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Local Country Dancing AZ

Country Dance Events in Mesa, Arizona

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rsz_1rsz_dsc02974Wow! We really had an amazing time this last Saturday at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona! Thanks to the amazing local Phoenix Country band, Two-bit Shotgun, playing great Country music, we danced the night away.

Did you know that as a beginner Country dancer that you too are able to attend our events? You can! If you live in Phoenix and you are looking for dance events that are not necessarily at a bar, you are more than welcome to join us. Our parties can benefit you as a Country dancer in so many ways. Here are just a few…

  1. When we have any kind of party at our studio, you get to dance with people who have the same goals as you, to be a confident social dancer. You know that everyone who is taking Private Country Dance Lessons with us will be discovering dance and needing to practice what they are learning. What better time than at one of our parties, with all of our amazing dance instructors there to help! On that note, our dance parties are also a great way to meet new people, potential dance partners and friends. You will definitely meet a ton of new people who you know you will enjoy going out Country dancing with you around town with in the future. The exciting part is that you never know who you will meet by coming to a party here at Dance FX Studios! 🙂

2. We always encourage our students to practice so that they can become great social dancers. What better way than to practice with other students just like you? There will be plenty of students who are at the beginning of their Country dance journey just like you. Not only that, but students who may have been taking lessons longer than you can show you what it really takes to become a great dancer in a social environment. It can take a lot of hours dedicated to your dance lessons as well as practice time to create an amazing dancer, but we like to help make it easier for you to practice, so instead of having to push away your couches and practice in your living room, you get to enjoy some live Country dance music, get to know new people, and get in those practice hours.

3. Attending one of our events helps you understand what a real life social dance situation looks like. If you feel like you might not be ready to go out into that big scary dance world, come hang out with us and see that it’s not as bad as it looks. Don’t be too intimidated, just have fun while attending a party because we definitely know how to have fun! In fact, we offer a Country Swing or Two Step dance class in the beginning of the party so that you can learn a few more new moves that you get to show off throughout the night. You can great great tips like how to keep your partner from bumping into other couples on the dance floor. That way when you really do go out Country dancing, no one will get upset with you.

How can you prepare for a great party such as this last one? Check out our New Student Offer for Country Dance Lessons and we will teach you everything you need to know about getting ready to dance in the real world. In fact, that is our main goal at almost any dance lesson. We strive to help you feel comfortable anytime you go out dancing, whether it’s at our studio, or at a Country bar.

Flexibility Through Dancing

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Flexibility and Dancing

 

We’ve touched on the physical benefits of dance before briefly, but we didn’t get into one of the best benefits of all: Flexibility. A skill many man and women lose as they age, flexibility is one thing that dancing brings out in all dancers.  If you are not constantly stretching them out, adults tend to lose flexibility in their joints. This stiffness can even begin to hinder you from doing everyday tasks (you might also know this as arthritis, which can occur in the hands, knees, back, and hips).  This is both unhealthy, and can increase the risk of injury later on in life. By loosening up these joints through dance, you can prevent arthritis and increase flexibility.

Within three months of dancing, you might also see improved flexibility in your spine too. Dancing helps to create better posture and proper alignment, to ease or erase the upper back/neck pain that some people constantly feel. When applied properly, ballroom dancing can benefit your spine by strengthening your core muscles. These are worked out because of the direction changes, weight shifting, and other movements required in ballroom dancing. Dancing will also help lengthen and align your spine through better posture. Since the basic frame in almost every dance is very precise, it aligns your organs and your spine.

You can also gain flexibility by just stretching before you dance and while going through each and every step. Performing these simple tasks, you can quickly see improvement in joints, muscles, and ligaments in your body.  You will even see these benefits as you keep dancing, not just when you’re first starting out. Different types of dances require different muscle movements, so by learning and practicing a variety of dances, you can get a larger spectrum of benefits. Try learning fast dances with smaller movements, like Country Swing, or with a dance that has bigger, more stretching movements, like Argentine Tango.

With so many benefits, dancing really is an investment in yourself. It can give you a new outlook on life, improve your health, and give you an incredible workout.  Not only does it help you build muscle strength, but it can also improve your posture, your flexibility, your appearance and your balance as well. The perfect frame can really make all the difference for both your dance and your spine. It just so happens that here at Dance FX Studios, we are great at working with you to perfect your frame and getting you to dance. We realize how important it is to a healthy lifestyle and improved flexibility. Don’t waste any more time. Get up and start dancing with Dance FX Studios today!

History of Swing Dancing

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learn to swing dance mesa azVarious forms of swing dancing emerged from the 1920’s through the 1950’s in African American communitites with the evolution of Jazz music. Charleston and Lindy Hop are two key Swing dances that came from Harlem, New York in the 1920’s. By mixing African cultural dance, various ballroom dances, tap, creativity and the jazz music of the day, Swing dancing began to grow! At the time, American Society of Teachers and Dancing as well as the Dance Teachers Business Association believed Lindy Hop to be a fad that would not last.

Little did they know that Swing dancers would develop more styles including Shag, Balboa, West Coast Swing and Jive, to name a few. In the 1930’s, a Swing dance variation named the”Jitterbug” was created when a band leader compared the dancers to jitterbugs bouncing on the floor. There was even a song introduced called the “Jitter Bug” in their honor.

By the late 1930’s Lindy Hop, Charleston, and Jitterbug were sweeping the United States. However, dance schools did not formally recognize, document or begin teaching them until the early 1940’s when they realized it could no longer be ignored. They decided to “refine” and standardize Lindy Hop for easier instruction at dance schools, where we get what is now known as East Coast Swing.

A smoother style of Lindy Hop called “Smooth Lindy” was soon created in California by Dean Colllins. Mr. Collins, who was originally from Harlem, NY, began to dance a more fluid and slower swing which caught on very quickly on the West Coast. The dance took on a slotted motion rather than having a circular look to it. The dance was soon re-named the “West Coast Swing”, which is the official state dance of California to this day.

Swing dancing has developed as a mainstay in American dance culture throughout the years. The dance known simply as the “Swing” has managed to remain a staple dance attracting young and old alike.

Famous original Swing dancers included: “Shorty George” Snowden, Frankie Manning and Dean Collins.

YOU can learn how to dance Swing at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ. We offer the most popular social Swing dances including East Coast Swing, Jitterbug and West Coast Swing. You will find yourself using these dances everywhere in Arizona from Country bars to weddings and other social dance events. It is popular amongst all ages as a FUN and PLAYFUL dance with many looks and styles. Express yourself on the dance floor in the Swing!