A Survival Guide to Your Local Dance Studio
Congrats! You’ve decided to set up your first social dance lesson to explore cool dances like Country Two Step, Salsa and Swing. How exciting! Before long, if you stick with your dance lessons, you will have a wonderful and exciting hobby that you can use for years to come. Now that’s the definition of investing in yourself. The key now is to determine whether the Arizona dance studio that you chose is right for you. Let us suggest a few tips that will help you know what type of dance studio is right for you.
First, what is your ultimate goal on the dance floor? Will you be using your dance lessons to reconnect with spouse, gain confidence, or simply to relieve stress? If so, take some time to “interview” the studio you have made your first appointment with so you can discover if you’re on the same page. A few key questions you may want to ask should include; “What is your primary focus on my dance lessons?” If technique is more important than fun, you may not have chosen the right dance studio. Another important question to ask is, “What styles of dance do you offer?”. Maybe the studio you are in is a traditional ballroom dance studio, where you are wanting to learn more about social dances that you can use in the real world like Salsa and Country Swing. That would not be a good fit for you either. In the Phoenix metro area, there is only one strictly social partner dance studio, where ballroom dancing is not offered, and that is Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona.
Next, come in to your Introductory Dance Lesson with an open mind, but a sense of what feels right to you. Are you comfortable in the studio? Is this a place that you can see yourself wanting to come back to several times a week for the next few months? Learning to social dance takes time. Think of how long it took you to learn a new language, or play an instrument. There are steps to success on the dance floor that a quality dance studio will lay out for you, but knowing how to dance simply doesn’t come over night. The key is to grow, have fun and discover new sides of yourself along the way, making your time and financial investment worth it on your journey.
Finally, keep an eye out for studios that are not transparent. If you have questions that are met with elusive answers, take note. Now, if the studio truly does offer customized programs and you haven’t even taken your first step on to the dance floor, give them a chance to evaluate you before expecting an answer on time commitments and the like.
Learning to dance is an art, even if it’s social dancing, and everyone does make the connections that will make them successful dancers at their own pace. So be patient with yourself and know that, most likely, your dance instructor wants nothing but the best for you. Also know that now that you have started with your first dance lesson, many doors and opportunities to find love, meet new people and gain confidence are right around the corner. Go for it!
