ANYONE who thinks they have two left feet and can’t dance needs to think again.

That’s the message from Jenny Marks and Noel Herman, who run The Barn, a ballroom and Latin dance school in Wanborough.

With the new series of Strictly Come Dancing well under way, more and more people are taking to the dance floor to try out some of the moves they have seen their favourite celebrities tackling on the Saturday night show.

As the Adver’s resident Strictly fan, it fell to me to don my dancing shoes and take to the floor under Jenny and Noel’s tuition.

I didn’t take dance lessons as a child so, apart from hitting the dance floor during nights out on the town, the only dancing experience I have is from watching hours of Strictly and listening to the judges’ comments.

Having always imagined myself taking to dances such as the waltz, quickstep and paso doble like a duck to water I was a bit hesitant as I walked through the doors of dance school in The Marsh, which has been open for nearly two years.

My illusions were in danger of being shattered.

But the pair, who have danced together for 18 years, immediately put you at ease and say that it doesn’t matter how long it takes pupils to pick up the steps – they’ll be with them every step of the way.

“Everybody can dance,” said Jenny, who started ballroom dancing as a child.

“A lot of people say they’ve been told they have no rhythm or have two left feet and it’s just not true. If they come along to us we’ll prove it to them.

“We have students of all ages and from all walks of life. One of our pupils is 83 and he has just taken his first exam, “I have another pupil who was learning the basics of the quickstep for two years.

“As long as people are enjoying it and having fun that is the main thing.”

We started out with the quickstep – although as I am a complete beginner we started out at more of a slow to medium step. With Jenny talking me through the steps and Noel leading I soon picked up the basics.

I have developed a new found respect for the celebrities though, as trying to keep a smile plastered on your face as you try and remember whether you are about to step forward with your left or right is tougher than it looks.

Next it was time for a spot of Latin with the cha cha, followed by the Argentine tango.

As someone who has always wanted to don a feathered frock and be twirled around the dance floor it was great (and being given 8.5 out of 10 for my efforts was music to my ears) but there are plenty of reasons to grab your partner, even if dancing isn’t your thing.

“It’s gentle exercise and is really good for your heart,” said Jenny.

“I’ve had a bad back most of my life and dancing really helps – so saying you can’t do it for that reason is no excuse.

“It is also a really good way to de-stress. We have students come along and after their lesson they comment on how stressed they had been before they came in but how relaxed they feel after. Dancing is fun and it’s good for you.”

For details of classes call 07896 294945 or 07989 949705 or visit www.ballroom and latinschoolofdanceinthebarn.co.uk You can see our video of Stephanie’s attempts to set the dance floor alight at swindon advertiser.co.uk/ video