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country 2 step dancing

Salsa, Swing and Two Step Classes in Arizona

Starting this April 2014, Dance FX Studios will be offering 4 week progressive couple’s group dance classes again. Group dance classes are a great way to either practice what you learn in private dance lessons or learn some basics in a dance of your choice. You and your partner will learn proper dance form and cool new steps, as well as how to be comfortable on any dance floor. It is a great way to gain a new skill set and try out a new hobby! You could also meet other couples to go out dancing with – it’s called social dancing for a reason, right?

Dance FX Studios is located just off of Price highway (101 highway) on Dobson and Guadalupe in Mesa, Arizona. We are so close to cities like Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, and Phoenix that we get couples from all over the Valley and beyond that come to learn here! If you want to learn to dance Country Two Step, Salsa, Country Swing, or Jitterbug Swing, our group classes are a great option! Each class is offered on a different day every week and they are always at 7 pm at Dance FX Studios.

What’s different about these new classes in comparison to the ones we have had so far in 2014 is that these classes are progressive. Every week, your certified Swango instructors build on what you learned the previous week and new steps and tips are offered each week. The classes are offered for four consecutive weeks beginning on April 7th, 2014. All classes are open to couples with NO dance experience! With Dance FX Studios’ unique style of instruction, you will learn key tips in each dance to make you comfortable on any social dance floor within a short time. Even if you have taken lessons before and know more than just the basics, you will learn at Dance FX Studios what most other places don’t teach: how to be a SOCIAL dancer. You will learn how to lead and follow, how to navigate a busy dance floor and more!

On Monday evenings, the Country music gets cranked and couples learn to Two Step with our certified instructors. Country Two Step is a fun dance and it is particularly popular here in Arizona. With so many Country bars and venues in our area like Denim and Diamonds, Toby Keith’s and Cactus Moon, there’s no doubt you will find a place to show off your Two Stepping skills!

Tuesdays nights are Salsa nights, where couples embrace their flirty side and shimmy to great Latin music. Latin culture is very prevalent here in Arizona, making Salsa one of the top three most useful dances here! You and your partner will have the opportunity to spice things up, adding some sassy excitement to your lives. Dance lessons are a great way to strengthen communication skills and Salsa dancing is a more sensual, intimate dance that is perfect for connecting with each other!

Country Swing dancing will become the highlight of your hump day with Dance FX Studios’ Wednesday night Country Swing classes! This dance is very playful and exciting and is also very prevalent in our area. The bars and clubs can a get a bit rowdy when couples are Swing dancing, so we make sure to teach couples how to stay safe and still have tons of fun!

On Thursdays, couples can learn the Jitterbug Swing. What is so great about this dance is that you can dance it to so many types of music! It is versatile and perfect for any couple wanting to learn a new hobby and enjoy themselves out on any dance floor. Dance FX Studios will get you ready for any club or party with this social dance that anyone can learn. Jitterbug is lively and exciting and sure to keep you on the floor all night long!

Get registered today for Dance FX Studios’ 4 week group dance classes. They are just $75 for 4 weeks of classes as a couple. What an awesome deal! Before long, you too will be able to shine on any social dance floor, whether you are at a Latin dance club or a Country bar.

Staying Fit for the Holidays with Social Ballroom Dance Lessons

Stuffing, pies, candies, roasts, rolls and so many more holiday dishes tempt us throughout the holiday season. No matter what holidays you and your loved ones celebrate, chances are there are a few traditional dishes that you look forward to every year. Sometimes, the holidays serve as an excuse to eat absurd amounts of food and satisfy our sedentary side by relaxing with friends and family. Exercising and routines fall to the wayside this time of year when traditions, traveling, and feasting take over. By the time the New Year rolls around, we might find ourselves swearing off the lifestyle we’ve embraced of less than ideal diet and exercise routines. This year, join us at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona and you won’t be regretful of what you eat. Yes, you can break the cycle and take ballroom dance lessons as a couple or just for you! The only fitness resolution for the new year that you’ll be making is to stick with dance lessons all year long. Whether you see yourself dancing the sensual Argentine Tango with your partner, doing the Country Two Step at a local Phoenix Country bar, or Swing dancing to your favorite oldies, stay active this holiday season and ring in the New Year with a new hobby – social ballroom dancing! If you’ve never taken a lesson with us before, take advantage of our $40 introductory lesson offer in which you can learn a few basics of dancing and sample some styles if you’re not sure which dance(s) you’re interested in.

Ballroom dancing with us at Dance FX Studios here in Phoenix can enhance your life in so many ways – by boosting your self-confidence, improving your balance and coordination, relieving stress and more! One of the most important benefits of dancing (at least this time of year) is the great exercise it provides. Treadmills can be boring, cycling can get intense and lifting weights at the gym might not be very appealing, but dancing is a challenging, FUN way to get moving! Chances are your body is not used to moving in the many directions and ways that dancing requires it to. Moving backwards, side stepping, leading your partner in many directions – they’re all advantageous for your body! You will work muscles you didn’t know you had, or maybe ones you just haven’t used since before Halloween!

In addition to the toning dance lessons can provide, you can break a sweat and burn off the holiday cookies you’ve been indulging in! Each type of dance offers different movements and tempos and, therefore, burns a certain range of calories. For example, Salsa dancing for an hour can burn up to 480 calories! Country Western styles like the Country Swing and Country Waltz can get you moving and use between 290 to 420 calories, depending on the speed and difficulty of the moves. In every hour-long lesson of learning to dance the Cha Cha, anywhere from 260 to 530 calories can be burned- yeah to Latin dancing!. Zumba fitness classes are specifically geared for exercise and can use up to 650 calories! That’s definitely a few cookies’ worth.

While one lesson alone won’t lead to a fit you, regular lessons will definitely exhibit results! With our Holiday Savings Event, Introductory Offer and Zumba membership deals, we can help you kick up your heels this holiday season while reaping the many benefits of dance. Find yourself dancing into 2014 with joy!

Dancing, Music and Stereotypes

Salsa dancing music Mesa azOur stereotypes about the world around us can often hinder the potential experiences throughout our life. Music and dance styles can generate a lot of stereotypes. When you think of country dance or music, you often already have a preconceived idea of what the people, atmosphere, and music will be about. Some stereotypes can be positive—others negative. Hip-hop is a dance style that often gets a bad rep. Every reader can undoubtedly think of some opinions carried with hip-hop music and dance/dancers.
Now, think of another dance style, say Argentine Tango. Tango is seen as a classy and respected dance style. It was once seen with the same distain as other forms of art; today the paradigm surrounding Tango has been altered. Hip-hop can be described with the same emotion and respect. Jazz is a music style that was heavily banned throughout the 1920’s and, yet again, the public opinion turned around. Or try Rock and Roll or Bachata!
Every new art form has its own evolution and road to acceptance. Our willingness to avoid generating stereotypes will help to broaden our own horizons. So even if you don’t wear cowboy hats, or you don’t know what it means to “drop it and lock it on the dance floor”, you might have the time of your life if you go out and throw yourself into the experience.
In the end, regardless of the genre, music enriches our lives in a way nothing else can. Allow the music to introduce you to a dance style that can do the same.