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Group Dance Classes vs Private Lessons

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private dance lessons for adults in ArizonaWith all the new and exciting things happening here at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ, one of the most common questions that we are asked is whether or not a person or couple should start with private dance lessons or group dance lessons.

As you may already know, Dance FX Studios teaches social dancing to adults, both couples and singles, who are looking to gain confidence out on the dance floor. Popular dances like Country Two Step, Swing and Salsa dancing are all the rage, but you have to know what you’re doing when you’re out on the dance floor, right? That where we come in! With private dance lessons and group classes, you’ll be ready to conquer that dance floor in no time! So where do you begin? Let me share my perspective with you…

Let’s start with the pro’s of private dance lessons. With one-on-one dance instruction, it’s much easier to focus on specific dance styles based on your requests. You choose the dance, and we can spend time exploring it at your pace, and with your learning style in mind. We can concentrate more on making sure you’ve learned the material, rather than giving you an overview, which is what you’ll get in a group dance class.

If you are part of a couple, private social dance lessons could become a romantic hobby that you can use everywhere from your living room to your wedding! You will develop a stronger connection both on and off the dance floor as you work together as a team to learn to dance and develop a partnership together on the dance floor.

You will gain results in the shortest amount of time with personalized instruction, which gives you more time to enjoy your newfound hobby! Even better is that every lesson will be taught with your specific dancing goals in mind. We’ll show all of the coolest dances that would be useful for you so you can go have some fun sooner rather than later.

Finally, Dance FX Studios is open six days/week for private dance lessons, so scheduling is based on your own availability. We can almost always accommodate you and your busy life. We will work at your pace as we help to show you how learning to dance can be a fun and easy process.

The con’s of private dance lessons aren’t really cons at all, but are more about what dance lessons are worth to you. Quality dance instruction comes at a price, and you’ll definitely get what you’re paying for with our team. Great dance instructors are very hard to find. Knowing how to dance does not make you a great dance instructor, so there are many tools that amazing teachers use to create a wonderful dancer in each of their students, and here at Dance FX Studios, we have all the right tools to make you a confident social dancer.

With Group Classes comes a different opportunity to meet new people with the same interest in learning to dance. Classes can give you the chance to lead or follow a variety of partners which will sharpen your skills out on the dance floor! Group lessons are also a great way learn new dancing steps without much commitment or financial investment, and are an affordable source of fun and excitement.

The only con’s to Group Dance Classes are that since you are sharing your time with up to 40 people. This can be very challenging to grow as rapidly as you would with private dance lessons. It can also be a bit frustrating at times to dance with people at different skill levels and with different abilities in a group class setting.

If you are a newer dancer, group dance classes will expose your weaknesses. It is a challenge to teach technique in a group setting with all different levels of dancers so newer dancers tend to focus on their footwork instead of their lead or follow. Read this blog to find out why that is not a good thing.

In summary, while group dancing classes are fun, and great a social outlet, you will be a better and more confident social dancer in a much shorter amount of time though private dance lessons. Yes, you will invest more into your new hobby, but if you’re going to learn something new, think about the old saying: “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” Come into Dance FX studios and start taking dance lessons to begin your journey to a more confident and capable dancer!

How to Relax During Your Dance Lessons

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 arizona Country dance lessonsYou pull into the parking lot of your local dance studio when suddenly you realize, you have no recollection of driving there. The entire time you should’ve been focused on the road, you were thinking about maintaining a solid dance frame, not rocking back too far on your heels, or leading with your torso when you’re dancing the Argentine Tango. You have a few extra minutes before your dance lesson starts, so you grab some coffee. You notice your hands shaking mildly, as the anxiety is building. You’re so worked up about doing a great job and nailing all of your moves, that you can’t relax. As soon as you get out onto the floor, your body decides not to cooperate. When you want to go left, you find your right foot has a mind of its own…

Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. As a professional ballroom dance instructor at Dance FX Studios, the best advice I could give my students would just be to RELAX. Usually this will happen within the first few minutes of getting out on to the floor after a long day at work. However, when the anxiety lingers, that’s when I find my students having the most difficult time, whether we are Swing dancing or Country dancing. I have noticed that with just a few coping mechanisms in place ahead of time, your Private Dance Lesson can get off to a much better start.

First… When push comes to shove, I tell my students to “walk it out”! If you’re struggling with a new Salsa dance combination, FREEZE! Stop dancing for a minute so your feet can catch up with your brain and simply walk through it. By taking some time to go through your moves in slow motion, you give your body more of a chance to create the muscle memory for each skill. Once you feel more confident in walking mode, you can slowly increase the speed to polish up your transitions in and out of each Latin dance move.

Next, breathe and be patient with yourself. Just like most things in life, learning new skills takes time, and social ballroom dancing is no exception. Fred Astaire certainly did not learn to dance in a day, and it most likely will take you a bit more time too. It’s rare for almost anyone to have a complete natural ability in any sport or physical activity immediately, so give yourself time to discover and grow. With patience and great instruction, you can certainly do almost anything. If you have ever tried learning how to play a musical instrument, you probably know that you played more “wrong” notes at first than “right” ones.

Finally, know that repetition is not a punishment! Think back to Kindergarten for a moment. When you were learning how to write the alphabet, the teacher didn’t just show you once and expect you to do it perfectly thus forward. Instead she probably started with having you trace each letter several times before trying to freehand your own. Then, you wrote line after line of abc’s until you didn’t really have to think about how to shape each letter. Dancing parallels this to a tee. First you have to learn how to hold your pencil (or partner). Then you have to learn how to move your pencil across the paper (or your partner across the dance floor). Then you learn how to shape each letter (or move) robotically. After a few months of practice, you can write without having to think too hard about what shape each letter makes. How soon you can start writing in cursive smoothly will depend on how often you practice.

Ironically, adult dance lessons can be more stressful than they are relaxing in the initial stages of learning, but the end result will be a wonderfully enjoyable and quite relaxing hobby that you can use for years to come. Give yourself and those you love the gift of Private Dance Lessons to get the best results on the dance floor in the shortest time possible. Guaranteed, you will have a skill that will impress others and provide hours of fun for many years ahead!

 

Social Dancing, From the Eyes of a Pro

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ballroom dancing in Mesa AZI 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.
My two cents: Well said, Bri! We love watching people uncover the many, many benefits of learning to social ballroom dance, from fun and excitement, to meeting new friends to reconnecting with someone special.
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!