THE Soldiers Point New Vogue & Ballroom Dance Group enjoyed its continued successful comeback following the COVID pandemic period with its milestone Winter Ball on Thursday 30 July.
Since the pandemic, the Soldiers Point group has had an average of about 20 dancers per night and the club is working to recover its numbers and revive the long-running social dance tradition.
Lionel Fines, the Group’s secretary, notes that the ongoing impacts of the COVID virus have posed a challenge to this process, with people now habituated to staying indoors.
“We’ve been sitting on around 20 people on average since then,” he says. “We need more.”
As he laughs, Lionel adds that one of the main challenges that they face is simply the lack of enough male partners for the ladies.
“They need a man to dance with,” he jokes.
He stresses the importance of the social nature of ballroom dancing and the group’s hope to welcome more newcomers.
Despite the modest numbers, the night was still very successful.
“It went very well,” Lionel notes. “It was only small and cut back on what you would normally do… but it went very well.”
Recently, the Soldiers Point New Vogue & Ballroom Dance Group has achieved Incorporated Body Status, which will help the group in its operations.
Every Thursday, the group begins with 30 minutes of dancing practice, which is followed by an evening of social dancing. They accept beginners, social dancers, and even competition dancers.
Lionel’s call to the community is clear.
“Come along and try it. Come along and have a look and see what we do. You’re welcome.”
By Ruby VAN DE WIJGAART
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