A dedicated group of dancers in the Vale will join thousands of people across the country raising funds for Children in Need – and trying to break a world record next Sunday (November 20).
More than 30 ladies from the RTL Dance School will take part in Children in Need’s annual Tapathon, with school owner Ross Logan paying tribute to the group for their hours of effort leading up to the event.
He said: “We’ve been rehearsing for about three months to learn the material.
“The ladies have shown that there are no limits to their commitment. They’ve asked me for videos to let them practise certain steps at home, which they’ve done.
“Muscle memory isn’t enough to carry you through, so they’ve been working almost non-stop since August to get these routines in their head.
“Some of the ladies are attending more than one class to make sure they know the steps.”
The group will receive a text bang on 1pm to start the dance, with hopes high that they can beat the current tapathon world record of 7,596 people all taking part.
Ross continued: “There’s a bigger group of us this year because our class has grown in size. The idea is to get the most people tapping in the UK to break a world record. We’ll all get a text at 1pm, play the music and all go for it.
“It should be great fun. Having done it last year we now know what to expect.”
But regardless of whether or not the record can be beaten, Ross said he feels nothing but pride for his group.
He added: “Tap is one of the things I’ve always loved. I’ve always been an all-rounder when it comes to dance, but tap has always been at the forefront for me. To be involved in something like this nationwide that’s getting people who don’t necessarily know how to tap is very special.
“It’s people who don’t necessarily know how to tap to start off with as well.
“It’s almost more of a fitness class. To be bringing people into tap later in their lives is something I’m so proud of. It’s very special to have the ladies taking part in such a prestigious event.”
Ross’ tap classes are held on Wednesday and Thursday nights at Spotlight studios, Alexandria. Information is available on www.rtldance.co.uk or in social media pages RTLDance.
