My Life in Dance

I was born and brought up with my brother in a working class and mostly male household in the 1950s: 3 males and my mum. I probably picked up some early messages that dance is soppy and definitely sissy. My first experience of dance was country-dance at primary school and I made my first terrible discovery, I could forget an instruction about how to do a step between the time it entered my ears to the moment it reached my feet. The second terrible discovery was that I had to do this with girls! So my early experience of dance was falling over girls as I got hot and sweaty with embarrassment. It couldn't have been much fun for the girls either. The experience convinced me that I could not dance. And so it was for the next 50 years until I took early retirement and began to search out new experiences.

At that time I saw a BBC programme entitled 'Making Slough Happy'. Part of this programme involved a session of 'Biodanza'. I watched with interest as it seemed Biodanza was a free-form dance where everyone can dance with everyone, without embarrassment, and by the end of it look very happy. I Googled Biodanza Brighton but drew a blank. I did find other forms of dance with no steps and was encouraged by the words: 'You cannot do this wrong'. I went along and enjoyed myself hugely. I found that I can dance!

Then last autumn I discovered that Biodanza had arrived in Brighton. I found a group in Hanover and I loved it. There were no steps to learn, I couldn't do it wrong and it made me happy. In fact, it was specifically developed to enable participants to experience more vitality, pleasure, connection, creativity and even transcendence. And from my experience it does each of those things. I think we're lucky to have this opportunity in Brighton, if you fancy checking it out, turn up to the Hanover Community Centre at 1 pm any Monday. PS you really can't do it wrong.

Yours Tom

The classes in Brighton are run by Julia Hancock and Helen Thatcher, they bring clarity and warmth to each session.

More information is at www.heartnova.com