Reserve seats for fortnightly dances
We have only two more dances left for 2025!
Saturday 13 December - Lessons 6:30-7:50 with Bruce Stanning / Social 8:00-11:00
Saturday 27 December - NO lessons - A Pizza & Pot Luck Party - Social 7:30-11:00
BOTH OF THESE DANCES WILL HAVE A DISPLAY OF BALLROOM DRESSES AND OTHER ITEMS FOR SALE
Starting 13 December 2025, we are introducing two 'Give Back' Jackpots. This mean that from every $20 entry paid on the 13th & 27th December, Dance Night will put $1 towards a Charity Bank (homelessness) and $1 to a 'Dance Bank'.
On the first dance of 2026, Saturday 10 January, a name picker on the screen will randomly select someone, and if that person is in attendance, they win the Dance Bank jackpot from the two December dances. If they are not in attendance, the Dance Bank jackpots to include the $1 worth of numbers in attendance on the current night (10 January). If it is won by someone on the night, the Dance Bank starts again based on the the current night's attendance numbers (10 January). Although this is an incentive, it also means we are all contributing to a very worthy cause because the Charity Bank continues to jackpot each dance. Its accumulative amount will be shown at each dance and when it reaches $500, we will show the receipt of its payment to a given charity, before starting the Charity Bank again.
Our Make Believe Ball on Saturday, 29 November was such fun. Everyone was dressed either formal for a ball or in a fancy dress costume as a fictional character. These were judged at the start of the night and you can see from the pictures below how elaborate some costumes were!
The 3-course meal was served throughout the evening and menu was well received as were the nine quizzes that needed everyone's help in answering the questions just so we could find out who held the lucky fictitious character ticket!
2025
Saturday 13 December
Saturday 27 December (Mid-festive & birthday Pot-luck Party)
2026
Saturday 10 January
Saturday 24 January
(No 5th Saturday Special Event in January)
DANCE NIGHT OVERALL INFORMATION AND SPECIFIC DETAILS
FREQUENCY: Every 2nd and 4th Saturday each month + a 5th Saturday when there is one.
VENUE: The Ukrainian Hall, 3-11 Russell St, Essendon - newcomers please read street entry & parking directions
DOORS OPEN: 6:15pm
LESSON 1: 6:30-7:10pm (New Vogue technique)
LESSON 2: 7:10-7:50pm (Modern Ballroom technique)
SOCIAL: 8:00 - 11:00pm
COST: $20:00 (All inclusive)
DANCE PROGRAM: 30 or 31 brackets of 5 x Modern, 4 x Latin, 14 x New Vogue Championship and seven of the most popular New Vogue dances
SEATING: Table seating for eight. Single chairs (no table) are available if requested.
INDIVIDUAL DANCERS MOST WELCOME as there are always spares!
OUR FIFTH SATURDAY SPECIAL EVENTS
Four months a year have a fifth Saturday and when that occurs, we generally hold a special event. The four events follow overarching themes of:
1. Screen Awards Night; 2. International; 3. All about Time; 4. Make Believe Ball
- be it a dinner dance, fun fiesta, a party or a ball. The nights are fully catered with scrumptious food, are themed for fancy dress or evening wear as you so wish, and fun activities with prizes galore. Going on past events with over 80-100 attendees, it's a night not to be missed! Booking is essential and with a limited number of 100 attendees, a prepaid ticket is the safest way to secure a table seat.
Information for each event comes out at least 4-weeks prior.
DANCE NIGHT OPEN FLOOR SPACE
For anyone who's going for medals, entering into any level of competition or just wanting to practice what they've been taught elsewhere or have learned by themselves, the Open Floor time just prior to the lesson is ideal for this.
OUR VENUE
What a beautiful space this community hall is! A spacious 24m x 15m dance floorspace (not including the tables) and its festive décor makes it truly much more a ballroom than a hall!
Community + ballroom is what Ballroom Dance Night is about. We, as individuals, have all chosen to dance for various reasons and yet, it's in this gorgeous ballroom, that together we dance, we learn, we laugh, and we share the experience of being a community. A community of dancers - having fun together - is what Kathleen and Geoff want Ballroom Dance Night to provide for anyone who attends. We warmly welcome you to join us.
Table seating is available for first takers but can be reserved if required. Reserve table seats here or through an email or phone/text message if you wish to secure a table with your friends.
Tables seat 8 comfortably but can seat up to 9-10 people (specific positions in the hall).
Tea, coffee, & small treats are supplied in the kitchen, which has hot water urn, water jugs and glasses, crockery & cutlery.
You're welcome to bring your own food and refreshments to have at your table.
A great floor to dance on erring towards reasonably fast, but specific dance wax is swept over the dance floor prior to each dance.
Shoe cleaning, wax & wet-cloth stations are available for everyone's use if you so wish.
No powder or other substances are to be spread by attendees anywhere on the dance floor.
Cash or eftpos at the door.
Cards are a pre-purchase.
Social card is $180 at a value of $200 (Open Floor use is included)
Valid for 10 entries with no expiry date.
Couples use up a card by attending five times (two clips each time).
Cards must be presented to be validated and will be not marked off retrospectively.
Cards can be kept with reception for convenience if requested.
Cards may be transferred to a friend.
THE PROGRAM FORMAT
Please see video links to our program's dances on our Practice @ Home page
Standard
Viennese
Modern Waltz
Slow Foxtrot
Tango
Quickstep
Latin
Rumba
Cha Cha
Samba
Jive (RnR possible)*
*Swing, Salsa & other dances may often be on the 5th Saturday dance.
New Vogue DanceSport
FOXTROT
Barclay Blues
Carousel
Charmaine
Excelsior Schottische
Merrilyn
VIENNESE
Lucille Waltz
Swing Waltz
Tracie Leigh Waltz
Twilight Waltz
MARCH
Evening Three Step
Gypsy Tap
TANGO
La Bomba
Tango Terrific
Tangoette
Other New Vogue:
Opus 5 Waltz
Alpha Waltz
President's Daughter's Waltz (Viennese)
Balmoral Blues (Foxtrot)
Argentine Stroll
Sally Ann Cha Cha
New Vogue Quickstep
