After the Bops! Jane’s messages 2024
April 2024
No of course I haven’t forgotten, but I admit I’m late with my after-bop catch up here, I can’t believe it was nearly a week ago. Another good one, and a great turnout, especially as I knew LOTS of regulars were not going to make it for various reasons, from holidays, lurgies, and injuries preventing dance. It was great to welcome a group of four new people to add to the growing and lovely crowd who come from the Hitcham area – you are an amazingly active, positive, and motivated bunch, and it’s always a pleasure to welcome you all. My ‘boss’ (that will make her laugh, if she sees it!) Mai, from the Suffolk Writers Group came again, on her own this time, and told me yesterday, that she danced a lot more than the first one she came to, in March; and that she is “already feeling fitter”. The thing I particularly loved about the crowd in last week, was the way you all were singing along, as you danced. Awesome! It was the first time I had added ‘Stars on 45’ to my Playlist, and it will definitely get ‘airplay’ again in the future.
Finally I expect you are aware that the Coffee Shop and daytime Box Office for the John Peel Centre is now OPEN! Yes, Chocolate Tiger is a lovely space, which opens onto the Stowmarket Marketplace. On Thursday mornings in the summer, there is music outside and seating, in the hub of the fruit and flower market, and it’s a lovely spot to sit and enjoy the summer sunshine and enjoy some live music during the late morning, with a cuppa and something naughty but nice to eat. See you there!
We’re back and Boppin’ on Wednesday 15th May – yes, really early in the month, as it starts on a Wednesday, so it’s as early as a Let’s Bop! on a third Wednesday can be. Be there, or be … a triangle.
Love from JaneSR
March 2024
Hi-de-Hi Let’s Boppers! And another good time was had by all – on the floor, and yes, even when sat on the floor! What are you like, I love you for getting down on it – literally – and ‘oops upsiding’, even if I wasn’t able to join you. (Wish I still could – lol!). I was really pleased to welcome who I am going to call ‘the Stowuplanders’ – five ladies who had come along together for the first time. And I know there were some other new people there, as I brought one person along with me – great to welcome you Mai, and the other new people along – so pleased that one of those people came on her own, but was soon chatting, and dancing with others. It’s always good when people have heard about us via others who have been, and I’m thinking of getting some little credit card sized cards to give to anyone who is interested, so that if you want to take one or two to keep in your purses/wallets, you have something to hand people, should it come up in the course of conversation. It is not easy spreading the word about anything, especially when it is something a ‘bit different’. I have lost count of the number of times I have told someone about Let’s Bop! who hasn’t been to one, only for them to look at me, with a slightly puzzled expression, and say something like: “You just dance?” – “What? you don’t show people what to do” or “the moves” – or whatever? Which is why I now say, explicitly, on my social media, and the website, that Let’s Bop! is NOT a class, but a social event, where women gather and simply actively socialise and support one another whilst enjoying the music nostalgia, and the opportunity for a Bop! It was great to see other ‘returners’ back with us on Wednesday celebrating a special birthday, and having forsaken Zumba, saying how enjoyable she finds Let’s Bop! and that its probably “as good a workout – if not better”. Thank you to people who came from a way away too, four ladies there from the Woodbridge area; another from Bury St Edmunds. Here I some photos, all take at this March Let’s Bop! Hope to see you back on Wednesday 17th April Love from Jane
February 2024
Oh my! You are ALL amazing women. What a night – I couldn’t believe it when I saw so many of you coming through the doors. Being half term, and another particularly miserable wet day, I had visions of it being me dancing – possibly on my own! But of course that wasn’t the case, you wonderful women are made of much sterner stuff. A fabulous full floor, with plenty of activity. Good to see more new people coming onto the dance floor; one person said she had come along for the first time, as being half term, her usual Zumba class was not happening – she says she really enjoyed it, and is certainly going to come again. It was good to meet more new people who came last night; how lovely to meet you Rachel, after already ‘knowing you’ from Twitter … I mean X. I am sorry I called you Sarah, Lisa x – I am much so much better at faces, than names. It was really good to see some faces back again, who I haven’t seen lately; I even remember some names – Christine, Mia, Julia and Lou too. Lots of Let’s Bop! regulars were bopping, too numerous to mention, but you know who you are – and enjoy your holidays, those who mentioned they’ll be missing next month – you lucky things, how lovely, and one of the benefits of reaching the stage of semi, or even full, retirement – sunshine and warm seas, and avoiding the crowds during school holidays. Thank you to the two busy Bar volunteers Debbie and Helen on duty last night, much appreciated, and good to see you having a bit of a Bop! behind there during quieter moments too Helen. On Friday 8th March 2024 it’s International Women’s Day 2024. Please, tell others, and keep coming back to have a Bop! enjoy the music, the nostalgia, activity and the the fun, but also the unspoken sense that we are all supporting each other, through this unique opportunity to simply gather and dance. I truly feel that, together, we have created something very special. The collage of photos below is from the February 2024 Bop! The one of me, I took while sitting in the car outside my mum’s house on 14th Feb 2024 – I had just remembered that three years earlier to the day, It was snowing heavily, the pandemic was in full swing. I had literally felt like ‘death warmed up on that day, having completed my radiotherapy and chemo treatment, following my bowel cancer diagnosis in Nov 2020. I literally begged my husband not to call an ambulance, as I feared I would never come home. Never say never …
Remember, ALL women are always welcome – at Let’s Bop! where we always aim to inspire inclusion.
The next one is on Wednesday 20th March. Love from JaneSR
N
January 2024
First evening back on the dance floor, for Let’s Bop! 2024 last Wednesday. Lovely to see you all again, thank you for stepping out in the cold. Plenty of you came, making for a full, friendly, fun dance floor. We all got quite hot believe it or not, because Let’s Bop! is after all a wonderful workout! One woman commented: “This is an ideal number – full – but not too full”. There were fewer of you than last January (2023) – when we had an all-time record number on the Let’s Bop! dance floor – but last Wednesday was the coldest night for years. A couple of regulars praised the playlist. Others were happy to be ‘reunited’ with some particular tracks – some past hits, and old favourites – which I had thrown into the mix. Those tracks have been noted for future reference. The next one will as usual be on the third Wednesday of the month which falls on 21st Feb this year, and you can buy tickets in advance, or on the door on the night. I will hope to see you there. Please tell others who would enjoy this, but who may not have heard about Let’s Bop! … This dance floor is here for YOU. Love from Jane
Lets Bop! 