Whitfords Ballroom Dance Group

We have a weekly program that includes both Modern Sequence and New Vogue dancing. New Vogue Dancing is the Australian version (ca. 1930) of the Modern Sequence Dancing which originated in the UK. We also include some popular old time favourites. To view our monthly program, scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the link “NEXT DANCE”

In the UK there are thousands of Modern Sequence dances, and remembering the sequences for all of these would be a nightmare. In order to make learning many dances possible, Round Dancing was started. Here a person “Cues” the steps over the microphone, rather similar to square dancing.

As from next Wednesday, 23rd July we will be demonstrating a beautiful Foxtrot Modern Sequence Dance called the Stardust Foxtrot and we will be walking through the sequence for three weeks. This dance is definitely harder that the dances currently on the list, but well worth the effort of learning. Many other studios also include this foxtrot in their program.

One of the initiatives discussed for the dance was the use of a website to promote the dance and allow our members to view the upcoming programs.

When we say “website”, this is a very small dance and the “website” is just a small information page at present.

Our dance, in its present format, has only been operating for a short while, but is already proving quite popular. The organisers have introduced a number of dance sequences and the group appear to be enthusiastic about the choice of dances. Our Dance format is now popularly referred to as “Modern Sequence Dancing”, which is very popular in Australia, The UK, New Zealand, The USA, Indonesia and China to name but a few. Originally, ballroom dancing was carried out in large halls and large venues, however these closed due to cost and much smaller dance venues are now commonplace. Modern Sequence Dancing became popular around 1910. Here short sequences of dance, typically 16 bars of music for each sequence, are used.

We introduced a website for the dance to keep people informed. We regularly have 1,000 visitors per week viewing our site. These are mostly from the USA, UK, China, Indonesia and France. The one that surprised me from first glance was our close neighbor Indonesia, not normally associated with Ballroom Dancing. I have met a number of Indonesians at dances in Australia and they commonly dance to a high standard. While checking the websites for Indonesian dances, I found a very high standard displayed on the dancing schools website.

Our Mission

We hope to provide enjoyment and friendship through the medium of Ballroom dancing

We meet in the main hall of the Whitfords Senior Citizens Centre every Wednesday at 9.30 AM.

At each dance we follow our 15 minute tea break with a short demonstration of
a recently introduced dance or revision of one which may have involved some difficulty.

Our weekly dances are chosen from the current dance list shown below.

The next dance program can be viewed by clicking the “NEXT DANCE” program at the bottom of this page.

a list of our current dances

WALTZ

Catherine

Emerdale

Engagement

Rose Lane

Tracie Leigh

FOXTROT

Carousel

Glenroy

Merrilyn

Metro

SAUNTER

Heathers’

Lemare

Red Rose

Together

BLUES

Balmoral

Barclay

Crystal

Floral

RUMBA
Beguine
Galaxy
QOHearts

CHA CHA

El Tel

Fiesta

Sally Anne

QUICKSTEP

Mayfair

Jubilee

Ripple

TANGO

Sereda

Solaire

Terrific

MISC

Cindy Swing

Gypsy Swing

Mambo Magic

Alp Stroll

Barn Dance

our proposed dances For Addition to the list

WALTZ

Alpha Waltz

New Vogue

Winscar

Killarney

Lucille

FOXTROT

Excelesior

Joyette

Stardust

Charmaine

Feta

Acer

SAUNTER

Honey

Caprice

Sheldon

BLUES

RUMBA

Serenata

Red Ruby

Juliet

CHA CHA

Christiana

QUICKSTEP

Crystal

Kew

New Vogue

TANGO

Carnival

La Bomba

Whiplash

MISC

Blueberry

Spindle swing

Hey Mambo

Evening 3 step

Ballroom Dancing for Adults. Is this Beneficial?

There have been a number of studies conducted by credible organizations concerning the importance of continuing to exercise as we age. One activity was cited as particularly beneficial and this was ballroom dancing. In fact ballroom dancing was shown to be potentially advantageous for people of all ages.

Dance therapy is a creative arts therapy that has been defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual.”

Cross-sectional studies have shown that older adults who dance on a regular basis have greater flexibility, postural stability, balance, physical reaction time, and cognitive performance than older adults who do not dance on a regular basis.

Indeed each of us who has taken up ballroom dancing has found that it has been
beneficial in developing social skills and in building up a circle of friends. If
this is important to you please look in on us and consider taking up dancing with us.