It was obvious I was the right person for the job. I mean, hadn't I been a member of my local gym for the past four weeks, writes Karen Stephen.

Yep - no flies on me. Just beads of perspiration along my top lip - proof of my commitment to the body beautiful.

So an audition for podium dancing at a swanky new club would pose no problem.

I would, quite literally, wipe the (dance) floor of competition.

Wouldn't I?

The judges would fall to their knees and beg that I grace their podiums with my energetic gyrating.

Wouldn't they?

I arrived at Atlantis - First Leisure's newest nightclub on The Valley Entertainment Park in Bolton - ready for action. Thankfully my better judgement had urged me to leave the Lycra at home, along with the string bikini and fishnet body stocking, and instead I'd opted for combat pants and T-shirt.

This seemed to be the "uniform" of most of the dancers gathered at the impressive club.

And this is when a touch of hesitancy crept up and chipped away at my confidence.

The place swarmed with lithe and well toned bodies limbering up for the pending auditions. Well honed limbs, belonging to about 30 males and females, stretched and high-kicked in preparation.

Craig Smith, manager of Atlantis, explained: "We're looking for five or six bdancers to dance in the podiums up there," he pointed.

I followed his finger to a platform positioned high above the dance floor and secretly swore never to answer this kind of ad again. Craig enthused over the turn-out of dancers. "I didn't expect this many," he said, "and they all look fantastic."

I had to agree. These were professionals - people who danced for a living and trained every day of the week. I'd never seen as many six packs in my life - and not only the guys.

I vainly tried to hold my tummy in - still battling to digest the last remnants of Christmas pud - as I joined the dancers.

Carin Briggs, 25, from Breightmet managed to chat in between high-kicks.

"Sure I'm nervous,"she confessed, "I've never done podium dancing before. I am a dancer but I'm not sure what they're looking for."

Kerry Larkin, 21 and also from Breightmet, told her.

"I've been podium dancing for about three years and you've basically got to get as many moves as you can into a relatively small space.

"It's all about entertainment," she said, "giving something the people can watch." Now this is where I had my wrongs put to right.

As I left the office for my "audition" my colleagues were convinced I was about to spend the afternoon swinging suggestively round a stainless steel pole, wearing little more than my dignity.

But as Kerry firmly pointed out, podium dancing is nothing of the sort.

"It's proper dancing. All these people take it very seriously indeed - you can earn £40 a shift minimum.

"And it's not just women who do it - look at the guys here, I don't think you'd see them dancing round a pole."

Zak Oomer, 25, from Morris Green agreed: "I call my dancing 'free style'," he said, "I love it - just follow the music and see what comes out, it's a way of expressing yourself."

But now the chatting had to stop. It was time for the auditions to start.

"I want everyone on the floor to begin with," yelled Craig, "just to give you a chance to warm up. Then we'll have five up at a time so we can judge you."

DJ Vince Williams, also a judge, told everyone they'd all be dancing to the same tune, to keep things "fair". Apparently some had brought their own tapes to dance to. Then the music started - a thumping beat that got everyone swarming onto the massive dancefloor.

By now I realised I was way out of my league here but, for the sake of my art you understand, decided to give it my best shot as I valiantly flung myself onto the dancefloor, purposefully ignoring the stifled sniggers of the BEN's photographer.

Quickly realising this was no "dance round your handbag" sort of thing I attempted to execute a couple of snazzy moves - a twist here, a turn there and a confident wink to the judges nearby.

But I was completely, and understandably, overshadowed. My weekly visits to the gym hadn't prepared me for this and I made a mental note to "tread" the treadmill that bit harder in future.

I was surrounded by some of the most amazing dancers I've ever seen. Handstands, splits, back flips and a rolling-on-the-floor thingy surrounded me as I vainly tried to keep time to the music.

Halfway through a spin I noticed a mass of blonde hair flying through mid-air. It landed on the floor in a perfect "splits" and belonged to 20-year-old Shelley Hill from Manchester, a professional Latin and jazz dancer.

She was so good even had the rest of the dancers stopped in their tracks to watch her.

"I've been dancing for years," she told me afterwards, "and I teach Latin, ballroom and jazz.

"I reckon podium dancing will be fun, you just have to make sure you keep your moves small enough for the confined space."

With that she leapt up to cheer on her friend who was also auditioning.

Further along the floor, Bolton's Tony Willis was ripping his red fleece from his body and throwing it on the floor. This accompanied some pretty fancy footwork and acrobatic artistry.

Tony runs Pulse Dance Agency which supplies dancers to various clubs in the area - Ikon in Bolton and Mr Smith's in Warrington to name but two.

"I've got some dancers auditioning here today," he told me earlier, "so I thought I might give it a go myself."

By now the "warm up" was over and the real auditioning had begun.

I, for my part, had realised I'd never make it into the Roly Poly's let alone a podium and decided to sit this one out.

Watching the dancers I certainly didn't envy the job of the judges.

Craig, Vince and Jackie McKenzie - First Leisure's area manager - sat at the side of the floor scrutinizing each dancer.

Earlier Craig had explained the concept of the podium dancers.

"We are looking for people who will dance at the club on a Friday and Saturday nights. They'll appear as individuals or couples at regular intervals during the evening. "But they're not only being judged on their dancing - it's the look they have. We want a certain image and whoever we choose today must fit that."

As the final strains of music faded away and the last five dancers left the floor, Craig took to the stage once more.

"Thank's for coming and I have to tell you this is the best audition the company has ever held," he told everyone.

"The dancing was amazing and I only wish we could employ you all. As soon as we make our choice we'll be in touch."

By now the dancers were pulling on fleeces and jackets and I asked Kerry Larkin how she thought she'd done.

"Not very well," she said softly. "These were really brilliant dancers - professional - I didn't stand a chance."

Zak Oomer was a little more forthcoming: "They all had routines worked out. They'd dance the same steps to any music - I keep mine free style." And as for me. Well, give Craig his due, he did try to break it to me gently.

"Were you up there? I never even saw you," he said with some surprise.

The chosen podium dancers were Tony Willis, from Bolton and Selina Sampson, Shelley Hill, Nathalie Kyowski, Kalvin Campbell and "Jaffa".

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.