Arcadian resident, Alison Gold, has been a dancer all her life, but it wasn’t until she was in her twenties that she took up Tap Dancing in a serious way.
In 2018 Alison and a couple of her friends began a small social Tap group in the Auditorium of the Dural Country Club which soon drew the interest of other curious locals keen to join in on the fun. The little group started to increase and Alison realized that maybe there was enough interest to run a more formal Tap Dancing Class on a regular basis. This became a reality in 2019. More and more ladies (and a couple of gentleman) joined the Thursday night class and it became an enjoyable night out of exercise, dance and social activity.
Rather than just learning new steps each week, Alison decided to combine what the students had already learned and create little routines. This eventually morphed into fully choreographed dances for the students, and to celebrate the achievements of the group a ‘performance night’ was organized for friends and family to witness their accomplishments.
The dancers were resplendent in costumes made by member, Dawn, who at 86 is the oldest ‘Tapper’ of the group. While students came and went, a core band of ladies remained and became firm friends. They petitioned Alison to give them a name and after many suggestions and ideas, “Alison’s Tap Dazzlers” was born.
Lessons were recently moved to a new home at the Galston Club and the first concert there, in March, was a packed event.
Along with her dance tutelage, Alison has had over 30 years experience in the Disability Sector working with aged persons, and people with both medical or mental health conditions. Her next goal is to take her skills to Aged Care Facilities/or people with Disabilities at their own venues.
It has been proven that Tap Dancing is a great exercise for the cardiovascular system, as well as being beneficial for cognitive function. The training of muscle memory improves balance, coordination and control – all essential skills for aging people to help prevent possible falls.
Alison’s Tap Dazzlers meet every Thursday at 6pm at the Galston Club. Lessons are $20pp on a ‘pay as you go‘ basis.
For further information contact [email protected] or see Alisons Tapdazzlers on Facebook.
