Blush and Berry on Rose Ball

The Social Dancing Group’s annual fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), the Blush and Berry on Rose Ball will be held on the 31st August this year in the Manjimup Town Hall, dancing to start at 8pm.

It’s a glamorous night which sees those that attend dressed in cocktail or formal wear in the balls colour theme, with the decorated Town Hall being a showcase of the artistic endeavours of the members of the Social Dancing Group.

The standard of decorations has improved over the years, making those who have attended the RFDS balls in the past eager to see how the hall has been decorated this year.

Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy a wonderful evening; those who come for the dancing will have their full measure of the night’s entertainment, some patrons come to sit and watch the dancing and marvel in the night’s theatre with all its glitz and glamour, a glimpse back in time, all contributing to a memorable evening.

All those attending get to participate in one of the best social activities of the year whilst raising money for the RFDS.

Collette Kowald has been involved with the Social Dancing Group over a number of years and explains some of the planning behind the event, “Everyone involved in this fundraiser does so on a volunteer basis. We have volunteers who man the door, work in the kitchen and assist generally throughout the night.

“This year we are still looking for a volunteer photographer for the evening.

“The group hires the hall over three days, on the Friday members from the group decorate the hall leaving a relaxing Saturday for all of us to get ready for the evening. Then on Sunday we go back and do the cleanup of the hall.

“We pride ourselves with what we achieve with the decorations, I’m seen as a bit of a hard taskmaster when it comes to the decorations, but the hall decorations have become a feature of the evening. Each year it’s a different colour combination and theme, so it gives us a whole new palette to work with to see what can be achieved.

“This year, the main decorations will consist of flowers and mushrooms in many shapes, sizes and colours as well as giant butterflies in an effort to recreate a European Flower Market, our very own situated in Manjimup on Rose Street.

“People who attend this once-a-year ball come from all over, they travel from Perth, Albany, Mandurah, Busselton, Donnybrook and all towns in between, and this year we have a couple travelling over from New South Wales, they are attending because they like to support RFDS fundraisers.

“The RFDS has special significance for me with members of my family benefiting from the service, as a group we make sure that all the monies raised from the evening goes to the RFDS with any associated costs for the evening coming from our other revenue.

Since 2011 the Social Dancing Group has raised $26,500 for the RFDS from the annual ball.

The group also holds dances regularly at the Yornup Hall and from the monies these dances have raised they have also given a further $26,000 to the other charities they support; Beyond Blue, the Cancer Foundation, Perth Children’s Hospital and Men’s Health.

When getting ready for the Ball, yes, it is beneficial to know your way around the dance floor but not essential, and if you need to touch up your technique, the Social Dancing Group holds dance practice every Monday night at the Uniting Church Hall on Roe Street starting at 6pm, except if it’s a public holiday. Of interest, as the annual ball is imminent, being held on 31st August, all the dance practice nights until then are being given over to learning the 21 or so dances that will feature at the Ball.

Patricia (Trish) Martin and Mick Blatch are the dance instructors for the group, Trish explains, “The dance style being taught is Sequence dancing, an offshoot of Ballroom dancing. Dance sequences are made up from a certain number of repeated steps which are in multiples of 8. Once you have learnt the sequence the length of the dance is dictated by the music.

“Practice is a necessary part of dancing in order to obtain muscle memory. This can be also be done whenever you have a little bit of spare time in between the dance practice nights.

“One of the places to maintain your appetite to learn dances is YouTube: it can be a wonderful source for refreshing your memory when learning a different dance. It is also a site which showcases some of the very best dancers and encourages the development of a bit of flair.

“Dance, of course, stimulates the mind as well as the body, dance is a gentle form of exercise which keeps the body supple, and learning the dance steps and remembering the sequence keeps the mind active plus attending dances is the very best social activity around.”

Mick was also happy to contribute his thoughts, “I’d always wanted to dance, so I attended my first dance at the Yornup Hall some fourteen years ago. I found I was really out of step with all the other dancers, like a lot of those new to dance I discovered I had three left feet.

“I took up dance lessons and over the next few months I found I was improving, a little bit each time, and then in time I found myself confident enough to be on the dance floor.

“What happens is you develop muscle memory for the steps which goes with the music, so after a while, a long while for some, it all becomes quite effortless and very enjoyable.

“You become fit, because your body is active, and your muscle groups release endorphins and you feel good within yourself.

“What can I say, I love it. I have found dancing to be rewarding, both socially, mentally and physically.”

For further information on the Social Dancing Group or the Annual Ball you can call Tony on 0427 643 638, Collette on 0417 174 294 or Trish on 0897 611 946.