EVERYONE can put their feet to work with the Outback Bandits\u2019 line dancing lessons returning to Ballarat last week.<\/p>\n
After a two-year hiatus, the lessons continued at Carmel Welsh Presbyterian Church in Sebastopol, fronted by founders Kerry and Diana Bishop.<\/p>\n
Established in 1996, the classes grew out of the duo\u2019s love of country music, but Kerry said the physical exercise and social atmosphere has kept the community engaged over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us it\u2019s very much about the exercise involved with it, and the mental stability for our elderly members more than anything because it\u2019s very good for the brain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re teaching your body to do things it\u2019s not normally used to doing, so it really does help you to stay mentally balanced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the social side of it is just as integral, because you\u2019re meeting people of all different varieties of life. We\u2019ve made some lifelong friends because of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Outside of lessons, members of the group attend music festivals across the country and rock n\u2019 roll circuits, and have previously participated in statewide dancing demonstrations.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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\u2019t excluding any of our more vulnerable members,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe definitely missed it too. I\u2019d be driving down the road and some music would start playing and I\u2019d almost pull over to the side of the road and start dancing in the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diana also holds lessons at Lucas Lifestyle Estate\u2019s clubhouse, where she teaches those no longer able to attend the regular sessions.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ll ever stop doing it. Even when we\u2019re in wheelchairs I\u2019ll still be keeping my feet moving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what it is. It\u2019s just the vibe of it, there\u2019s just something about it. It\u2019s like an addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Classes take place weekly on Tuesday evenings from 7pm and Wednesday mornings at 10am, with an entry fee of $7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EVERYONE can put their feet to work with the Outback Bandits\u2019 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\u2019s love of country music, but […]<\/p>\n