Tiverton Jive @ Moorhayes Community Centre

DANCING has never been my strong point, so when asked to go jiving I thought I’d be letting myself in for another article that makes me look like a fool.
Before the session a colleague told me I’d ‘be a hero a university’ because his friend learnt jive and was a hit with the ladies. Since I couldn’t even pull a cracker, I’d be able to put his theory to the test.
Moorhayes Community Centre was the location for my first lesson, with my only dancing experience being on stage with the Tiverton Junior Operatic Club, and bobbing up and down nervously in the nightclubs not knowing quite what to do.
Thinking it started at 7.15pm instead of 7.45pm I had the chance to talk with the organiser and jive instructor Phil Payne before the jivers got jiggy: “I’ve been teaching jive here in Moorhayes since February. To anyone who hasn’t done anything like this but wants a go, just come and try it. Like most things, if you want to do it, you’ll be able to with a bit of practice. I’ve learnt there’s no such thing as two left feet.
You know you’re in good hands when the teacher has won several being the National Aerials Champion, Southwest Best of the West and Leroc 2000 National double trouble awards.
When asked how many members the club has, Phil quickly pointed out that they don’t have membership as anyone can go and join in. There were a good number of people at the evening with about 20 all dancing together and learning new steps.
Jive demonstrator Elle Williams also helped get my feet moving in the right direction: “I like to think of myself as an all singingall and dancing person” she said
“It’s really fun to be able to help people here learn to dance and I do as much as possible.”
In the lesson we were taught The First Move and the Windmill which didn’t take too long to grasp, but putting dance moves together and getting the body going instead of looking like a broken down robot took more practice.
Everyone at the evening had a smile on their face despite some getting completely tied up in knots with each other. If you’re a newcomer and don’t know anyone there, it’s easy to settle and not be afraid to make mistakes as making errors is part of learning.
A combination of bravery, having a good time and being told I wasn’t that bad made me stay for the intermediate jiving.
After freestyle dancing and trying to get into an unusual position with Elle for a photo, the intermediate dancing began and it wasn’t long before my feet and hands were tangled up.
Anyone with an eye for performing should give this a go as there’s nothing to lose from doing it – apart from some excess bodyweight of course. There was a range of people from all ages there so you definitely won’t feel out of place. It’s surprising how much I enjoyed myself and I’d definitely go again – who knows, I may master the art of jiving and be that ‘hero’ at university!
Come along to Moorhayes Community Centre, on Lea Road at 7.45pm to get jiving. It’s £5 for over two hours of jiving and its well worth it.

A very weird Mornin - 24/05/08

A HOUSE of students was disrupted in the early hours of the morning when a resident's friend turned up drunk at 3am.
Gemma Mornin 21, turned up at the house in Beswick Avenue, Bournemouth because she wanted to talk with her friend who lived there. Lewis Clarke 19, who opened the door to let her in said: "Well, I didn't know whether or not to open it. I was about to go to bed and at 3am you don't know who it's going to be, or what they're going to want.
"When she entered the house it was clear she was pissed, and she wanted to talk to Jonny and use the toilet."
Jonny Blair 28, who had come back from a party half an hour before was in bed asleep when he was awoken by the banging on the door, but he wasn't prepared to get out of his bed and lumbered Lewis with the responsibility of his friend.
Gemma, who had driven from Poole to the house in Bournemouth whilst clearly being drunk was then offered the sofa for the night but instead went to lie on Lewis' bed. Lewis added: "I wasn't expecting it, I was hoping Jonny would have done something to help but I didn't want her driving home being pissed so I didn't argue and I got in bed beside her. At one point she started stroking my shoulder which was a bit weird."
At 7am, she got up to use the toilet and went to get back in the bed telling Clarke to roll over: "When I did roll over the bed sheets were completely soaked, it's like she was sweating all night or had pissed the bed or something. I couldn't sleep in there so I got up at watched Sunday morning shows such as Andrew Marr until Jonny got up."
When Jonny eventually woke up in the afternoon, Gemma was still in Lewis' bed which annoyed Jonny. He then told her to leave his house and how weird it was to go calling at friend's house at 3am. Jonny told us: "Me and Lewis were in the front room and I thought I should take a photo of it, but when I went into his room she was nowhere to be seen."
The two housemates decided it would be a good idea to take their mind off the fiasco from the previous night by driving to Durdle Door. Speaking at Durdle Door Jonny added: "I had to get away from it because I don't want to be in the house and have Gemma call again like she's stalking me or something. I know she's my mate, but there's no need to call at my house at 3am."
Since she left on Sunday afternoon, nothing has been heard from Gemma since but the bed sheets in Lewis' bed were changed later on that day

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Life in the Day of Lewis Clarke

It’s always a struggle to get me out of bed and it’s usually down to my mum to drag the duvet away and force me out. Breakfast is ready by the time I make it downstairs still half asleep and rushing to eat it before the bus arrives at 7:30am so it’s not uncommon to see me sprint to the bus stop. I needn’t bothered to waste my energy running because as normal the bus fails to turn up on time and we’re left waiting in the cold until it eventually turns up late. The bus journey lasts an hour from Tiverton in Devon and across the county border to Taunton in Somerset arriving at Richard Huish College at 8:45am. Fortunately I hadn’t fallen asleep this morning and the pesky lower sixth students haven’t left me at the back to be awoken by the driver. First lesson is drama; one of my favourites. All the drama students get along so well and each brings their own character to the lesson, although pressure is mounting to get an assessed production piece ready to show to an audience and extra work will have to be done during a long arduous weekend rehearsal. Next on the agenda is history which I find tedious. I have no idea who anyone in the class is this year. They already seem to know each other very well making me feel quite isolated so I’m glad when it’s over and English language begins. It’s always difficult to stay on topic during a conversation in these lessons, one minute you may be talking about the first dictionary by Samuel Johnson and then the next moment conversation has moved onto the colour scheme of the teachers tie! Lunchtime arrives and gives me time to circulate the college to see the different people I know as they all meet in varied areas of the campus. Lunch consists of something I put in my bag the previous evening, it’s usually something I shouldn’t eat but after a hard day at college it’s nice to treat myself. I don’t drink hot drinks, no coffee, tea or hot chocolate so my choice of drink is a Cherry Cola, and no diet drinks under any circumstances! Finally after a long day my last lesson is geography where we learn about rocks and oil, it’s not terribly entertaining but some of it can be quite thought provoking. 4:30pm soon arrives and it’s another bus journey home but the bus doesn’t go to where I and many others want it to. The nearest stop is 7 miles from where all the Tiverton students live so we all have to get off their and hope that parents will come to collect us. Everyone likes a good moan about why we can’t have transport going back to Tiverton but all the talk never amounts to anything. Driving home my mum has it on BBC Radio Two and I can’t help to find the travel jingle slightly catchy, I don’t know why but I do have many theme tunes stored on my computer, but I guess it’s because I’m unique! There are just three of us when I get home again at 5pm, my sister, myself and my mum because dad is usually away working, but of course most attention in the house goes to the four cats that are never far away. It was a bit of a mistake having four as the mother had an unplanned pregnancy which my mum was a little surprised about (she was only one!). At 7pm I have rehearsals for a show in Tiverton with a local operatic club, this year we’re doing ‘Around the World in 80 Days’. Just like the past 7 years I’ve been given the comedy role, but I can’t complain as I enjoy overacting and having fun on a stage! Rehearsals are busy with singing, dancing and lines to be learnt within a sixth months. The rehearsal tonight ended at 9pm. When I’m about to go to bed there’s always somebody online wanting a chat and before I know it it’s 2am I always get into bed at the top of the hour and fall asleep listening to the BBC World Service. I just hope my mum manages to wake me up for another early start tomorrow.