A Christchurch dance group is looking to recruit new members for their special brand of "outdoor freestyle dancing".
The energetic dancers meet at 1pm every Wednesday at Linwood's Tiny Shops Village to shake off the winter blues and have fun dancing.
The Tiny Shops Village is a collection of small buildings which host community-led activities, workshops, shops and a cafe.
The free outdoor dance sessions began again recently, and organiser Russell Gray says they're looking for new members -no experience required.
"Basically this has been set up for the community to bring people together to just dance, to have a boogie."
Gray reckons his unique style of dancing was born on the 80s dance floor.
"It's very spontaneous, just sort of pick-up moves over the years.
"A bit of Michael Jackson in there and just general freestyle and other things.
"I've also been getting into Latin dancing and I've kind of created a sort of a hybrid."
Gray shot to fame - or possibly infamy - on the last series of TV's New Zealand's Got Talent in 2012.
"I just got up there and I just danced as I do. I didn't choreograph anything, I just had a boogie.
"I was hoping that would be enough, but they were looking for something a little bit more professional, I suppose."
He insists his freestyle type of dancing went down well with the audience, and says he had fun, despite getting three big no's from the judging panel.
"I got to dance with one of the judges, Rachel Hunter. So that was a really, really good thing.
"And then they invited me in for the last show as well, and we got to do Gangnam Style."
Gray is hoping the warmer weather over the summer period will encourage more dancers to join them as they boogie the night away.
And as the saying goes: "Dance like nobody's watching."
- By Geoff Sloan
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
