In our final line dancing through lock down interview, Jean Webb, of Fancy Feet, has agreed to share her experiences of line dancing through lock down with us.  Jean runs various classed five days a week in and around Blackpool.

I'm sure our instructor this week needs very little introduction, it is Jean Webb of Fancy Feet, before lock down Jean ran multiple classes 5 days a week, alongside Saturday afternoon dance afternoons, involving live artists, partner dancing and guest choreographers and Saturday evening socials.  In addition to this Jean organises weekends away, holidays, theme nights, Christmas and New Year parties and the occasional live music Sunday afternoon too.  Jean attempts to have one weekend a month off.  On top of all her dancing commitments, Jean plays a huge role in the running and organisation of Move Radio, hosting multiple shows a week, including a Motivational Monday show, which has been instrumental in helping to share the Everything Line Dance news and support to dancers and teachers who have been listening in.

At the start of the year, Jean was sadly told that her cancer had returned, but she has not let this hold her back at all.  However, this means that being classed in the vulnerable category, alongside many of her dancers, Jean was keeping a close eye on the Government advice and closed her classes as soon as it was suggested that she should.  For Jean, her decision was not based on finances, she believed that the Government would look after everyone somehow, it was purely about keeping both her dancers and herself as safe as possible.  Jean knew that many of her dancers would not feel comfortable dancing alone and would require a more interactive platform than Facebook could provide.  Needing further advice on the legalities  of teaching and playing music online, Jean took advice from a friend who is a Zumba instructor who advised that she try Zoom, which she did and hasn't looked back.

The first Zoom meeting Jean held was a coffee morning, to enable her dancers to get to grips with the new technology, then they started to plan dancing!!!  Jean now hosts online dance classes on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.  However, it is not all about the dancing, Jean also hosts regular coffee afternoons, some of which have some VIP guests attending too, including some very well known names from America!  A weekly quiz on a Wednesday, Wine time on a Friday night, she set up a general chat WhatsApp group, weekly e-mails and phone calls too.  Jean wants to not only keep her dancers dancing, but also talking and laughing too.  Full details of these can be found on her Facebook Group, which now has over 1,300 members from all over the world.

Jean has been used to using technology to help advertise her many venture, producing flyers, updating her website and her Facebook page, but platforms such as Zoom, where you are essentially performing in front of an audience put her outside of her comfort zone.  I think almost every teacher interviewed has said that teaching to a real class of dancers is one thing, but that holding an online class has been a very different experience entirely.  For Jean, teaching and motivating people to achieve things they didn't think were possible is her dream job!

Reading and listening to all the advice posted in the Line Dance Support Group by Billy Curtis has really helped Jean to get a clear idea of how to present the ideas she has to her dancers.  This is why Jean agreed to host the Everything Line Dance show on Move Radio on a Monday and help to make other teachers aware of what support there is out there and, quite rightly so, she is proud of the number of listeners she attracts each week.  Over the last few months, she has loved helping instructors following the advice Billy has been posting and sharing, and from her own experiences too.

Jean has always been very adamant that Fancy Feet is not just about dancing, it is about the people and the connection they share.  This is something she has really focused on through lock down.  She acknowledges that some people just won't dance at home, whether it's because they need someone to dance with them, they don't feel comfortable dancing at home or they simply just don't have enough space, but she doesn't want to lose contact with these dancers, she knows they need the interaction as much as those who are still actively dancing.  To maintain this, she has set weekly challenges that they can join in with, such as making pizza from scratch, sharing photos of walks they have been on, photos of crafts they have completed or cakes they have baked.  Knowing that most of the age group she teaches are shielding or isolating, Jean has been posting motivational videos once a week very honestly explaining about the struggles and difficulties she has faced and how she has overcome them, she now has over 600 people watching these.  It has also helped her create a stronger and more personal connection with her dancers too, allowing them into her personal life and her into theirs in a way that may not have been possible before.

Once lock down eases enough for classes to resume Jean thinks that her online content will revert back to what it was before.  However, certain things like using Zoom to continue the connection she has built between her class and that of her friend Deborah O'Hara in Canada will continue.  Jean also intends to continue sharing her motivational news and videos, but she really can not wait to get back into the halls, to see her dancers she hasn't seen since lock down started and to just laugh, chat and smile with people face to face.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has given their time and effort and agreed to be interviewed for the Line Dancing through Lock Down blog series.  As lock down is now starting to ease and we are all up and running with the online content we want to be, we are now having to start to navigate how we are going to return to a new normal, and be assured Billy Curtis and the rest of the Everything Line Dance team will be there to help you through it, just as they have been from the start,

Thank you for reading and keep safe,

Ashley xx