SCORES of salsa dancers claim they were left dancing in the dark after their sessions at a Conservative club ended in acrimony.
The Justdance Salsa club was midway through its weekly class at Basingstoke Conservative Club when members say they were suddenly plunged into darkness and asked to leave.
All 80 dancers - along with their teachers - were left without a venue after disagreements between the salsa class organiser and the Conservative club over the way lessons were being run came to a head.
Conservative club members had been voicing concerns that under-18s were using the premises as part of the lessons and that class members had flouted rules by using mobile phones in the main bar area.
But Colin Tomlinson, who runs dance classes across the county, said the row got out of hand when Alan Bincliffe, the club's chairman, suddenly switched the lights off at their session on Tuesday, November 16.
Mr Tomlinson, 43, from the New Forest, said the class members were shocked by the reaction.
"We were stunned by the attitude they took and the fact that they threw us out straight away," he said. "The club chairman came in and told us to leave, nodded to the barman, and then the lights went out."
Justdance Salsa has met once a week at the Conservative club, in Bounty Road, since July.
The dancers started by using the venue free of charge and then started paying £50 rent per session in September.
But Mr Tomlinson claimed the salsa dancers started to get a bad reception from Conservative club members when they turned up for the sessions and so they decided to try to find somewhere else to hold their lessons.
"We had filled the place up and were getting some bad vibes," he said. "There were so many of us that the five or so members of the Conservative club who used to come in on a Tuesday found it difficult to find somewhere to sit.
"On the afternoon of November 16, we got a new venue secured and told our members, but before we had an opportunity to inform the club itself, we were thrown out. We were hoping to leave on good terms so we could use the club at a later date."
Rudy Broderick, who also teaches with Justdance Salsa, said the members were forced to get in their cars and find another venue - fast. The dancers decided to continue their disrupted lesson at La Tasca, in Festival Place, where the club meets on Thursdays.
Referring to the Conservative club, Mr Broderick said: "I thought the way they reacted was ridiculous.
"I did try to plead with them on the basis of business ethics and professionalism."
Mr Bincliffe did not want to speak about the incident, but issued a statement on behalf of the Conservative club.
It said the club had accommodated the class request to hold an evening session on a Monday as well as the Tuesday session and was astonished to hear the class was going to meet elsewhere.
Mr Bincliffe refused to comment on the situation surrounding the lights being turned off.
Giving the Conservative club's version of events, the statement said: "A Conservative club member approached the chairman asking why the class was not being held next week.
"The chairman asked the dance leader if this was, in fact, the last night and he confirmed that this was the case.
"The chairman then requested to have a discussion with Colin Tomlinson.
"We wanted to establish why, bearing in mind we were being chased to provide them with additional nights, they did not have the decency to at least give notice.
"The chairman then politely asked Mr Tomlinson if he would like to ask his dance class to stop dancing, finish their drinks and leave the club.
"Mr Tomlinson would not do this. Therefore, the chairman took the microphone and, in a very polite and professional manner, delivered that message.
"Justdance did not pay any rent for this session and neither did they have the decency to replace the furniture, which they had totally rearranged for their session."
The statement added: "Other long-standing local organisations continue to enjoy the facilities of our club."
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