Line dancing kicking back in

EVERYONE can put their feet to work with the Outback Bandits’ line dancing lessons returning to Ballarat last week.

After a two-year hiatus, the lessons continued at Carmel Welsh Presbyterian Church in Sebastopol, fronted by founders Kerry and Diana Bishop.

Established in 1996, the classes grew out of the duo’s love of country music, but Kerry said the physical exercise and social atmosphere has kept the community engaged over the years.

“For us it’s very much about the exercise involved with it, and the mental stability for our elderly members more than anything because it’s very good for the brain,” he said.

“You’re teaching your body to do things it’s not normally used to doing, so it really does help you to stay mentally balanced.

“And the social side of it is just as integral, because you’re meeting people of all different varieties of life. We’ve made some lifelong friends because of this.”

The lessons are inclusive for all who wish to be involved, and each week generally brings in a rotation of about 50 people, some of whom have been taking part since the beginning.

Outside of lessons, members of the group attend music festivals across the country and rock n’ roll circuits, and have previously participated in statewide dancing demonstrations.

With their regular sessions halted during COVID, Diana said the group kept in regular contact when not meeting, and that everyone was itching to get back on the dancefloor.

“We had everyone phoning us up regularly checking when we would be coming back, and we had to keep pushing it back so that we weren’t excluding any of our more vulnerable members,” she said.

“We definitely missed it too. I’d be driving down the road and some music would start playing and I’d almost pull over to the side of the road and start dancing in the street.”

Diana also holds lessons at Lucas Lifestyle Estate’s clubhouse, where she teaches those no longer able to attend the regular sessions.

With ballroom training for Kerry and a family history of music and dancing for both Bishops, he said dancing is an essential part of both their lives.

“I don’t think we’ll ever stop doing it. Even when we’re in wheelchairs I’ll still be keeping my feet moving,” he said.

“I don’t know what it is. It’s just the vibe of it, there’s just something about it. It’s like an addiction.”

Classes take place weekly on Tuesday evenings from 7pm and Wednesday mornings at 10am, with an entry fee of $7.