Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC May 2026 Newsletter

Hello and welcome to our May 2026 Newsletter,
This newsletter will update you on all things Keep Dancing.

Your continued support choosing to keep dancing with us every week is greatly appreciated.
Should you ever have feedback about a piece of music or particular dance please always do get in touch.

• In this month’s Newsletter:
• – Keep Dancing May 2026 💃
• – Dates for your Diary 📆
• – Launch of New Symptoms Group for Older Adults
• – Keep Dancing for Carers meet Blossom the Bull!
• – Upcoming Trips🖼️
• – Together in Time – Dementia Friendly Tea Dance 🫖
• – Moor Pool Hall Skittles Club 🎳
• – Daylight Discos 2026 🪩
• – Keep Dancing Greatest Hits Ballet Barre Update 🩰
• – Website Booking Update – Thank You for Your Feedback💻
• – Payment Details for Keep Dancing classes 💳
• – Friends First 🫂
• – Could you be a hidden carer? 👥
• – Resources for Carers 💗
• – Throwback Thursday – 1979 🎆
• – Mental Health Support 🧠
• – Keeping In Touch 📧
• – Wish You Were Here May 2026 ✈️🌍
• – Keep Active – activities near you 🎨🎭🥋
• – NEW DANCER discounts 🕺
• – Dates for your diary 📆
• – EasyFundraising 💸
• – Benefits of Greek Dancing for your Physical and Mental Health 🪭
• – June’s Keep Dancing Dances 🎩

Keep Dancing May 2026!

Keep Dancing May 2026 was all about Cha Cha Cha and Greek Dancing

Fancy having a boogie at home to May 2026’s Keep Dancing playlist? Or perhaps you fancy that extra bit of practice on certain moves?

Follow the link here to be taken to April 2026 songs on the playlist!

Dates for your diary 📆

Keep Dancing for Carers Shenley Court will not run Tuesday 2nd June or Tuesday 9th June
Keep Dancing for Carers Online will not run Tuesday 9th June

Launch of New Symptoms Group for Older Adults

We are pleased to share the launch of a new Symptoms Group for older adults, running at Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church and delivered by Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC.

This programme brings together The BodyMind Approach® (TBMA), dance movement and creative arts to support people aged 60+ living with unexplained symptoms, persistent pain, or long-term health conditions.

The 12-week group offers a safe and supportive space where participants can explore the connection between body and mind through gentle movement, creative expression, and guided reflection. The aim is to help individuals better understand their symptoms, reduce isolation, and develop practical ways to support themselves to self-manage their health and wellbeing.

We are especially pleased to see this work come to life following completion of The BodyMind Approach training, and to be able to bring these approaches into community-based practice.

📍 Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church
📅 Starting July

💛 With thanks to funding from the Vinehill Trust

For more information, please contact Faye at hello@xpress-yourself.co.uk

Keep Dancing for Carers meet Blossom the Bull!

Our Keep Dancing carers’ cohort at Shenley Court Hall all had their photo taken with Blossom the bull after class. Shenley Court Hall, part of Bournville Village Trust, hosts regular events that bring the community together and support connection and wellbeing.

As part of Birmingham’s Wild in Art summer trail in support of Birmingham Hospice, Blossom is one of the decorated sculptures featured across the city. Her design celebrates the things people love most about where they live, reflecting local stories, places, and shared memories.

It was a joyful moment for the group, capturing community spirit, creativity, and togetherness at the heart of the project.

Upcoming Trips 🖼️

Exciting news, we have some amazing upcoming trips planned for the Birmingham Community Welcome Pass:

Please note that places are limited, so each attendee must book and pay individually. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer refunds or transfers. If you book a place and can no longer attend, please let us know as soon as possible. The £1.50 per person fee helps cover the administrative costs of organising these trips.

Tuesday 30th June – Museum Collection Centre (MCC) 25 Dollman St, Birmingham B7 4RQ
Time: 2:00pm
Capacity: 14 people

You can book your space here: Trip To Museum Collection Centre

Friday 31st July – Thinktank Museum Millennium Point, Curzon St, Birmingham B4 7XG
Meet at: 10:30am
Capacity: 27 people (grandchildren are welcome)

You can book your space here ThinkTank Science Museum

Friday 7th August – Museum of the Jewellery Quarter 75-80 Vyse St, Birmingham B18 6HA
Time: 2:00pm
Capacity: 12 people

You can book your space here Trip to Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

Together in Time Dementia Friendly Tea Dance 🫖

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our heart-warming dementia friendly tea dance on Monday 20th April, it was an afternoon filled with music, laughter, and friendship. This inclusive event welcomes people living with dementia, their carers, family, and friends to enjoy gentle dancing, live music, and a delicious afternoon tea in a relaxed and supportive setting.

Here are some lovely pictures from the event:

Our dementia friendly tea dance offers the perfect opportunity to share smiles, create lasting memories, and celebrate the joy of dancing together. Whether you love to dance or simply enjoy socializing over tea, everyone is welcome to experience this joyful, community-focused event.

This event is FREE thanks to generous funding from Birmingham City Council and Edgbaston NNS.

Join us at our next Together in Time Tea Dance on Monday, 29th June, 2 pm-4 pm. You can book your space here Together in Time – Dementia Friendly Tea Dance – 29/6/2026 – Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC

We can’t wait to dance with you!

Moor Pool Hall Skittles Club 🎳

Do you fancy joining a new club and meeting new people on your Monday evenings?

Why not go along to the Moor Pool Hall Skittles club! Your first two sessions are free!

Daylight Discos 2026 🪩🕺

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Daylight Disco on Friday, 22nd of May! It truly felt like a wonderful afternoon filled with dancing, community, and fun. Here are some photos from the day!

📅 Our Next Event Date: Friday 19th June 2026
⏰ Time: 2:00 – 4:30 pm
📍 Venue: St Giles Church, 149 Church Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, B26 3TT

You can book your space here Daylight Disco – Friday 19th June 2026 | Sheldon, Birmingham Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC

If you have any song requests for the next Disco please email Amelia at admin@xpress-yourself.co.uk

Thanks to generous funding from Yardley NNS, this event is FREE to attend so grab your friends, family and neighbours and boogie on down!. 🥳
☕ Refreshments will be provided, and please note this is a sober event.

We are holding Daylight Discos on : Friday 19th June 2026 (2pm-4:30pm), Friday 10th July 2026 (2pm-4:30pm) and Friday 25th September 2026 (2pm-4:30pm). Friday 17th October 2026 (2pm-4:30pm)

Come and enjoy an afternoon full of music, movement, and joy – we’d love to see you there!

Keep Dancing Greatest Hits Ballet Barre Update 🩰

In March, the Greatest Hits program included a ballet barre. We tested it in January, and it was so popular that we made it a regular feature, as well as an opportunity to recap dances learnt in keep dancing classes from the previous month.

Some benefits of ballet barre include

🩰 1. Improves Balance & Stability
Barre exercises strengthen stabilizing muscles and improve coordination, helping reduce the risk of falls.
💪 2. Builds Strength Without Impact
Low-impact, controlled movements strengthen legs, hips, and core without stressing the joints.
🦴 3. Supports Joint Health
Gentle range-of-motion exercises keep joints mobile and may ease stiffness from arthritis.
🧍 4. Enhances Posture
Barre emphasizes alignment, helping improve posture and reduce back discomfort.
❤️ 5. Boosts Circulation & Energy
Light cardio elements improve blood flow and increase overall vitality.
🧠 6. Engages the Mind
Learning movement patterns supports memory, focus, and coordination.

Other benefits include

1. Convenience & Flexibility
Join from home — no commute, no parking, and easy to fit into your schedule.
🏠 2. Comfort & Privacy
Dance in your own space, which can feel less intimidating and more relaxed.

To book your place for Greatest Hits class follow this link Dance classes

Keep Dancing Sutton Coldfield Update

From April 2026, the price of Keep Dancing Sutton Coldfield will be altered to £6.

We are so grateful that we have been able to have Keep Dancing Sutton Coldfield class at £2.50 thanks to our generous funders,

Thank you for your continued support

Website Booking Update – Thank You for Your Feedback

In recent months, we’ve been working closely with our website designer, keeping your feedback firmly in mind. We’re pleased to let you know that improvements to the booking system are now live!

You can now select the number of places you’d like to book when choosing your class, making the process much simpler and quicker.

If you reach checkout and notice an extra class has been added to your basket, you can easily remove it by clicking the cross in the red circle.

Thank you so much for your valuable feedback and for your patience while we worked hard to make the booking process smoother and more user-friendly for everyone.

We truly appreciate your continued support!

Payment Details for Keep Dancing Classes

From January 2026 the options to pay for your Keep Dancing classes will be card or cheque.

Please continue to book your classes via our website:
👉 www.xpress-yourself.co.uk/dance-classes

We have a little update on how to pay by cheque.

If you are paying by cheque, we kindly ask you to send a text to Amelia on +44 7826 622302 with the date your cheque was posted and the dates and class you wish to book.

This will allow us to track how long the cheques have been in the post and chase up the post office for any lost cheques.

If you choose to pay by cheque, please can you ensure that cheques are sent in the post to this address:
XPRESS YOURSELF
PO Box 18828
OLDBURY
B69 9HX

Cheques will not be accepted at the class.
When paying by cheque we please request
:Cheques are made payable to Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC.
You write the dates you wish to attend on the back of the cheque.
Please note that once the cheque has been received the dates you have booked are not transferable.
You write your address and telephone number on the back of the cheque.
As you do not book online, we will also need to be informed of an emergency contact number for you.
Please note the envelope will need a stamp.

Thank you for your support

Friends First

Would you like to make new friends?
Increase your social networks?
Or maybe you would just like support to engage in your local community?
The Friends First team are here to help.💚

We offer advice and can signpost you to find new opportunities in your
local area. A crucial aspect of the project is to set up friendship
groups that offer a safe space, where likeminded people can come
together and meet over a cuppa. ☕

You can find the team…
📆 Every Monday
⏰12:30pm – 2pm
📍Mere Drive Common Room, Mere Drive off Cremorne Road, Mere Green B75
5AN
📞Call Julia on 07985 270599 or 0121 362 3650 for further information
😃Bring Lunch if you wish!

📆Every Wednesday
⏰12:30am– 2pm
📍Hawkesley Community Centre, Edgewood Road, Kings Norton B38 9RN

📆Every Thursday
⏰10:30am– 12pm
📍Ladywood Leisure Centre, Ladywood Middleway, B16 8TR
📞call Miriam on 079852 70579 or 0121 399 0122 for further information

📆Every Other Thursday from 6th Feb
⏰1.30-3pm
📍Harborne Library, 193 High St. Harborne B17 9QG
📞call Miriam on 07985 270579 or 0121 399 0122 for further information

📅 Every Thursday
⏰10.30-12pm
📍Perry Beeches Baptist Church, Beeches Rd, B42 2HF
📞call Julia on 07985 270599 or 0121 362 3650 for further information
☕Café available

📆Every Friday
⏰10.30am-12.30pm
📍Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church, 16 South Parade, B72 1QY
📞call Julia on 07985 270599 for further information
🎲Activities, quiz, puzzles!

📆Every Thursday
⏰11am-12.30pm
📍Erdington Library, Orphanage Rd, B24 9HP
📞Call and ask for Chloe on 0121 437 0033 or Claire on 0121 362 3650

📆Every other Thursday
⏰1.30-3pm
📍Lench’s Close, Wake green Rd, Moseley B13 9EY
📞Call Miriam on 07985 270579 or 0121 362 3650 for further information
☕Coffee, chat and activities!

📆Starting Wednesday 26th March 25, then fortnightly
⏰11am-1pm
📍Beacon Church, 47 Sandwell Rd B21 8NH
📞Call Chloe on 07955265565 or 0121 3623650
☕Enjoy a chat, refreshments and games!

More groups will be set up over the coming months so please ring for more information and come and get involved

Could you be a Hidden Carer?

In the UK, a hidden carer is someone who provides care and support to a family member, partner, friend, or neighbour who cannot cope without their help due to illness, disability, mental health condition, or addiction , but does not recognise themselves as a carer, and often goes unnoticed by services and support systems.

Key Characteristics of a Hidden Carer:

Unaware of their role: They may see what they’re doing as simply “helping out” or fulfilling a family duty.

Not accessing support: Because they don’t identify as a carer, they often don’t claim benefits, access respite services, or receive emotional or practical support.

More likely to struggle in silence: This can lead to burnout, financial difficulties, and mental health issues.

Includes children and young people: Young carers are often hidden because they may fear stigma or family separation.

🧰 Useful Resources for Carers
📞 Birmingham Carers Hub
Call: 0333 006 9711 (low call rate)
Email: info@birminghamcarershub.org.uk
Website: www.birminghamcarershub.org.uk
They provide carer assessments, advice, training, and access to local support.
👉 If you contact Birmingham Carers Hub, please mention that Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC referred you—this helps them understand how carers are finding their way to support.

For more information about hidden carers, you can read our blog here

Resources for Carers
Here at Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC we support carers. If you feel like you need additional support or advice we can make a referral to Birmingham Carers Hub. Please do just get in touch with us, we are happy to help.

In addition to our carer classes on offer, we are also happy to provide resources to help support carers and hopefully make their responsibilities a little easier – we are more than happy to help!
We have compiled all our resources into one handy blog post for you! There is information about support, activities for carers and information about Carers IF card. Click here to access the blog!
Don’t forget we have a FREE pre-recorded downloadable class for carers. A monthly half-hour session for those unable to join us for our online or in-person carer classes, but don’t want to miss out on the dancing. After booking the class, you will receive a link via email to download the video. The link will expire within 7 days.

Throwback Thursday – 1979!

This month, we are throwing it back to 1979!

1979 was the year the McDonald’s Happy Meal debuted in America (although it didn’t reach the UK until 1986) and Sony launched the Walkman which was a portable cassette player.

Fun Fact: Did you know McCain introduced frozen oven chips to the UK in 1979 and by 2002, 74% of chips eaten at home were oven chips? Frozen oven chips were seen as revolutionary at the time, cutting down on the number of kitchen fires from deep fat fryers, making them a safer and healthier alternative to what was already available. 🍟

How did the year 1979 impact you?

Share your best memories of the year 1979 in the comments below!

If you need help for a mental health crisis or emergency, you should get immediate expert advice and assessment.

It’s important to know that support services are available for you to access, whatever you’re going through. You can get urgent Mental Health Support from 111 online or by calling 111 and selecting the mental health option. Alternatively you can ask for an urgent GP appointment. 111 will tell you the right place to get help. You may be able to speak to a trained mental health professional over the phone. A GP can advise you about helpful treatments and also help you access mental health services. You may be able to refer yourself to some services.
Free listening services These services offer confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that’s troubling you, no matter how difficult: Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours Text “SHOUT” to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line,

Keeping in Touch

To avoid missing out on emails and important updates, please ensure both admin@xpress-yourself.co.uk and hello@xpress-yourself.co.uk are marked as safe email address. Additionally, make sure to always check your spam – just make sure the email address of the sender is one of the above.
Just a reminder that admin@xpress-yourself.co.uk office hours are Monday 8am-2pm and Thursday 8am-2pm.
Please ensure that you let us know of any changes of contact or emergency contact details.

Wish You Were Here – May 2026

First of all, thank you to everyone who has sent images from their trips to contribute to our Wish You Were Here segment! If you still want to take part please email your trip pictures to admin@xpress-yourself.co.uk

This month we are highlighting Peter and Tina on their trip to Japan!

Here’s what lovely Peter said about their trip!

Some of the 1400 photos I took on our 3 week tour of Japan.  From a night in a traditional Japanese hotel, to blossom everywhere,  and the serenity of Hiroshima Memorial Park.

Peter and Tina were lucky enough to see the cherry blossoms. In Japan, cherry blossoms bloom for only a short period each spring, typically lasting one to two weeks. Cherry blossoms, or sakura, symbolise the fleeting nature of life, renewal, and the beauty of impermanence in Japanese culture.

Thank you to Peter and Tina for sharing. We hope you had an incredible time!

We can’t wait to see whose travel pictures are shared next month…

Find More Local Activities to Keep you Active

Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC understands the importance of Dance to keep your mind and body active and healthy, but joining other local activities can boost community spirit and your own wellbeing.

We have collated activities for you to join in Acocks Green area , West Bromwich area and Yardley area click on each area to see the blog post and find an activity for you!

Please share our What’s On in Yardley 2025 – Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC blog with friends, family and neighbours to get them involved in the wonderful opportunities here at Xpress-Yourself Dance

If you know of any other activities in your local area that you think your Keep Dancing friends will enjoy, please send the information to admin@xpress-yourself.co.uk. and we can get them into a handy blog post!

New Dancer Discount

Do you have a friend, neighbour or family member who would like to join a Keep Dancing class?
We have a brand new discount for dancers who are brand new to Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC, our New Dancer 6 classes for £12!
This deal is available for:
Keep Dancing Sheldon
Keep Dancing Shirley
Keep Dancing Garretts Green
Keep Dancing Aldridge
Keep Dancing Harborne
Keep Dancing Marston Green
Keep Dancing Bentley Heath
Keep Dancing Quinton
Keep Dancing Greatest Hits

For NEW participants attending Xpress-Yourself Dance we have a special offer of block booking your first 6 classes for just £12. (Classes are usually £5.50 per class.) This is a special offer and can only be applied as a block booking. New participants should send the 6 dates of the classes via email to admin@xpress-yourself.co.uk after booking. Transfers of dates will not be offered and no refunds given.

Please note the NEW DANCER promotion is explicitly for dancers who are new to Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC. Please do not use this promotion if you already attended Keep Dancing classes at another venue.

For more information, visit our blog here

Thank you for your understanding.

EasyFundraising

Support us when you shop online

Read our EasyFundraising blog here

You will be unsurprised to hear that room hire for many of our groups has recently increased.
We are keen to not increase our prices for Keep Dancing classes but we do ask for your support. If you are partial to a little bit of online shopping you can support Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC every time you shop. We are now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can help us for FREE. Over 4,000 shops and sites will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself!

All you need to do is sign up and remember to use easyfundraising whenever you shop online. It’s easy and completely FREE! These donations really will mount up and ensure that we can continue to run classes where you book by the week, and not by the month, with no price increase so please sign up to support here So far £208.75 has been raised. This money will be used towards a monthly hall hire at one of our nine venues. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to support us and have been online shopping with us in mind, your support is greatly appreciated.

Read Our Blog: 5 Effective Benefits of Greek Dancing for Your Physical and Mental Health

May’s dance blog was a nod to our Greek dancing as we gave you 5 benefits of Greek dancing for your Physical and Mental health.
Take a read here, and let us know in the comments if you felt the Benefits from May’s Greek Dancing routine 💃

June 2026 Dances

In June 2026 you will dance a Greek Dance choreographed by Faye O’Connor, and a Body Percussion routine choreographed by Faye O’Connor

June’s songs on the playlist are:

1.The Young ones – Cliff Richards and the Shadows

2.The Locomotion – Little Eva

3.We will rock you – Queen – Body Percussion

4.Greek dance – Zorba the Greek

5.Edelweiss – The orginal soundtrack Sound of music

We hope you’re as excited to dance your way into June as we are!

We are so grateful for your continued support. Whether that be continuing to interact with our Facebook page, leaving us reviews, telling your friends about our classes and booking onto our Keep Dancing classes. Your support is truly appreciated and we hope to continue keep dancing into the future. 

If you have the time please Leave us a Facebook Review here
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here
Follow us on Instagram @xpre55your5elfdance
Increasing our social following will certainly help us maintain our small business in 2025.

Thank you so much!

We love to boogie!

The Xpress-Yourself Dance Team