What do you think people from outside the United Kingdom think of dancers here? Well, to understand their perception, let me go back in time a little.


When Betty launched the title in 1996,


Line dance was still in its infancy and would reach its dizzy heights, at least in the UK, a few years later but way back in the late Nineties, we still had everything to learn, everything to explore….


Today, by and large, we have danced


every style, every genre, there is not a type of song we don’t have in our repertoire and a step we can’t do. We are also in the enviable position, whereby most universally known dances are choreographed by a British choreographer. Everyone in the world who is a Line dancer knows Maggie, Rob, Kate, Peter, Alison, Rachael and many other names.


The world knows that Line dance has


a strong UK connection and Linedancer magazine is certainly a global brand.


When the French first came to the


Crystal Boot Awards weekend some four years ago and I spoke to them, I could sense most of them being a little star struck. They could not believe all those big names they had read about were in the same building as they were and that they could actually go and speak to them!


The real surprise from all the people


who come from abroad and who venture on a UK dance floor, is the general good nature, sense of fun and the fact that so many ages can dance together happily. Some people cannot believe that anyone over 70 could last hours on a dance floor, let alone someone in their Nineties. Others are totally overawed by the fact that dancers in general don’t take


themselves too seriously. This is not to say that dancers don’t dance well, or don’t make the effort in remembering every choreography step perfect but rather the fact they seem to be happy and content from 10am to midnight!


Many countries do not have this happy


go lucky attitude that the majority of the United Kingdom have. We all know the odd sour puss or two but to be honest, I can’t remember a single year at the CBA where anyone was being really difficult.


I am also wondering why the UK seems


so different from the rest of the world? Perhaps it does stem from the fact that many are experienced and know their way round a dance floor. Perhaps it has to do with little left to prove… “Take us as we are”, type of thing. All I can tell you is that French, Spanish, Italians and many more love the attitude and the general ambiance that derives from that. They cannot wait to come back.


A lady I know from France could not


get over that she was trying to learn a new dance at this year’s CBA and that other dancers stopped what they were doing to help her. She said to me: “I have never seen this, it is just incredible!” The United Kingdom has long been held abroad as one of the most civilised and polite countries that exist. Thanks to our dancers, we can now add to that list the spirit of Line dance and all I can add to that is, long may you make it prosper here and abroad.


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