I truly am the luckiest person I know. Each day, I get up and go to “work” at my small business in Mesa, Arizona called Dance FX Studios. From noon to eight pm, six days a week, I get to watch singles and couples discover social dancing for the first time. Some are visibly terrified, some are jumping out of their skin excited, and most just wish they could take that magic pill that will make them confident social dancers, like, yesterday.
Regardless of who comes into my studio, I know the true power of dance, and I can’t wait to share it! My staff feels the same way. I can see it in their eyes as they take a student through an Introductory Dance Lesson on their first day in. I can also see it when they do their “happy dance” for a student who tackles a really complicated move and comes out on top. Whether you’re a newbie or have had lots of training with us, it is a joy and our true pleasure to be able to instruct social dancing, not to mention earn a living doing it!
Yesterday, I thought it would be interesting to ask my team if they could answer a few basic questions that would help our readers to have a deeper insight into social dancing. Their answers were quite revealing! Here are my top three Q and A’s from the staff here at Dance FX Studios…
Question: As an instructor, what is the best tip you give to your students?
Here’s what Michelle said: Communication is paramount in all facets of life, but most importantly when dancing. No matter who your partner is, if you have a good connection, you’ll have a good time on the dance floor. A lot of dancers come in thinking that the only way to show their partner a good time is if they can do a million different spins and turns. When dancing with someone new, I would say it’s more beneficial to focus on building that line of communication through a solid frame, than trying to show off all of the fancy moves that you know.
My two cents: What a great point! Whether you’re learning to
Country Two Step or Salsa dance, a connection with your partner is primary. That will lead to an easy and straight forward way to communicate with your other half, making dancing a breeze (or at least a lot easier!!).
Question: What is your favorite dance to teach, and why?
Here’s what Emily said: I’m gonna have to say narrowing it down to just one dance is too hard. I like to have a dance for any occasion! But if I had to I’d say it’s a tie between Nite Club 2-Step and West Coast Swing. They’re both great styles that cover so many genres of music, from Country music to Rock and Roll to oldies, versatility is my favorite thing, and both of these dances have it. Not to mention, they both have a certain level of intimacy with your partner, Nite Club being the more romantic while West Coast is much more sexy and playful. It’s all about the connection with your partner and these styles definitely have that on a deeper level!
My two cents: I too love the Nite Club 2-Step and West Coast Swing as fun social dances! I also always encourage newcomers to explore the Argentine Tango as it is THE dance to really understand what it means to lead and follow on the dance floor.
Question: What do you find is the most common reason people come in to take lessons these days?
Here’s what Bri said: At first glance, it always SEEMS like the reason people want to take lessons is because they want to be confident social dancers. Ultimately, that’s what we do here at
Dance FX Studios. But when you really get to know each person individually, there’s actually so much more to it. Dance is like therapy for soul. Working through new moves and challenging oneself in a realm that is so different from the day-to-day struggles, translates metaphorically in ways that one can only experience first hand.
Come experience social dancing for yourself to see what you can gain by becoming a great social dancer! On behalf of the entire staff at Dance FX Studios, we welcome you and look forward to sharing our passion for dance with you any time!
