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Why You’ll Want to Know How To Swing Dance

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swing dance lessons in ArizonaIn just two short months, all of our calendars will surely be filled with one holiday party after another. As we inch closer to the 2016 Holiday Season, most of us will begin thinking about some possible New Year’s Resolutions. Why not get ahead of the curve and begin creating that list now?!

Picture how cool it would be to actually know how to dance by this New Year’s Eve. I mean, why wait til next year when you can be dancing this year, right? And not just any dance…what about Swing Dancing?! Imagine how many occasions where you can use your Swing dance moves, from going out Country dancing with friends, to attending those upcoming weddings.  Swing dancing is by far the most versatile of all the social ballroom dances, so you will use it time and again at any social affair.

In this blog we’re going to explore just how much fun Swing dancing is, and why you should begin taking Swing Dance Lessons to learn cool and popular styles ranging from Country Swing to West Coast Swing and Jitterbug. Each of these variations of Swing dancing have something unique to offer you, so learning to dance with confidence is key.

Swing dancing is energizing, exciting and timeless. Feel your blood pumping and have fun burning calories while exploring a new hobby all at the same time. For singles, Swing dancing is also a wonderful social opportunity. Meet new friends, learn a healthy activity and watch your social life begin to expand as you now have something a lot more interesting to do than sit on the couch and watch TV.

For couples, Swing Dance Lessons are a great way to become confident and comfortable before hitting the social dance floor. With a built-in dance partner, you will learn useful tips like how to be a great leader or follower as well as how to establish a connection with your partner. Teamwork is everything in dance, which is why couples that dance together, stay happy together. 😉

When you begin Swing dance lessons, you will discover a variety of moves to keep your dancing dynamic and lively. You’ll find your inner diva in the sultry West Coast Swing, and uncover your inner “rocker chick” in the East Coast Swing. Regardless of the style, you can enjoy the many layers and diversities of Swing dancing.

Swing dancing is also perfect for crowded places, like in a bar, or at a wedding, because it is done mostly while standing in place, rather than traveling around a big floor. There are now of course more than 25 variations of Swing Dance. Pretty cool fact, right? Back in the 1920’s, African dance moves were formed into what is now known as the the Lindy Hop and the Charleston, two very popular Swing dance styles. They were both danced to contemporary Jazz music, and from there, as we all know… the rest is history!

Although the historical roots of this dance can be traced back for almost one hundred years ago, today West Coast Swing, and all other forms of this dance, can be found all throughout the world, very alive and well. The reason why so many people absolutely love Swing dancing, and it has lasted throughout the years, is simply because Swing can be danced to many different genres of music from Pop, to R&B, Contemporary, Country music, and most Top 40 hits too. This allows people to pick and choose from an almost “infinite” amount of music of which to dance to and also makes it attainable for a large spectrum of different age groups and physical abilities.

At Dance FX Studios in the Phoenix East Valley of Arizona, we would love the opportunity to  give you cool tips on how to be an awesome Swing dancer. Let us help you to uncover this exciting, healthy and joyful dance.  If you’re intrigued by Swing dancing, our New Student Offer for beginner’s Swing Dance Lessons with us is a great place to start.  You will soon be on your way to years of fun and dance, so come on in and find out what you’ve been missing!

Country Swing dancing AZ

Learning to Dance: Cheaper Than therapy and Much More Rewarding!

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Country Swing dancing in AZDance has been an integral form of communication, connecting communities and individuals in every culture and civilization throughout history. Social dancing, from Latin to Swing and Country to Ballroom, brings people together in a variety of ways. We use music and dancing to reenact historic events, to express deep emotion, to celebrate and to romance those we love or hope to love. Dancing also has another use…healing.

When most people think of solving personal issues with therapy, their minds immediately wander to psychotherapy, psychoanalysis or clinical therapies. Rarely do people consider the activity of social dancing as an effective form of therapy. Interestingly, dance emerged as psychotherapeutic tool back in the 1940s. Today, research continues to support the use of dancing for a variety of mental stressors and is utilized for individuals, couples, families and groups in crisis.

If your relationship is in crises “dancing is uplifting, enjoyable, engaging, and includes the added advantage of non-verbal communication, which enables participants to express their feelings without words when normal communication channels are absent or broken down” (Strassel et al., 2011). Learning to partner dance, from the Country Two Step to Salsa dancing, focuses on developing a strong connection between two individuals. Moreover, social dance lessons teach the man to be a great leader and the female to follow.  What’s great for couples is that they work out relationship issues without realizing that’s the effect, all while having a great time!

Therapy through dancing is especially useful for couples with medium to severe distress, marriages dealing with infidelity, elderly couples suffering from depression or anyone with anxiety or dementia. For dementia in particular, dancing has been documented in peer reviewed journals as being the top beneficial exercise for Alzheimer disease prevention.

Dance therapy has four valuable components: social, musical, skill learning and physical exercise. Social Dancing may also be particularly beneficial for group and family therapy because the benefits of dancing include: increased self-awareness, improved self-esteem, increased connectivity of thoughts, feelings and actions, improved verbal and non-verbal communication, greater social interaction skills, enhanced relational trust and increased ability to recognize, decipher and express feelings appropriately (Bojner-Horwitz, Theorell, and Anderberg, 2011).

Dancing is a social activity because it is done with another individual and/or a group of people. This human to human interaction is important for all psychological functioning. Adding the component of music, the body is listening, looking, moving and reacting. The results are that dancing reduces stress as well as pain, decreases anxiety and improves relaxation.  How wonderful is that?! Additionally, repeat interaction among other people where a common hobby is comfortably shared, like going Country Swing dancing at a local event, strengthens inner feelings of belonging to community.

Taking dance lessons may be the therapeutic tool that is right for you. It is clear that dance movement has the ability to instill positive life changes by developing and enhancing the relationship of the body, mind and spirit. It’s also easy to see how learning spicy Latin dances, like Bachata or Merengue, helps the imagination and the emotions. Performing any social ballroom style of dancing allows for an increased ability to adapt and to respond to changes in the environment. This means even stressful work relations will improve if the work group participates in social dancing. Imagine what this will also do for morale and productivity!

Isn’t it inspiring that you can do something as fun as Country Dancing, Latin Dancing or even group dance lessons as a bridal party and get the benefits of therapy to resolve issues within couples, family or friendships!? Whether you are getting along in all of your relationships or not, social dancing is sure to enhance your life. For all of you Phoenix residents, let us impact you with social dance lessons at Dance FX Studios. Before long, you’ll see the perks of knowing how to dance for yourself.

Swing dancing in Arizona

Swing Dancing-It Isn’t Just for Cowboys

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Swing dancing in ArizonaWhat is “Swing” dancing? Swing dancing is fun, high energy (which is great for exercise) always evolving and changing form of dance with lots of fun turns and exciting music to match. New versions of old dances are inevitable and the rabbit hole of Swing dancing goes as deep as you want it to.

You might be surprised to learn how many different kinds of Swing dancing there is!? Just look at all these titles below … they are all variations of Swing!

Lindy Hop

Balboa

Collegiate Shag

St. Louis Shag

Jitterbug

Lindy Charleston

Eastern Swing

East Coast Swing

West Coast Swing

Western Swing

Boogie-woogie

Carolina Shag

Imperial Swing

Jive

Skip Jive

Modern Jive

Rock and Roll

Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll

Washington Hand Dancing

Push and Whip

Modern Swing

Mo-Cathy or Silly Swing

Out of the list of Swing dance choices above, the 5 top dances that can be utilized most for social dancing are: the Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing.

Here is a little bit of history about these dances. The Lindy Hop was the original Swing, and it emerged during the 1920’s to 30’s. It was followed Balboa and Shag-two dances that are also in the Lindy Hop family. The East Coast Swing is a simplified version of the Lindy Hop and comes in triple, double, and single-time varieties. Single time is commonly referred to as Jitterbug, although the term “Jitterbug” originally referred to anyone who danced Swing.

The West Coast is a modern version of Lindy Hop with a different twist on the style. Originally, Lindy Hop dancers looked down on West Coast dancers, nick-named “Westies” and vice-versa. Today both styles of dancers tend to appreciate each other’s swing version a bit more.

So now that your interest is peaked, how does one go about learning Swing dancing? Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona recommends starting with either Jitterbug or West Coast Swing by taking private dance lessons. This way you can dance swing to a variety of music and have lots of fun doing it. Private instruction is the fastest way to become a great Swing dancer.

In fact taking private one-on-one dance lessons is the fastest way to becoming a great social dancer of any style of dance you are interested in.  Dance FX Studios teaches just about any style of social ballroom dance popular today including Country and Latin Styles. Why not try out the dance of your choice today by taking advantage of our New Student Offer of only $25 for an hour lesson!

happy couple dancing

Visit Dance FX Studios in AZ for Social Ballroom Dance Lessons

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happy couple dancingDance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona has been one of THE leading social ballroom dance studios in Arizona for over a decade. Located right off the 101 Freeway, on the southeast corner of Dobson and Guadalupe, Dance FX Studios is accessible and close to people all over the Phoenix East Valley. What sets Dance FX Studios apart from other ballroom dance studios in Arizona? We focus purely on social dancing for our students. You won’t find Dancing With The Stars competitive-style ballroom dancing here. Instead, you will receive practical social dance lessons at Dance FX Studios that you can take out on any crowded dance floor. From the Country Two Step to the Salsa to Swing dancing, you will become a confident dancer in no time with private dance lessons from us. Our approach to social dancing? Very good question! We focus on giving our singles and couples the tools that they need to conquer any social dancer with ease. Let’s explore the many facets of social dancing and just what it means to take social dancing lessons.

Social dancing is extremely versatile and can be taken virtually anywhere. You can take what you learn in social dancing to many different places and events. A good percentage of our students take dance lessons with us because they have a wedding or special event that they are attending. They want to learn to dance and become confident enough to enjoy themselves on the dance floor throughout the entire reception of their friend or family member’s wedding or at a club. Some students have a trip or a cruise coming up that they want to prepare for. We’ve had students who are going abroad to Latin American countries and want to become proficient in the language of Latin dance so they can “go native” when they get there. Other couples come in wanting to learn to Swing or Salsa or Tango dance together and enjoy a fun, stress-relieving hobby that will add some romance to their relationship. Singles who want to learn to dance to become more confident and meet new people come and discover just how great dance lessons are for many other areas of their life, from improving their health to unwinding after a long week. After discussing what YOU want to learn and where you see yourself dancing, you can choose up to four dances to learn in one of our personalized dance programs and take your dancing wherever you go!

 

Dance FX Studios ensures that each student becomes a proficient social dancer. Not only will you learn the moves and form necessary to look good on the dance floor, but we will also equip you with social dancing tips, tricks and tools to make you shine on every dance floor.

When you go out social dancing, you will come across dance venues and situations that may be awkward or unsafe, more commonly when dancers mix too much alcohol with their dancing. We prepare all of our students for situations like this. Crowded dance floors are a common occurrence, and we make sure our students know how to lead and follow correctly and how to navigate around a dance floor that might be packed with people. This keeps our students and their dance partners safe and comfortable on the dance floor, avoiding collisions or awkward close calls.

One fun part about social dancing is meeting new people. With us, you can learn how to connect with any dance partner and how to enjoy yourself all night long. There are various other tips that will keep you popular on the dance floor, like attire, hygiene, and social tips that you can learn from us too!

Do social dancing lessons sound like something you would love to try out? You should! With our $40 Private Dance Lesson Introductory Offer, you can see just how fun and all-inclusive dance lessons at Dance FX Studios are. Call us today to make an appointment for your first dance lesson and let the fun begin!

Top Three Most Useful Dances in Arizona

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Get ready to have some fun with dance lessons in three of the most popular social dances in Arizona! “What are those dances that no AZ resident should live without?”, you may ask. Three must-have dances for couples or singles who live in Arizona include: Salsa, Swing and the Country Two Step. Yes, it’s true, gone are the days where ballroom dancing, like the Foxtrot or Waltz are in style simply because they can make you feel elegant or debonaire. Today, social dancing is all about having fun, fitting in with the local cultures and enjoying what you know by taking it to parties, weddings or even on cruises! Let’s explore these three key social dances and why YOU should learn them to have a great time dancing anywhere in Arizona.

1. Salsa Dancing: Because we live in the southwest, Latin influence is prevalent in more than just the food in Arizona. Salsa dance lessons are a great way to burn off those yummy tapas and enjoy a sexy and passionate hobby! Along with Salsa dancing in AZ, you must learn to dance Bachata, Merengue and Cha Cha for the full Latin effect. Then, you will be prepared for any Latin club with confidence.

Latin dance lessons are great for couples to spice up the romance, but singles, do not shy away from learn to Latin dance. Salsa, and the other Latin dances mentioned above, are not only a great workout, but they are amazing for exploring a different side of your personality. There is an inner diva or Latin lover in there somewhere just waiting to come out. Give yourself a chance to get those hips moving the right way and watch your confidence, and social calendar, improve by the minute!

2. Swing Dancing: Swing dancing in Phoenix, AZ is another must-have dance. What we love about the swing is its versatility. Learn to Swing dance and enjoy all fast-paced music in style from Country to Rock and Roll, Big Band and other classic and fun oldies. After a few Swing dance lessons, you will be able to hit any dance floor with fun and impressive turns that will keep you on the dance floor all night long.

As if you needed more reasons to learn to Swing dance, keep in mind that you can burn over 400 calories an hour while Swing dancing. It is a high-energy aerobic blast that will keep you smiling as your endorphins soar. Give yourself a boost of energy and excitement with Swing dance lessons.

3. Country Two Step Dancing: Need we say more? In the land of the cowboy here in Arizona, Country Two Stepping is essential to know if you plan to wrangle the cowgirl of your dreams. Country dance venues are popping up on every corner around in the Phoenix metro area, so no need to wait on this fun and popular dance with Country dance lessons today. (By the way, check out Spurs Saloon in Chandler, a new Country dance bar that recently opened. They offer a nice dance floor and live music for your Country dance pleasures.)

If you haven’t learned to Salsa, Swing or Two Step in AZ yet, it’s never too late. For dance lessons as a couple or a single in any of these popular dances and more, give Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona a try. We offer both group dance classes and private dance lessons to Phoenix adults who want to learn to dance. For the last 12 years, we have created thousands of amazing social dancers– you can be next!  Conveniently, we are located just off the 101 highway minutes from Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale, AZ. Make the drive and come check us out, you’ll be happy that you did!