2011-01-11 It's a New Year, Christmas pudding and Chocs have left their mark, so you and your pals decide to start going out to do something to get a little fitter. What better way than to Linedance off those extra inches? Linedancing is fun, it's sociable and you don't have to pour yourself into a lycra body suit to do it! When you find a class, perhaps through your local Newspaper or Yellow Pages, you would be forgiven for thinking that the person taking the class would be qualified as a Linedance Instructor? Not always the case I'm afraid, there are Cowboys in every profession, especialy so in this form of dance, people who have gone along to some lessons, thought, "I can do this, make some easy cash" Dance instructors these days normaly carry £5 Million's worth of insurance to cover possible injury claims made by their dancers. An unqualified person will not have the ability to get such Insurance. Unless a Dance Instructor has Qualifications and is a fully paid up Member of a Professional Dance Organisation, such as D&G Org for Western Dance, BWDA, IDTA, NTA for Western Dance etc the premiums for such a person would cost about as much as a family saloon car per year, that's if any insurance company would touch them, which I doubt! So think before you go along, does this teacher show qualifications? That is letters after his/her name, in a Studio expect to see Certificates on the wall. In a hired hall, such as Church or Community Centre, Posters advertising the class should have the Instructors FULL name and those all important letters proudly on show! If the poster says something like 'Linedance with Jo / Jolene, ask yourself why, the Butcher who sells you your meat, the pub you pop into for a pint, display who is offering the service ? I worked for 3 and 1/2 years to gain all my Qualifications, travelled the country to workshops, went through several examinations, paid all the fees to do so. I am happy to point anyone in the right direction if they wish to follow in my 'Bootsteps' and gain Qualifications in American Line Dance. I love my Profession, I hate Cowboy's, they dishonour my profession and put people in danger! If you are injured because an un-qualified person tells you to do something that is dangerous or just not suitable for you at your level of fitness or expertise, or even just slip or trip in their class, you are not insured, if anyone asks you to sign a 'waiver'/ 'at your own risk form', DON'T, you are paying them with your hard earned money, you are entitled to protection! If you are injured and have to take the teacher to a claims solicitor and you find that he/she is living in a council flat, driving an old banger, where do you go from there? Well, luckily, you actualy would have a claim against the Hall Hirer! Yes, the Church or whoever hired the Hall out to that person, they have a 'Duty of Care' to check that any person offering any type of exercize class or similar gathering is qualified to do so and is fully insured with a high rate of Public Liability Insurance. So, werever you live, please find a Qualified Instructor, and as they say on Crimewatch, don't have nightmares! Sleep well, dance safely! 2011-01-10 Today was the first day that I set off to Ashton-In-Makerfield, not merely to cover Ray's class, but to take it over, permanently!
I arrived in good time having driven a little over 16 miles from home, no extremes of weather to battle through, traffic on the East Lancs moving well. The 2 ladies who do the bar turned up with big smiles and 'Happy New Years', they certainly seemed glad to see me! I set up my 'new' second hand equiptment, I bought Ray's from him as it saves me lugging my heavier stuff between venues! 17 ladies turned up, 3 were new to the Brian Boru but had Linedanced elsewhere. We started off with some Classics to warm up then we got down to a bit of Irish for a faster beat and funny words, (The Little Shirt Me' Mother Made For Me) followed by 'A little bit 'a' Reggae' with Under The Sun Everyone worked hard and seemed to enjoy themselves, we'll see, if they come back next week, they liked it!!:¬} So, after 'downsizing' to 2 classes a few years ago, with Ashton I am now back up to 3! On arriving home, Badger, my cat was limping, unable to put his right back paw to the floor, a quick call to the vet and I'm back in the car driving him to the Veternary Hospital in Wardley, he had been bitten on one toe, it looked nasty, 2 injections and £68 later we are home, he's looking for treats and I'm looking forward to a quiet evening with the square eyed monster in the corner! After I've tweeked my website that is! 2011-01-10 BEND IT LIKE BEN! FOR A WORLD RECORD AND A NEW CHARITY!! On Friday 7th Jan 2011, just one week into a new year, I left my house and went out into a heavy snow fall.
After clearing the snow from my car drove down to Beesley Green Community Centre to meet up with would be World Record breaker Ben Hammond . Some of my lovely dancers braved the snow to be there, we had to start off without Ben, he was on his way from his 1st appointment of the day, over the other side of snowy Manchester. Ben was on a tight schedule, dashing to 3 different venues during the day, he turned up soaking wet on his fold upbike, we got straight down to some dancing. Ben really did well, his enthusiasm was quite catching, my dancers were very interested in what he had to tell them about Burma and the Charity he is setting up to help the children of Burma get an education, something we take for granted in this country. A lovely gentleman, 'Eddie from the Salford Advertiser was there to record the occaision for posterity :-} he was very patient, took loads of photo's. Ben then had to get straight to his next venue, a college near Manchester's famous 'Curry Mile' so we piled all his gear and his fold up onto the back seat of my car and I took him there with time to spare! | Author
Kerris, retirement age but still teaching American Linedance. Have 1 house, 1 car,1 cat, 1 brother that is my best pal too!
Not really sure if anyone would want to read my thoughts, opinions or daily 'doings, but here goes! Archive
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