A TROUPE of teeny dancers are down in the dumps after being ordered to stop their tap dancing routines in the church hall where they practise because of damage allegedly caused to the floor.

Under the guidance of teacher Nisha Srivastava, the young dancers, all aged between three and 14, have used St James Methodist Church Hall, Rainhill, for the last four years without complaint.

But now Nisha has received a letter from the church council secretary stating that they are to be stopped immediately from using the hall for tap routines because of damage caused to the floors and paintwork, and adding that they would be expected to contribute towards the cost of refurbishments.

Nisha, who also runs classes in ballet, modern and adult line dancing, told the Star: "The letter came out of the blue. I object to the fact that we are the only ones billed for this damage even though the church is used by other groups."

But Reverend Malcolm Carter, who preaches at St James, told the Star: "This whole issue has been blown completely out of proportion. It is a fact that the tap dancing was ruining the church floor and when I told Nisha this and showed her the damage, she accepted it completely. I also told her then that I expected her to make a contribution to the cost of re-covering the floor and she accepted this.

He added: "We have always had a very good relationship with Nisha and the girls and they are very welcome to continue their ballet and line dancing sessions, as long as they don't do any tap dancing."

However, Nisha says the ban might force them to abandon their annual charity concert, in December for 'Save the Children.' "We do a number of dances from famous shows and Riverdance was among this year's repertoire. We can only use soft shoes or bare feet and it is impossible to rehearse tap steps like this. All the girls are really upset. It just seems like such an un-Christian attitude coming from a church."

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