Dancing Through Life: Our Journey to Jive & Stroll

If there’s one thing that has been the heartbeat of my life, it’s music and dancing. From the age of five, I was hooked — sitting by my mum’s old radiogram, listening to Elvis and Buddy Holly. Rock and roll got into my soul early, and by the time I was 17, I was out dancing with my mum at every rock and roll club we could find.

Then life took me on a detour. I hung up my dancing shoes at 26 when my first husband put a stop to the fun. But deep down I knew that dancing was part of who I am — and I made myself a promise: I’d never again share my life with someone who didn’t dance.

Fast forward to when I was 44, divorcing, and rediscovering the joy of dancing. The music, the rhythm, the laughter — it all came flooding back. I was home again on the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Ian — who I’d first met when I was 16 (he was a DJ back then, more of a soul boy than a rocker!) — had his own story. On his 50th birthday, he surprised everyone by doing a jive dance display. What started as a one-off quickly became a passion. He did the beginners’ course twice (yes, twice!) to get it right, and before long he was helping out at classes and loving every moment.

Our paths crossed again in the most unexpected way. A mutual friend in the dance troupe mentioned me to Ian, who later checked Facebook and suddenly realised — it was me. His TC — Tracie Coles. After nearly three decades apart, he reached out with a simple message: “I think I know you.”

At first, I didn’t even recognise him (his highlighted Kevin Keegan perm had been replaced with no hair at all!), but when he reminded me of our past, everything fell into place. We reconnected, and it felt as though no time had passed. From that moment, we knew we didn’t want to let each other go again.

Now, over 10 years later, we’re living our dream together. We left Surrey, moved to Weymouth, and took on our beautiful Georgian guesthouse, The Wadham. We adore welcoming our guests, sharing our home, and living by the sea. But the one thing we’ve missed is dancing.

Yes, Weymouth has an incredible music vibe — but chances to jive are few and far between. We even once drove all the way to Newport (two hours each way!) just to dance to our favourite group, The King Cats. It was worth every mile.

So, with Weymouth hosting its first Rock & Roll Weekender this October, we thought: what better time to start something of our own? We’ve just finished our very first 10-week Jive & Stroll course — and it was such fun! Seeing people laughing, learning, and gaining confidence on the dance floor filled our hearts with joy.

For us, dancing is more than just steps to music. It’s smiling until your cheeks ache, meeting people who become friends, and feeling that rush of happiness as the music sweeps you along. It’s about creating a warm, inclusive space where everyone feels welcome — whether you’ve never danced before or you’ve been jiving for years.

And that’s why we called it TC Jive & Stroll — after Tracie Coles, the girl Ian never forgot. Our name is a reminder of how music and dancing brought us back together and continues to keep us smiling.

Our motto is simple: Dance. Stroll. Smile.
And we can’t wait to share that uplifting vibe with more of you.

✨ Want to join us? Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for details of our next courses, dates, and events. We’d love to see you on the dance floor!