I have often been asked what my strengths and weaknesses are. Something I never really thought of till when I was diagnosed neurodiverse around three years ago.
To be honest it was something I never really thought of. I just accepted the fact that there were somethings I was more than comfortable with than others. Such is life.
For example, like when I was 17, dancing in front of 3 and half thousand people at places like Blackpool’s Winter Gardens or London’s Royal Albert Hall, doing stand-up at places like Edinburgh’s Kings Theatre
Then there were the things I knew I had stunk at that people took in their stride, like English. This is ironic considering I am sitting here, typing this up, and will soon be returning to adding more words to my next book (No. 6) later today.
I never really knew why that was until I had that chat with the medical pros back in 2021. Then everything started to make sense.
Looking at the characteristics of someone who is neurodiverse, I appeared to tick a number of those boxes, the good stuff and the bad.
I realise that trying to be creative, performing, and being the best person, I can be, have always been my main strengths.
I might not get them right, but I always have fun trying. If people liked what I did, no one would be more pleased than me. But primarily, I do it for myself
As for the weakness, let’s say that remains a work in progress. People have often said that spell check is my “best friend”. I can see why they say that, but as I would often say “Nobody’s prefect.”
I love getting in front of large audiences, whether it is performing or doing presentations. I had been away from it for a good few years after my final years at Butlins, despite doing 10 years of stand-up.
But when you work in a regular 9-5 job, it can be an easy thing to forget as your main goal in life is to survive.
Then when Community Radio and my Butlins Family came into my life it did not take long for those feelings to return.
And I do not want it to stop despite what my dad would often describe as “being over 21”. Thanks to being around my Butlins Family, at the reunions, the opportunity is always there, getting up on stage, sing, take part in charity shows, etc.
Much of the shows we did were pre-planned, rehearsals were overnight, sometimes we had to improvise, which was not a new thing, but we coped, thanks to our old Butlins training.
One memorable example was our performance at the Hunters Quay, Holiday Park where we truly combined our creative and performing skills.
It was a proud moment for me when I took part in helping develop that show, sketch ideas for the opening segment, running orders, and seeing them develop into a finished product on stage.
Nowadays, I continue to seek new creative and performing challenges in writing and broadcasting, but last week I was faced with a new and biggest challenge that I have not faced in over 40 years, rediscovering my choreographic brain.
During my days with the Scotland Latin Team, my brother and I were asked to come up with a Latin-style routine for a production of “Guys and Dolls” by the Oracle Theatre of Youth.
I always like to be honest with myself when it comes to critiquing dance routines, as my Facebook friends know that usually happens when Strictly is on.
So, when it came to marks for our first attempt at choreography, it was not a “Ten from Len” more like a moody Craig Revel Horwood level!
But that is not a new thing for me. When we were entering our second season at Butlins, my good lady wanted to brush up on her ballroom dancing skills by attending a local dance class.
I would often go with her in support and watch the teacher showing the moves, and one thought would often come into my head. “They are doing it wrong.”
Arguing with dance teachers and partners was a regular occurrence for me that maybe might be the reason why I did not enjoy taking part in dance competitions, even though I did have some successful moments, usually with the same partner during those latter years.
I remember when it came to arguments, those final years were the most productive. Even though I enjoyed the performing side, it made me want to become less involved with competitions.
When I returned to dancing with the Formation Team for bigger competitions, TV, demos etc, I never once argued with my Partners, especially as I was the “baby” of the group. I wouldn’t dare.
But I loved the challenges, performing on a bigger stage, and how as a team everybody supported each other.
This became even more clear during my time at Butlins and especially when organising events with my Butlins Family. Whoever is in front, the one thing you are sure of is support from others.
And with my Wife going to her dance classes every week, I knew that as someone who was billed as “the dancer in the family,” I had to support her in what she was doing.
She can learn routines, but it is difficult to instil belief when you turn up for an hour-long lesson each week. I did not know how to do that, that was until she suggested a way for me to “put my money where my mouth was.”
My days of competing are well and truly over, but the idea of doing quality dance routines at places like Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom would be such an amazing thing.
After all, when it came to dancing and my life, everything changed there. It would be like things going in full circle.
We tried that for ten minutes when we went down there for my 60th birthday last year where we just dumped our cases in the hotel and legged it to the Ballroom before it shut.
Not even sequence dancers were going to spoil this moment. But you can see by the look on our faces, we were too knackered to enjoy it.
So, the next dance floor we hit, everything must be better planned.
The main challenge for me is that teaching your wife to dance is on a similar par on teaching her to drive.
You may be more experienced, but you must do things in the most diplomatic way possible to avoid any arguments.
That is not an easy thing to do in your front room. Then we found a nearby dance studio that was not getting used enough
I was convinced that when I did my last performance with the dance team in 1981, I thought that I had closed the chapter of turning up for dancing rehearsals, but I was starting to feel the effects of becoming of a certain vintage, being over 21 ++++.
I was experiencing tendon and muscle issues, which were affecting me carrying things, balance (something I used to thrive at), and even something simple as walking.
The medics had no idea what the cause was, but all agreed on the need for more exercise. I could not go to the gym, walking to the train station every morning would only do so much.
There was only one choice, to get my dancing shoes back on and rediscover my choreographic brain, in the hope that it was more productive than our earlier efforts.
Then last week to get into the frame of mind I got myself a pair of patent leather shoes, and during that shopping, I met up with a former dancing partner from the dance team and her husband. I had not seen in over 40 years.
That was a shock to the system, but in a very satisfying way.
Suddenly I found myself buying into the idea of teaching my wife dance routines, it would not be the same as the stuff she did on a Monday night, but I wanted them to be as such that she would walk off the dance floor where she had done well and even more so enjoyed it.
During the next seven days, I found myself swotting up on the latest techniques and steps looking at old Strictly videos, trying to work out routines that looked good and felt good. I had my high-end Bluetooth speaker and when we were dancing a waltz in an empty dance studio to Debbie Boone’s “You Light up My Life” (it had to be that one) I was starting to experience something new on the dance floor.
We were doing steps and drills that convinced me that we were going to put together something special. And we did not argue once (that is worth a virtual high five.)
There was perspiration and sweat during the two hours that we were in there. My wife did the perspiring, and I was sweating. There were aching muscles as well, but that is something that is a work in progress.
In my case, a lot of work!
Every day, it can be challenging to keep my balance when I get off my seat and I am still plagued by cramps and muscular pain which eases off as I get myself moving. There can sometimes be a lack of power, but that is me all over.
So that tells me that there is only one thing to do.
KEEP DANCING!!!!!!