| Disco
Memories
 |
When
I received the invitation to go to the Centenary celebration
for the DFR Faculty Congress, my mind travelled back many
years to the day when 'Saturday Night Fever' with John
Travolta was released and Anne Lingard and myself decided
that this kind of music and dancing was a must for the
future. |
I
saw the film 25 times in order to write down, (in a dark cinema),
the various dances. I then realised that this message must
go to the dancing teachers all over the country.
How
to do it? I booked Hammersmith Palais and more than 500 teachers
came in to see and learn from Michael Stylianos, Anne Lingard,
Pat Thompson and myself. We were not concerned with society
or status, only concerned that this most important disco message
got through.
It
was not long before the whole country and every dancing school
ran disco and exercise classes to this
lovely music from the ‘Bee Gees’ and other groups
at the time. I then decided, but did not know how long that
road was going to be, that it should be included in the medal
test system and professional examinations. What a wise move
it was because it has been the salvation of dancing in many
dance schools.
The
DFR Faculty is to be congratulated in this Centenary year
in dedicatedly supporting dance teachers who favour this form
of dancing. Long may they continue to research and bring to
the fore all that is new and good and much of this we saw
in the Congress work that was so excellently presented.
Peggy
Spencer MBE
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