News and Notices

Instagram…feeling hot, hot hot

In an effort to keep the temperature in the studio down we’ve been keeping our thermal curtains closed, lights down, and the fans running hot!

We’re not going to say you won’t get warm, but it is generally cooler in the studio then outside!

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Tango Serida Workshop & Social

Our next sequence dance workshop and social will be the Tango Serida on Sunday 25th June.

These workshops teach the sequence dance, normally between 30-45 minutes (unless it’s Argentine Stroll!), and then are followed up by social ballroom, Latin and sequence dancing.

The session lasts for 2 hours and includes free tea & coffee.

June Social Dance

Looking for a chance to practice what you’ve been learning in classes? Our next social dance is on Friday 30th June.

The social runs from 7.30pm-10pm and costs £8 per person.

You are welcome to bring your own drinks and nibbles.

Read more…

Bournemouth Booking Deadline

A reminder that the ability to pay a deposit for our Bournemouth Dance Break, with the balance payable up until the end of August, ends on Friday 30th June.

Any further bookings after this date need to be paid in full.

To book for another person you will need to visit the full booking system or contact us.

Read more…

Summer Dinner & Dance

Bookings are already coming in for our Summer Dinner & Dance on Friday 11th August.

The menu includes a selection of sausages, burgers, marinated chicken and halloumi kebabs to choose from. As for sides, coleslaw and potato salad are joined with a rocket salad, trio of tomato and roasted vegetable couscous.

Tickets cost £32.50pp and final numbers are required by 4th August 2023.

To book for another person you will need to visit the full booking system or contact us.

Upcoming

Dance Workshops

• Sun 25th June – Tango Serida Sequence & Social

Social Events

• Every Monday – Weekly Tea Dance
• Fri 30th June – Social Night

The post Weekly Update Sunday 18th June appeared first on Learn To Dance.

Burnham Parish Council are introducing parking restrictions at our Cherry Orchard site. Read on for details of how to obtain your daily free parking permit.

Whilst we weren’t consulted about the planned restrictions, we have been assured that our Learn To Dance students will not have any restrictions – so long as you follow the correct procedures!

What Are The Cherry Orchard Parking Restrictions?

Parking restrictions will be in place at the Cherry Orchard Monday to Friday Sunday, between 7am-7pm, and after 7pm all week.

Free parking between 7am-7pm applies for up to 30 minutes, no return within an hour, unless you have a parking permit from us.

All Learn To Dance students and hirers have access to a tablet where they can enter their registration plate to obtain a permit. This permit then provides un-restricted parking until the end of the day.

What Sessions Will Be Affected?

UPDATE: ALL SESSIONS NOW AFFECTED. PLEASE ENTER YOUR NUMBER PLATE EVERY TIME YOU COME.

You will definitely need a permit if you are attending more than one class/lesson during the day, or will be leaving the Cherry Orchard after 7pm.

Our Monday Weekly Tea Dances are 2 hours long so you must enter your registration details to avoid a fine. The Tuesday Over 50s Session is 90 minutes long and we would recommend also entering your details to be on the safe side.

All other daytime sessions are generally less than an hour but you may wish to enter your details anyway.

How Do I Obtain A Permit?

The parking company have provided us with a tablet that is connected to their system. You will find this tablet in the main studio on the small table in front of the kitchen area.

Upon arrival you just need to tap the screen and enter your car registration plate; which is then sent directly to the parking company.

The permit remains valid until midnight on that day. So you will need to enter your reg each time you arrive.

What If I’m Dropping Off/Collecting Someone?

We have been told there is a 30 minute ‘grace period’ from the moment you first enter the site. However at present there will be a 1 hour no-return policy in place. This obviously doesn’t work for our class lengths and so we have requested that this is reviewed. We will keep you updated as this develops.

At present we would recommend ensuring the student you are dropping off has your number plate to enter into the tablet.

When Do The Cherry Orchard Parking Restrictions Launch?

There has been some confusion from the council as to when these restrictions were actually being launched. We have now received a confirmed date of it going live on Friday 21st January 2022.

If there are any changes to this date we will update this post accordingly.

How To Appeal A PCN

Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are issued automatically by the parking company’s system if you contravene the Cherry Orchard Parking Restrictions.

We have a limited ability to cancel tickets and will do our best to, so please talk to us before paying any fines.

Should you forget to register your registration number upon arrival, or you believe a PCN has been issued in error, you would need to follow the parking company’s appeals process.

Appeal online at: https://appeals.ce-service.co.uk/
Or by post to:
Civil Enforcement Limited,
Horton House, Exchange Flags,
Liverpool, L2 3PF

Hopefully everything will work swimmingly and this will never be an issue. Unfortunately we had no input into the decision to implement parking restrictions at the Cherry Orchard.

The post Cherry Orchard Parking Restrictions appeared first on Learn To Dance.

A normally annual event we unfortunately had to cancel our 2020 Tea Dance plans (due to the Coronavirus pandemic) but hopefully this year’s event will be able to go ahead as planned.

Unfortunately our original supplier had to close her business due to health reasons, but we’ve found a great alternative. For Valentine’s Day this year one of our students very kindly delivered an afternoon tea by Slice of Elegance. We were so impressed that they were top of our list for new suppliers and thankfully they were able to accommodate our date.

The [Likely] Menu

The menu will be Christmas-themed and whilst it hasn’t been fully confirmed yet their menu for last year was as follows:

• Savoury
  • Handmade Sausage Roll
  • Sandwiches:
    • Baked Ham
    • Turkey, Stuffing & Cranberry Sauce
    • Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese
    • Cheddar & Chutney
• Scones, jam & clotted cream
• Sweet
  • Crumbly Mince Pie
  • Chocolate Yule Log
  • Shortbread with caramel dipping sauce

We’re sure you will agree it sounds scrumptious, but we will update this post if there are any changes to the actual menu (though it shouldn’t be too disimilar). The afternoon tea will be served using vintage tea sets so don’t Jive too close to the tables!!!

The Details

Doors open at 1pm and the afternoon tea will be served from around 1.30pm. There will be Ballroom, Latin American and Sequence dancing afterwards (if you’re not too full!). The event ends at 4pm (but any assistance with tidying afterwards will be greatly appreciated).

Tickets cost £25pp, we only have limited places, and all tickets must be purchased in advance. Final numbers are required by 12th December.

You can book tickets using the option below, or contact us if you have any questions. If you have special dietary requirements, but would like to attend, please let us know and we will see if this can be accommodated.

Book Christmas Afternoon Tea Dance Tickets

Photos from Our Vintage Summer Tea Dance in 2019

We had a marvellous afternoon tea dance in the Summer of 2019 and you can check out some of the pics below:

We hope you’ll join us on this ever-popular event and we look forward to seeing you there, if not before.

The post Christmas Afternoon Tea Dance appeared first on Learn To Dance.

Hopefully from April 12th lockdown easing will be on track, allowing our ballroom dance lessons to resume in the studio. However the dates are not set in stone! So we have no guarantees at the moment that we will be able to welcome you back next month.

The guidance does however currently allow personal trainers to provide individuals, and same-household, with 1-to-1 sessions. That is so long as it is outdoors, and social distancing measures are applied.

This got us to thinking, as to whether this was something we could potentially provide as an option now the weather is improving. We are going to therefore trial some outdoor private lessons at the Cherry Orchard during the week.

Where will these outdoor lockdown ballroom dance lessons be held?

There is an overflow car park onsite that is only used during the football season at weekends. The gate is locked at all other times and we are confident that this should work for our purposes.

The car park is a short walk from the main entrance (less than a minute). You can park closer than that in the main car park.

The logistics of erecting a dance floor, that would need to be put away after every session, means we will not be using any type of outdoor dance floor. Instead we are going to rely on the fine gravel-type surface of the car park to allow flowing movement.

It goes without saying that we wouldn’t recommend wearing your dance shoes for these outdoor lockdown ballroom dance lessons!

You should also be aware that there is also the chance of members of the public walking past!

I’m up for trying it, how do I book?

At present only Antony is offering these outdoor dance lessons during our trial. When booking please select ‘outdoor’ and the lesson length required. Existing packages and sessions can be used.

Use the appointment search below to book. You can also choose Zoom lessons if you’d like to have us stream a lesson instead.

Please only book a weekday slot. We may be able to offer weekend slots on the next two Sundays but football resumes after that. Contact us first if you have any questions about potential sessions.

What about bad weather?

Obviously we cannot forecast for short-term changes in weather! But we will have a more flexible cancellation/reschedule policy should the weather take a turn for the worst.

We are happy to teach in all weathers, taking appropriate clothing precautions. However if we feel the surface of the car park would be dangerous we may have to cancel sessions.

Initially we are only thinking of offering these sessions during daylit hours (currently sunset is around 6.15pm). If there is interest in later sessions we can look into lighting options.

With that, you also accept that these outdoor lockdown ballroom dance lessons are taken at your own risk. We will do our best to select an area of the car park that is flat. We cannot however guarantee there won’t be unexpected changes in the surface. Extra care should be taken as the surface conditions may change as you move across the car park.

Why are you providing outdoor lockdown Ballroom Dance lessons?

There is a lot of uncertainty around when we will be permitted to reopen. We’re also still waiting on the detailed guidance to be released.

We feel that this is an option that may appeal to some of our students who are unable to Zoom!

This will also serve as a trial to potentially offering some outdoor group classes. The current roadmap may actually permit these from the end of this month!

We are already receiving bookings for this option and we hope more of you will be able to join us. Otherwise we look forward to welcoming you back to the studio as soon as it is permitted.

About Learn To Dance

Learn To Dance is a Ballroom and Latin American Dance School based in Burnham, Buckinghamshire.

Our dance studio is currently closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However we are still looking at innovative ways to keep you dancing. From online streamed classes and private lessons, live free classes on YouTube, and now lockdown ballroom dance lessons outdoors.

You can check out our website, or follow us online, at:

Website: learndance.co.uk
Youtube: youtube.com/learndance
Facebook: facebook.com/learndance
Instagram: instagram.com/learndance
Twitter: twitter.com/learndance

The post Lockdown Ballroom Dance Lessons Outdoors appeared first on Learn To Dance.

American Smooth refers to the American style of dancing the Ballroom dances. This tends to favour more of an exhibition style of dance. Partners often release out of hold and can often let go entirely.

The Dance – Viennese Waltz American Smooth

The Viennese Waltz is traditionally a rotational dance that moves around the outside of the floor.

Adding in elements of American Smooth though allows you to introduce some flair into the dance, and can often act as a breather too.

Just make sure you’re near the middle, or a corner, so that you aren’t hanging around when other dancers are coming hurtling towards you!

Our intention is to ease you in with a simplified (and more compact) version of the Reverse Turn, before trying an Open Break and an Underarm Turn to the Right. We’ll then be looking at the Explosion with a Fan Ending before adding in some Change of Places.

The Music

For our Viennese Waltz we are using a song by Loving Caliber feat. Mia Niles that we really like called Just One Kiss:

See our Viennese Waltz American Smooth video

Don’t forget, if you enjoyed our online Viennese Waltz American Smooth dance lesson video please send it to your family and friends. Why not also check out our other online dance lessons.

About Learn To Dance

Learn To Dance is a Ballroom and Latin American Dance School based in Burnham, Buckinghamshire.

Whilst our studio may be closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we’re still trying to help all our students to keep dancing!

If you liked our Viennese Waltz American Smooth video you can check out our website, or follow us online, at:

Website: learndance.co.uk
Youtube: youtube.com/learndance
Facebook: facebook.com/learndance
Instagram: instagram.com/learndance
Twitter: twitter.com/learndance

The post Viennese Waltz American Smooth introduction appeared first on Learn To Dance.

WHEN: FRIDAY 28th NOVEMBER

WHERE: BURNHAM PARK HALL

TIME: 8.30PM-11PM
(SAMBA Workshops from 7.30pm)

PRICE: £6pp
(£5 if you BOOK ONLINE in advance)

Our regular LearnToDance social nights take place at Burnham Park Hall, Windsor Lane, Burnham, SL1 7HR. They’re a great opportunity to come along and practice the steps you’ve been learning, as well as meet other dancers and make friends.

The evening features a variety of Ballroom and Latin American dances and also has Samba Workshops (two levels – ‘Beginner’ and ‘Improver II + Above’) beforehand at 7.30pm.

The post Social Night Friday 28th November appeared first on Learn To Dance.

One of us is ‘Good Cop’…I wonder who…

WHEN: FRIDAY 31st OCTOBER

WHERE: BURNHAM PARK HALL

TIME: 8.30PM-11PM
(Rumba Workshops from 7.30pm)

PRICE: £6pp
(£5 if you BOOK ONLINE in advance)

It’s that time of year again, when Antony just can’t wait for an excuse to dress up, and Emma just goes along for the ride, except this year we get to dress up a little munchkin too!

Our Halloween Dance Social will take place on Friday 31st October at Burnham Park Hall, Windsor Lane, Burnham, SL1 7HR.

Costumes are highly recommended (and appreciated) but are not compulsory.

The evening features a variety of Ballroom and Latin American dances and also has a Beginner Rumba Workshop beforehand at 7.30pm.

You can see some pictures of last year’s Halloween Social on our website

The post Halloween Dance Social 2014 appeared first on Learn To Dance.