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Team Building Activities

Unique Team Building Activities in Arizona

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Team Building Activities | Team Building Dance Lessons | Dance FX StudiosAre you looking to do a team building activity that doesn’t make your staff groan and roll their eyes? A lot of team builders consist of overdone games and egg drops. From dance lessons to cave exploring, here is a list of other possibilities that will bond your team without them hating it.

Build a House

Give back to the community while reaching a goal as a team. So many team building activities require building structures and problem solving so the team can reach a unified goal. Why not take that concept and ramp it up a little? Join Habitat for Humanity or another local charity to build a home for someone who needs it. If you have a bigger company, you might even be able to manage multiple houses at once!

Dance Lessons

It may not seem like the biggest challenge, but learning to partner dance can actually be a big trust-builder. If you go with something like social partner dancing, you create an ice-breaker, trust exercises, and goal setting all in one experience. Bring the team to a local dance studio (if you’re near Phoenix, Arizona, check out Dance FX Studios!) or hire a dance instructor to come to the office. By learning to Country Two Step or Swing together, your employees can have fun, learn a new skill, and work towards a similar goal – to dance!

Paint Ball

Nothing brings people together quite like paint-filled pellets. This is the perfect environment to develop teamwork along with some healthy competition. It can also be a solid equalizer if the bosses join in. Your employees will definitely look at you in a new way if you let them give you a colorful makeover.

Spelunking

This isn’t doable for everyone, but it’s definitely a team builder to remember. Sometimes your team just needs an unforgettable experience to bond them. Find a local cave, hire a guide, and make it a field trip! Just be aware of anyone who may be scared of the dark.

Sports

Create a business sports team! Whether it’s soccer, volleyball, softball, or basketball, there are plenty of athletic teams you can put together. You can even build a corporate league and play against other companies. Friendly competition and sportsmanship can do a lot to bring your team together.

Eat Together

Something as simple as a weekly staff meal can help with camaraderie around the office. If you’re a startup, order a pizza. If your company has a little more cash to play with, take a poll and get the most popular meal choice delivered. It isn’t a puzzle or a challenge, but genuine conversation among each other over a delicious lunch can work wonders.

Like what you read? Good! Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona is all about helping. Check out our Swango Styles division and set up a team building group class! If all goes well, you could even make a weekly thing of it. Goodness knows it’ll make those holiday parties a lot easier if everyone knows how to Salsa or Jitterbug together.

Contact us to begin your dancing journey…

 

Private dance lessons are available by appointment Monday-Friday from 12-8 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am-3 pm. For more information, call us today at 480.968.6177.

Styles of Swing

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istock_000001582768xsmallWith the, what seems to be, endless amount of Swing dance styles, it is sometimes hard to keep them all straight. Dances that can be referred to as Swing dancing include the Lindy Hop, Charleston, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Jive, Shag, and many other dances developed around the 1940’s. To help you identify some of the key identifiers of these dances, a few of the Swing dances will be discussed further.

You may recognize the first Swing dance, the Lindy Hop, by its basic move, the swingout. The swingout involves one partner pulling the other into a closed position from an open position. While doing so, they pivot 180 degrees, and then the other partner is swung back into the original position. The Lindy Hop also has characteristics similar to the Charleston because it was based off of it. Just as the Lindy Hop was developed from another dance, it helped to inspire the East Coast Swing, Balboa, Shag, and Boogie Woogie.

The next dance listed as Swing dancing is the Charleston. As stated previously, the Charleston was the inspiration for the Lindy Hop. However there were different styles of Charleston dances, the one from the 1920’s is quite different than the one in the 1930’s that the Lindy Hop is associated with. If you are wondering, the first one, the 1920’s Charleston, is the dance that became popular and associated with flappers. One key feature of the Charleston, apart from other Swing dances, is the swaying arms and quick foot movements that the dancers have that helps to spot this dance.

Another dance associated with the Lindy Hop is the West Coast Swing. This form of Swing dancing is distinguished by having an elastic feel to it. Dancers in West Coast Swing use an extension and compression partnership, which gives that elastic appearance. Additionally, West Coast Swing is more linear and slower than other Swing dances.

The last form of Swing dance we will cover is the East Coast Swing. To distinguish itself from the other forms of Swing dancing, especially the West Coast Swing from California, East Coast Swing was appropriately named. The East Coast Swing is going to have a little more bounce and pep to it than some of the other forms of Swing dances. It is also more standardized as it was originally developed for instructional purposes.

No matter what type of Swing dancing you choose, you are going to have a blast. Some may be easier to start out with than others, but Swing dancing is a great dance to learn for any occasion. To start your Swing dance lessons today, come into Dance FX Studios located in Mesa, Arizona. Dance FX Studios has private Swing dance lessons and group Swing dance classes for your enjoyment. See YOU on the dance floor!