JUNE 2026 NEWSLETTER
Here is our fifth newsletter for 2026.
Information below on:
2026 Regular Socials
Dancer Levels - From Kate Simpkin (NSW) Edited for local relavence
LDSA Travel - Future Holiday Destinations
See you on the dance floor,
Liz & Peter Heath and the Instructor Team
2026 Regular Socials
Socials are an integral part of our line dance organisation. They provide an opportunity for our dancers to test out their knowledge and skills, check out their options to stretch themselves in a higher level, and meet other members of our community from different regional areas.
The price for the socials has been $15 since January 2019. I think it is time to raise the social prices from July 2026. Subsequent socials will be $18 per person.
The social dates for this year are:
Sunday 14th June 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Sunday 12th July 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Sunday 16th August 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Sunday 20th September 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Sunday 25th October 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Sunday 29th November 1:30pm to 5:00pm
The Address is: West Croydon and Kilkenny RSL, 19 Rosetta St, West Croydon.
Dancing starts at 1.30pm and concludes at 5pm at a cost of $18 (cash only). The program is run by request, and everyone gets a request form when they enter, to nominate 5 dances they would like to do. We try to ensure that you get at least one of those, but we only do about 5 level 6+ dances during the session, so don't just ask for really hard ones (or lots of unusual ones), or you could miss out altogether.
We have a break about half way through, where we share a combined afternoon tea for 20 minutes. Please bring a small plate of food to share with your fellow dancers. Also bring a coffee cup if you wish to take advantage of the free tea and coffee provided. We will have minimal fridge space, and a pie warmer, but no oven, so please don’t bring food that needs cooking or defrosting. We feel this is good way to assist people to mix and chat. Doors will open 30 minutes before the starting time.
Dancer Levels
Introductory Note from Peter:
In LDSA we have a unique measuring system for classes and choreography levels that has been carefully developed over 23 years. This article has been written referring to level systems outside of our organisation, so I have added some references to tie it into what you find in our classes. Everyone else uses gut feel to determine the level of a dance which is very unreliable and often very unrealistic.
We use class level names that do not imply that everyone intends to become an advanced dancer. People will find a level that suits their ability and their ambition, and will often stay at that level during their whole line dance life. To call a dancer of 10+ years a beginner, improver or even intermediate dancer implies that they are not yet a competent dancer, which is very condescending and unfair.
Nevertheless, the article has some interesting information. So, on to the article:
With Packed Dance Floors and a lot of excited Dancers please choose the right Line Dance Class Level …
One of the most important things when starting line dancing is making sure you’re in the class that best suits your ability.
Sometimes a dance can look easy when you’re watching from the sidelines, but once you step onto the floor you quickly realise there is much more going on than meets the eye. Choosing the correct level will help you enjoy your dancing journey and build confidence along the way.
👣 First Time Dancers (Level 1 & 2 Choreography - Easy Level)
A fantastic place to start!
Keep in mind that if you join a class that has already been running for a while, other dancers may already know the basics. Don’t be discouraged — they were beginners once too!
Starting from day one gives you the opportunity to learn:
* Basic footwork
* Step terminology and callings
* Weight changes
* Vee Steps
* Vines
* Walks and kicks
* Kay Steps
* Quarter turns
* Rhythm and timing
This level is all about building strong foundations.
⭐ Beginner (Level 3 Choreography - Easy Level)
Congratulations! You’ve made it through the First Time Dancer stage and you’re loving it.
Now it’s time to expand your skills and learn:
* Triples
* Jazz Boxes
* Basketball Turns
* Rocking Chair steps
* Vine Family
* Heel Struts
* Toe Struts
* More turns and direction changes
* Better floor awareness
At this level, you’re becoming more confident and starting to recognise common step patterns.
🤠 Upper Beginner (Level 4 Choreography - Transition Level)
This is where things start getting exciting!
You’ll now be combining many of the steps you’ve already learned while introducing:
* More complex turn combinations
* Syncopated steps
* Restarts
* Tags (LDSA = Bridges/Substitutions etc)
* Different rhythms and timings
* Faster dances
* Longer dance sequences
Your confidence grows, and you’ll find yourself dancing without watching others quite as much.
🌟 Improver (Level 5 Choreography - Mainstream Level)
An Improver dancer has a solid understanding of line dance terminology and can pick up new dances more quickly.
You’ll be learning:
* More intricate choreography
* Multiple restarts and tags
* Faster pace dances
* Directional changes
* Different music styles
* More challenging timing patterns
This is often where dancers really start to find their own style.
🔥 Intermediate (Level 6 & 7 Choreography - Crossover Level then Challenge Level)
Now we’re stepping things up!
Intermediate dancers are comfortable with:
* Complex choreography
* Numerous restarts and tags (LDSA = Bridges/Substitutions etc)
* Syncopation
* Advanced timing changes
* Faster teaching pace
* Longer dance structures
* Greater dance memory requirements
At this level, you’re expected to know and understand most line dance terminology.
⭐ Advanced (Level 8, 9 and 10 Choreography - Challenge Level)
Advanced dancers enjoy challenging choreography and learning dances quickly.
These dances may include:
* Complex footwork
* Multiple direction changes
* Advanced timing variations
* Challenging tags and restarts (LDSA = Bridges/Substitutions etc)
* High dance memory requirements
* Intricate choreography
❤️ Remember…
There is absolutely no rush to move up levels.
The best dancers are not always the ones who move up the quickest — they’re the ones who build strong foundations and enjoy the journey.
Choose the class that challenges you, but doesn’t overwhelm you.
After all, line dancing is meant to be fun! 🤠💃🕺
Learn at your own pace, enjoy every step, and remember… every great dancer was once a first-time dancer.
LDSA Travel - Future Holiday Destinations
So, our recent travel experience is complete, and we are starting to firm up our 2027 adventure.
It is based around a cruise from Athens to Rome via the Adriatic Sea, including visits to: Kotor (Montenegro), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Split (Croatia), Venice (Chioggia Italy), Šibenik (Croatia), Bari (Italy), Crotone (Italy), Messina (Sicily Italy), Naples (Italy Including Pompeii visit). We will be doing a 4 day land tour of Greece prior to the cruise, and 2 days touring in Rome after the cruise, before we spend 7 days on the islands of Malta (maybe with a Balloon flight) then return home. We will be cruising with Viking again, as it is a smaller ship that can get closer to the destinations (especially Venice where we will be for 3 days), without kids or casinos. We have used them twice, and their quality and attention to detail is impeccable.
After that trip, we have a number of options for subsequent years, and none are locked down. I would like to gather suggestions or expressions of interest from anyone that may like to join us, if the offering interests them. We don't revisit destinations that we have covered over our 20+ years of travel, so here are some places we haven't been and would like to visit (actual itineraries are not available or even scoped out yet, these are just concepts at the moment):
Scandinavian Sea Cruise with Finland (Northern Lights) before and Switzerland after (or Iceland instead?)
Indian Brahmaputra River Cruise (including some land to Taj Mahal, Delhi, etc) with Sri Lanka before and possibly Myanmar (Burma) or Nepal after
Alaska Cruise with Rocky Mountaineer Train Trip in Canada before and maybe Northern USA (Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon etc) after
African Safari to Kenya and Uganda with Madagascar before and Reunion after
Western Mediterranean Cruise (Rome to Lisbon) with Doha (Qatar) before and Marrakesh (Morocco) after
Land/Sea tour of Indonesia and the Philippines including Resort stays
Relocation Cruise from Hawaii to Sydney via Tahiti and New Zealand with Hawaii before
Please respond if any of these suggestions interest you. We plan to be doing them all at some stage, but can only do groups if there is sufficient interest.
The advantages of our group tours are:
Peter does all the work making arrangements, converting currency, organising catch ups, modifying itineraries, etc
We use a reputable Travel Agent who we have had a very long and wonderful relationship with.
We have a reputation over 20 years in providing exiting and customised group tours to many varied destinations
We maximise the experiences in the limited time we have in the destinations. You will never see "a day off to relax in your room" in one of our itineraries. We assume you are there to absorb the destination and maximise your value for your travel money.
By having our own itinerary, (own guide and driver when applicable for land tours), we can modify the itinerary "on the fly" if the majority of travellers are "templed out", "castled out" or "beached out", and find an alternative attraction to replace "just another.temple/castle/beach etc"..
We share the cost of the driver, guide etc, to make it more affordable for all and safer than not having one.
