Hello, Caroline here...
It's lovely to meet you, thank you for your curiosity about Charleston a Go-Go! Let me take the chance to tell you a bit about myself and how I ended up here...
June 2017, I was sitting in one of my favourite vintage American diners, and I couldn't help thinking there was something missing. I'd been teaching since I graduated in 2000 (we'll skip over the bit where I did a drama degree with Benedict Cumberbatch, no, really!), and over 26 years it really does feel like I've taught everything, everywhere. I've been a Primary School teacher, a Secondary school Performing Arts Curriculum Leader, an events producer and a freelance teacher/ choreographer of adult dance and fitness classes.
Teaching is clearly where I feel most at home!
Alongside teaching, all my life I'd had a passion for all things 'vintage'- showgirls, fashion, music, film. I am also an unashamed retro dance geek! I've lost hours teaching myself dances from fuzzy old video tapes, and have spent a fortune on original 60's dance instruction manuals. I'm the woman who not only had an Elvis wedding, but actually sat through every single Elvis film before I jetted off to Vegas (33 FILMS, varying quality!) Between us, I sometimes feel like I know Bob Fosse better than some members of my own family.
As a (cough) 'natural leader' I'd never really enjoyed partner dancing, and I struggled to find a dance class where I could dance to the music that I love, in the dance styles that I'm so passionate about.
It started me wondering.... this can't just be me, right?!
In the wonderful words of Joe Lycett, I realised that sometimes if you want something to exist, you have to make it yourself. The seed for Charleston a Go-Go was sown!
At the heart of Charleston a Go-Go is a belief that dance is for everyone. It doesn't matter how old you are, what your body looks like, how fit you are, or even whether you know your left from your right. All you actually need to dance is enthusiasm, because what really matters is how dancing can make you feel. When I dance I feel the 'most me', and I think everyone deserves to feel that sometimes.
Of course Charleston a Go-Go is about learning to dance authentic vintage dances, as well as getting some 'accidental exercise' and meeting like-minded people. But it's also about having the chance to escape life's responsibilities for a little while, to be able to focus just on yourself, and to move your body purely for the joy of moving. And trust me, there is no more joyful moving than dancing the Charleston and Sixties Go-Go!
When I'm not dancing I work as a mental health practitioner in the NHS. I am also mum to two boys and two cats, Clara and Emmett, who regularly steal the limelight in my online tutorials. Trust me when I say I truly appreciate the need for a little escapism and silliness in life - dance is my therapy!
When you come to a Charleston a Go-Go class you really are supporting the tiniest of tiny businesses, and I am beyond grateful for how this little seed has grown. If what I've said resonates, I'd absolutely love you to join me on my one-woman mission to share joy and escapism through vintage dance...
Caroline x
Still not sure we're a good match? The best way to find out what I'm all about is to come along, meet me and try a class for yourself. Why not sign up for our next FREE taster session to find out more?
Proud to be an afiliate of Exercise, Move Dance UK, the national governing body for group exercise
Affiliated Teacher no. 197730
