September Welcome!

I love September - that month of new beginnings, cooler weather, and leaves just starting to change colour. At Laughter in Line, September is the month where I make every effort to reach people who've been meaning to learn to line dance for ages.... now's the time! And to make room in our Absolute Beginner classes, I make our Improver classes easier too, and encourage my previous beginners to step up. Now, I know it doesn't suit everyone to do that, it's really up to you; but now is a really good time to try.

For my new dancers, I posted a written piece on our Facebook page this week, given to me by another teacher. I'm going to paraphrase it here, because it covers something important: how it feels to be a new beginner. I want you to know that I understand!

If you're someone who stands at the back thinking "I'm never going to get this", please know: you're not alone. Remember, all the experienced dancers around you, started just like you! It takes time.

First, you'll learn a few steps. Sometimes you'll get those right away, sometimes it might take a class or two to "click". But soon, you won't need to think "side, behind, side" when you hear "Vine Right!" - your feet will know what to do. It might not happen in week 1. Or week 2. But it will happen, I promise, if you keep coming!

The moment you master a whole dance is very special - when you can dance it all the way through without thinking about it. Your feet will be dancing, enjoying the music, but your heart is going.... YEAH!! I DID IT!!!!

Some people get to that point in week 3. For some people it takes a lot longer. It doesn't matter. Just enjoy the journey.

And in the meantime, remember this: mistakes don't matter. None of us is perfect, including me! Just enjoy yourself and have a laugh. Give yourself permission to be a learner. And remember not to compare yourself with other dancers - they might have been coming ages, but they started just like you.

By the way, I remember dancing at the end of a row once, and confidently turning (the wrong way) and suddenly seeing a sea of faces! And I thought, Oh! Hello!!!! (Whoops!)

So, remember, we don't do Perfect, at Laughter in Line. We do "relax and have a good time." We do "learning at your own pace." We do "just do the bits you can do, fudge the rest, eventually the bits you can do will all join up."

We do Laughter. In Line. The clue's in the name!

Any tips for our new beginners? Comments are welcome.