ADMIT it, you would like to be able to dance.

While old-fashioned cultural stereotypes might prevent you from saying it out loud, your head has been turned by scenes from period dramas and the glitz of Strictly, right?

Inside, there is a piece of you that says, ‘I would love to be able to do that’.

Ballroom dancing started life much like those romantic images we see on the likes of Downton Abbey, and read about in Jane Austen. Glittering ballrooms, full of romantic intrigue alongside fancy footwork.

And it was, historically, a pastime largely restricted to the upper echelons of society. Let’s be honest, you had to have some money to have a small orchestra provide the music at a party, right?

However, the movement became more popular with the rise of recorded music in the early 20th century, when it became a popular pastime among the masses.

In the 1950s, BBC show Come Dancing proved hugely popular, and ran in various incarnations for almost five decades – attracting audiences of some 10 million in the late 60s and early 70s.

However, it ended in 1998, as the popular appeal of ballroom itself declined.

Then, in 2004, the BBC revisited the movement, this time launching Strictly Come Dancing – and combining it with the celebrity factor so vital in successful TV shows.

The format has gone from strength to strength over the last 20 years, with an average audience for each series matching its predecessor’s peak of 10 million.

Louise Barrett hosts The Dance Hall, in Langport

So ballroom is back.

Now, in Somerset, reluctant rumba fans and wannabe waltzers can dip their toe on the dancefloor thanks to a new, monthly night in Langport which is set to launch in the new year.

The Dance Hall will be hosted by dance specialist Louise Barrett, of GingerFred Dance Studio, offering people the chance to showcase their skills – or learn new ones.

She said The Dance Hall will give people a “much more tangible experience” than simply watching dancers on TV.

“With Strictly Come Dancing currently underway, dance fever is yet again giving us great TV pleasure on a Saturday night,” she said.

“Yet there is soon to be a much more tangible experience for fans of ballroom, Latin and Argentine dancing.”

The Dance Hall will take place at the newly-refurbished Parrett Room of Langport Town Hall, giving everyone the chance to put their best foot forward.

Louise said she was trying to create a “lovely, social hub”.

The Dance Hall offers a ‘welcoming’ space for dancers old and new

“The evenings will be so welcoming, not just because the lovely couples who come are friendly, but because the styles taught and danced are social dances,” she added.

‘Social dancing’ is a non-competitive form of dancing, where enthusiasts and those new to dance can join forces.

So, acknowledge your inner dancer and perhaps the next time you see a stunning romantic ballroom scene on screen, you will instead be saying, ‘I can do that’.

For more details on The Dance Hall and GingerFred Dance Studio, log on to gingerfreddancestudio.com.