Stephen Gilfedder: ‘At Leggett’s Ballroom’

At Leggett’s Ballroom

Glissade, paso doble, alemana, cucaracha,
Promenade, quickstep, tango, foxtrot, rhumba,
The ballroom cha-cha’d among early Seventies
Hippiedom in Greville Street, a blistered
Time capsule of some fevered heyday.
A danceband in threadbare tuxes ever tuning up
For the twice-weekly supper soiree
Welcoming revellers from another age.

A parade of ensembles “straight from the Ark”
My mother always jealous would have said.
Dressed to the nines, silver-haired widowers
In formal suits, shoes buffed to the nth degree,
Matriarchs in pancake make-up and fading ballgowns,
All white-gloved, Chanel mingling with Old Spice,
Dancecards marked up between the sets
To last an evening, to make time fly.

Youthful Al in blazer, bow tie and pocket square
Patrolled the sidelines of the dancefloor
Predatory, full of cheeky innocence and charm.
Rehearsal night was Friday before a frosted mirror
Leaning on the leather-fronted bar in a spartan flat
After his firie shifts,…