‘There may be trouble ahead but while there is moonlight and music and love and romance let's face the music and dance’. Fred Astaire sang this song in 1936. It was an omen for the coming years, with World War Two only three years away. It seems very apt for the political turmoil of recent days. Over the past few weeks we have had more than enough debate about who might be Prime Minister.

My focus is on the place of dance in today’s society. My teenage years witnessed the birth of rock and roll. Bill Haley and the Comets released ‘Rock Around The Clock’, and Chubby Checker sang ‘Let’s Twist Again’. This generated a dance craze. We all took to the floor to jive. With varying degrees of success we attempted the twist. It was a time when going out dancing was how we set up dates.

When sorting out my godmother’s things we uncovered a dance card. These were used by ladies to make a list of their dance partners for the evening. I have four grandsons whose ages range from 15 to 21. I am certain that not one of them has ever been to a formal dance.

‘Britain has got talent’, the TV show, has highlighted a number of outstanding dance groups consisting of young people. Thus dance has not vanished but changed in character.

Way back in the day as a specialist PE student one of our sessions was held at 6 o'clock every Friday. We were required to learn ballroom dances, Scottish and English folk dances. Many toes suffered in the process and we were not best pleased at the 6pm time. In retrospect it proved very useful.

The Billy Elliot film highlighted the old fashioned stigma attached to boys wanting to learn to dance. Today, Strictly Come Dancing has put paid to that perspective. It is also a show that demonstrates that people of all shapes and sizes with hard work and good teaching can enjoy dancing.

The show was able to prove that those with physical limitations such as being blind or deaf could outshine those without such limitations.

As a lecturer I was asked by some nervous male students to teach them the basic steps of the waltz so they could enjoy the end of year ball. They even seemed to enjoy it.

Perhaps if we all took more time to dance a lot of tension in our lives would evaporate. There could be some good partnerships. Nigel Farage and Angela Rayner. Prince William and the Duchess of Sussex. Donald Trump ah! No partners available. Get your dancing shoes on, it’s time to burn up the floor.