A chance to try out the dance steps of the past is on offer in Woodstock next month with the arrival of a colourful troupe at the Fly To The Past air spectacular.

Dressed in period costume, members of the Oxford Swing Dance Society will demonstrate the Lindy Hop, the dance that took the UK by storm during the Second World War.

The dance was born in the United States during the jazz era of the 1920s and 30s, and by the time it arrived in England with the American Air Force, it was accompanied by the music of Glenn Miller. The dance team will recreate the look and feel of the era on Sunday, July 22, at the Fly To The Past festival in Blenheim Palace, when they show off their moves and invite spectators to take part in informal lessons.

Society member Leslie Jones said: "It's a great dance to learn.

"It not only looks good, but it's also very social and there are clubs all over Europe and the United States which practise it.

"You get a very eclectic mix of people who are into Lindy Hop and we're looking forward to giving spectators a taste of what the dance looks like, both today and in the past.

"It's a little bit more difficult to learn than modern jive but once you find your feet you do really get into it."

Society members will be demonstrating and teaching steps during the afternoon of the air show, and in the evening will be dancing to the accompaniment of the John Miller Orchestra, the leader of which is Glenn Miller's nephew.

Fly To The Past is a one-day festival that takes the visitor on a journey through the past, right up to the present day.

The show aims to create a world of flight-themed theatrical exhibits and flying displays in which the culture, historic characters and machines of flight and fantasy will be brought to life.

In a four-hour display, Second World War Spitfires, Lancasters and Mustangs will battle it out with First World War German Fokkers, American helicopters of the Vietnam era and the newly-commissioned Eurofighter.

Once the planes are in the air, big screens around the site will display a mixture of live and historic footage interspersed with comm- entary.

Fly To The Past director Francis Rockliff said: "We want to create a one-day spectacular where the entertainment on the ground is just as interesting and captivating as that in the air.

"The Lindy Hop dancers will bring plenty of swing and flair to the day - and we're looking forward to seeing as many spectators as possible joining in and re-creating a very colourful period in history."

For more information about the event and tickets call 01993 822822.