Here we are, rather proud to discover that we had matching red  cloche hats which also rather strangely match the London underground sign…. How very patriotic.

Another highlight of this year was doing some first dance choreography. Here’s one couple dancing the Charleston at their wedding. They’d never danced before, and were very proud of what they managed to achieve in just 4 lessons!

“I went to a marvelous party…” as Noel Coward famously said in verse. I know the feeling. The BDO Stoy Hayward Southampton branch Christmas Party was a scream – 50 dancing accountants on one black and white checked dancefloor. We had lots of fun, and they were brilliant – so very up for it and all dressed up in their Roaring Twenties finest for their corporate Christmas speakeasy do. I coached them on a Charleston flashmob performance too – the sports and social club performed this together.

And then there was a party in Pangbourne, at a wonderful American lady’s house. My friend Fifi Bonbon and I (Shimmy-lin) arrived late from Girljam in London, after a John Cleese style entry where we were picked up by the catering van and I had to sit on Fifi’s lap as there was only one seat… Then performed a little comedy duet about two very tired flappers who keep on falling over from  two much gin… hmmm -  a little close to the truth on that night, eh, Fifi? We then taught the Charleston and the Black Bottom to the uproarious party guests who’d had plenty of Mint Juleps already and were ready to flap.

More of the jolly guests….

And here’s some more lovely Charleston hens who chose the 1920s day out in Cheltenham, dancing then dinner at the Daffodil.

This group of ladies were great sports. They really dressed up to the nines and were marvellous dancers. They went onto the Daffodil restaurant dressed like this, and must have felt the part walking across the lovely black and white tiled floor to their table, past the Daffodil engraved mirrors and sweeping staircase!

Another group of hens hitting the dancefloor for a Charleston dance hen party in Cheltenham. This group dressed up really well too, and had great photographic skills – these three pics are their own.

I’ve really enjoyed meeting some really lovely people, all vintage enthusiasts to boot.

Some of the Reading Charlestonites, from the Reading Charleston Dance Class performed at an art gallery in Reading as part of a special secret charity party called the Remix Village fete.

Crazy partner dancing at the Vaudeville Rave. This is a marvellous dancer called Daniel Jazz. He can spin round at lightning speed and mixes in crazy acrobatics with jazz moves. We started a dance-circle. It started off with Charleston, but soon there were acrobats, capoeira dancers, burlesque dancers, whip crackers and many more fighting fiercely, kicking drinks out of each other’s hands, turning back flips, folding themselves in half and dropping into the splits! I don’t think there was ever such a diverse dance-off as that one – that’s truly mixing it up, in the spirit of the vaudeville rave… That dance off made my night! Danced some partnered Charleston and lindy hop to electro swing with some lovely folk from London and with the Reading Charleston and Lindy crews.

Discovered a marvellous little tea shop named Bettie Blythe’s in West London, not far from Hammersmith, and named for a racy Hollywood film star of the 20s whose films were banned. There you go, you learn something new every day! I had a chat to the owner, Lulu (now that’s an iconic 1920s name if ever there was one…), and now we’re offering the Charleston hen parties together, with Bettie’s providing the afternoon tea. And how funny that the tea shop is actually on Blythe Road, as if the spirit of Bettie was actually meant to reside there.

Lulu knows how to do an afternoon tea: sumptuous pretty cakes, tablecloths and pink bunting, and everything served in vintage china. Here are some of the London hens modelling the famous Charleston scarecrow pose that they learnt, just before retiring for afternoon tea.

Went to Girljam in March. Run by Swing Patrol, this was a marvellous weekend entirely dedicated to solo jazz dance for women, to celebrate International Women’s Day. There was a whole day dedicated to Charleston Dance! I was in jazz heaven! We learnt showgirl, burlesque, vernacular jazz, and had lessons in dancing to electroswing too.

More coming soon, in next blog…

By popular request, the course will now continue on Thursdays from 16th June- 7th July 2011 from 7.30-8.30pm at the Rising Sun Arts Centre in Reading. But Debra and John may now add a bonus class from 8.30-9.30pm to teach vernacular jazz steps from a slightly later period.

Please e-mail contact@rockinrhythm.org by 12 June to book your place as soon as possible!

www.charlestondance.co.uk

Our professional photographer will set up a booth for your hen party, and will take a wonderful set of different poses of you and your friends. It’s a glamorous photoshoot that’ll take you back to the roaring twenties! So get yourselves all dressed up, and then pose and preen, and take away a set of beautiful vintage style sepia and black and white photographs of you and your friends.

www.charlestondance.co.uk

Kim-lin x

Anna Marie Fulbrook, pole dancer extraordinaire, has a new studio of her own in Reading which will now be home to Berkshire Alternative Dance Studio (BADS). She’s offering pole dancing hen parties, and now I’ll be joining her to offer my Charleston dance hen parties from the Berkshire Alternative Dance studio in Reading.

So, now you have a choice of vintage dance hen parties or pole dance hen parties. Hmmm, maybe Anna and I should start working on a combined session. Charleston pole dancing! Why not? I’m sure we wouldn’t be the first! In fact Anna did a burlesque pole dancing act a few times at the Vaudeville Rave.

Contact me on 07947 608364 for more information and prices if you’re interested.