About Us

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We have been dancing most of our lives:

Jill started with ballet at the tender age of 5, progressing to ballroom in her teens; Adrian took ballroom lessons as a young teenager. We met in 1964 and our common interest in dancing quickly drew us together, and we were married in 1968.

Work and family life left little time for dancing, but once our children had left home, we re-kindled our love of dance. We took lessons again, joined a social dancing class and also re-took a series of ballroom and latin medals. For four years we were part of Peggy Spencer’s Modern formation team and enjoyed competing and demonstrating around the country, a particular highlight being the British Open Championships in Blackpool. We also competed as a couple on the amateur circuit and then in 2006, when we had just taken early retirement from our regular jobs, an opportunity arose for us to start teaching dancing.

We both took our professional exams and started a beginners’ class. The numbers have grown from there and today we have a small but busy and exciting enterprise.

We have enjoyed all aspects of our dancing career but nothing has given us as much satisfaction as teaching others to dance. We love to share the joys of our couples mastering a new step, growing in confidence with their dancing and having fun with new friends at the social events.

 

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Penge Modern Formation Team in the Empress Ballroom, Blackpool

Testimonials

“Jill and Adrian are superb dance teachers. They combine patient instruction with focused personal coaching and a delightfully engaging manner that creates one of the most pleasant adult learning experiences imaginable. The end result is, without doubt, a dance learning experience that appeals to learners at all stages on their journey provided within a pattern of teaching, practice and social events graced with good humour and lots of fun.”

Carol & John

We took to the challenge of learning to dance well enough to be comfortable at social and special events. It took Adrian and Jill’s skill, patience and good humour to eventually bring us close to our aims. Thanks to them that we really enjoy our weekly meets and all the extra events and dance weekends they organise. This is as much for the social pleasure of new and familiar friends we have met as achieving a reasonable level in several of the ballroom dances.

Dave & Evelyn

What a really lovely Summer Ball you organized for us all on Saturday, a truly idyllic venue as always and real summer weather too......thank you.

June & Brian

Jill and Adrian have the patience of saints! No matter how many times they have to go over and over the same thing because we forget each dance from one week to another! They never get frustrated (if they do they never show it)! and when we actually remember and complete a whole lap of the dance floor without making a mistake or treading on each other they are genuinely delighted that we have made progress! We have made some lovely friends and enjoy the dancing weekends at the seaside and summer and Christmas Balls.

Christine & Clive

We only signed up for the introductory course. With Jill and Adrian’s gentle and encouraging teaching we were by the end of it totally captivated. Learning ballroom dancing, we have found, can be fun, a workout, exercise for the brain and an overall social occasion, meeting new friends, travelling to dance weekends and tea dances. We wouldn’t miss our dancing now for anything.

Maggie and Peter

We have been dancing with Jill and Adrian for the past 6 1/2 years. When we started we could just about manage to do a basic waltz and quickstep, and now we can do various steps in the waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, cha cha, rumba, samba and many sequence dances. The classes are fun, Jill and Adrian have the utmost patience with us all. We also enjoy the tea dances and particularly enjoy our weekends away to Bournemouth and Dawlish where we have tuition, social dancing and demonstrations by top class dancers. Occasionally we have a private lesson to help us improve some of the steps (we find this particularly worthwhile). We have enjoyed meeting many like-minded people at the classes and therefore our classes have become very social.

Sheila & John

Adrian and Jill’s dance classes are more fun than ‘Strictly’ and the hosts are more charming as well!

Sandie & Roger

I have two left feet and my wife two right! We never thought we could dance after all these years but were willing to try. You both gave us the confidence and encouragement we needed to start, and literally step by step you have taught us to dance and enjoy it. The combination of instruction and fun has enabled us to learn an art that can be used wherever we go. Dancing has enhanced the joy in our lives, enabling us to be part of music and movement together into the future.

John and Monika

With some trepidation as complete novices we joined A & J Dancing 20 months ago. Although we still consider ourselves beginners it is surprising how much Adrian and Jill have taught us with patience and tolerance by the bucket load in a very friendly and fun atmosphere. We have made many new friends and enjoy the non-compulsory workshops, practice nights and dances together with the other groups within A & J Dancing. So if you fancy giving ballroom dancing a try we recommend A & J, its strictly fun!

Brian & Cynthia

We have learned so much from Adrian and Jill since we began our dancing lessons with them – they are so patient and do not mind how many times they go over steps.  Our lessons are fun and the tea dances, parties and balls are super social affairs.  Our away weekends are great opportunities to concentrate the mind and to enable us to meet a friendly group of like-minded people from the other classes.  We thoroughly recommend Adrian and Jill and would encourage anyone to have a go.  If you think you have two left feet let them help you discover the pleasure of moving round the dance floor.

Alan and Jennie

Jill and Adrian are very good dance teachers, they are so patient and make learning to dance enjoyable & fun. It also leads to making a lot of new friends and a good social life.

Brian & Janet

Bryan and I are very lucky to have found Adrian and Jill’s dancing club. On our first visit they were most welcoming and we were delighted to find friendly faces and it did not matter if one was not very good, we just had fun and enjoyed ourselves. On Thursday evenings we meet in a lovely big hall with a good sized dance floor.  Jill and Adrian have taught us a lot of ‘moves’ in Ballroom and Latin and some sequence dances., They are excellent teachers and break up the ‘moves’ into bite size steps we can remember. They are the most patient couple I know and are always willing to help when we don’t get it right. Jill even gives us printed instructions. We also enjoy a welcome tea break after the teaching. Twice a year we have fantastic weekends away to Bournemouth and Dawlish. Jill and Adrian work very hard as they teach classes for beginners and more advanced in the mornings and afternoons and then in the evenings there is a dance where we can dress up. There is time to explore and shop too. They also run practice sessions some Mondays and special dance tuition classes like Argentine Tango on Saturdays. We were always dreadful at foxtrot and viennese waltz and by attending these special classes we have learned what we should do and are now not afraid to have a go on Thursday evenings. Jill and Adian are the most patient lovely people you could wish to meet and I would heartily recommend anyone to join their classes.

Pat & Bryan