Are the dance parties open to the general public or are they restricted to class members only?

I believe that Ballroom dancing should be open and accessible to everyone. All of my functions are open to the public.

How do I register for lessons?

For group classes, no registration is required. Just show up! Please come about 10 minutes early so I can get everyone signed in before class starts. For private lessons, just call to make an appointment.

What is the difference between private lessons and group classes?

Group classes are scheduled by the instructor at a specific time each week for the purpose of teaching a specific dance to a group of people. The number of students in a group class can vary widely. I have taught group classes as small as 6 students and as large as 150 students. The material taught in group classes is predetermined by the teacher based on what is advertised for the class. Then the class is taught at a speed appropriate for the average of the class. If you learn faster or slower than the average of the class, you might feel bored or frustrated with the class because it is not moving at the right pace for you.

Private lessons are scheduled at a convenient time for both you and your teacher. The teacher works with you as an individual or couple on the things that you want to learn, and at a pace that is correct for you. You are not restricted to a specific dance. You may even choose to learn several different dances in the same lesson. This individualized attention makes the private lesson about five times more effective than a group class.

How long are the lessons?

Both group classes and private lessons are 1 hour long, normally scheduled every hour on the hour. Instruction starts on the hour and ends at 55 minutes past the hour, with a 5 minute break for paperwork, discussion, scheduling, etc. at the end of the hour. You should arrive early, change your shoes, warm up, and be ready to dance when your lesson starts. If you arrive late, your lesson will still end at the normal time of 55 minutes past the hour so that the next lesson can start on time.

What should I wear?

For the group dance classes, just wear what feels comfortable to you. Casual attire is fine. For the dance parties, you may want to wear something a bit more dressy. For shoes, I suggest that you consider dance shoes as they actually make dancing easier, but again they are not required. Try to stay away from rubber sole shoes, however, as these will impair your ability to do turns. In any event, please bring clean shoes with you. Shoes that are worn outside can track in grime, damage the floor, and make it dangerous for dancers by making the floor slippery.

Do I need a partner?

Although I teach partner dancing, it is not required that you bring your own partner to the group classes. Most people come by themselves, so between you and everyone else, everyone usually has a partner. Then during the class we change partners frequently, so you will have the opportunity to dance with many partners.

Do I have to change partners?

The short answer is, no. I don't require that people change partners in my group classes. The long answer, or maybe a better question is, "should I change partners?" The answer is, definitely yes. The way that learning to dance in a group class works depends on dancing with different partners with different levels of ability. Dancing with different partners also enables you to lead or follow different kinds of dancers. If you attend a group class and only dance with one partner, your learning rate will be significantly reduced. If you intend to dance only with one partner, you should seriously consider private lessons where the instructor can focus on each individual's dancing, and help you overcome the challenges of only dancing with one partner.

What if I think I'm too clumsy to learn to dance?

I teach classes at different levels. The beginning classes are targeted toward individuals with little or no dance experience. Many of the people you will meet feel exactly the way you do. Remember, nobody learns to dance overnight, not even the very best dancers. As for being clumsy, you're probably not, but you feel that way from time to time. There is likely no better way to overcome that feeling than to learn ballroom dancing!

What exactly is "Ballroom Dancing"?

Many people equate partner dancing with Ballroom dancing. But there are many types of partner dancing that are not Ballroom. Country dancing and square dancing are two obvious examples. There are even many partner dances that are popular with Ballroom dancers which are not Ballroom dances, such as West Coast Swing, Hustle, Salsa, Merengue, Argentine Tango, etc. While music for some of these dances may be played at a Ballroom dance function, they are not Ballroom dances. "Ballroom Dancing" has come to mean the combination of Ballroom dancers, Ballroom music, and a Ballroom dance floor where certain Ballroom dances (Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep) and certain Latin dances (Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive/Swing, Mambo, Bolero) are danced.

A Ballroom dancer is someone who as studied and learned the rhythms, the technique, and some of the figures for the Ballroom dances and probably most of the Latin dances, too. A Ballroom dancer attends and supports Ballroom dance functions.

Ballroom music is music which corresponds to the rhythms and tempos of the Ballroom and Latin dances. Music for dances which are not Ballroom or Latin dances should not comprise a significant portion of the music if the function is called a "Ballroom Dance". In fact, I believe that a function should not be called a "Ballroom Dance" unless at least 50% of the music is for the Ballroom dances. Ballroom dance music is also normally between 2 and 4 minutes long with short breaks between songs for changing partners.

The recommended Ballroom dance floor is an unobstructed, rectangular, wooden floor, 40 feet by 60 feet. Generally, larger is better, however, much larger than 50 feet by 80 feet tends to disorient the dancer. Although Ballroom Dancing is possible on smaller dance floors, as the floor gets smaller than 40 feet by 60 feet, the dancing experience degrades. Obstructions such as poles, or non-rectangular shaped floors also degrade the dance experience. Quality Ballroom dancing starts becoming difficult as the dance floor gets smaller than about 30 feet by 50 feet and becomes almost impossible below about 20 feet by 30 feet.

Live Music or Recorded Music?

First, let me say that I love, appreciate, and support live performances including live music. However, listening to live music is completely different than dancing to live music. Although most people prefer listening to live music, Ballroom dancers prefer dancing to recorded music. There are many reasons for this. The two most important attributes for dance music are rhythm and tempo. Many live bands do not maintain a consistent tempo throughout the entire song, most increasing the tempo as the song progresses. Most recorded music does maintain a consistent tempo throughout the whole song. In addition, most live bands do not know what the correct tempos for dancing are. They may accidently happen upon the correct tempo occasionally during a performance, but 2 or 3 danceable songs in an evening is not enough for a ballroom dancer. Note that this has nothing at all to do with the musician's ability or talent (most are extremely talented), only with the suitability of the music for Ballroom dancing.

As part of striving to be excellent musicians, and the desire to provide the audience with a great performance, almost all bands specialize in a certain type of music: swing, latin, jazz, etc. Although great for the musicians and the listening audience, this is not good for the Ballroom dancer. Ballroom dancers prefer to dance all of the dances they know, Waltzes, Foxtrots, Cha Chas, Quicksteps, Rumbas, Sambas, etc. Most live bands are not able to play this wide range of dance rhythms well. When you dance to recorded music, you can choose the best of many different bands - all in one evening.

What's the difference between American Style and International Style, and which should I learn?

International style can be thought of as the "gold standard" which is taught and danced the same way everywhere in the world. As you progress from the beginning level to the advanced level, you simply add new, more difficult figures to the ones you already know. Your technique gets better, and you never stop using the figures you learned at the beginning level. These are the reasons that International Style is the best choice for all types of dancing, especially social dancing.

In most cases, American style can be thought of as a modification of the International style with the addition of figures where the man and lady dance apart from each other. American style is danced primarily in the United States, and the way it is taught varies from region to region. In addition, many times the dance changes completely as you progress from one level to the next. This is why American style is used for choreographed shows and competitions, and is not good for social dancing except at the very beginning levels.

Some people say that the American style is easier than International style, but this is not true. While dancing by yourself is always easier than dancing with a partner, not all of the figures in American style are apart from your partner. When you dance apart from your partner, you can get away with not learning good posture, how to turn, how to really lead or follow, or even how to coordinate body movements with another person. Many people learn American style first and don't learn good technique. Then when they try to learn International style, they find that they have to learn what they should have learned in the first place and so they say it is harder. What is really true is that when you learn to dance for the first time, everything is new and equally difficult, regardless of what style it is. It is only when you think you have learned something correctly but find out you haven't and need to re-learn, that you blame the new thing as being more difficult. In addition, when you dance apart from your partner, leading and following become significantly more difficult, making American style more difficult to dance socially than International style.

So, which should you learn, or which should you learn first? That depends on your goals. For most people, International style is the better choice to learn first, especially if you want to dance socially. It is the "gold standard" for ballroom dancing and provides you an excellent foundation for whatever you want to do in the future.

I don't want to compete. I just want to be a social dancer. Shouldn't I just learn American style?

No, not really. Unless you want to be a beginning dancer all your life, American style is not well suited for social dancing. American style is better suited for competitions and shows. Many people try to lump all of the poor characteristics of dancers into a category and call it "social dancing". Being a social dancer is not an excuse to dance badly, just as dancing in a competition is not an excuse to become a snob. I know that both things happen (and far too often), but neither is right. For that matter, dancing American style is not an excuse to dance badly either. This is why you should learn International style first, even if you want to learn American style later. People who only know American style, or learn American style first, put themselves at a disadvantage in the social dance world.

Being a social dancer means that you dance with multiple partners. It has nothing at all to do with how well you dance, whether you compete or not, or even what style you dance. International style is compatible with the most dancers. You will experience many incompatibilities, and many frustrations, trying to dance American style with multiple partners. International style is the true social dancer's style.

How many steps do I need to learn to be a good dancer?

Learning steps or figures does not make you a good dancer. You become a good dancer by learning the technique, character, timing, rhythm, and how to lead or follow each dance. It is possible (and quite common) to know a lot of figures and dance them all very badly. So, learning a lot of figures without learning how to dance them properly actually makes you a bad dancer. It is much, much better to know a few figures and dance them very well. When you dance all the figures that you know with good technique, character, and timing, then you are a good dancer.

How long does it take to learn to dance?

It varies from person to person depending on prior experience with body movement related activities such as sports, other types of dance, martial arts, etc. However, on average, the following is close for most people.

• To become a decent beginning level dancer, most people will study dancing for about a year taking a combination of group lessons and private lessons.
• To progress to an intermediate level dancer, most people will take a private lesson a week, and practice about 2-5 hours per week for one to two years. It is not possible to progress past the beginning level without the individualized attention that you get in private lessons. The amount of time to learn can be accelerated by taking more than one private lesson per week and more practice.
• To progress to an advanced level dancer, most people will take 1-3 private lessons per week, and practice 6-10 hours per week for 3-5 years. The time to learn can be accelerated with more lessons and more practice.

The lessons you take must be quality lessons from a good teacher in order to progress to the intermediate and advanced levels. You must also spend time actually practicing and not just dancing.

Is Solicitation Allowed At Dance Parties?

No. Solicitation is never allowed at my dance parties. Guests can expect to be comfortable dancing at my parties without being hounded and pressured (or even asked) about taking lessons. Solicitation is defined as volunteering information about lessons or events without being asked. The following are some examples of solicitation:

• A teacher saying "Are you taking lessons?" or something similar.
• A teacher saying "Where do you take lessons?" or something similar.
• Saying "I'm a dance teacher" or something similar. (unless specifically asked)
• Distributing business cards or flyers. Flyers may be placed in an official place (as chosen and approved by the event organizer) so that guests may take one if they choose, but must not be distributed or left out so they are visible anywhere else. Business cards may be given to someone if they ask for it, but not offered without them asking.
• Inviting someone to an event where solicitation occurs, such as a studio party.

Etiquette At Dance Parties

Most people think that Dance Parties are just a place to go and dance. In the most basic sense, they are. However, Ballroom Dancing is a sport with its own rules, conventions, and common practices just like any other sport. There are some simple rules of etiquette, some of which are not so obvious, or may not be what you expect, so read carefully.

1. You should dress appropriately for a classy sport like Ballroom Dancing. Jeans, T-shirts, tennis shoes, shorts, etc. are not appropriate. Perfume and cologne are also not appropriate. Your perfume or cologne comes off on every person you dance with. By the end of the evening everyone is wearing the combination of everyone else's perfume and cologne -- and it smells awful.
2. Be considerate to other couples on the floor. Exercise good floorcraft. Do not cut other couples off. Lifts, choreographed routines, drops, etc. are not appropriate on the social dance floor.
3. Dance the appropriate dance for the music being played. You should not be practicing steps from a different dance while other dancers are trying to dance around you.
4. Always follow line of dance when dancing travelling dances.
5. Avoid dancing patterns that your partner cannot do. Dance to the level of your partner and never blame your partner for missteps.
6. It is inappropriate and rude to correct or try to teach someone while dancing at a social event, even if they ask you to. So never do it. Teaching someone to dance is a specialized art best left to professional dance teachers. You can actually hurt someone's dancing by trying to teach them while social dancing. So don't do it and don't ask someone to do it.

What are the differnet kinds of Ballroom dancers?

This is an excellent question and the source of much confusion in the Ballroom dance world because many people use the same terms, but use them to mean different things. Here are the definitions of some classifications of Ballroom dancers as I use them.

Social Dancer - This is the highest skilled class of all the dancers. To be a competent social dancer, you must have knowledge of the music, rhythms, figures, technique, and be able to lead or follow any other Social Dance partner in any of the dances. A Social dancer has taken many private lessons to learn the skills and technique. Some people think that a social dancer is a lower class of unskilled dancer. This is obviously false. Just think about how everyone wants to dance with the good dancer, and how no one likes danceing with the poor dancer. The more highly skilled dancer can dance with more partners, clearly being the more "social" dancer!

Performance / Competition Dancer - This type of dancer learns routines to perform in a show or at a competition and does not learn the skills necessary for social dancing. In most cases the Performance / Competition dancer is only able to dance the routines they have learned, and they are only able to dance those routines with the partner they have learned them with. Competition and Performance Dancers focus on looking their best in their performance and so their technique is often as good as, and sometimes better than that of Social Dancers, but being able to social dance is not a requirement for competitions and shows, so leading, following, choreography, and floorcraft skills are often lacking.

Casual Dancer - A Casual dancer has taken some lessons, and is familiar with the different dances. They can get by at a social dance event, but they have not been serious enough about learning the technique to be a proficient social dancer, and are generally uncomfortable to dance with. Many Casual dancers learn a few routines that they expect to dance with everyone, instead of actually leading or following. They end up spending more time trying to show their routines to other partners than actually dancing. Unfortunately, people in this category are the most likely to think they know it all, and try to teach other people while dancing with them at a social event.

Unskilled Dancer This type of dancer has not taken lessons, or may have had a few group classes (probably the free ones). They generally go to social dance events to goof off and just have a good time. They often hurt themselves or others by trying to dance with a partner.