Gone are the days of Rock and Roll music and jiving all night in the local dance hall. Those were the good old days and now they have gone forever, or have they? Few people realise, but for many, jiving the night away is still very much a part of their weekly routine.

Let me introduce you to Ceroc

what is Ceroc?
Ceroc (pronounced ser-roc) is a dance craze that is just as popular as Salsa but not as well known, despite the fact that it has been on the go for well over ten years.

Across between Salsa and Jive, Ceroc (right) has been described as modern jive. Not as up close and slinky as Salsa and not as skip hop and jumpy as Jive, Ceroc is somewhere in between.

Ceroc is a male lead dance and this means that the man leads the lady through a series of twists, turns, spins and drops by using subtle hand signals and arm movements.

The benefits of Ceroc
Ceroc is a brilliant way to meet new people and it is a fantastic icebreaker. Within minutes of being there, you have danced with about 10 different people and you will know them by name (the problem is remembering them all). It is easy and great fun to learn and it is an excellent way to keep fit without even realising it.

What can you expect when you go to a Ceroc club?
Well, the good thing is that you do not need to take a partner to Ceroc because throughout the lessons everyone changes partners.

Starting with the beginner class, the teacher demonstrates and guides everyone through four basic moves step by step. This lesson usually lasts for about half an hour.

At the end of the class, the lights go down and for fifteen minutes and there is the opportunity to practice your new moves to a wide variety of modern and classic tunes played by the DJ.

The intermediate class follows and during this time, the newcomers will go over the beginner class again, only this time in more detail and with the help of the Ceroc coaches, known as Taxi Dancers.

Once both lessons are over, the lights go down again and the music and dancing continues for about an hour and a half. This part of the evening is called the 'Freestyle'. This is your chance to dance with anyone you like. If you don't feel like dancing all night, there is a bar area where you can buy a drink, take a well-deserved rest and socialise with friends.

Ceroc doesn't stop there
If you are the ambitious type, you can attend the regular workshops and progress up to an advanced level. Workshops are usually held at the weekends and due to the small number of people in the group, the coaching is more personal.

One of the more popular Ceroc events is the Freestyle dance nights. These are usually held on a Saturday night once a month. The Freestyle nights provide the opportunity to put your glad rags on and dance all night to continuous music.
Freestyles draw passionate modern jive dancers from miles around. The atmosphere is friendly and fun and they are an absolute must for any Ceroc dancer.

Details of these events can be found on the Ceroc website

What sort of people dance Ceroc?
It's not just the original Rock and Roller's who dance Ceroc, it attracts people of all age groups and from all walks of life. Typically, Ceroc dancers are between 25 - 50 years of age and more often than not, the women out number the men. This does not matter however, because in the lessons, the women are moved around so that everyone gets a turn.

Do you need any special clothing?
The answer to that is no. The only two suggestions would be firstly to wear something cool, as it does get very hot and sticky when you are dancing for a prolonged period of time. Secondly, especially for the women, it is better to wear shoes with little or no tread, as spinning is very difficult in shoes with good grips.

As with any hobby, you can buy specialised clothing for dancing and many hardened Cerocers do wear professional dance shoes or sneakers. You can buy dance shoes from any reputable dance-clothing supplier and you will find these listed in the yellow pages. If you prefer to shop on the Internet, you can search under 'dance shoes' or 'dance sneakers' and this usually brings up various companies who specialise in dance shoes. Prices do vary, so it is best to shop around.

Where can you dance Ceroc?
Most regions have a Ceroc club and in some areas there are several. Weekly classes usually take place in the local Town Hall or in a similar venue with plenty of dance floor space.

Stafford
Classes take place on Tuesday at 7.45 at St Leonard's Social Club. For more info call Mike Allsopp on 07990 554 459

Burton-upon-Trent
Classes take place on Wednesday at 7.45pm at the Town Hall. For more info contact Mike Allsopp on 07990 554 459.

Nantwich
Classes take place on Tuesday nights at Nantwich Civic Hall. For more info call 01782 644809 or visit their website. Or why not send them an email!

Want to know more?
For more information about Ceroc, please visit the website. If there isn't a Ceroc venue close to you, there may be a similar modern jive club, so check out the following website for a full list of modern jive clubs all over the UK.

A final word of warning - Ceroc is addictive!

Clare Bowman