Dance
& Class
Definitions
Ballroom. . .Latin. . .Swing.
. . Social . . .what does it all mean? What style of dance should you start with? Which
is the most useful? All
partner-style dances have certain elements in common. They all
require leading and following skills, floor management knowledge,
and the practice of dance floor etiquette. They also have
common steps and patterns that are easier to learn in some dances
rather than others. We'll discuss these issues below.
A brief
overview. . . Ballroom dances such as
Foxtrot, Waltz, & Tango all have a graceful flare that will
eventually make you feel like Fred or Ginger. The music for
each is very different, but all can move you
around a large dance floor very quickly. Foxtrot and Waltz may
also be danced on smaller floors commonly found in social settings.
Latin dances are quick and fiery, exuding a lot of pent up
energy. They all involve "Latin motion," a technique that
creates powerful, controlled body movements with a lot of hip and
rib action. Swing is a Rhythm dance, full of energy and
fun. This is the most common dance type you'll see out in
social settings, at least in this geographical area.
If you've never
taken partner-style dance lessons before then we require that
you start with one of our ENTRY LEVEL classes: Swing I, Foxtrot
I, Waltz I, or a Romance Workshop (if you
need a partner for the latter just let us know. We have
plenty of fill-in students.) These are the easiest classes
in which to learn the essential elements of leading & following,
dance frame, floor management, common footwork and terminology.
Dancing is a little like learning a strange dialect. The
terms are English, but they may not make any sense to you in the
very beginning. Common terms include "rock step," "side
break," "outside turn," "inside turn," "5th position break," and
"outside partner." These are the classes where we really
explain what all these terms mean and give you the chance to
build solid essential skills.
In my opinion,
East Coast Swing is the most useful of the partner-style dances, followed
closely by Nightclub Two-Step and Foxtrot. You'll hear the
music for these dances at weddings, holiday parties, bars, and on
the radio. They can be done in restricted space, are
relatively easy to learn, and are a lot of fun without draining all
of your energy on the first dance.
Below you'll
find descriptions of the dances & classes we teach. There's also a difficulty rating, with one
star being a good class for anyone to start with, two stars being
for quick learners only, and three stars requiring background in
other partner-style dances before you tackle that class.
Dance or Class Description
Brand-new dancers must start with an
ENTRY LEVEL
class. |
Difficulty Rating |
|
Rhythm
Dances |
*
= suitable for brand-new dancers |
|
SWING
Class
- This ENTRY LEVEL class is
the best place to begin your dance education! The beginning level class keeps it easy,
starting with single-rhythm footwork and teaching you the
essential turns and twirls that can be adapted to any of the
other rhythms. Most importantly you will learn how to lead
and follow without yanking or cranking your partner! The
intermediate classes move through more complicated patterns &
rhythms. There are 4 different intermediate classes, with
Swing I as their only pre-requisite. |
* |
|
Single Rhythm East Coast
Swing - This is what people usually mean when they say they want
to learn "swing" or "Jitterbug." Great for big band,
neo-swing, 50s-60s rock & roll & country music, this is the
most social of all the partner-style dances. You can use
this at weddings, holiday parties, nightclubs, bars, and in your
kitchen. It takes up very little floor space and is one of
the easiest dances to learn. Uses a 6-count rhythm with 8-count variations (Swing II.) |
* |
|
Double Rhythm East Coast
Swing - a fun way to add style to certain songs, we usually
approach this rhythm in our Swing II classes. Although it
is my favorite of the rhythms it is also the most difficult to
master, so be patient with yourselves when attempting it. Uses a
6-count rhythm with 8-count variations. |
** |
|
Triple Rhythm East Coast
Swing - for slower songs or high-energy people, "Triple" gives
your feet lots of extra steps to occupy them when the music
lags. Uses a 6-count rhythm with 8-count variations. |
** |
|
West Coast Swing -
This distinctive dance is very popular among the dance crowd.
It requires more effort than East Coast Swing but is thoroughly
worth it. It is the only common partner style dance where
the man and woman's footwork has no relationship to each other.
It's great for funk, hip hop, blues and slower country music.
This dance is not
recommended for beginners. We require background experience
in East Coast
Swing, Lindy Hop, or Cha Cha in order to start this class, (unless you have previous West Coast experience, of course.) |
*** |
|
Latin
Dances |
|
|
Latin Class - Teaches basic patterns for Cha Cha, and
introduces Merengue & Samba. This is a great place for
anyone looking to expand their Latin skills beyond Salsa. |
** |
|
Salsa - This is what most people think of when they talk about Latin
dancing. Salsa is fast, flirty, and lots of fun, but more
challenging to learn than swing. You
can dance to
Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Tito Puente and much more! While
new students are welcome in this class we do strongly recommend
that brand-new dancers start with Swing instead. This is a
quick class and those who are less than confident in their
skills can get left behind. |
** |
|
Cha Cha - when your Latin song is too slow for Salsa you
usually use Cha Cha. It's a really fun dance with a LOT of
possibilities. The song "Smooth" from Santana is one
recognizable option. The music is often very catchy and
powerful, as is the dance. |
** |
|
Merengue -
This is the most basic Latin dance. It's very useful when the music is
decidedly Latin but none of the other dances quite work. Great for
cruise ships and other umbrella drink occasions! |
* |
|
Samba -
This is a great
dance for those steel drum bands! If you're up for a
challenge, be sure to experience this one. It's a very
high energy, high motion dance, and is not recommended for
beginners. |
*** |
|
Rumba is
the Latin "dance of love." This is a great slow dance that can
be used to much more than traditional Latin music. It's a
good choice if you're looking for something to balance your
quicker dances such as Swing, Cha Cha, and Salsa. Dance
to Norah Jones, Enrique Iglesias, Ben E. King and many more. |
** |
|
Smooth
Dances |
|
|
Romance Workshop -
This workshop is
specifically designed for couples and is our primary Wedding
Preparation class. An ENTRY LEVEL class, it's perfect for
those who want to start their dance education with something a
little slower and more approachable. It majors in box-step
patterns for Foxtrot that can also be used in Waltz & Rumba,
and it minors in basic
East Coast Swing. This is an excellent
class for anyone preparing for a cruise, holiday party, or other
special function. It is also our only group dance class
where partner rotation is not required! Classes are 80
min. long and run for 3 consecutive weeks. You must start
with the first class of the workshop and plan to attend all
three lessons. Cost: $100/couple. |
* |
|
Foxtrot
-
the granddaddy of
ballroom dancing. A great general purpose dance that can
be done to a wide variety of tempos (speeds) of music.
Great for Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Buble and the Big Band Leaders.
It is very adaptable to different floor sizes, allowing
you to cover an entire dance studio floor or to function in the
confined space of a hotel lounge. All well-rounded
dancers should know how to Foxtrot. |
* |
|
Waltz -
an
ENTRY LEVEL class,
this is the most elegant
of the ballroom dances and one of the easiest to begin with. Learn to glide around the floor to
3/4 time, moving as one with your partner. This is Slow
Waltz, not Viennese, which is very fast and done to "Oom-pah" music.
An example of a good Slow Waltz song is "Could I Have This
Dance?" by Anne Murray. Silver, or advanced level, Waltz and
Foxtrot are done in "continuity" style. This requires
knowledge of the basic forms of Waltz and/or Foxtrot, and is appropriate
for even slower music. |
* |
|
Tango -
the most dramatic
of the smooth dances. The music makes most people
think this is a Latin dance, but its character actually makes it
one of the smooth dances. A very powerful, passionate
dance. |
** |
|
Social
Dances |
|
|
Nightclub Two-Step -
one of the
easiest partner-style dances and also one of the most enjoyable.
Relatively new, this dance is designed for music too slow for
any thing else but the "wobble." This is one of the most
popular dances for wedding couples. Music: Slow
blues, country, pop, etc. |
** |
|
Country Two-Step - from Foxtrot, this is the country
companion to Swing. It moves around the floor and is
suited to a majority of country songs. |
** |
|
Polka
- Can be done well or dangerously. Obviously we will teach
you the former. Great for Octoberfest parties! |
* |
|