Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS

Subject: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Flash Company
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 10:26 AM

I have checked the date, no it isn't April Fools Day, so it must be true, God help us.
Department of Health has apparently announced that Dancing Lessons are to be available on prescription on the NHS for obese patients. Yes folks, the same NHS that can't afford to treat Alzheimers patients.
I'd start you off, but I've lost my dancing shoes!
Go For It!

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 10:37 AM

Is it that you've lost them or you just can't remember where they are?!

The NHS did 'excercise on prescription' about 8 years back. I was encouraged to go, being (as they thought then) asthmatic. I went at a reduced rate to my local gym for 4 hours a week and put on almost a stone in weight. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make her get on the cycle machine or stop eating baked potatoes! I stopped going and immediately lost 14lbs and saved £10 a week. Ain't enough sequined net in the world would get me up on a dance floor!

Obviously someone has decided that with this recent interest in Strictly Come Dancing with Celebrity Non-Entities, the tubbies of the world might want to get involved and get a little thinner thus taking the strain off the NHS.

The reasoning behind it is there are more tubby people who, by getting thin, would take some strain off the NHS and live long enough to pay back with National Insurance contributions than there are people with Alzheimers who are going to be nothing but a strain on the service now that they are ill.

Trouble is.... Those with Alzheimers are more likely to have paid contributions all their working lives and can rightly expect something back, whereas the tubbier ones who need to be prescribed excercise rather than just doing it are least likely to have paid much in NI.

Either that or they think we're penguins.

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Flash Company
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 04:50 AM

Not so much forgotten where they are as never had them in the first place, Liz. Sheila greatest despair is that, having married late in life as we did, she walked down the aisle thinking 'At last, a dancing partner of my own!' She had neglected to discover during our courtship that I had two left feet.
Strange thing is, my Grandad on Mum's side of the family was a Morris dancer and Dad was a really good Ballroom dancer. I don't seem to have inherited the gift from anyone.
Take your point about the wierd correlation between exercise and weight, since retiring, I eat far more healthily, drink less, and guess what, I've put on a stone!

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 06:12 AM

from ABC Radio National website

..............
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2006/1748081.htm

What activity can you do that allows you to gaze into the eyes of someone new every thirty seconds, aids in the prevention of dementia and makes you feel the thrill of being on an amusement park ride all at the same time?

Answer - Contra Dance. Our Meet the Listener guest Julie Bishop is here to take us into the whirl of Traditional Social Dancing.
..............

Unfortuntely our health authorities do not pay for it! But recent research showed dancing aids in the prevention of dementia, so my friend Julie put her bit in for traditional dancing!

And equally unfortunatley, I can't find any link for listening.

sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 07:10 AM

"neglected to discover during our courtship that I had two left feet.
Strange thing is, my Grandad on Mum's side of the family was a Morris dancer and Dad was a really good Ballroom dancer. I don't seem to have inherited the gift from anyone."

Aha! Mystery solved.

You have one Morris dancing left foot from your Grandad on Mum's side of the family, and one Ballroom dancing left foot from your Dad...

:-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: GUEST, ...
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 07:39 AM

A quick courtship was it, if you managed to get her down the aisle before you'd been to a dance with her? And might she have thought better of it if she'd found out in time?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 07:40 AM

Unfortunately today, according to the news previews (Strange that news programmes these days don't actually tell us what has happened in the world, they predict what the politicians are going to say in their speech later the same day), Tony Blair is about to announce that he plans to "Improve" the NHS by closing hospitals and emergency departments.
It looks like we are being trained up to dance on the grave of the National Health Service.


I danced for the midwife on the day I arrived,
And I danced in my cot just to prove I was alive.
I danced in my nappy, and I felt all right.
I couldn't get to sleep, so I danced all night.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 07:52 AM

It's the Drugs mate!

Quack!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Flash Company
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 10:56 AM

Foolestroupe, Never thought of that! I've got a left foot called Morris and the other one is all ba...
Geoff, like that, I thought of Lord of the Dance but was trying too hard to make it fit the news item. Never heard what you do in a nappy called dancing before! LOL.

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: SINSULL
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 11:09 AM

Richard Simmons has been promoting this concept for decades now.
I just don't see myself jumping around with my boobs out of control.Downright dangerous.
M

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 11:21 AM

Doesn't fit the news item other than I was an NHS baby. And NHS is Cradle to Grave. I just thought we were in danger of the BS line if we didn't actually produce a verse for a song challenge.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 01:55 PM

We waltz across the ballroom floor,
my dancing partner and I.
She tells me she had cancer,
And is destined soon to die.

There are some drugs available,
But none that she can take.
The drugs would help her live for years,
But Oh for heavens sake....

No money is available,
For drugs to save her life.
The Doctors all have told her this,
Such Governmental strife.

But here we are at the ballroom,
The NHS paid the fee.
Just does not seem fair somehow,
Surely they can see!!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Flash Company
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 05:07 AM

Oh I like that Georgiansilver!
Suddenly thought of this over breakfast:-

Noo me little Jackie,
Tony's banned me baccy,
The governments gone wacky, here's the latest scheme,
Dance for thee Nanny,
Dance for thee Nanny,
Dance for thee Nanny, for thee Nanny-state,
If you want you can go
To our latest quango
You can learn to tango while the ship goes down!

Patricia Hewitt's coming,
She's a canny women,
She can sell ward closures as better deals for all,
Dance to thee Nanny,
Dance to thee Nanny,
Dance to thee Nanny , to thee Nanny-state
If your luck you're chancin'
You can learn break dancin'
Try some body-popping while the ship goes down.

If you find your waistcoat's
Tighter than John Prescotts,
Dancing on prescription's just the thing for you
Dance to thee Nanny,
Dance to thee Nanny,
Dance to thee Nanny to thee Nanny-state,
You can learn the Gavotte,
Palais glide or fox trot,
Dance wi' the devil till the ship goes down!

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 05:34 AM

LOL I like that too....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 07:50 AM

good songs here, congratulations all around

sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Linda Goodman Zebooker
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 02:23 AM

Completely in agreement with what Sandra said, up above. A couple of years ago, the night before a folk festival in Maryland, I was looking to see if there was anything that needed help with, and I accidentally discovered the local Contra Dance. This is at a place called "Glen Echo", and it's now run by the National Park Service.

Contra dance is immense fun. There is a live band. You wear a "Beginner" button the first few times; this means really good dancers ask you to dance, to help you learn. You are literally taken into the bosom of the group and swept up. It's fantasic excercise, as all pain is forgotten while you are dancing. It burns calories like crazy, (as long as you can stay away from the gelatto stand next door).

Glen Echo is an amazing fairy-tale place to dance. It started out as a Chautauqua (a playground for the mind), then became a real amusement park. Now is an artistic sort of place. It still has a real carousel with a Wurlitzer organ complete with horns, drums, glock and cymbals. Contra and other dances are held either in the glamorous restored Spanish Ballroom, or in the Bumper Car pavilion -which has been turned into a dance hall. The dance halls have no heat or air conditioning. Besides contras and squares, each evening there are several waltzes and Scandinavian dances like Hambo.
-------------------

So, here's my song. This is the first time I'm doing a Mudcat Song challenge. It fits the theme of our upcoming Open Sing, too. Whee!

Out on the floor on an evening so steamy
I gaze in the eyes of a partner so dreamy
I've worked hard enough -- now let's get an ice creamy
Dancing the waltz at Glen Echo

Sparkly and twinkly, our skirts they are swirling
Gracefully dancers are whirling and twirling
I'm getting so dizzy I just feel like ........... singing
Dancing the waltz at Glen Echo

I've got pains in my knees and an ache in my shoulder
But I'm learning - I'm growing, I'm getting much bolder!
I'll take a hot tub-bath when this night is over...
Dancing the waltz at Glen Echo-

Oh I'm dancing the waltz at Glen Echo

(top lines have a little subconcious borrow from Grey's Anatomy tv show)
-----------------------
I actually think this dancing is very therapeutic, but as far as it's being paid by health insurance, I don't know. Since these dances are held at a National Park (the Park Ranger dances too) the government is in there somewhere! But you can contra dance for free, in exchange for volunteering to take tickets another time, or if you volunteer as a Sweeper to clean the dance floor afterwards using the big fluffy push-mops (MORE exercise!). There are also Fellowships available for the asking.

My mother took up ballroom dancing in middle age, lost about 30 pounds, & cut WAY down on smoking. It certainly added at least 10 healthy years to her life. Not only do you burn calories dancing, and do all kinds of good things for your heart and lungs, but then you also want to buy pretty sparkly skirts and look reasonably good in them, so it all helps.

PS Having had the pleaure of meeting Geoff and Mrs Duck and their flock at the Getaway, I can well imagine those children as babies dancing all night in their nappies! Good song, Geoff.

Linda Goodman

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Flash Company
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 09:31 AM

Hi Linda, nice one! I've got an ache in my shoulder too, but probably only from all the one handed typing at my time of life.
Sudden thought, Joyce Grenfell's 'As Stately as two Galleons' could come into it's own here. Look it up, cats.

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song Challenge: Dancing on the NHS
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 09 Dec 06 - 03:59 AM

Joyce Grenfell was a wonderful performer.

I often recall her line from "As Stately as Two galleons" about 2 ladies dancing bosom to bosom when I watch dancers at our Bush Dances & costume Balls. Bob (Bolton) has a picture of wonderfully costumed dncers on the front cover of the latest 'Mulga Wire" - one couple is dancing bsoom to bosom.

congratulations on your song, Linda & keep on dancing till the aches go away or you get sooooo old that the aches come back!

I used to dance for a while til my aches got so bad that now I just collect the money at our local dance, and take lotsa' pics of costumed dancers at Festivals. I love to see their dresses swirl round.

sound sample from "And When they Dance (their dresses swirl round)"

sandra