What does it take to transform the Pensioners’ Hall into an Eastern paradise?

The answer is: at least six saris, a large heap of veils and scarves, cushions, tablecloths, drawing pins and blu-tack, a dozen small lamps and a string of fairy lights.

When I reached the hall work had already begun. All the spare tables and chairs had been stacked more or less neatly at one end of the hall, and a screen consisting of two of the saris and a useful hat stand was being erected to hide them. I dumped the lights I had been to fetch on a table and joined in.

It took over an hour but the change was unbelievable. Both side walls were lined with brightly coloured silk, rows of chairs had been transformed into luxurious-looking couches, twinkling little lamps were everywhere. The remaining chairs and tables were arranged café-style at one end, the other was cleared for dancing. The air was heavy with soft music and powerful incense.

“Wales are ahead,” reported Karey, reading the rugby scores off her phone.

Next came the all important business of transforming ourselves. There is no shop on the Island that sells Tribal dance costumes as such, so a great deal of ingenuity and a certain amount of hard work had gone into our outfits. Charity shops in particular have done very well out of us. The results were amazing: colourful, varied and striking. Even the people who have only just joined the club borrowed scarves and tied them into turbans. Carefully, we painted the Tribal marking on each others’ faces with kohl pencil and liquid eyeliner.

More people were arriving now, greeting friends, getting comfortable, checking out the food - of which there was a great variety and a more-than-sufficient quantity, and all of it delicious. Adrienne’s sushi deserves a special mention here.

“Wales is winning!” announced Karey, and we all became temporary Wales supporters and cheered.

Having eaten, and maybe opened a bottle or two of wine, it was time to start on the serious business of the evening. Chrissy turned up the music and ordered everyone out of their seats and onto the dance floor. Most of us had spent an enjoyable afternoon leaning some of the Tribal steps, and now was our opportunity to try them out. We danced individually, then all together as a group, and then we watched as various people treated us to spontaneous duets and trios. One of the strongest points of the Tribal style is that once you have mastered a few of the moves, this kind of improvising becomes not only easy to do, but also great fun to watch.

Tribal wasn’t the only style on offer. First Chrissy and then Alison danced solos for us, then Alison ordered us all back onto the dance floor for her favourite number : “Rock the Casbah” . This was followed by an involuntary solo by Karey, when we all abandoned the floor leaving her alone in the middle. Minutes later the sound of a smacking kiss brought us all to our feet again. Nearly all of us know the steps to “Kiss kiss” and the rest followed as best we could.

There were more treats to come. Adrienne and Sharon showed us their version of the veil dance “Halabeya” Chrissy did her amazing sword dance, doing turns, shimmies, drops and even kneeling down and standing up again with the sword apparently glued to the top of her head. Then it was Madeleine’s turn, gliding across the floor with those incredibly mobile hips vibrating to the complex rhythms of a strange and wonderful piece of African music. Eventually I summoned up enough courage to take my turn, and danced my first ever public solo. To my amazement, everyone liked it - perhaps the secret is to pick a really catchy tune that your audience will sing along to! Finally Alison called us all back onto the floor for one last dance: “Gill’s dance - the one with the annoying tune,” and we all joined in.

And that was what it was all about: joining in, having a go, having fun, learning and teaching, sharing together in a rich and remarkable experience. My thanks to everyone who took part, and all those who worked so hard to make it such an enjoyable evening.

Oh, and Wales won.

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