VIDEO: MOTTINGHAM Shopper reporter dabbles in street dance (From News Shopper)

VIDEO: MOTTINGHAM Shopper reporter dabbles in street dance

11:05am Friday 5th December 2008 in Search By Charlotte McDonald

Youth workers have been getting youngsters into street dancing to stop them getting bored and keep them fit. Reporter CHARLOTTE McDONALD got a chance to get involved.

YOUNG PEOPLE in Orpington and Mottingham no longer have the excuse that they are bored and have nothing to do, as a project called MyFuture has been laying on a variety of free activities in the evenings and during the holidays.

It organises basketball, football, DJing and MCing sessions, amongst other things, for those aged 11 to 16. The aim is not only to keep them entertained, but to keep them fit and to give them opportunities that they may not be able to afford or know where to find.

I had a good look at the opportunities and fancied myself as a bit of a dancer, so I got myself invited along to a street dancing session in St Edwards Church Hall, in St Kaverne Road, Mottingham, which takes place on Monday evenings.

Looking a little awkward towering over the 11 to 14 years olds, I soon discovered that I should feel more embarrassed by my poor co-ordination skills.

We all stood in rows, facing the instructor while he taught us part of a dance routine.

I made a beeline for the back so I could copy everyone else and hide my lack of skills.

And what is street dancing exactly? I'm not sure how to explain it, but it seems to be moving very quickly with attitude.

Despite my ineptitude I carried on and actually got quite drawn in to learning the moves of a routine, performed to tunes with some pretty heavy beats which literally pulsate through the ground.

The coach, Aaron Augustus, was patient and yet kept pushing us all to try a little bit harder.

We tried several times to perform what we had learned, and when we got it right - when occasionally I got it right - I could feel a warm glow of pride and satisfaction in my cheeks.

When Aaron moved on to another section of the routine I felt pleased - he must have thought us capable of trying to learn more.

Having a chat later with the youth worker, Keith Sykes, who organises the sessions, he told me that a lot of the people who turned up were too nervous to take part straight away.

He said: "They can sit at the side and watch before they decide to have a go. When they do, its great to see them gain more confidence the more they do it."

It's not a formal class however. For a start, the hour begins and ends with a 'freestyling' session where the kids get to make up their own moves to the music.

The whole vibe of the evening is really laid back - none of the adults snap if some of the youngsters decide to sit at the side and chat.

The MyFuture project offers a variety of activities for those aged between 11 and 16 who live in Mottingham or Orpington and is a division of Bromley MyTime, a charitable trust which provides leisure facilities in Bromley.

For more information visit bromleymytime.org.uk or call 020 8323 1777.