Contact us for a free taster class...

We don’t take ourselves seriously, and yes,
we occasionally make fools of ourselves. It’s about having fun together getting fit as a social activity in normal sensible clothing and footwear.  It’s about ‘us’ which is why it differs from other fitness classes – there are no mirrors!  What we do is a great leveller, there’s no status, and we need each other to make it work.

Of course, we want to stay fit and live longer, and there’s plenty of published evidence that regular moderate dancing supports that aim. Furthermore, it’s an all body and mind workout: you probably won’t even be conscious of how much stretching, balancing,  stepping, and mental concentration, just happens.

Comfortable clothes that you can peel the layers off as you warm up.

No, you don’t need to bring anybody, but the more the merrier!

At present, a 60 minute class costs £5.50, or buy a class pass for 5 classes, which works out at £5 per class.

Click on a BOOK NOW button, select a class time and venue to suit you, select the number of tickets that you require, and then proceed to the shopping trolley selections.

Note that each class has to be booked through the bdf website, irrespective of when and how you pay.

For certain classes, you can buy  5 tickets for £25 (sometimes called a pass). You only have to book 1 class to purchase a pass; you can then use the pass to pay for classes as and when you book.

Book a single class as normal, then  click on the ‘Available with pass‘ link:

Alternatively, select the passes tab:

Once you’ve selected a class and a pass, then View Selections (or click on the basket in top right corner). You will find that your pass has been used to pay for your first class:

Please always book your classes through the online booking system. You then have the choice of paying by:

• debit card
• bank transfer
• contactless

It’s preferable that you pay while booking online, as class time for admin is limited. However, if you have any difficulty, bring a debit card to the class and pay contactless on our card reader.

You will receive an email confirming the booking. If you haven’t, then please use the contact form to let us know and we’ll check for you.

We suggest that you bookmark this link on your device’s home page for future quick access to our class booking system:

https://bookwhen.com/barndancefitness

Many of our dancers have health challenges, but the one thing that they seem to have in common is that their doctor has told them to ‘get more exercise!’. You will find that you can do the dances at your own pace; each step sequence or move will have a low impact, or low swing, alternative.

There are 6 to 7 dances per 1 hour session.
The first dance is a warm up often done in a
line facing the instructor, similar to other
dance classes. This is followed by different
formations of group dances, some more
energetic than others, ending with a gentle
dance to cool down.

There’s no pressure to be beautiful and
perfect. Our aim is to have fun – we just
happen to get fit in the process. Remember,
you can do it at your own pace.

The class is for beginners who join at any time in the year. If you can work out your left from your right – that’s the toughest challenge – then you’ll be brilliant. Please accept that there is a lot to take in and it’s natural to feel awkward for the first few sessions. It may take 6 months or longer to really feel the benefits.

We understand that it can be very embarrassing to get something wrong, but it doesn’t matter to us. No one will judge you, and sometimes we adapt your original moves and put them into the dance, so we’re all learning together. The dancing has its own vocabulary of steps and styles so it will take a few sessions to feel comfortable.

In each class, there will be a new dance, so even regular attendees will find it as challenging as yourself.

Dan Longley is a qualified ETM fitness instructor and first aider. He is the resident caller for The Burdock Ceilidh Band, and also works with other bands across the Midlands. He will walk you through the dance and ensure that you understand the moves before commencing. You don’t need to remember all the figures as he’ll call them out during the dance.

Anyone 7yrs or over! Our classes tend to attract 50+ yr olds, but sometimes we have 3 generations in the same class – it is truly inclusive.

Read this article about how a booker (you) can manage your own bookings.

BDF Safeguarding policy & procedures

As a member of EMD UK, the national governing body for group exercise, we are signed up to their safeguarding policy:

EMD-UK Safeguarding Adults Policy