A decade of dance at Beachside Ballroom

Dancing with the Stars, a major fundraising event supported by several local organisations including the Lions Club, Rotary Club, Golf Club, Bowls Club and Theatre Troupe, was the reason for the formation of Beachside Ballroom 10 years ago.

Each of the local clubs involved entered a couple with dancing knowledge to perform in front of a crowd of more than 200 people who attended the fundraising night. The judging panel was chaired by then-Surf Coast Shire mayor Rose Hodge

After the conclusion of the event, many participants wanted to continue dancing
and decided on the creation of Beachside Ballroom.

The aim of the Beachside Ballroom group was to create a dance community in Torquay where dancers could have fun, exercise and learn a social skill.

Now, 10 years later, up to 100 people participate each week in Torquay, with beginners and intermediate dancers on Monday evenings, advanced dancers on Wednesdays and a specially designed class for people with Parkinson’s or similar conditions each Thursday morning.

All classes are led by Pauline Butterworth who has won two Australian Dancesport Championships and several state titles.

Each month there is an event held with dancers attending from Melbourne, Geelong, Colac, Winchelsea and the Surf Coast. Several of these dance events have been fundraisers for various charities, with the largest raising over $10,000 for the Andrew Love Centre.

Classes and dance events are held at the TIA Hall, Price Street, restarting this year with an Australia Day theme dance on January 27, featuring candlelight, spotlights, glitter and great music from 8pm.