Watch ‘cheeky’ video of dancers sneaking into Knight and Lee in Southsea and doing the Charleston

The John Lewis shop in Palmerston Road is set to close in July after decades in business but its legacy will live on thanks to a ‘cheeky’ new video. 

Members of MyCharleston in Portsmouth have filmed themselves doing their signature dance on the elevator and throughout the iconic shop. 

Creative director Fiona Ring, said: 'I'm from Portsmouth originally and I heard about Knight and Lee closing down. 

‘I though why not sneak in and do some dancing on the elevator. 

‘We thought it would be really good because it has been open for over 90 years so it’s a big piece of history.’

Fiona wants the clip filmed inside Knight and Lee to be part of a larger video she is planning to shoot throughout the city dubbed ‘I Charleston Portsmouth’. 

She explained: ‘I really want to make a Charleston Film for Portsmouth  because it’s my hometown. 

‘We want people from the city to suggest places in Portsmouth where they want us to film. 

‘If people want to volunteer we can come down and teach them to do the dance. 

‘The 'I Charleston Portsmouth' film will be set to a tune called 'Are You All Reet' by Cab Calloway. it's perfect for Pompey as it sums up the catch phrase 'All Reet'.’ 

The Charleston dance dates back to the Roaring 20s and gets its name from a city in South Carolina in the United States. 

Fiona says that she founded her dance company ‘mostly by accident’. 

She added: ‘We have been running classes in Portsmouth for a year and they have been really successful with courses often selling out.

‘I started it in Brighton a few years ago mostly by accident. We wanted to make a Charleston Dance video but no-one was doing the dance. 

‘So I started the class and the video we made went viral and it went on the Evening Standard’s website. 

‘Charleston is a quirky comical dance full of character so we are up for embracing the ridiculous. 

‘The Portsmouth group are very lively and always up for fun projects.’

Send your Charleston location suggestions to [email protected]