Well, we do live in a small town, so if you are hoping for the Glenn Miller Orchestra to take the stage every week at the band shell, you WILL be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you take our tried and true approach and use your dance lessons to prepare you for the opportunities when the DO appear, then you will have a sound life-long learning plan. Learning to “partner-dance” is an indescribably valuable physical and athletic skill that will serve you VERY well in many aspects of life. There are a multitude of reasons to go through the PROCESS of learning these physical skills. Every day people learn a new language, study an instrument, or take on a new sport; simply for the sake of challenging themselves. They may not be moving to Mexico, or trying out for the Boston Philharmonic or performing in the Olympics, but they enjoy all those benefits we receive by “getting outside the box.” OH! And for the record, here is a list of the dancing opportunities we have been so fortunate to take part in; local, regional, national and international. Enjoy :)
Dancing opportunities
This one’s EASY! Enroll in our two 25-minute new student program. You will work with an instructor for two private sessions (about 25 minutes in length) and be introduced to the simplest dance skills and patterns for 2-3 dance styles. You will see how we teach, and we will see how you learn. And at the end of those two sessions, if you still like us you can sign up for more :)
Dress in layers. Wear shoes that have a slip to them, not sneakers or boots that have sticky bottoms to them. Comfort is key, dress in something that you feel good in. You do not need to wear a suit and tie or a long princess gown, however, if that is what makes you feel good, by all means wear it :)
YES! By all means, purchase proper dance shoes, but not necessarily right away. Make sure this is a hobby/activity that you really want to pursue and put time into. After all if you are going to invest your hard earned money and your time in to this “dancing thing” you should have the most efficient footwear. Think of this as having the right equipment for a sport or any athletic activity you may take on. You certainly don’t have to buy shoes from us, but we do have two ladies and one men’s style in stock in most sizes. Or feel free to grab a catalog and look at the thousands of options, then order a pair that reflects YOUR personality. But please read the shoe policy, we have shoes that are fairly priced, but the return policy is very restrictive. And lastly, don’t EVER wear your dance shoes on anything but a PROPER dance floor. You wouldn’t wear your curling shoes to the Corner Bar, so don’t wear your dance shoes to work, or anywhere else for that matter. They have a wonderful suede bottom that allows the perfect grip and slip. This would be greatly compromised by wearing them on the street.
This is another easy one. We recommend that you enroll in our Essentials (the green sheet) program. You will learn the elements, skills and patterns for the ten dances we find most useful in a small town setting. It typically takes 4-6 private sessions (after completing the two 25’s) to get all the way through the Ten Dance Basics© Level I Essentials program.
Sure, we can create a one-dance focus for you. However, our years of experience have proven that knowing a variety of styles and recognizing a variety of musicality application will better prepare you for those dancing opportunities when they do appear; especially in a small town setting. If you focus on one dance, you will be a one-dimensional dancer, plus you will sit out 90% of the time, because you will only know one style.
Our Basics program is less about teaching you 10 dances, and more about teaching you the elements and skills and patterns that apply to a multitude of dances. The 10 dances we DO include in our Basics program are the most useful in our area and provide a wonderful starting point. Think of it as your dancing lib-eds. And once you get through this set of Basics Skills we will recommend for you a dance major, typically focusing on 4-6 dance styles.
That’s PERFECT, we have just the program for you – its’ called the Downtown Dancer©. The first part of this curriculum focuses on five dances from the Ten Dance Basics© Essentials program, and includes elements and patterns for those five dances, the next part focuses on the next five dances from the Ten Dance Basics© Essentials program and also includes patterns and practice routines. And YES, there are continuation options for the Downtown Dancer©, you can turn it in to a wonderful multi-semester study program. It typically takes 4-6 lessons to get through all this material. YAY!!!
Yes! And we have just the program for you – it’s called the Uptown Dancer© aka Strictly Ballroom or the Extreme program. This curriculum is broken in to four Bronze programs, Levels I-IV, and is based on the DVIDA (Dance Vision International Dance Association) syllabus. At each level you as a dancer will be prepared for professional Medal Exams, to be administered by a national examiner, once or twice per year. You will also be ready to travel and step on to that competition floor, either as an amateur couple, or as a pro-am couple.
Well, we are not doctors, but we do keep charts. And your dance chart will be the record that we use from lesson to lesson. It will record the material you learn and the dates you learned it. This chart will be our reference for your progress at all times. You are welcome to request a copy of your chart, but the original stays in our office. We also highly recommend you bring a notebook to make notes in during your lesson time. Just ask your instructor to pause so you can write down some crib notes.