A Quick Guide to Ceroc Dancing

Ceroc is an exciting, stylish modern partner dance and is primarily social. It's also really popular - with literally hundreds of venues in the UK. Stylewise It's a modern jive, quite similar to Salsa, but without the complicated footwork. This means that it is very easy to pick up - so no excuses about having two left feet!!

'Ceroc' is technically not so much the name of the dance itself but the name of the largest organisation in the UK that runs such modern jive evenings. There are quite a few similar but smaller organisations - e.g. LeJive - that do pretty much the same thing and, whilst the cognoscenti may disagree, the average newcomer doesn't  notice the difference between a Ceroc, LeJive, whatever evening. So, we'll use the term Ceroc/Lejive to refer to this type of dancing in general.

There is no need to take a partner with you because during the classes everyone is moved around. This means that you get to dance with everybody at least once! There is no set course that you need to enrol on. You can turn up to whatever venue you like, as and when you like - you won't miss out on anything vital if you miss a week.

The majority of our evenings start with a Beginners class, designed for people with no Ceroc/Lejive experience. This is followed by an Intermediate lesson for those who have a grasp of the basic moves and can learn the more complicated ones. To round off the evening the DJ plays some music and you are free to dance with whoever you like, practice your moves and develop your style.

The success of Ceroc/Lejive over the past 20 years rests mainly on the friendly and relaxed atmosphere which exists at all Ceroc/LeJive venues across the UK.

So why is Ceroc/LeJive so great?

• Complete beginners are welcome at any night
• It is fun and easy to learn
• There is no need to go with a partner
• There is no need to book in advance
• No special clothing or shoes are required
• It is a complete night out

It's a good activity for single people because you get to meet and dance with loads of the opposite sex without it being a pressured nightclub/singles/whatever situation. People dance because they like dancing, women ask men to dance and it's rare to be refused. However, the flip side of this is that it doesn't really mean anything if  someone asks you for a dance or they accept your invitation.

If you're wanting to give your social life a boost get out of the house, meet people, have fun then  this is a great activity. However, it's not necessarily the place to pick up people or (quickly) find romance as one loveandfriends member explains.

A member's perspective...
"Ceroc is great fun, hugely energetic and a lotta laff but it's not the be all and end all.

I've done it for 4 or 5 years, yes too long to remember. I've introduced friends to it. I've even taught the basic steps (unofficially) at friends' parties but there is one thing you have to realise, it's ultimately frivolous. Yes horrors of horrors I've dared to introduce a moment of sanity.

If your aim is to get to know people then It's probably going to be a long winded way to go about it through Ceroc. If you get past hello how are you, you are doing better than average. Yes I have had romance resulting from an encounter on the dance floor but more often than not, and this is part of its addictive nature, it's about flirting.

Great, I feel the excitement and anticipation now but I don't get carried away thinking that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship anymore. It's essentially a physical, non-verbal encounter. People will be pleased to talk to you but just remember their brains are probably somewhere else in visual, kinaesthetic high adrenalin mode, not verbal sympathetic nice summer day mode. So don't be surprised if you find it difficult to really get to know someone.

 Enjoy it for what it is. Huge fun, addictive and diverting."