AS glamorous celebrity couples prepared to hit the dance floor for Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, Bolton Evening News reporter John Fahey put on his dancing shoes for a session with the local experts . . .

DARREN Gough I'm not - but as I joined the hoards of twinkle-toed couples, waltzing their way through the festive season in the North-west, I couldn't help but feel my moves weren't that bad at all.

On the back of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show, thousands of people, young and old alike, are gliding gracefully across parquet flooring; learning to jive, putting a bit of cunning into their foxtrot and spicing up their salsa.

And while they aren't usually wearing the fancy "competition" gear the glitzy stars of the TV might wear, they know how to have a good time.

I took my svelte frame, decked out in the most bespoke of velour dancing jackets, to Sandhams Dance Studio in Peel Street, Farnworth, for a lesson and chat about the ballroom boom.

Studio owner, Mike Sandham said people are dancing in greater numbers and with greater gusto than ever before: "There really has been a huge increase in people wanting to dance and it's really due to the TV programme," he said, struggling to take his eyes off my Dynasty-esque shoulder pads.

"We have about 200 couples on our books, and dancers are at all sorts of stages: beginners to those who dance competitively.

"We have telephone calls all the time asking if couples can join, they're especially interested in the ballroom and Latin dancing. Three years ago there wasn't such a level of interest."

Before Strictly Come Dancing's success - the last series of which culminated with nearly 20 million viewers tuning in to see chunky cricketer Darren Gough win Saturday's final - ballroom dancing wasn't seen as a particularly macho pursuit.

In fact three or four years ago, the idea of a 14-stone England cricketer and Colin Jackson - one of Britain's finest hurdlers - battling it out in lycra and sequins on national telly to become the best ballroom dancer from dozens of celebs, would have been laughable.

Mike said:"Men like Darren Gough, Colin Jackson and snooker player Dennis Taylor have really contributed to a change in the understanding of what ballroom's about.

"It's not all feathers and fake tan, but athletic. Seeing Colin Jackson out of breath after performing made it clear that you have to be physically very strong to become a good dancer."

And this is certainly true.

After just 30 minutes of cha cha cha-ing and a few basic waltz and rumba steps my pretty diamante top is uncomfortably hot and clingy (though this could have something to do with the built-in knickers).

"That's it, that's it, youre getting it," cried Mike as I lurched around the studio like a lecherous old drunk, keen to keep up with my teacher, 19-year-old Rebecca Gerrard, a former Mount St Josephs School pupil who began dancing when she was aged eight.

Graceful on the outside, she was gracious too, making an impressive job of pretending her tiny feet could withstand no end of pain as my size 10s repeatedly stomped on her toes.

"The Strictly Come Dancing competitors were having about 40 hours of tuition a week," said Mike.

"That's the equivalent to a year for most people who come once a week. You can't expect to get it really easily."

I imagined the enormous fun, yet mental challenge of learning to dance, could easily put pressure on some couples. It's difficult not to feel self-conscious as time after time you lose count, make a wrong turn or start sneezing because of your feather boa.

The only injury I sustained at Sandhams was to my pride. Being introduced to a group of dancers in a beginners' class, they had no trouble "co-ordinating" their vocal movements to laugh uproariously at my little top. But they were gushing in their praise of Sandhams.

Brian Baxendale, aged 62, of Bromley Cross, who dances with wife, Susan, said: "The standard of teaching here is excellent. It is a wonderful thing to be able to dance, and we have made so many friends by coming here. We feel lucky to be able to dance here because there really are so many more couples taking it up again. It's enjoying a real rennaissance."

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