This year I started doing dance lessons, as Les and Serina have been doing performances for a while, and suggested I join in. The hardest part I found was learning to follow: in traditional ballroom dancing, the female follows the lead of the male. But after 35 years of playing piano and being in bands, I really really want to come in at the beginning of the bar. Those two things rarely happen at the same time. And it’s not just me - Pip has the same problem, after playing the flute in orchestras, and that’s even when dancing with a fellow muso.

So we did a few performances at the Autumn Ball last month. We did the opening number, to a certain Right Said Fred song, with Serina and I being the rah-rah girls to Les’ central figure. Here’s our I’m Too Sexy number from YouTube.

And then Les and I did a more traditional waltz. The other thing that I found hard was dancing in high heels without falling over. At 5 foot 11, I’ve never really been a high heels kind of girl, and more of a tomboy/bookworm, so it took all my concentration not to fall over, especially during the turns.

Next time we’re going to do something Latin, and I’m going to learn how to walk and turn properly in high shoes.

All the performances from the ball are now on YouTube from the StepUpDanceStudio. I recommend P02 and P18 for some really impressive dancing, and P19 if you want some stunning costumes. And of course Les and Serina doing the Jitterbug for a really fun dance.