Posts

Dance – A NEW New Year’s Resolution

/in /by


According to several statistics, about 45% of Americans make a resolution to change something about their lives when the New Year rolls around. A slim percent of these Americans stick to the resolutions they make, like losing weight, falling in love, enjoying life to the fullest, learning something new, staying fit and quitting smoking. A lot of the time people who call it quits on keeping a resolution can blame a lack of motivation, attempting change alone, and poor time management for falling through. Whether you realized it or not, social ballroom dance lessons in the Country Two Step, Swing or Salsa dancing can actually support many of the most popular resolutions that we make. In fact, Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ has helped thousands of people discover the fun and satisfaction that dancing is. We can keep you motivated with our enthusiastic instructors and stimulating lesson plans and help you manage time with regular, constructive lessons. Losing weight, enjoying life, learning new skills, staying fit and maybe even falling in love can be done when you join us! With over 12 years of experience in the dance business, we can help you make that resolution obtainable and help you stay on track this year!

 

#1 Lose Weight/Stay Fit

Dancing is an excellent form of exercise, as we have discussed in our blogs before. But what makes it such a great way to keep a resolution is that it continues to challenge you and keeps you motivated because it’s interesting and enjoyable. If you are not a gym rat or don’t find jogging on sidewalks to be your cup of tea, chances are dance lessons will stimulate your body and your mind, keeping you motivated. Not only will you exercise your muscles and coordination, you will also work your brain. Learning new steps and movements is a great way to get fit and challenge your mind!

#2 Enjoying Life

At Dance FX Studios, we can help you obtain skills that will apply to the “real world” and various social settings. See yourself dancing the Salsa at a wedding in 2014? Shaking your groove thing with the Country Two Step on nights out that you deserve? Dancing the Tango with a Latin lover in a land far away? You can make these dreams come true while enjoying yourself and learning the abilities you will use in these situations. It is a two birds, one stone situation that is sure to add some joy to your life!

#3 Learning New Skills

When you take dance lessons, you will learn so much more than just dance moves. We can teach you how to connect with your partner while dancing, be it a spouse or someone new at a bar or club. You can also learn how to lead or follow and how to navigate a crowded dance floor. The dance moves themselves will prove very rewarding when you get them down and become confident in yourself and your newfound abilities.

#4 Falling in Love

Okay, so we can’t promise that Mr. Right or Mrs. Wonderful will magically appear on the dance floor when you start taking dance lessons, but we can be sure that you will gain new social skills that can help you in your search! You will find yourself more confident and open when you take dance lessons, which will help you to connect and communicate when meeting new people. The ability to dance is something that will stay with you and you can take these new skills to a whole new spectrum of social places. Guys, girls love it when they meet a man who knows how to dance and can show them a good time. It’s not girly, we promise! Ladies, who hasn’t dreamt of literally being swept off their feet to a romantic tune?

With so many great holiday specials right now, including a 5-hour private lesson program for just $199 special and our unique $40 Introductory Offer, there’s no reason a resolution can’t come true and stay true all through 2014! Your dreams for 2014 can be obtainable with our help at Dance FX Studios. A few ways that are known to help in keeping resolutions are to be specific and to be held accountable. We lay out everything for you and regular lessons with our great instructors will help you stick to your plan! Call us today at 480.968.6177, visit our website and check out our specials, or stop in today and set yourself up for a great new year!

Salsa and Bachata at Dave and Buster’s with Dance FX Studios

/in /by

Last night was another evening of fun at Dave and Buster’s in Tempe, Arizona! The Dance FX Studios’ staff  and a large group of students danced out on the roof top patio under the stars for our Night Out Latin dancing. Throughout the evening, the dj played salsa, cha cha, bachata and merengue music for everyone to enjoy! At 8 pm, prior to going to Dave and Buster’s, the Dance FX Staff and students met at the studio for a Latin group class. The students were given tips on how to dance on a crowded floor as well as how to do the basics to several Latin dances. From there, we joined in with over 200 dancers who were already at Dave and Buster’s on the top of the building. Dave and Buster’s in Tempe hosts a Latin dance night each Wednesday for those out there who are looking for a place to practice your salsa and bachata. We found many good dancers were there and that dancers of all levels were accepted and comfortably able to join in on the dance floor.

For most, salsa dancing does not come naturally. That’s where we come in! At Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ, we will get you prepared for any social dance floor with the confidence that you need to shine. There are several routes that we offer to help you become a great social dancer. To start, private Latin dance lessons are recommended. With private dance lessons, you will gain the skill set needed to become comfortable in a Latin club dancing salsa, merengue, cha cha. Private dance lessons here at Dance FX Studios are not only tailored for the dances that are of interest to you, but they are also geared for your specific rate of learning and needs. For example, if you have never danced salsa or merengue before, you will learn how to hold your dance partner in a proper dance frame as well as how to use your body weight in addition to learn dance steps. With these key concepts, learning to dance becomes easier. There is no doubt that you will also get better results with healthier habits right from the start.

Many people associate learning to dance with simply memorizing where your feet go, but did you know that, in partner dancing, your feet are the least important part of dancing? This is a little known fact that tends to shock our new students when they first hear of the idea. With private dance lessons at Dance FX Studios, you will learn what actually IS the most important part of your body to use on the dance floor as well as how to use it.

Private dance lessons are available by appointment at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona Monday through Friday from noon to 8 pm and on Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm. We are located just minutes from Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale, AZ for your convenience. We hope to take YOU out Latin dancing one day soon after a few private dance lessons from one of our skilled professionals.

Flexibility Through Dancing

/in /by

 

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!