Leading the way after mastering the art of dance

Dance teacher Mike Hall is the first to admit that when he started dancing he had two left feet.

But 34 years on, his love of dancing is stronger than ever and he is keen to share his experience by leading classes in Balderton and Coddington.

Mike, 64, began dancing lessons when he was 30.

He said he was shy and felt it would be a good way to meet new people.

“I went along to a local class and said I wanted to learn,” he said.

The first dance he mastered was the waltz, but his favourites are the foxtrot and rumba, two classics from the ballroom and Latin American styles.

As his skills developed, Mike started to enter competitions and has trophies to show for his success.

Twenty years ago he decided to focus on becoming a dance teacher. He gained his IDTA qualification and began to teach in Folkestone, where he lived at the time.

“People say you forget how it is to be a beginner, but I always remember and I find this helps when I am teaching,” he said.

Mike met his fiancée, Maggie George, 64, when she came along to his classes eight years ago.

“I had lots of different hobbies but decided I wanted to start dancing,” she said.

They hit it off and set up a joint enterprise, MLM Dance.

The Strictly effect

Mike said BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing series had been a mixed blessing for his classes.

“It has meant more people want to have a go at dancing but what people forget, is that while contestants on Strictly learn their dance in a week, in reality it takes six to nine months,” he said.

Mike said learning to dance had many advantages including keeping fit. It was also good for keeping the brain active.

He encourages his students to practise as much as they can.

“The difference between a beginner and a professional is that a professional is a beginner who never gave up,” Mike said.

When Maggie moved to Coddington it was not long before Mike followed and he now lives nearby in Newark.

Mike started his ballroom and Latin American dance classes with Maggie’s help in Coddington Village Hall on Wednesday evenings.

They are already proving popular, so classes have also started at Balderton’s Salvation Army Centre on Thursday evenings. The couple would eventually like to find somewhere to hold classes during the day too.

Adult dancers of all standards are welcome. Students should wear comfy clothing and light shoes but not trainers.

Classes cost £5 an evening. For more information about the classes and contact details visit http://maggiegeorge8.wixsite.com/mlmdance