is a small price to pay for free lessons in such a fantastic venue!

For lots more details on the Viking Club click here www.vikingcwdc.co.uk

Many thanks for taking the time to read all this - now you can wake up!

See you all very soon, take care

Julie xxx

The Katz Line Dance Club - simply the best!

Dear Dancers,

Many thanks for braving the cold conditions last night and coming out to Oak Lodge School for our first class back after the Christmas holidays! It was lovely to see you all again!

I hope your legs ached as much as mine did by the end of the evening? haha!

Im very much looking forward to seeing everyone in Westergate Community School tomorrow evening - Ive missed seeing all your happy faces over the past few weeks.......!

Some of you may not know that during the holiday season (March thru October) I work as the resident line dance instructor at the Viking Music and Dance Club in Green Lawns Caravan Park in Selsey. The club is currently closed for the winter but re opens on Saturday February 28th. I give free line dance lessons from 1 - 4 p.m. suitable for all levels.

We graduate the classes during the afternoon. So if you are a complete beginner or near beginner please come along at 1 p.m. for an hours lesson. You are of course very welcome to stay for the rest of the afternoon and will be given the opportunity to try slightly harder dances from 2 p.m. onwards.

Improver and intermediate dances are taught between 2 and 4 p.m. These are dances usually taken from Linedancer Magazines Top 20 chart, and are dances that will be seen around the UK and even across the world in other Line Dance Clubs.

Although this is a slightly faster moving class than either Mondays or Wednesdays classes in that more new dances are taught per month, I am always on hand to walk you through any of the new dances until you have mastered them! After all, thats what I am paid for!

Andy (my other half - well, three quarters as he's much taller than me) is the resident DJ there and works there during the evening as support for live acts, both country artists and dedicated Line dance acts (who sing current line dance hit songs).

If you havent yet tried the classes at the Viking you would be most welcome. The classes are FREE, but you are required to buy your drinks and refreshments from the bar and are not allowed to bring in your own water etc. A small price to pay for a free three hour lesson, Im sure you agree!!

Andy has started a blog for the Viking Club in which he will be writing reports of the bands that are due to play at the club, along with other acts that play there that are non line dance related....

During the Summer season there are three special weekend events taking place at the Viking if you want to read more about these please go to the Vikings website http://www.vikingcwdc.co.uk/ for all the information you require.

Ok, thats enough about the Viking, back to the best club in the world now......

THE KATZ LINE DANCE CLUB!! haha

This week I will be recapping dances previously taught and re teaching the new dances first seen on the weekend break to Bournemouth before Christmas.....

Brazil, Right or Wrong and Madiba Mambo are first on the list.......

I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Take care and wrap up warm everyone!

Julie xxx

Julie writes a new dance - Secret Giggles!

Dear dancers,

I have written a new dance called Secret Giggles to She Said by Take That! This is the hidden track in track 12 called 'Here' on their new album 'The Circus'....to get to the hidden track you have to forward 'Here' about 5 minutes and 25 seconds.....the song 'She Said' starts with Gary Barlow giggling! hence the name of the dance!

I will be teaching this dance over the next few weeks, when we get back to class - in the 7.30 classes on both Monday and Wednesdays....but if you are a beginner and would like to have a go at it too, then please go to Andy's YouTube site EasyAMD and watch either a video of myself demonstrating the dance, or a video of me teaching one wall.....!

Imagine that! Me in your living rooms! haha

I hope you enjoy learning the dance as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Take That forever!

Julie xxx

We start back in Oak Lodge on Monday 5th January 2009

and

We start back in Westergate on Wednesday 7th January!!

I look forward to seeing you all again very soon...!

Bournemouth - Christmas Parties - and Thank Yous!

Dear Dancers,

Well the Christmas season is upon us and we have now finished our classes for 2008!

I am going to end the year by saying how much I enjoyed teaching you all this year, you are quite simply the nicest line dancers around and I feel very privileged to have you in my classes.

Our weekend break to Bournemouth has received a huge amount of positive feedback, some of the comments received so far are below

“we had a lovely time and would love to come again”

“the food was great, our waitress was a lovely girl, and my friends and I cant wait for the next trip!”

“as always everything was perfectly organised and you took great care of us all”

Thank you for all you lovely comments, cards and presents everyone – I am very touched. Xxx

Thank you also to everyone that dressed up for our fancy dress on Saturday evening in Bournemouth – your costumes showed great imagination (as always!). Panto was a bit of a tricky theme to go with (but what else could we do at Christmas!?) and it was great to see Viv as Buttons, Theresa as Dick Wittington and Kellie as her cat!, Lisa was Peter Pan, Lin was also Dick Wittington (oh no! could we cope with two!?)…and as you will see from the photograph we had plenty of other panto characters too, including myself who came as the Snow Queen….how could you all think I looked good with that wig!!!???

Mondays Christmas party was loads of fun down in West Wickham – you truly are such a lovely group of people – warm, friendly, never complaining, great dancers and all very close to my heart. Will I ever leave you? No!!!!

Wednesdays Christmas party was our new beginners first ‘social’ and they did fantastically well with remembering all the dances they have been taught in the past four months – they coped really well with all the ‘split floors’ and as usual, were warm, friendly and just great company!

Our improvers and intermediates are becoming a very competent group of dancers, who are happy to ‘go with the flow’ and let me decide what to dance and when! Thank you for all coming along last night and helping the party go with a swing!

Well, I think that’s it for now – Oak Lodge returns on January 5th, and Westergate returns on January 7th!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and I wish you all a peaceful and Happy New Year too.
Julie xxx

BOURNEMOUTH!!!

Dear dancers,

Well we had a fabby time in Bournemouth with 52 of our dancers friends and family (well, only my sister Susan this time but you know what I mean!). I will be saying lots lots more about the weekend away and this weeks Christmas parties later in the week when I get a little time to type more.....but in the meantime for a peek at a few of the great photos taken at the weekend please go to our website on www.linedancingevents.com and click on 'photos'!!!

Back soon!!

Oh dont forget that tomorrow is the last class of 2008 in Westergate - and its party night!! so please come along at 7 and stay til 10! Its gonna be fun fun fun! (Im sooo cheesy its just not true eh? hehe)

see you there!

Julie x