Ballroom dancing is big this spring, as BBC1 launches its new flagship show, Strictly Come Dancing. In Huddersfield, more couples than ever are taking the floor. JENNY PARKIN talked to local dance teacher Peter York

IT'S usually the wife's idea. She decides it's time they learned to dance properly, and marches her hapless husband, one arm twisted behind his back, to the local dance school.

But once they try a few steps, learn to move in time to the music, the men learn to love it - often more than the ladies!

This is how dance teacher Peter York sees it. And he should know, he founded York Dance Studios in 1975 and has been turning graceless beginners into competent, "nice and tidy" social dancers ever since.

Now, he's busier than ever, welcoming newcomers in bigger numbers than ever before to his two ballrooms at Radcliffe Road, Milnsbridge.

As for a revival, what revival? Huddersfield never stopped dancing.

For years, ballroom has been very much in the background of popular culture.

It's had little exposure in the media or on the TV. Now all that's set to change. A new BBC1 Saturday night show will combine the talents of Bruce Forsyth and the appeal of Come Dancing, which was first screened four years after the Second World War.

It's to be called Strictly Come Dancing and will involve celebrities dancing with professional dancers.

In Huddersfield, fresh interest is set to be sparked through the Lawrence Batley Theatre - a glitzy production actually called Ballroom, to be staged in July, will be a highlight of the summer programme.

Meanwhile, spring fashion conveniently fits in with the theme - the shops are full of twirly 50s-style skirts and dresses and dainty, pretty shoes.

Peter says: "Come Dancing was great because it made people aware of ballroom dancing. But the standard of dancing was so good, it could put ordinary people off.

"Those dancers would have been attending private lessons since the age of three. I teach competition-standard couples but they're not around at our socials for beginners and improvers."

Peter, a fellow and examiner of the International Dance Teachers Association, taught at Crosland Moor Liberal Club for four years before taking on the derelict former Milnsbridge County Club.

He opened on New Year's Day 1981 and today has seven other freelance dance teachers working for him, taking children's and adult classes.

Traditionally, couples have taken up ballroom or latin dancing when their children have grown up, and they're looking for a new, sociable past-time.

Peter explains: "If you holiday in Spain there are lots of opportunities for dancing and more and more people are going on cruises - where dancing is also big."

It can also bring new romance to a marriage. Peter's wife Roma says: "Couples who come to beginners' classes might not have danced together for years."

But younger couples have also been drawn to lessons. There's a growing trend for young men and women to learn how to waltz or rhumba in the run-up to their wedding - so they can impress their friends and relatives on the big day.

Some teenage girls, too, aged 13 to 15, have also shown an interest in learning ballroom steps at the York studio.

Learning is often easier than some newcomers fear but becoming competent needs patience and work.

Peter says: "There's no quick fix. Most starters are on a level. It's rare you get someone with three left feet - and equally unusual for someone to show real flair as soon as they hit the dancefloor.

"At the early stages, it's easy - men especially are often apprehensive. But when they realise they can move to the music without getting embarrassed, they enjoy dancing just as much as the women, if not more."

Peter buys specialist CDs from all over and can slow the music down to make things easier for tenative dancers, who pay £3.50 per session.

He says: "If they're good enough, some dancers train to win medals but for the vast majority, it's a social thing - a chance to dress up smartly, have a dance and a drink and meet new friends.

"It's certainly better for you than sitting in the pub!"

SO WHAT'S the difference. Peter York briefly explains those dances.

Ballroom: "Ballroom has been around since the turn of the century - there's the waltz, foxtrot, quickstep and tango. It's all about two people dancing as one, with style and posture. More advanced techniques can be very tricky to master - the correct sway, rise and fall, and footwork, are all important. "

Latin: "Latin encompasses rhumba and cha cha cha from Cuba, paso doble from Spain, the Brazilian samba and jive, from the US. Dance partners move rhythmically and individually. There's not as much contact as with ballroom."

Sequence: "As popular as it's ever been, it involves dancing a 16-bar sequence and dancing couples move around the floor together in a circle. This eliminates the need for floor craft, you don't have to worry about bumping into someone else. New sequence dances come out all the time. Old-time dancing, meanwhile, concentrates on classical sequences."