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Couples Country dance lessons AZ

Tips for A Successful Night of Social Dancing

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Couples Country dance lessons ArizonaIn social dancing, the BIGGEST secret to success is to make your partner(s) happy. Dancing is an exciting and special relationship between you, your partner and the music. But there are other factors involved, especially in social dancing, like being mindful of the other dancers around you.  Once you are able to successfully navigate the dance floor, your popularity as an awesome social dancer will greatly increase! Here are a few, VERY important tips to remember when leading your lovely lady out on a social dance floor:

1. Create a comfortable lead: A follower doesn’t appreciate having her arm cranked or jolted out of her socket in order to make her turns. Pushing and pulling to bring her where you want (as well as other forceful leads) are not appreciated. Here at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona we teach how to create an inviting space for the follower that is both comfortable and communicative. We teach you how to execute moves well on the dance floor and help you to become confident so, when you go dancing, you will be able to WOW your partner.

Ladies, when you ask or accept to follow someone in a dance, you are agreeing to let THEM lead. This doesn’t mean that you have to do everything perfectly. Sometimes you don’t understand how the move is being led, but a good leader can turn any misunderstandings into a new move. Don’t worry about being perfect, as long as you do what your partner is asking, you will both have a good time. Back-leading can be disrespectful and is very disturbing to your partner because you are rejecting their contribution to the partnership. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t embellish a move or add your personality into the dance. The instructors at Dance FX Studios help both parties understand what it means to lead and follow. We give constructive feedback and tips that make following (and leading) easier.

2 .Protect your partner: This goes for BOTH leader and follower, however, it is more important from the leader’s perspective. There are two important aspects: anticipation and observation. By anticipating movement of other dancers (and onlookers), you are able to match your movements to the space that is on the floor (and can even create some extra space). The most important piece is not to run your partner into other couples. Not only is this jarring for you and your partner, but also for the other couple. Observation allows you to know where other couples are and, if another couple executes a move that puts your partner into danger of collision, think quickly to either absorb the blow in a spot that doesn’t create a large injury or keeps your partner safe. In the partnership, each person is the eyes in the back of their partner’s head – you keep an eye out and if someone is approaching the blind spot of your partner, keep them safe! As a follower, a small pressure on the leader’s shoulder or hand can warn them of a possible collision and give them a heads up.

3. Entertain your partner: Both of you are out to have a good time, MAKE it one! From Salsa dancing here in Phoenix to hitting the Country bars, dancing is a great way to shake off your week, get some great exercise and let loose. Dance at an appropriate level that makes it enjoyable for both parties. Evaluate your partner’s capabilities and make sure to keep the dancing comfortable while adding in some fun moves as well.  At Dance FX Studios, we teach you how to make cool combinations of moves, blend movements together to make the dance smooth, and how to keep time with music, which is also a big part of keeping the dance fun! It is also important to maintain a good sense of humor if something goes wrong – NOBODY is perfect! 🙂 Own up to mistakes if necessary, but don’t dwell on it. Lightheartedness and playfulness goes a long way. Make sure to SMILE at your partner and focus on what makes them comfortable and happy.

4. Appreciate your partner: By combining all of the above, your partner should feel like you are there to dance with THEM (even if it is only for one or two songs). The most popular dancers are those who make it clear to their partner that their company is appreciated and enjoyed! Most people would rather not dance with someone who acts disinterested or bored, no matter how amazing their dancing is.

Overall, the most important take-away is: dancing is a partnership – you are happiest when your partner is also happy. Come learn how to become confident in your dancing skills at Dance FX Studios. Our New Student Offer for beginner dancers is a great place to start your journey as a dancer!

Swing dance lessons AZ

What Are Your Goals This Summer?

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Swing dance lessons in ArizonaGoals. Everyone has them in one form or another. Have you ever made a goal for yourself, and before you know it six months have gone by without a result in sight? You are not alone! One of the main reasons why people don’t end up following through with their goals is because goals usually equate to work in our minds. Here at Dance FX Studios in the Phoenix East Valley we can help you set goals to find new ways to relieve stress, lose unwanted weight, or even add romance, all through the fun and excitement of social dance lessons!

At Dance FX Studios, we are intentional about goal setting and reaching what you want and deserve through dance. We spend the time necessary to get to know you and understand your dancing goals, or goals in general. It’s crazy to think about how learning to Country dance or Swing dance can help you to shift other areas in your life for the better, but we have seen it time and again here at the studio. For example, one of our recent clients came in to us for an opportunity to meet new people as he was new in town. Before long, his confidence was through the roof and he was frequenting Country bars to Two Step and Country Swing dance several nights a week. He met all sorts of new friends with similar interests and settled into Phoenix in no time.  As our main priority, we can set similar goals for you too to make sure that what you want to gain personally is reached through your experience with us.  We recognize everyone has a different vision for himself or herself regarding dancing, so we will always customize a program specific to your wants.

Specifically, for those of you with dancing goals go becoming a confident Latin dancer or Tango dancer, the biggest question to ask yourself is ‘What kind of dancer do I want to be? A show-stopper? A competitive dancer? An amazing social dancer?   Am I wanting to look natural or flashy?  Where do I intend to dance?’  A goal or vision is an essential piece of WHO you are, and it is something you want to carry forward into your goal setting with one of our incredible instructors.  When determining your goal, make it not only realistic but true to you.  We want you to be excited and comfortable about your vision for yourself.  It is a lot like rock climbing.  You are finding your rope, your lead, and the journey is upward from there.  Let us help you build confidence and achieve your vision for you.

With solid direction and purpose, and by sharing your goals with someone new that can help you to achieve them, you not only create accountability but motivation as well.  This allows others to give you the tools you need to help you move forward.  Our instructors at Dance FX Studios are trained to work with you to paint a clear picture of your goal, present a plan of attack with obtainable milestones, and constantly remind you of where you have been and where you are going.  It is easy to feel discouraged when you’re staring at a massive, seemingly insurmountable mountain, but here, at Dance FX Studios, we help break larger intimidating aspirations into smaller, more achievable stepping stones!  We create a definitive plan of action and start working on it right away!  Therefore, you hit milestones, become more motivated, and visually see progress happening!

We want to encourage you to believe in yourself.  Fuel your ambition by inspiring yourself to aim for things you may not have thought possible.   By asking ourselves what we really want and constantly re-assessing our goals, we gain the benefit of introspection and self-reflection.  We can figure out what it is we really want in life, and then make it happen.

Our motto here at the studio is to “Work smart, not hard.”  We want to get you to your goal in the smartest way possible.  Be adaptive, purposeful, and focused, but don’t limit yourself; you have transformative potential!  We know it.  Let us help you reach your dancing goals, and remember if you get knocked down, get back up, dust off your pants, tighten up your dancing shoes, and continue to move forward using all the knowledge you’ve gained.  Don’t wish for it, work for it in a fun way.  Do something today that your future will thank you for.  Start now!  Our Introductory Offer is just $25.  We can help you start your dancing journey today.  We look forward to meeting you soon!

Two Stepping With Style!

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Phoenix Country Western Two Step DancingYou’ve heard of two step dancing, and you have decided to take a stab at it, since there are many popular places to two step in the area. Wait a minute—there’s more than one type of two step dancing?! Dance FX offers country two step AND nite club two step! How do you know which one to try first? Why are they both different dances with the same name?
Never fear, although both styles of two step are different, they have many similarities, which means they are both labeled as the same style of dance. But we can give you an idea of the differences so you know exactly which style you’re ready to jump in to!
The broad term “two step” merely defines the construction of steps for the basic. These steps are slow and quick according to how many beats of music they use to execute.The combination of ‘slows’ and ‘quicks’ can vary according to which form of two step you’re doing.
Nite Club Two is a slow, quick, quick timing (S,Q,Q) which has a slightly more bolero dance-style-feeling to it and is less likely to be played to country music. Instead, this more romantic version is typically danced to slower music, which carries more passion through the dance moves. Also known as Disco Two Step or California Two Step (if it wasn’t hard enough with only TWO names!) this two step version works along a horizontal line during the basic step.
The country two step, on the other hand, uses a quick, quick, slow, slow (QQSS) count. This is also seen as the more upbeat, lively version of two step. Country two step can be danced to country music, but is not limited to the music genre. The country two step travels more vertically than the nite club two step, and the country version progresses counterclockwise along the dance floor.
So now you can confidently prepare for your two-stepping excursions! You can learn the style that you are most drawn to, and step out on the right foot!