The Moving Mission
Discussing the importance of moving, its impact, inclusion and benefits for both physical and mental health.
The Moving Mission
Beyond Steps: Kerry Tite on Dance, Confidence, and Community
Kerry shares her fascinating journey from ballet to ballroom, revealing how dance has not only shaped her life but also brought joy and confidence to people of all ages, from 5 to 87 years old.
Discover the transformative power of dance as Kerry discusses overcoming mental health challenges, the social joys of dance classes, and the unique story of her three-legged dancing dog, Samba.
Whether you're a seasoned dancer or have two left feet, this episode is a heartwarming reminder that everyone can find their rhythm in life. Tune in for an uplifting conversation that celebrates the universal language of dance and its ability to connect, heal, and inspire!
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because all the time once you get there you realise everybody's in the same everyone. Everyone was once a beginner. Yeah,
Kerry Tite:everyone was once a beginner.
Anne-Marie Martin:Hello and welcome to the moving mission podcast with me Emery Martin from Diddy dance
Jack Wells:me Jack wells, the one that dancer. Join
Unknown:us as we discuss the importance of moving impact
Jack Wells:inclusion and benefits for both physical and mental health.
Anne-Marie Martin:Hi, welcome to this week's moving mission podcast. And today we have a guest, I would like to welcome Perry on to meet us today who's going to talk about her business, which is called carry on dancing. Can we introduce yourself? Hi.
Kerry Tite:So my name is Carrie. I live quite near Emery with strangely enough we just found out and I run a local Ballroom and Latin American dance school. I teach kids from five years old and I teach adults right up to 87. They originally just bought from a Latin American dancing partner dancing, but then I realised people don't always have a partner. So I set up a solo dance fitness class so that those people can come along, learn the dance steps without partner and just get fit and healthy and enjoy themselves. So
Unknown:how long have you been doing that one?
Kerry Tite:And probably about 10 years now nearly I think, wow. Yeah, a long time took a long time to get it off the ground. But now I've got like a regular stream of people that come along every week, and they absolutely love it. So they tell me Yeah, I keep coming back.
Anne-Marie Martin:wouldn't be there if they did. So when you say it took a while to set up? What do you think was the main barrier then?
Kerry Tite:I think one when you've got a class where not many people in it, people feel quite self conscious. So getting coming back a few times. Yeah, there's only like a few people there three people or such they feel like they're being watched or wherever they are not good enough. But I think a lot of the time with adults, they kind of feel that they're judging themselves and what they can do. And I don't think that's where you need to be if you're going to do something, you just need to go and enjoy it rather than sort of beat yourself up for not right or whatever.
Anne-Marie Martin:But that's the joy of dancing really, isn't it? It's I know, people put pressure on themselves and they want to perfect it. But actually, it's just if you just lose yourself in the music, like the what's the quote, you know, dance like? No, like, no one's watching it almost just get inside your own head and just enjoy it. And
Kerry Tite:know that like the people that come to my classes, no one's expecting them to be the next World Champion ballroom dancer. And you know, just come get your body moving and have some fun. Really? Yeah.
Jack Wells:Everyone's in the same boat. So don't feel pressured. Yeah,
Anne-Marie Martin:absolutely. So did you dance as a child? Yeah,
Kerry Tite:I did a bit of ballet tap and disco and stuff when I was sort of 789 and now stopped for a few years. And I started doing boring, relaxing when I was about 14. And then I took that a bit more seriously started doing competitions and things. And then gave me a bit of a rest when I was early, sort of early to mid 20s. And then I moved into musical theatre. So I did jazz tap ballet again, not that I was any good at those. But you know, it's part of the syllabus. You have to do it. I mean, I was never the greatest in the class. But I did get through. So yeah, once Yeah, when I'm performing it. And then I thought I got too old to keep being in and out work on the performance. So I'll start doing what I know best, which is for any lovely job as you can tell us about lovely jobs wanting now is my dream job. unintentionally. Who knew? But yeah, it's worked
Jack Wells:out really well. Don't really enjoy it. yourself. Yeah, yeah, do it.
Kerry Tite:And it's mainly the people I work with, like just socialising with them. So I don't I mean, it is a class and I do treat it professionally like a class. But actually just the social aspect of all the people I see every week and watching them enjoy themselves is the main thing. Yeah,
Anne-Marie Martin:it's a massive thing, isn't it? And what would you say? What changes? Have you seen in people that that come to the classes, loads
Kerry Tite:of them have grown in confidence, they'll come online, the first way you can they'll be standing in the corner going, Oh, I don't know what to do. And and all they're really good. This is what I don't. And you just you know, over give it time, which I think a lot of people sometimes don't yeah, they don't give things enough time to sort of see the benefits. Like they'll turn up more or two times. And then you want to see him again. And you try to say to you know, just keep coming, you'll get better you will sort of sink in. I think loads of people have grown in confidence. They've all met new friends through it, like my senior house where you teach as well. Yeah. Everybody then goes in the cafe afterwards. Yeah.
Jack Wells:I do find it varies a lot in age groups, like depending on whether it's children through to adults, like in their confidence and how they are got Yeah, in the classes. Yeah,
Kerry Tite:definitely. I think kids are really uninhibited. Like they just do what they say. And they don't judge themselves. They're like, Yeah, okay, you can ask them to do the most weirdest things and they'd be like, Yeah, I can stand on my head whilst doing all you ask about All right. What do you want me to do? On one hand, and we go over here? So and we adults, they're just like, Whoa, I don't even know what my left foot and right foot is. I'm struggling.
Anne-Marie Martin:So, tell us a bit more about get this amazing 87 Give. I mean, do you think what we always talk about is the power of moving whatever that is in physical activity, not just on their physical health, but on their mental health as well. And you've talked about socially as well. But surely, she must be great physical.
Kerry Tite:Because maser che Wow. She's running around the room, like doing a dive kicking her legs in the air. She's absolutely amazing. But she's got a really good attitude as well. Like, she's always like, really upbeat and happy. And I think she comes to see her daughter because she lives quite a long way away. So she comes to your daughter once a week, which coincides we do in the class, and you never see a sort of grumpy or miserable. She just always comes in. She's like, Yeah, so Oh, maybe backaches a bit today, but I'm still gonna do it. Yeah, she just doesn't. Yeah, she's just all over. It's like,
Anne-Marie Martin:we she always like that from the first class always came in with this positive attitude.
Kerry Tite:Yeah, I think Well, I think she has grown in confidence. I think as people have got to know her, and then they started to realise her age and everything like now she's like, You're being a celebrity.
Unknown:Everyone. Yeah.
Kerry Tite:But I think for me, I don't know, I've probably growing confidence because she has been coming probably about seven or eight years, probably now. I think I've got more comfortable I'm doing so I'm a bit more social with the people that I'm teaching. But also she does seem to come out of her shell. But
Jack Wells:that gives you a bit of a boost, though. When you see her doing stuff going, God I can't complain. And I've got a hamstring.
Anne-Marie Martin:I think you know, sometimes when my hips, my agent, and all those things I look at Jack Johnson is well, and you just like, I've got nothing to complain about. These people are inspiration. You know, it's just amazing. It really is amazing. So, did she doubts that?
Kerry Tite:I don't know. I'm not 100% sure of that. I think she must have done something because I read them and everything's really good. And our daughter comes to the class as well. And our daughter is looks like she's had some sort of experience with dancing in the past maybe just as kids or whatever. But yeah, I don't know. No, I don't think she really seriously but I think yeah, I think she must have maybe have done something but I mean, she's not engineering but and that's for sure. Like it should have been anyone
Jack Wells:ever come from a generation though, where going out and kind of dancing and going to dances was more of a thing than it is now. Yeah, definitely. So we'd like to say not necessarily professionally or anything like that. But just wary of dance more maybe from that generation and
Kerry Tite:possibly possibly talking. You say that that's kind of how I got into ballroom and latin dancing, because I'm used to. We used to holiday camps when I was a kid and my nan used to try and take me around the floor to do a quick step. Because in those days, they used to do that kind of stuff. In the evening before they did like the kids party dances and stuff. So and my nan come from a generation of Yeah, dancing with your husband, partner, whatever. That was, once I started doing it, yeah, was trying to teach me to Quickstep and just kept treading on her feet. To want to go for some lessons. I was like, Yeah, I'll do that.
Anne-Marie Martin:Yeah, I think that yeah, ballroom Latin is probably more than more familiar with that. I never trained in any ballroom or Latin, right. I remember on one summer school that I did did as a child. We were taken to this big ballroom to do a ballroom afternoon, but it was like a proper sit down afternoon tea. So it was very much in a traditional sense, but then saying that wasn't there. The lady that's gone viral at the moment at the 50 cent come
Jack Wells:Oh yeah.
Anne-Marie Martin:She's in our 80s or something. It's just I love to see older people still giving it some living. The
Jack Wells:power now isn't it doesn't have an age limit for it somehow. So and that's
Anne-Marie Martin:what it's gonna say you must see that so much in your classes where the older people that they're coming in it's it's not just keeping them physically moving, but you know, anything that they do that's repetitive it's great for their brain health, isn't it and their mental health
Kerry Tite:keeping them sharp? Yeah, definitely. And I do like coordination exercises and stuff like that with them. So that kind of keeps and stuff and even if they don't get it right they often just laughing at themselves when I'm doing like things like this.
Anne-Marie Martin:You can do that. Yeah. We already got it But it's funny like that, because actually, you know, we always talk about the power of like crossing mid lines and doing work in opposition for brain development and that repetitive movement in the little ones. But that's got to keep your brain active and healthy, even into older age
Kerry Tite:without a doubt. And just so going back to what you just said, about what position like people think dancing is complicated, and it's not easy. It's always just like, you walk your right foot, left arm, whatever you everything's opposition and what you do, and any kind of dance, you're just trying to enhance that. But you're putting a pattern in the steps. Yeah, and and it's always like, it's not like right, left, right, left, right, left, unless you talk to tap your foot, and then you'd use it again. And people will all of a sudden, you're stuck. What are we gonna do? They start to like, do with things. Like, you don't want like that. So we doesn't you know, you just be natural. If
Jack Wells:you ever see us trying to do tiktoks You realise simple as your make it sounds
Kerry Tite:that it's going to be difficult. And if you just relax and just go in, go with it. Yeah, that's easy for being so easy for me. Because we've been dancing.
Jack Wells:Yeah, you're trying to indulge, so you make it easy.
Unknown:The more you like
Anne-Marie Martin:everything you do, the more you repeat something, the easier it becomes. But some people get a barrier. You know, if after a couple of times, it's not in the spot, then they give up. But even as a baby, when they start to crawl, it takes two days naturally. They naturally go in opposition that is all in action. And so it is a very natural thing to do. But yeah, I think when you overthink something, that's when the coordination can go off a bit. Yeah, the
Kerry Tite:other thing I say with regards like when you first went to school and you started to learn handwriting, how many times did you have to write your name before you remembered it before your handwriting started getting me into jelly, so is exactly the same process, but people put a massive emphasis I shouldn't be able to dance. No, it's a learning process. You know, it just takes as long as it takes. Yeah,
Anne-Marie Martin:it's quite intimidating. There isn't it? And surprisingly, I even see that in some of our toddler classes, you think you do presume that every toddler will come to class with zero inhibitions and just, I'll put music on they'll get up and dance around. But and a lot more as the years have gone on. I do get a lot of children that just come in. And they just like to sit and watch at first because it's like, whoa, you want me to dance in front of people that I've never met before. A new big loud over the top I've got just suddenly darts around with you. So it can be quite intimidating. And I I suppose we get even more inhibitions the older we get. So I can understand that. But it is just that persistence, isn't it? And not overthink it just yeah,
Kerry Tite:don't. Don't give up on something today. You just got to keep going back. Every time you go back, you learn a bit more you get a bit better and no one's there's no competition for you to be amazing at it. You know, you just do what you can do at your pace. Just
Anne-Marie Martin:enjoy. Yeah. So we talked about your customers come in? What about for you? Personally, do look back and think I'm so glad I danced all my life and enjoy it. Did you think it's kept your mental health? Good? Oh, yeah.
Kerry Tite:Well, without a doubt, my mental health I mean, I'm, as most people, I think it's a struggle on it like up and down, up and down. And I did go through a period in my early 20s, where I was not in a good place with my mental health. And I really suffered but and funnily enough at that time, I wasn't dancing. So I mean, I think dance gave me a focus. And then I stopped doing it. You know, like when you get your alma mater going out there do it. So I'm going to do that as well. And actually, I think it wasn't the right thing for me to do. Because I've always had this focus in this drive and this determination with dance. When I took that out. I wasn't in the best places. And then I started it started up again, sort of 26 when a different musical theatre degree, and then it started to get better. And recently, I'll just chuck this in as a bit of a bombshell. But my sister passed away unexpectedly back in June. I'm sorry. And I've had a real like, it's been a it's been a tough struggle. I mean, it's four or five months now, I don't know. But what I do know is there have been days when I haven't wanted to get out of bed, and I haven't wanted to go to work and I haven't wanted to do anything. But I've had to make being self employed, you have to do things. And I have done it. And I always come away feeling better. Yeah. So yeah, you know, no matter how much and I think that's the thing you have to it's not. When you want to start doing something you want to start exercising you don't remember the feeling before where you're like it's cold and it's wet outside. You have to remember the feeling of 100% after feeling thing, and you know, it's a set of we will be worth it. Yeah, it will be,
Anne-Marie Martin:I find that with teaching as well, if something's happened or low mood or feeling down, you have got choice, you've got to go there because people are paid for the class. But once you get in there, the brain switches off to that doesn't it because it's having to focus on what you're doing in the class, whether you're teaching or a participant in the class. And then afterwards, you're the brain has released all your happy hormones, you endorphins, you dopamine, all of that, and you are you coming away feeling great, and it's not a solution to dealing with it. But I also personally found like, sort of both post pregnancies. And both post births was when my mental health declined. And it wasn't until later in life that I start to look at that and think, obviously, you've got lots of hormones going on after giving birth. So there's a lot of that involved. But also I looked back and when that was always a six month period, where I wasn't dancing. And I wonder whether my body's just my brain is so used to a coping mechanism or distraction. That that's what my I've always done. So whenever I have it, and that's where when things have spiralled a little bit, but I think when we were all in lockdown, you know, what was that none of us could teach kids we, and I'd got to a point when we not long met, wasn't it and I was like, right, I need to do these free darts in lives on tick tock, because I need to be move in. So I may as well do it, and try and help others stuck at home and do it. And it really made a difference to me because I could feel myself a bit stir crazy. I knew I needed to move. So just the benefits of
Jack Wells:massage to stimulate that part of the brain that you used to do it another way Yeah, to suddenly go, oh, that's giving me that little bit of a kick that I needed.
Anne-Marie Martin:Big time, big time. I mean, it's not always the best physically, with
Kerry Tite:legs at all. But that's the other thing. Like what I find is if I could wake up and my hip hurts, my back hurts and whatever. But if you start moving, it started, you start to go okay, yeah. All right. So right now it's getting better. It's getting better. We're still there, but it's not. It's tolerable. And I'm just still yeah, sometimes
Anne-Marie Martin:the worst thing you can do is lie down. Just ceases. Yeah. I think when you train professionally, especially as old as we are back in the day, it was a little bit more intense. Yeah, wasn't it? And you were, especially on some certain technical things your your legs going? By but yeah, I think I think nowadays as well. There's a lot more science behind it. And your training is a lot better as well. But then, mentally, Did you experience any issues? Or auditioning? And did you feel that
Kerry Tite:I was useless. Auditions useless. Part of the reason why I did work in performing arts and musical theatre and stuff, but the build up to auditions and stuff was just too much for me, too. I'm in the form of it myself. Yeah, don't bother. Yeah. Like I'm really good at being me and doing my thing. The way I do it. I'm not good at being told by the director like, Could you Could you sing this that particular way, I'll go yet and just carry on. Because my ways best is always so I was not good at being directed and stuff. So you know, in the end, you have to just play to your strengths. Yeah.
Jack Wells:Do what you enjoy as well to be able to put your all into it as well. I've done things in the past where I've not enjoyed myself and you can't bring yourself to put everything into it because you're not enjoying what you're doing really. So that is important.
Anne-Marie Martin:It can be a very gruelling process, especially I suppose again, back in the day you turn up and before you even have to dance it was like yes, no, no, yes. Just basically. Yeah. And you're literally like, what, and you know, your body image and there's a lot of that isn't there but also I suppose the flip side is that resilience. I was so used to being told no, no, no, all the time that I'm like, okay, get brush myself off, go back and do it again.
Kerry Tite:I've got pulled up once I drove all the way to Cardiff from London to be auditioned for Dorothy and Wizard of Oz base based on my picture dark hair at the time, I was younger guys. So now then I start talking about sex. And it was just straight away. I was like, I've just driven five hours to be told like today like you know, it didn't matter if you could, like see it or do it but you just Yes, not me. Yeah, definitely
Anne-Marie Martin:growling. Definitely were tougher because of it. Yes. So
Kerry Tite:what was your what's your How come you started like dancing and
Jack Wells:doing your typical mom was in lockdown. So mine again I suppose for mental health a little bit. That's more why I carried on but mine was just my wife. Just telling me surfing daily starts trading on one leg. Yeah went viral. No, no, no. Well, she's actually quite good dancer that should
Unknown:get her in a video. It's almost impossible. Yeah, she's
Jack Wells:not showing to the whole team. Yeah, why it was more just obviously seeing what I could do. You know, I was a lot newer amputee at the time. And then the videos went well, which then gives you a boost of oh, this is all right. And it gave me a chance to do lockdown as well. So do like three, four videos a day, live and stuff like that. And the rest is history. But it makes me feel good. Musics always been my go to, if I've had a down day or whatever put the right sort of someone and you straightaway, I feel better.
Anne-Marie Martin:Because you read a set playlist even as a child, didn't you when you were having your radiotherapy, there was a set plate, which
Jack Wells:totally we made. Yeah. So music forever, ever since I've remember has always been a huge part of my life. As far as listen to musical times my dad always had his records on and there were certain ones that you know, you just couldn't stop but getting up and dancing tunes. But mine was very much in the house. I was never I never liked you guys and got out on a stage. And as I've got that at the time,
Kerry Tite:it was refusing it was your dad, as you saw
Jack Wells:a lot of sort of 60s and 70s. And he was really into like Roxy Music and all that sort of stuff. So but yeah, he's still massively into music now. So all sort of modern stuff as well now, but mainly sort of 80s I go to Motown their best. Literally, you can't not smile available. I've never seen anyone put Vengaboys on a knockout.
Anne-Marie Martin:Interesting, because you said I'll always keep it in kept it inside the house. Do you think you would have probably ever gone on to Tiktok dancing if you hadn't lost? I've
Jack Wells:always had that never I don't think I ever would have done it just as a summit to do I think I will probably would have watched but never gone. I'm gonna try that. I might have tried them but not recorded it and put it out there. Yeah. But you know, once I started getting really positive feedback, and all of a sudden I was having other amputees reach out to me and stuff like that. And it's like, actually, this is this make me feel great, obviously, but I'm having a positive effect on other people as well. Yeah. And like when we started doing the live show, we would have 1000s of people watching us and it was almost like you'd come off right we bring you oh my god did you just say that but at the same time you're like for the vast majority anyway, we was putting in a positive, you get the comment
Kerry Tite:just write any I just block and delete. Yeah. Because I was like, I'm gonna argue my point. And then I was like, What am I doing this argument? Some people just wake up in the morning to just just to do that
Anne-Marie Martin:you know, it's definitely an event issue, isn't it? Yeah, you've got a feel for them but now the vast majority to feel better about themselves? Definitely. I mean, now you've got a few 100,000 people
Jack Wells:but yeah, but now it's it's always the music's the main thing I've always focused on yeah, I've always had quite a good rhythm so I've kind of been able to adapt that into then dancing but I'm just hopping around and a good time but that's I wouldn't know any technical names for any moves on I just Strictly Come Dancing like angry or be very much or when they put their foot out like this just right yeah, how entertaining was that guy?
Anne-Marie Martin:A bit like I can go I can appreciate good line or good posture and this is this looks good and that looks good. But when Shirley and and the others are talking about all the technical steps I've got clue training it I don't know what that movie is called or what that movies
Kerry Tite:is quite interesting watching streaming because there is there is a massive difference having kind of done bits of other dance as well like there is quite a big difference just in the way it works. But I think I'm not quite sure where I was going with that. Can we call that so like you can tell when people have done so yes, like the performance like the people that have already had dance experience. They're great doing West End stuff or whatever like they've done that. But you there is a there is quite big difference between how you like Latham, for example. Yes. Amazing, absolutely phenomenal dancer. And it's great that he's on there dancing indicator and that He's given us all and like, but there's a level of technicalities with formatting, which he hasn't quite got, but you can totally sell it. Yeah. And I think there is a slight difference. But he says, It's a show for entertainment. And that's, yeah, it
Anne-Marie Martin:is. But that's what I don't understand on the negativity that he gets. Because it's, it's not valid. But you know, if, if I was to go on there, and anyone listening, I wouldn't have a clue. I'm sorry. Because I'd have the rhythm, I'd have the posture, I'd like to think I'd have the lines there. But if someone's telling you, right, this has got to be done here, which a lot of it when you're watching training, like with Nikita, or, or any of the others that have done the darts training, is Oh, actually, I I wouldn't naturally do that. So it does feel like a lot of it is a completely how I
Jack Wells:feel, though, where you've had a dance background where you have learned you have a way of learning dance still, because like when we've I know tic TOCs not the same as strictly I'm not trying to. But you're very much a how do you know when you count? Yeah. So there's a level of it. I think you'd pick it up maybe quicker than someone that just had? Yeah,
Anne-Marie Martin:absolutely. But I think the way people go in on him so much, and they kick off. It's not fair. It's not fair. He's great. But he is still starting to scratch from a technical point. Yeah.
Kerry Tite:He's learning it. Same as Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Unknown:I mean, yeah, you can pick up
Kerry Tite:the steps and you can really come kick his leg in the air and the rest of it. And it's the same with Angela ribbon as well. She's got she knows the posture, she can extend her legs, you can do this, you can do that. But actually, as far as learning the technical stuff in formatting, and is true, every single dance has got a different take on like, there's a different style a different take. The technique is basically the same, but the footwork might be slightly different or so is like learning something,
Anne-Marie Martin:because it gets harsh as well, because sometimes the judges will go in and be really nitpicky on things. But sometimes I feel I think there was something in one of the Facebook groups and they will ah surely needs to stop picking that was amazing by Nikita went actually I think she's doing him a favour because I think the viewing public have this opinion of our with some theory. So good. He's so above the rest on ability, but actually surely is pointing that out. Because going, Whoa, hold on a minute, actually, this technical reason? This step isn't right, that technique isn't right. And he's pointing out that no, you're still got a
Kerry Tite:lot to share, surely, but they all know this stuff. But surely when I used to compete was it so I used to compete in the pre champion amateur levels and such only and Anton, not Pi par in each other. But they always it was about the time they were at the top of their game, like dancers are professionals and they know their stuff. Yeah, they know exactly what they're doing. And I think yeah, she's trying to help him. Like, he might sound harsh to other people, but she knows her stuff and listen, and just try and
Anne-Marie Martin:yeah, and point that out. He's not Yeah, he's not this big favourite, he's still got a lot of
Jack Wells:me that has literally got a clue. I just go well, he's incredible. Because everything he brings to us as a pure entertainment basis, he's kind of Mars above the rich
Kerry Tite:roles in the West. Yeah.
Anne-Marie Martin:And I think that's what it comes down to the public vote, they can give their professional opinions, but the public always going to vote for who entertains them the most, or who they warm to the most, or who's improved the most. It's like, now over the past few years, that it's a lot more of an inclusive programme. So you know, Jack go on it now
Unknown:taking off the table,
Jack Wells:obviously looked at the logistics of it, because obviously it'd be you know, I just don't think it would actually work. Why? Well, predominantly our dance on one leg so then that straightaway all of the dark seas are often they have to be to adapted for me. Well, I suppose.
Kerry Tite:Yeah.
Jack Wells:I don't know I'd want to be able to incorporate that in
Anne-Marie Martin:I mean, I suppose you would have to have very advanced prosthetic leg where you need got join un, un all of that because obviously you are above the knee amputation. But that's really interesting because yeah, I've trained in Wheelchair Dance with paradox UK and wheelchair competitions in it was ballroom and latin based. But I wonder whether they ever would bring in a wheelchair option Why not
Jack Wells:strictly Why not absolute good to see but it's just I think it's then really hard to judge with the other contestants, I
Anne-Marie Martin:think the judging would be hard. There's a lot more they have to obviously refrain. They, they're judging from a technical aspect. But again, like I said, because it's an entertainment show, people would be judging it on all the improvements that they've made. The PS Yeah, somebody might come out one week and, and do a beautiful waltz. But then the next week when it comes to one of the Latin stars at all, that's not last year. And that would be exactly the same for any physical difference, wouldn't it?
Jack Wells:So I'll email them and say
Anne-Marie Martin:Have you ever had anyone with a physical difference in any of your classes?
Kerry Tite:I've got a lady that comes at the moment on a Tuesday morning, and she uses a stick in general, everyday life because of a balance and stuff like that. But I mean, she's not. Not as far as I know, there's no sort of underlying health issue apart from the fact that she's just a bit unsteady on her feet. I've got a few kids that I teach that I've obviously got diagnosed with ADHD, autism and things like that, but not Not at the moment. I haven't really got anybody. But
Anne-Marie Martin:even with her walking aid, does she just adapt things? Yeah, it feels comfortable with Yeah, yeah, totally.
Kerry Tite:What she doesn't use it so much in the class, but she comes in with it. And then she puts it down. She's like, turning to Ginger Rogers. Wow. Obviously, she adapts the steps to manage the way she can cope with it. turns and stuff, I'll just give an alternative like so you could carry on doing this. And then while we do that, or whatever, so just always put in a bit of a more achievable sort of alternative for people to die, of course, long as you've got the rhythm and a lot of things. If you've got the rhythm there are, it's all pretty much the same. You just do it in a zip. So you go step step, cha cha cha steps, that gesture, doesn't matter what direction you're doing it in, as long as you keep that rhythm going, you know, it's staying on top of the music, and you'll be on the right foot and the right time. Yeah,
Jack Wells:we find that very much in our will do dogs, he's obviously stood next to each other. And although some of the steps like we don't want to only do where we have to like cross legs, obviously, I'm not going to be crossing my one leg. But because you're doing it next to me, it kind of still works. So you don't suddenly go what he's done it wrong, because it's kind of impossible.
Anne-Marie Martin:We pride ourselves on being like really on point. Yeah. Yeah, so that's the same with any level of ability that you're at, whether you're a beginner or a bit more advanced, just come along, come along, join in, and you just go with that you can do jujitsu,
Kerry Tite:absolutely no inhibitions.
Jack Wells:And I think it's just great to be part of, I think, like you were saying, with the social aspect for even for yourself as a teacher, that social experiment, part of going into that kind of safe place in life, where, you know, kind of what's expected of you, but you get to see the familiar faces. And you know, especially I'm sure for your older, like the age seven year old and stuff, it's nice to have that kind of social aspect in their life, you know, yeah,
Kerry Tite:you come in for a coffee, James Yeah. And then I go into them will sit around a table, they're all making their cake. I was like, cake.
Jack Wells:Even harder next week.
Kerry Tite:Next week. to dark.
Anne-Marie Martin:think some people will always feel that they want a specific class for their different ability. And we find it sometimes in our classes as well, we'll do like send specific classes, which is where the grown ups tend to feel a bit more comfortable that, but that's a society thing, isn't it? The more we can integrate, everybody does in and that's where I feel, you know, what Jack does what strictly now does show in, let's all dance together, rather than segregate in our selves. And if we can adapt what we do as teachers to make everyone feel
Kerry Tite:like so you're trying to work with like, if you're doing something together, you work on your upper body movement and stuff like this, there's always something that's cheap. For people that maybe can't walk, like there's a chair, exercise chair dance exercise in and stuff like that, you know, you don't have to be able to keep your leg in the air or you just have to, you know, be able to follow some sort of movement and do it the very best you can. Yeah, that'd be in competition with anybody else. Just do what you can the way you can. And any movement at all, I think is good. Yeah,
Jack Wells:I play wheelchair tennis as well, too. Over the last couple of years. I was actually invited at the weekend I played with an able bodied group. So I was the only wheelchair person there but then I asked Fine, come along and play with everyone else. And it was they were all very well Come in. But you know, I still fell in love with wheelchair rugby as well. And they actually have able bodied players like it's not, you don't have to be disabled to play, obviously you still have to sit in a wheelchair, you can't just run past them. But, but it's just nice. Exactly, yeah. But it's still good for them to kind of, you know, we actually have some players that are wheelchair bound. But it's nice for the able bodied people to kind of, you know, be in their shoes, a little bit of kind of, you know, how to adapt things and you know, see it from there.
Anne-Marie Martin:I mean, obviously, when you get to a competitive level, like we were speaking to Liam Murphy, there's you have to all be amputees in amputee has to be of a certain level athletics and the Paralympics. And I think a great difference. Yeah, when that's when you compete in that's different. And I know, paradox UK, I think there's always one in wheelchair, one able bodied. And there's certain elements that have to be done.
Kerry Tite:Yeah, achieved, as well. But
Anne-Marie Martin:yeah, I would love to see it even more. Yeah, it's integrated.
Jack Wells:Definitely improving. And I think we've
Kerry Tite:learned years ago I did i This was before I moved to more relaxing, but I had a young girl that used to come to class, I've got cerebral palsy. And she ever she was on a walking frame and stuff. And yeah, she just fit it in. Yeah, like it was like she wasn't, there was no difference. And we didn't treat you any different. Yeah, we're doing this. And at the beginning of the class, we'd go around because this at this point, I was teaching this when I was teaching like musical all sorts of Performing Arts. And we'd go into several we'd do like, follow a leader and stuff because it was all seven or eight follow a lead and put this tune on right, you pick new movement, everybody copy the movement up. I should just go around joining in and doing exactly the same as everybody else. Yeah, yeah.
Anne-Marie Martin:I think sometimes children show us how to do this. Yeah. They're the ones that leaders and just go yeah, I'll call here. I'm getting involved. Yeah, yeah. I suppose it's harder when you get to adults in you again, the inhibition comes in a little bit more, doesn't us. So what would you advise anyone listening, getting involved in classes like you do? What are you waiting for?
Kerry Tite:What are you waiting for? What would I advise? There's loads of local community centres and things that will do stuff like even just line dancing or aerobics classes. I mean, that's something that I used to love. I think that's probably why I started the solo barbell stuff because I remember doing aerobics classes when she was standing lions. So the wire this is I need to do this. So yeah, community centres, look up local dance schools, anything like that. That's it and just find out what's happening. And don't be my topic. My biggest advice is, don't be frightened. Yeah, just go just talk to people just like, introduce yourself going on. And don't judge yourself. Because
Anne-Marie Martin:the time once you get there, you realise everybody's in the same. Like everyone was
Kerry Tite:once a beginner. Yeah, every winner was once a beginner. And that's it. And also, like your body will, like learn what you do. So if you don't make yourself active, if you're sitting down with a that's what your body is going to learn. Like if you get up muscle memory takes over and it's like oh yeah, remember this? I can do this. And you just, yeah, yeah, adapts. Yeah.
Anne-Marie Martin:Now I know your classes are quite localised to here, but I love watching your videos on Instagram and seeing the amazing participants in classes so anyone listening where can they watch your handle on
Kerry Tite:Instagram 2.0 is at carry on dancing Kate you don't know why like as in the county in Ireland on dancing but I'm also we've started a YouTube channel and we have just filmed 230 minute workouts, which will be going on youtube very soon. Same
Unknown:name carry on carry on
Kerry Tite:dancing. Yes. Amazing shoe.
Unknown:So that's perfect. Everybody
Kerry Tite:can everybody can experience what we do. And if you like it, let me know. And yeah,
Unknown:maybe it was good. Oh, it's been brilliant chatting to you today. Thank you so much. Just about to finish it on this dog. Tell us about your three legged dog.
Kerry Tite:Why three legged dog. So this is all just a bit random so poor little thing it's always leg amputated when he was a puppy got less than PDSA and treat very well. We took him on he was absolutely feral. But we're getting there. I called him sandbar because it's a Latin American dance and it goes one to one or two. So when he's hopping down the road
Jack Wells:very interested obviously with the amputee link.
Kerry Tite:It doesn't stop him. You and me You people would
Jack Wells:anybody take a video of me walking the dog
Anne-Marie Martin:Oh, you got finish on that lead. So thank you for having me, really. So tune in next time and thank you all for listening. Thanks for listening today. We hope you feel inspired to get moving.
Jack Wells:And don't forget to give us a follow here if you enjoyed today's episode and check us out on all over social media at the movie mission.