Episode 2 You Make Me Feel Like Dancing

I have never felt such responsibility in my life.

Jack Murphy is a choreographer to the stars.

Don't talk to me, I'm concentrating!

He's in Bolton, to kick-start a dance hall revival...

Come and sign up for the dance classes at the Palais.

I want to get everybody dancing in a dance hall, dancing cheek to cheek.

..and prove that partner dancing, once a national pastime,

can still work its magic today.

Dancing with a boy is lovely and they're missing out on all that.

He's already got Bolton's original rock and rollers on board

and dancing again.

I'm excited!

And the restoration of Bolton's Palais de Danse is well underway.

-Oh!

-Oh, yeah!

Now, Jack has to recruit and teach total ballroom beginners.

-I can't do it.

-Cha-cha, one, two...

But you've stopped moving your feet.

This is not good.

He is relying on them

to inspire a new generation to dance cheek to cheek.

-Jack hasn't started on you yet.

-Oh, God, the tension is palpable.

You're going to have to step up. You have no idea how upset it makes me.

And to return social dancing to the heart of British life.

Dancing cheek to cheek, it's going to be out of this world. Live bands.

You're coming, aren't you?

But will Bolton catch the ballroom bug?

Do any of you know where these people might be?

Twerk, and a twerk, and twerk.

And can Jack make them feel like dancing?

You stop it and you stop it now.

I am petrified, my stomach is actually churning.

Tonight is the night I find out if I fail or pass.

Jack Murphy wants to get Bolton ballrooming again.

To show the town what it's been missing,

he is throwing a dance hall night to remember.

I am going to reopen the Palais de Danse

and have the most wonderful evening.

Of course, that's all just a fantasy,

but what I have to really do is find the people to fill it.

He would love to get hundreds dancing cheek to cheek

and convince local venues to bring dance hall nights back for good.

To draw people in, he has advertised a taster at the former dance hall.

My fantasy is that they will respond really positively to my idea!

Do you remember when this used to be Ritzy and Ikon?

The chance to meet a choreographer to the stars has pulled in a big

Bolton crowd.

But little do they know, Jack wants to take them back in time.

Hello, hello, hello.

-ALL:

-Hello.

Do you know, years and years ago, we had over 10,000 social dance halls

up and down this country and 10 million people a week used to dance.

I want to teach people who have never had the opportunity to

waltz, cha-cha or tango.

Experience what all that magic was about.

-You can't do it.

-Can't do it?

The dance hall golden age of the '50s is a world away for this

nightclub generation.

I'm going to play some music. Lock the door!

THEY LAUGH

So before Jack shows the group his moves, he wants to see theirs.

I know this is going to be fantastically difficult.

One, because you're sober.

-ALL:

-Yes!

And two, because there is so much light.

Throw me some moves, freestyle.

DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

Be my guest, be my... Yeah, good.

Jack's revival is open to everyone

but he is keen to check out the group's dance ability.

A dad at a wedding could do that.

And he has got more than his fair share of bad dad dancing to

contend with in this group.

I did actually win the Best Dad Dancing competition on holiday.

Other than that, I've got no dancing experience whatsoever.

But there is one chap in the crowd whose moves could rival Beyonce.

MUSIC: Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyonce

I think he has danced on a floor a couple of times before.

I have never professionally done dance or anything like that.

But I do like to dance when I go out and stuff.

-With good rhythm, I might add!

-No, it's not a solo. Come on, everybody.

Very good.

Marvellous. Marvellous, marvellous. So, we have all warmed up, yes?

With the ice broken, Jack wants to show the group the very

different rituals of the '50s dance floor.

So this is the Palais, 1950s.

In its heyday, 60% of Brits could partner dance.

It was a national pastime.

Does it look a million miles away from what you do

-today in the nightclubs?

-Yes.

Good.

Now Jack wants them to give it a go themselves.

I would like all the boys to line up this side of the room

and I would like all the ladies to line up on that side of the room.

In the dance hall heyday, it took courage to hit the dance floor.

Gentlemen, I would like you to go and ask a lady to dance.

I do not want you to ask a lady that you know.

I would like you to bring the lady onto the floor

and come in to arm in arm, or cheek to cheek, and just stand still.

You have just thrown me right out of my comfort zone!

And that is actually, when you're sober,

a fantastically difficult thing to do because, quite frankly,

they don't know if they're going to be rejected or not. Very good.

-How did that make you feel?

-Awkward.

-Awkward?

-Did you ask a lady to dance that you don't know?

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

We're going for a kebab!

You're going for a kebab on the way home! Wonderful.

Next lesson, we're going to start to learn to cha-cha-cha.

OK? Thank you very much coming. Cheers. Well done.

Jack hopes he's convinced the group to return

and commit to four weeks of intense training.

It is a nice gentlemanly thing to do, for a man to ask the woman

if she would like to dance. Rather than just grind up against her.

He needs a crowd to join his original rock and rollers on the big night,

and prove that partner dancing has a place in 21st-century Britain.

I have not done any dancing before,

everything is sort of a confidence issue with me.

But I just feel it is something that I really need to do.

-We are newlyweds.

-Yes.

-And we had our wedding dance.

To be honest with you, I have got two left feet

and it was absolutely terrible.

I am a little bit kind of rabbit in the headlights

because there is an extraordinary amount of work to be done.

If I get 90% of people returning,

I will be absolutely delighted.

Absolutely delighted.

In just four weeks' time, Jack opens the former dance hall as it

was in its 1950s heyday, for one night only.

The glamorous Art Deco building once attracted queues around the block.

Peeling back the years that the hall later

ran as a nightclub is an ambitious task.

We are a work in progress today.

Of course, the dance hall back in the day, the 1950s, would be

a refuge for the people coming from the mills.

They would come here to be transported.

Helping Jack turn back the Palais clock for the next

generation is set designer David Weir.

We're kind of trying to get a bit more of that

romantic early dance hall feel going on.

-A bit of Hollywood.

-Yeah.

It is going to be very exciting for both the older generation

who were here back in the '50s and the new generation,

seeing a dance hall for the very first time.

To speed up the dance hall renovations,

Jack's called in expert help.

Oh, yes. I like that style.

The original Palais regulars used to come here

in the 1950s and early '60s.

After an absence of half a century,

they will be back on the dance floor on the big night.

-To paint, we have got to put these on.

-Oh, Jesus!

Today, Judith, Fred, Flo

and Margo are mucking in to give the restoration their seal of approval.

THEY LAUGH

Maybe if you fancied a young woman,

you invited her in to the kissing arch.

Fred and Judith met at the Palais. They have been married for 58 years.

You know, when Judith and I came here,

-if there was any kissing done, it was done...

-On the way to the bus.

You used to nip round the side of the Queen's, Queen's Cinema,

-didn't we? Do you remember?

-We what?

-Queen's Cinema.

The Queen's Cinema? Do you mean the back row?

Actually, I think that was the boyfriend before you, I'm sorry!

SHE LAUGHS

I got mixed up!

Shall we have a dance?!

Back replace, in we come. Back replace...

On the big night, the gang will jive to live music.

OK, even lift.

Just like the old days, there will be a local big band

performing against a spectacular backdrop.

It's exactly like it was, isn't it?

-Looks like a headboard, to me, that.

-It is fabulous, that.

-Absolutely.

Looks like a great big bedstead!

I said that!

Flo came to the Palais with her co-workers from the mill

every Saturday, for two shillings and sixpence.

And Margo met her late husband on her way to the Palais one night in 1966.

Rationing had only just finished, hadn't it, in '54? And we had not

been used to any wallpaper, even.

Coloured wallpaper was a novelty.

In here, once you walked in here, it was like fairyland.

Fairyland, definitely.

Right, are you ready?

Come on!

ALL: Oh!

-Oh, yes.

-That's lovely.

-Fantastic.

-Talk about Blackpool!

-Gorgeous.

-Good, isn't it?

It just reminds me of when it was.

Just the same, it's fabulous. Fabulous.

When people come in here and see what has been done in here,

they will be utterly gobsmacked.

Yeah.

JAZZ MUSIC

In the 1930s up to the '60s, people learned the dance hall classics

from their parents or their pals.

To return to the glory days,

Jack will need to train his new recruits himself.

With so many to teach,

he's pulled in the help of Bolton's very own ballroom king.

Slow, quick, quick, forward...

Once a pro himself,

Phil Hurst is one of the region's most experienced teachers.

Slow, then rock, one...two...

He will train one group to tango

whilst Jack teaches the others the cha-cha.

When you're first starting off,

it's very tricky to work on the finer points.

-It could have been better. It could have been better!

-LAUGHTER

But you really do start to see them develop, over the weeks.

The first-timers have only four weeks to learn steps that can take

a lifetime to master.

Slow, rock...two, three...

Tonight is Jack's first class.

So...

There's no-one here!

So, hopefully, hopefully, they're a little bit late.

They'll be here shortly.

And I will be teaching them a cha-cha-cha.

Hurray!

-Hello.

-Hello.

Most of the group have rushed from work to get here.

That's what I'm talking about!

LAUGHTER

You've come! I am feeling a very good vibe from you. Yeah?

Let's run off, quick!

Jack starts his newbies off with the first rule of ballroom.

This is called hold. So just watch.

I high-five Heidi. Kind of.

Heidi's left arm then just becomes like a bird.

Isn't that beautiful, takes flight.

I then become Bruce Lee and...

-Ha-ee-ya!

-LAUGHTER

Yeah? And then the bird lands.

-PUPILS: Aw.

-And I'm in hold.

So... You need a partner to do it. Do you want to grab a partner?

Dancing in hold should be easy for married couple Scott and Helen.

But the others have to get up close and personal with a stranger.

That can go up there. That's amazing, Mister.

And dance floor diva Drew does not get to sit this one out.

Drew.

Come and dance with me. Lead me.

If you can lead me, you can lead anybody.

One, two, three...

Cha-cha-cha.

Two, three, and a cha-cha-cha.

Don't look at your feet.

I did feel nervous.

Possibly terrified because I was thinking, "God, don't stand

"on his feet," you know, cos that would just be really embarrassing.

Now, what I really like about the way you just danced with me

is I can see that it's all about how it makes you feel.

These are tentative first steps.

They have got to start connecting

and feeling that they are dancing as one unit, not as two units.

Jack's determined to help them get it right.

Let me see your wings.

Bruce Lee, ha-ee-ya!

Good, let that bird land.

And one, two, three, cha-cha-cha.

Basic, and a cha-cha-cha, basic...

That is fantastic, lady. Is this your first dance lesson?

SHE MUMBLES

-Is that a yes? Have you got a tongue in there?

-Yes! I'm concentrating.

In just four weeks,

the group have to inspire the crowd at Jack's revival night.

We've got very little time. So we have to get moving very quickly.

And...side, close, side, basic.

Ballroom beginner Dawn has survived the first class.

I thought I would probably get to the end without being able to

do it, so, yeah, it was good. But I had to concentrate a lot.

But, yeah, yeah, I did fine, I think.

The couple who messed up their wedding waltz are even

top of the class.

Basic, and stop right there.

Could you become my new best friends?

-Us?

-I just LOVE what you just did, it's fantastic.

I just watched you dance a cha-cha really beautifully.

To be honest with you, I can't dance for peanuts, know what I mean?

But Jack really put us at ease

and we didn't fall over, which were a bonus.

OK, so this is all a bit fun, but to learn that routine,

you're going to have to step up. You've got four weeks.

Give yourselves a round of applause, well done. Good.

I am very positive at the moment.

I know I'm going to have to eat my words,

because the honeymoon will probably be over soon

as we start chucking in the dance steps of the routine.

Their brains are going to feel like spaghetti.

Jack needs to get his group ballroom-ready to show Bolton

what it is missing out on.

And to recreate a dance floor buzz,

he must pack the Palais to the rafters.

I must get hundreds of people to come along

in order for this night to be a great success.

It is only going to work if I get people in that door.

-So he is hitting the streets...

-That'll be a no!

-..airwaves...

Very special guest in as well, today.

Flossie from Bolton, everyone!

Yay!

..and even the local Hindu temple to sell ballroom to Bolton.

-Don't talk to me, I'm concentrating!

-THEY LAUGH

And if you're not there, I tell you, you are not in the right place.

-Go on, a twerk. And a twerk... And a twerk...

-THEY GIGGLE

Jack wants the whole town to give partner dancing a whirl.

It is fantastically sexy.

And if they love it,

he wants local nightspots to offer people a place to do it.

This venue, the heart of it could be a dance hall...

It's something Bolton has not seen for a long time.

THEY LAUGH

Dancing cheek to cheek. It's going to be out of this world. Live band!

-You're coming, aren't you?

-Oh, yeah(!)

-Closed question.

I saw that!

I would just be absolutely thrilled to see you there.

A live band is so brilliant. Listening to a live band.

-Oh, you are getting all teary eyed.

-I know.

-Bless.

-I know.

Jack's spread the news far and wide.

If Bolton follows Jack's call,

it will be the first dance hall night in decades.

I feel like I've discovered Tutankhamen!

Jack wants to offer a genuine dance hall experience.

So he is scouring Bolton's archives.

It's my responsibility to recreate a dance hall

with as much detail as possible.

Shops? They had shops in there!

A ladies' hairdressers... There was a baker's in there!

And a butcher's.

I'm just off the dance hall to buy me chipolatas and have a foxtrot!

HE LAUGHS

Back in the day, the Palais was the multiplex of its time,

catering to the customer's every need.

Cafe and lounge.

No alcohol, coffee.

Keeping with tradition, there will be no alcohol at Jack's night.

Looking at these plans,

I have to think more about what they're going to eat.

I would like to know what they had to eat then

and what they would drink then.

With the prospect of 500 people to cater for on the night,

Jack needs help.

The very bakery that started life inside the Palais

is still going strong today.

-Hello, David. I'm Jack Murphy.

-Pleased to meet you, Jack.

-Very nice to meet you.

Well, you have got a hair net and a beard snood.

Master baker David Smart inherited the business from his father.

Now, family bakery, used to provide the food for the Palais?

It did, yeah. The Palais bought bakery

because they wanted somebody to make all the pies,

the hotpot suppers, the sandwiches, the buffets, all that sort of thing.

Because, obviously, they wanted a food manufacturing unit.

So they bought the bakery.

Help. What am I going to feed them?

Potato and meat pie.

This recipe is exactly what my dad used to make for the Palais de Danse

nearly 60 years ago.

Nothing is different.

Oh, how fantastic.

-No need to go for a kebab afterwards.

-No.

-I want to buy a lot of these.

-Please do!

Eyes up!

Across Bolton, ballroom newcomers are being fast-tracked.

Attending classes night after night.

Quick, quick, slow...

Phil's group in the tango...

One, two, three, four, five...

..Jack's in the cha-cha.

Basic, and around you go.

We need to push it a little bit further.

I need full-blooded passion, commitment...

The pressure is mounting.

Right, we can have a rest now.

-WHISPERS:

-Have a rest, Alan.

On the big night, the novices have to inspire locals to take to the floor

and they have still got a lot to learn.

Here's the mistake you make.

You nearly all do this...

It's a bit Frankenstein. Don't take that line.

I close before I go forwards. Replace.

I close before I go to the side.

Think of the pelvis as head office.

Everything has to come out of, and through, head office.

Jack is used to teaching actors who are pros.

Two, three and a cha-cha-cha.

His intensive training is taking its toll on the novices.

The numbers in his group have started to dwindle.

It's been a long day, I've come straight out of work... Very tired.

We'll see how my feet go.

Today at work has been really busy.

But we have flown here and we're ready for rehearsals.

With his big night in sight,

Jack is not prepared to cut the group any slack.

I can see you have all practised, without a shadow of a doubt.

But guess what, you have to practise a little bit more.

Struggling the most is 36-year-old Joe. He used to work at Butlins.

Now he emcees at hard-core music nights.

Three, and a cha-cha-cha.

Together: One, two, three, cha-cha.

One, two, three, cha-cha...

One, two...

But you stopped moving your feet. Yeah?

This kind of dancing is completely new to me. And so it's a challenge.

The beat MC Joe is used to is poles apart from the cha-cha.

Jack needs to instil the rhythm by any means possible.

Heartbeat, and a one, two, three...

Heartbeat, one, two, three...

Heartbeat, one, two, three...

Jack is teaching me to have a rhythm which I have not learned before.

Because its '50s and '60s ballroom dancing and he is just trying

to find a way for it to compute and for it to fall into place.

Determined to make a breakthrough with MC Joe,

Jack decides to step into his world.

When I saw him dance for the first time,

he didn't have any obvious rhythm in his body in relation to cha-cha-cha.

And if he feels the rhythm, he will communicate that

and he will get an amazing experience from doing so.

-HE RAPS:

-I look round my neighbourhood

And I see gangsters up to no good...

RAPPING CONTINUES

The pace of Joe's hard-core rapping is a long way off

the tempo of the cha-cha.

-Mister!

-Was that OK?

-Well done! It's exhausting to listen to.

Let's take a seat, OK? Because...

You thought I wouldn't like it.

-I love it.

-Really?

-Yeah, I do.

-I feel inspired.

Now put it on this pulse.

HE PATS OUT A RHYTHM

I look around my neighbourhood...

And I see gangsters up to no good

I see drug addicts rob for their habits

They don't care, they've got to have it...

Great. You are so on the beat.

When you are used to going so quick with your emceeing

and your rapping, you're bringing that to the cha-cha,

-because that's the way you tell a story.

-Ah...

Now, when I dance cha-cha-cha,

I'm also telling my partner a story.

I would like you...

to listen to my basic. Yeah?

I would like you to listen to my check-replace. Yeah?

You're telling a story

and you have to be equally as clear through your body.

One, two, three, cha-cha-cha.

Two, three and a cha-cha-cha.

Two, three and a cha-cha-cha.

Two, three and a cha-cha-cha.

Under she goes, and a cha-cha-cha.

Packing a year's training into a month is no mean feat.

Jack has also got to finish the Palais' '50s face-lift

and the building is in disarray.

Dynamic duo Flo and Margo have come to the rescue.

We're looking for glitter balls and things for the dance hall.

Back in the day, a glitter ball was a dance hall essential.

But in this Aladdin's cave of vintage props...

There's the palm tree, that's gorgeous, isn't it?

..Flo and Margo are easily distracted.

-That's beautiful.

-Oh, that's nice.

That's definitely a must-have, isn't it? Yeah, that will fit on there.

-Yeah, on that one, I bet.

-Yeah. Ooh.

Nearly put your eyes out there, you're not careful.

-South Sea island effect!

-Yeah. Yeah.

-Exotica.

-Yeah!

With a tropical addition to Jack's dance hall found,

it's on with the treasure hunt.

Phew. Oh, those are nice!

-Oh, look at those, Flo.

-At the entrance, with having the palm trees

-and these on the tables.

-I know. Where's the glitter balls?

I can't imagine where they are.

-Some balls here, see. Glitter balls. Here.

-Where?

-Glitter balls? Here.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, they are lovely, aren't they? They turn round.

-Do they...?

-Oh, yeah.

-Is it the...?

And the lights, and you have different colours on them.

Do they actually turn around?

Yeah, yeah, they turn around under the lights.

-Not just the lights flickering on them?

-No, it turns.

Ooh, look at that. There's a great big one there, Flo.

-Oh, yeah, that's massive.

-Massive.

-Oh, yeah.

-It's huge, that.

-How could we miss that?

-That's nice, in't it?

That size, you could have in your house,

if you had a big modern house, you could...

-If you wanted to.

-Yeah.

But that is definitely ballroom-sized, isn't it?

-Definitely. I think it'll look...

-I think so.

-..authentic.

See what Jack thinks, cos if he approves, if he approves...

Jack could come out of his own idea, couldn't he?

Yes, well, that's right. If he doesn't like it.

If he don't like it, he can lump it!

Yeah, that's true!

It's now two weeks in to Jack's rigorous training schedule.

Step, step and a step it out...

And there is a problem with his cha-cha group.

Only four pupils have turned up.

Now, guys, of course, of course, you're in the room.

But...

this is not good.

OK? Do any of you know where these people might be?

Unless they got a personal tragedy,

I really couldn't think so.

So it leaves me - one, feeling very embarrassed, quite frankly,

and two, in a very difficult situation.

Because how am I going to fill a dance hall and how are people

going to learn to dance if they just randomly turn up to the classes?

Absolutely extraordinary.

And I can't but help tell you, I feel embarrassed.

I feel really embarrassed, because I take it personally, yeah? OK.

Let's do that again. Step, step and step it out.

Step, step and step it out. I'm on this foot.

-So you are only ever on one foot.

-Instead of... Yeah.

Transferring that weight.

Despite trying to push forward with the class,

such a low turnout has shaken Jack.

You don't need to know this, but I'm sharing it with you.

You have no idea how upset it makes me that there is only four. OK?

So thank you for being here. I'm just sharing with you.

Yeah, I'm totally rattled at the moment because it is unbelievably

difficult to keep going one step forwards and four steps back.

I'm not used to it. I'm used to...

People are genuinely there or generally there

because they are expected to be there.

And I had the same expectations.

If they are not in the room, I can't do anything.

You know, I'm rendered impotent

and it's not something I intend to be at 53 years of age.

Thank you very much. Going to carry on.

Jack heads across town to check on the beginners' tango group

being trained by Phil.

Slow, slow, rock, two, three and turn, side and close.

So I'm just popping in to see Phil

who has been helping me teach...

the numbers that turned up.

I just want to see how he's getting on, basically.

The rock is through your knees. OK? We're getting a few variations.

-We're getting the air guitar...

-LAUGHTER

Yeah? So we're getting a bit of Showaddywaddy going on

and we're getting another one

that I'm not sure where you got that from, yeah, but don't do that.

Are you ready?

Five, six, seven, eight!

Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.

Quick, quick, slow. And slow...rock.

There's about 20... 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. Yeah, 20.

I'm loving it. Great.

They are moving very well, very well indeed.

Five, six, seven, eight.

Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.

Step, side close.

And one, two, rock, two, three...

They are doing really, really well.

It's obvious to Jack the tango group feel the magic of dancing

cheek to cheek and it's something his cha-cha group have lost.

Heads to the left, down into your knees.

Ladies, don't forget the karate chop in the side of your gent's arm.

He can't resist joining in.

Is this why they call it ballroom?

JACK LAUGHS

Oh, pulling me in.

Oh, get you.

Watch me bloody glasses!

Yes!

Give yourselves a clap, well done. Not bad. Not bad.

Well done, well done, well done.

That woke me up. Marvellous.

So I always say to people when I'm teaching, tango is like,

just pretend you've just had an argument.

"No, you're wrong.

"You were wrong - I'm sorry, you were wrong!" So it has a narrative.

But you are doing brilliantly. So I'm going to hand you back.

Spread out around the room. Arms up, heads left, bent knees.

MUSIC STARTS

See you later. Bye-bye, darling, thank you so much.

Bye-bye! Bye!

Jack leaves fired up and determined to win his cha-cha dancers back.

Realising his tough teaching style may have scared off his group,

Jack's trying a change of tack.

I will give them a little call to whip them up

and get them along to rehearsals.

This is not something I would ordinarily do, but when needs must,

Jack gets phoning.

LINE RINGS

-'Welcome to the O2 messaging service.'

-BEEP

Sophie, hello. It's Jack Murphy here.

I hope you're well and I'm looking forward to seeing you this evening.

I missed you last week. I think I only saw you the once,

so I hope you're going to be there this evening.

LINE RINGS

'The person you are calling is unable to take your call.'

-BEEP

-Hello, it's Jack Murphy here.

I'm hoping to see you this evening at rehearsals

because I've got a couple of surprises in store.

HE SIGHS

Tonight, instead of rehearsing behind closed doors,

Jack's cha-cha group will be dancing in public...

Oh, this is marvellous.

..in a chippy with a difference.

This might be the only one in the country with a grand piano.

I'm really excited about tonight.

Tonight is about getting them to dance to live music

because on the night, they'll be dancing to a very, very large band

so this is an introduction and a bit of bonding and rally the troops.

The promise of a fish supper has worked.

-All right.

-Nice to see you.

I'm going to give you an introduction

to the lovely Guy and his orchestra.

The live music isn't the only trick up Jack's sleeve.

Now, as you know, we've been working really hard.

I did tell you, there might be a little surprise.

He's pulled in a favour from his ballroom champion pals from London.

This is a world-class cha-cha.

Whoohoo! Fantastic!

Ladies and gentlemen, the beautiful Chayanne and the very handsome Nick.

Is that sexy or is that sexy?

Yeah?

Now, the group are going to dance for the first time

to live music in front of the locals,

just like they'll do it on the big night.

We are not judging you, we are willing you.

There's a big difference.

MUSIC PLAYS

One, two, three, cha-cha-cha.

Enjoy!

Dance for your supper.

Good.

Yay!

-APPLAUSE

-Get in there, Bolton!

Oh, yes!

I'm honestly really, really proud of you. Really, really proud of you.

Wonderful!

But we're not there yet. This way, ladies and gentlemen,

for fish and chips.

They've survived their first public outing...

but now the big night looms large.

You could feel the magic in the room and I'm so happy.

You know, everybody's there, the group is improving.

It was very sexy, though, the way they did it.

-Oh, yeah.

-What was it?

-Sexy.

-HE LAUGHS

I don't feel anybody's laughing at anybody.

Everybody's been dead sweet and that's helped me as well.

They thought I looked really good and...

Well, obviously, I don't look really good,

but I think for my size, erm...

Dawn's nerves are shaken,

but confidence within the rest of the team is growing.

It's better when you've got a crowd

because you just want to get on with it.

You don't have time to feel nervous, so you just get on with it,

you do it, and it's a good experience.

They've bonded, which is very, very good.

It just doesn't get any better as far as a stepping stone.

I'm... Ooh, I'm thrilled!

Alongside Jack's ballroom beginners on the big night

will be the original dance hall patrons.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd like to look to your right,

raise your right hand and give thanks to the Tower.

They're off on a coach trip to the spiritual home of ballroom.

-We're here!

-Yeah!

When you come to Blackpool, it's all about the sea, the sand,

the rock, the donkey and the dancing.

They'll be jiving on the night

to show Bolton what they've been missing.

They're doing a warm-up on Blackpool pier.

Flick for two...

We're using muscles that we haven't used in that capacity,

for 50-odd years.

I'll be nervous. I think everybody is.

But once the adrenaline gets going,

you're just in your little world of your own.

You don't think about the people around you.

You just think about what you're doing.

We're 70-odd years old and we can still do it, you know.

It's a change more than anything.

It brightens up a boring, lonely existence.

Fabulous, here we go!

You lot look good. Turn, back for three, flick...

Two and two... Lovely!

Yeah, nice.

Good stuff. You've just made me feel a very proud teacher.

Thank you so much.

-Thank you, Jack.

-Thank you.

The veterans are ready to rock and roll

and Flo's even got a thank you for Jack.

THEY LAUGH

-What am I supposed to do with that, Flo?

-I don't know.

-I can show you.

-A wobbly willy?

With dancers old and young now firing on all cylinders,

Jack's showcase to promote partner dancing is on track.

Okey dokey...

But he's not done yet. He wants to raise the stakes even higher.

Can we make a parish circle?

I have been studying the history of that dance hall

and the kind of things that used to go on.

So I learned about a thing called the deep end where couples

used to have a dance-off, particularly in the jive.

They weren't competing, but it was just people really

expressing their love for the music and their love for the dance.

So, I thought, why not have a golden couple?

A couple that might be able to, with the time given,

take on a little bit more of a dance routine on their very own.

That golden couple in the cha-cha-cha group is...

-Scott and Helen.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The cha-cha. Good? Good.

Good, good, good, good.

It's not a competition, it's just I want to step it up a little bit.

It is now!

I can't believe it!

-Can you?

-I can, actually, yeah.

Oh, I don't know why I asked you that sort of question.

I can't believe it. There'd be nothing better for me,

to step out with Scott on the dance floor on our own.

But the last time this pair danced in public, it was a disaster.

Our wedding dance was more of a

drunken fumble along the dance floor.

It was for you! I wasn't drunk at that time. You were, though.

I just adore Scott and Helen.

Their story about their wedding dance...

We have a duty to remedy that, so...

And they're committing, they're encouraging the rest of the group.

How could it not be them?

Now when everybody's watching us, we'll just...

HE HUMS

Scott's on a high.

And a-cha-cha-cha...

But with the big night getting even closer, Dawn isn't so enthusiastic.

Take that frown upside down.

-And turn it into...

-I'm just concentrating.

I don't want concentration. Do you know what? Do you know why?

-I want it to be fun.

-It is!

-Don't over-concentrate, my gorgeous woman.

It's harder than what I thought, if I'm being quite honest.

Yeah, very much.

Dawn's been to almost every rehearsal,

but her confidence is plummeting.

I was really struggling and the lady next to me said I look like

I'm constipated, but that's just because I'm trying to concentrate.

I'm sort of making funny faces.

You've got to be able to walk onto a dance floor,

hopefully on a packed floor, and off you go, cha-cha-cha.

I don't think there's any way I could just get up

and strut my stuff in front of everybody, cos I can't do it.

Maybe this is just that one step too far

for me at the moment.

Jack's not letting Dawn off the hook.

He's taken her to Manchester for a spot of vintage retail therapy.

Today is very much about giving Dawn some confidence,

because she's the most beautiful woman,

but she's very self-conscious about her body image.

She has made a couple of comments about

she hopes she's able to turn up,

so that's slightly daunting.

Look at those eyes.

You have no idea how beautiful you are.

To get on the dance floor being the size I am is very hard.

My confidence is obviously linked to my weight.

I was a little podgy child and maybe that's where it all began.

To get on the floor will take guts,

and in Jack's world it helps to dress the part.

-Are you thinking dress?

-No, no.

-Or are you thinking two-piece?

-No.

Got to be two-piece, Jack. I'd love a dress, but, yeah, yeah, two-piece.

I think just trousers and a top.

Because I tell you one thing, you dance beautifully.

Absolutely...

I... You're never going to believe me, are you?

-SHE LAUGHS

-I don't know what I've got to do in order to...convince you.

She is just a beautiful dancer,

but I'm not having that stand in her way from having a great time.

I'm overweight for somebody who's 53

and supposed to be a movement person, you know. So what?

And if we fear what other people think about our bodies,

and we don't dance...

A life lived in fear is a live half lived.

You've got to get on that floor.

-I will.

-Sorry?

-I will.

-Look me in the eye and say that, then.

-I will, Jack.

-Are you a woman of your word?

-Definitely.

-Yeah.

-Don't talk to me about your bum.

-But it's...

It's not my bum, Jack, it's my belly. But you have done a good job.

Do you know why? Because my belly has been wobbling all over the place

since day one and I've not really bothered.

Great!

-That's genuine.

-Great.

It has wobbled and I see it wobble, but I don't really care

cos I've enjoyed the dancing.

-No, seriously.

-Good. And you're going to wobble

-next Saturday?

-Oh, I'm going to wobble

-next Saturday.

-Yeah?

-And enjoy it.

-Give us a hug. Mwah!

Fabulous.

Bolton's first Palais dancehall night in 50 years is just days away.

This is brill! This is very therapeutic, this.

Across town, Bolton is ballrooming.

One, two, three.

Practising at home...

Work it, girl.

Don't get it wrong!

..dancing in the bakery...

.six, seven, eight.

..and sweating the steps in the studio.

One, two, three...

The first-timers are fired up.

-That's it - it's easy!

-It isn't easy!

-I wouldn't ask you to do it if it was easy!

-Can YOU do that?

Jack has managed to get 150 people ballroom-ready.

-Give a growl - Grrrrrr!

-ALL: Grrrrr!

One, two, three.

But there's still room for one more.

-Have you ever danced arm in arm with a man?

-Well, not in this way, but...

Not in this way? Not in a cha-cha-cha.

Only in a club environment.

A club environment. Freestyle.

Yeah.

-How would you like to dance with a man?

-Well...

Yeah, that would be a thrill.

So will you give me a chance to see if I can't bring

somebody into our group who would be suitable for you to dance with?

I think yes.

-No man would ever dance with a man in that dancehall.

-True.

-Maybe there were some renegades.

-Some rene...! Ha-ha!

Yes, we'll be the Romeo and Romeo of the ball

and I couldn't be more thrilled about it.

I can't wait!

On the big night,

the perfect partnerships will create magic on the dance floor.

Which is why Jack's picked newlyweds Scott and Helen to do a solo spot.

-Can I see what you've done since last time I saw you?

-Yes.

-Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we'd do this one.

-No, this is what we said.

Apologies, apologies.

They've been given an advance cha-cha routine.

Cha-cha-cha, cha-cha-cha.

Jack wants to give it a final polish.

Two, three and a...cha-cha-cha and a cha-cha-cha...

-You're pushing me!

-Cha-cha-cha... Hang on a second. Whoa, whoa.

Don't, while you're dancing, direct each other.

-I will do the directing.

-Will you direct him, Jack,

and tell him that he's pushing me when I'm going backwards?

Well, actually, you went wrong when you were going forward,

-so be very careful - pride before a fall.

-There, see?

-Ah-ah!

-I'm doing the talking now.

-He is still pushing me!

What's going on here?! What is going on here?

-So, you did one cha-cha too many.

-Yeah, I did.

He's not intentionally pulling you.

-You're taking too big a back step.

-Right.

-That's why you pull.

So it's no point you saying, "Stop pulling me, stop pushing me,"

because, actually, he doesn't know why he's doing it.

-I've told him he's taking too big a step.

-You told him?

-Mm.

-OK.

-Getting a bit tense.

-You wouldn't believe the tension this week.

-Really?

-Yeah. Plenty of arguments, plenty of shouting and screaming.

Focus. After "and". And...cha-cha-cha.

Keep the hands low, keep the hands low. One, two, and stop right there.

-Good.

-I'm not saying that...

I'm not saying that I'm perfect or anything,

but you're pushing me and I kept saying, "you're pushing me."

-He didn't that time, did he?

-No, he didn't.

But he isn't pushing you out of the wrong intention.

Well, it feels like it sometimes.

I'll be pushing you out of the door if you carry on like that.

-Whose door?

-That one there. Wait till YOU get on the other end.

Jack hasn't started on YOU yet.

Slightly... Oh, God, the tension is palpable!

-If you are competing with each other...

-We have been.

-You have been.

-Yeah.

-You have to be really...

-I think we have, to be honest.

-I've not! You have from the start.

You being competitive, pushing me, pulling me.

"You don't do it like this." Telling me how to do my moves.

That's what he's been doing.

I think it's just frustration because you keep getting them wrong.

-See what I mean? You can't deal with stupid, can you?

-Oooh!

-Let's not use that word.

-Yeah, that's naughty.

-Why?

-That's below the belt.

Ooh...

-He just won't listen!

-I'm worried I'm charging the wrong rate.

My rates for marriage guidance counselling are something different.

Yeah, I am worried.

Here is what I want you to do, OK,

because otherwise I'm the one that's going to have the domestic.

Don't compete. So he's trying to lead.

Now, you have to give of yourself to your husband,

-otherwise it doesn't work.

-Right. Can I say...

You all have to get the steps right.

You all have to get the rhythm right - that's absolutely fine.

But stop it! And you stop it now.

It's very simple -

if they do not stop competing with each other,

they will sabotage their dance for Saturday night

and no-one will find it attractive, and in not finding it attractive,

I'm not selling social dance, end of.

Cheers.

Two months ago, Jack arrived in Bolton to kick-start his

social dance revival to live up to the 1950s heyday.

Now, after a race to get locals ballroom-ready

and an ambitious restoration, the glitter balls are back.

The dancehall night has finally arrived

and Jack's about to find out if he can get Bolton dancing.

People. Are they going to come?

The ads are out, the posters are at the front of the building.

I need a lot of people to fill this floor!

I have never felt such responsibility in my life.

And I'm nervous. I'm very, very nervous.

So, tonight's the night I find out if I fail or pass.

First to arrive are the original Palais patrons who have been

with Jack every step of the way.

-Oh, it's lovely!

-Oh, it looks fantastic!

For these dancehall veterans, it's like stepping back in time.

-It looks fabulous, don't it?

-It does look gorgeous.

-It looks fabulous.

The dancehall, restored with a quintessential stage backdrop,

romantic velvet drapes, fairytale lighting

and iconic glitter balls, was the setting to their teenage years

when they came here to dance and fall in love.

This is where it all happened for me and Jude, you know.

-And for lots of other people.

-This is why I keep getting upset.

-Have I done you proud?

-ALL: Yes!

Because this is really important.

You lived it. You were here in the '50s. I am really nervous.

Will they have as magical a time

that you have treasured in your hearts?

-ALL: Yeah!

-It's fantastic.

It brings back memories, and my stomach... It's brilliant!

I'm excited!

The grand opening is minutes away.

Jack's cha-cha group has arrived

dressed to the nines for their dance floor debut.

I'm really nervous now. I'm petrified.

My stomach is actually churning. Yeah.

Adding to the pressure is a late addition,

Drew's new dance partner, Mikey.

We've worked hard at learning this dance,

-so I'm very excited.

-I'm constantly going over it in my mind, the dance.

BOTH: Three, two, three, four. Four, two, three, cha-cha-cha!

I want people to dance arm in arm, cheek to cheek,

for the very first time in the Palais de Dance, Bolton, tonight.

Time to see if Jack's efforts to rally the town have paid off.

CHEERING

JACK LAUGHS

Hundreds of them! In you come! Come on in. Lovely to meet you.

Word of Jack's partner dancing revival has spread.

Hundreds of newcomers are here to see if ballroom is for them.

-It's amazing! It's lovely, isn't it?

-It's so glamorous!

We went expecting anything like this.

Amongst them, Jack's invited two important guests,

local nightspot owners who might give a home

to social dancing beyond tonight.

I'm here tonight to see if this kind of event

is feasible for the bar that I own.

I need to see the people dancing,

I need to see them enjoying themselves.

I need to see whether they've really got the feel that they'd

want to come out on a cold Thursday night to dance.

To host their own event, they need proof it works,

so tonight they're sitting in judgment.

Every dance counts.

Welcome to the Palais de Danse, Bolton.

CHEERING

Inspiring Bolton to carry on dancing falls to Jack's ballroom novices.

It's time to cha-cha.

I'm feeling really excited and a little bit scared.

I'm petrified now. Yeah, I'm really nervous.

And now, ladies and gentlemen,

my wonderful group are going to dance for your pleasure...

..a cha-cha-cha.

BAND STRIKES UP

The group has made a slick start.

All eyes are on them and MC Joe has finally found his rhythm.

Yeah, they're tight, they are on it!

But nerves have taken hold of Dawn's dance partner.

Oh...

Alan is losing it.

Dawn quickly pulls it back.

The group is doing Jack proud.

And owning their place on the dance floor are Drew and Mikey.

They must be very nervous - two lads dancing together in a hall

that has never seen two lads dance together before.

BOTH: Cha-cha-cha!

CHEERING

Wahey!

Whoohoo!

-JOE:

-I've really enjoyed this. It's been fantastic. The buzz was there.

-Teamwork, that's what it's all about.

-Thanks, Joe!

-Thank you very much!

-MIKEY:

-I loved it. The feelings inside me was happiness, joy.

You know, I was ecstatic.

It was like before you go on a rollercoaster and then some.

BAND STRIKES UP

One woman determined not to miss out tonight is Margot.

I've no idea who I'm dancing with,

but it would be nice to dance after all the practice I've done.

So she decides to break with tradition and ask a man to dance.

-Is it all right if I dance with your husband?

-Course it is, yes!

-I'm stuck for a partner. Will you be mine?

-I'd be delighted.

-Thank you very much.

-Are you all right?

-Now I'm dancing with you I am, yeah!

-Awww!

After 50 years away,

the original patrons are back to show the joy dancing arm in arm can give.

-FLO:

-It was fantastic! I felt like a young lady again.

Me body didn't, but in me mind it was.

Who wouldn't want to go back in time to visit, you know...your youth?

-MARGOT:

-It was wonderful tonight.

When you get to my time of life you don't expect to have

experiences like that.

-It seemed like we were 16.

-Incredible.

-You can't buy that feeling.

-I never, ever dreamed that it would happen.

And here we are!

MUSIC FINISHES

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-They were just wonderful!

-Brilliant, amazing.

It's a bit like being in the movies here this evening,

it really, really is.

So it's to take people into another world, a fantasy world.

The reality of the revival relies on newcomers taking part.

But can a night where booze is swapped for a brew

appeal to a young crowd?

We felt like we were in the 1950s and in that era.

It's a very traditional sort of dance,

something that is in our history,

rather than going out for a night out in sort of Bolton or Manchester.

I don't think young people would just get up and have a dance.

I think they need alcohol to give them that confidence.

It's not over, that's part one.

CHEERING

Now Jack will play his trump card.

After rocky rehearsals, husband and wife must put on a united front.

Here we go!

They're about to find out what it's like to dance solo...

in front of 400 people.

And Jack is a little bit nervous.

BAND STRIKES UP

She always loses the rhythm. Cha-cha-cha, two three, cha-cha-cha.

She's done it! Yeah!

Cha-cha-cha!

Bam, bam, cha-cha-cha. Good girl!

Cha-cha-cha, cha-cha-cha.

-They're looking at each other nicely, aren't they?

-Yeah!

-Check YOU out!

-Yeah, they're talking to each other.

Ready?

-Who do you think wears the trousers in that house, Phil?

-Well...

MUSIC FINISHES

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

That were absolutely fantastic! I'm on such a high at t'moment! Oh!

-I just...

-Grrr!

-Grrr!

-HE LAUGHS

Jack's newbies have all strutted their stuff. Now it's crunch time.

The locals are tucking in to the Palais pies.

But will the sober crowd get on their feet and hit the dance floor?

And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is your turn.

I'm going to teach you a very simple,

very, very simple dance, called the Wild Wild West.

It's a fun dance.

Get on the floor. If you haven't danced, get down here now.

Nightclub owners...

And I'll teach you the steps first of all.

We need an acid test.

If we can get real newcomers on the floor, that will prove,

categorically, that dancehalls are alive

and well again in the 21st century.

Right, here we go! Let's take it away!

Come and join us, everybody.

You lot are coming down!

Everyone shone this evening. But also the buzz, the electricity!

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

-It really is fantastic!

-It's all very impressive.

Fantastic feel in the room, as well.

They've done a tremendous job. It's a lovely atmosphere.

It's ticked a lot of boxes.

But the big box it hasn't ticked is what do we do next?

I'm actually chuffed to bits with myself

and I feel that I've come out of my big shell.

I was nervous but not self-conscious.

So for me it's been an amazing journey,

just brought about by dance.

I hope that it does continue for the younger generation.

Dancing with a boy is lovely, and talk - it's lovely!

And they're missing out on all that, you know.

I would love nothing more than to come back here in a year's time

and know that the majority of these people that we've taught

are still dancing.

MUSIC FINISHES, CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Don't start arguing and showing off.

Are you ready? Cha-cha-cha...

INDISTINCT RAP

WHOOPING

Ah, one, two, three, four, five...