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Arizona dance lessons

Get Social and Dance!

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Arizona dance lessonsWe love our social life, but most people don’t have one these days without documenting it on Facebook or other social media sites. Looking over someone’s shoulder at the latest popular youtube video is about the closest many of us get to body to body contact. The lack of physical connection to friends, family and the world has put us in a place of constant loneliness. Oddly, many times this singleness happens even when surrounded by friends. People have over 200 “friends” on Facebook, yet Friday and Saturday nights are spent watching a movie or reading an e-book because, in reality, the friends you can physically go out with, are few in numbers.

One of the best ways to offset social media syndrome is to get out and start connecting with the real world to meet new people in a fun and exciting way is to learn to dance! Have you ever thought of how cool it would be able to Salsa dance, Swing dance or Country Western Two Step dance? Think about the idea of holding and touching a real person instead of your iPhone or tech gadget by giving social partner dancing a try. You will remember how it feels to connect with others in person, and, with dancing, you will gain many other benefits too!

There are more reasons to leave the virtual world behind and step into reality. Dancing builds confidence and going out and getting social not only increases online connections, it build your offline networking! Becoming a great social dancer also leads to in-person date nights, no screen required between you and your soul-mate!

Dancing is the ultimate way to build confidence! We have become very dependent on technology. Therefore it is easy to get stuck behind the screen and have online confidence, yet acquire no interpersonal confidence. Learning various new dances like the Country Two Step, Arizona Two-Step or Nite Club 2-Step gets you out from behind your device and into the big wide world. Swing dancing is incredibly upbeat and can lighten your mood in just about any atmosphere. Exploring Latin styles like Salsa and Bachata, can improve body image due to the strong male presence and the woman’s feminine hip movements. Trying out the Argentine Tango, a bold and intricate style of dancing, will help you find yourself.  No matter what you choice of dancing style, confidence will unleash your passionate side on the dance floor and allow you to share that with someone special. When someone sees your dancing skills and wants to dance with you, this is a huge confidence booster!

Build a network! Taking dance lessons to learn how to dance with a partner is a great way to increase your offline network. Going out to night clubs or events and meeting people creates a physical network. Connections found through dancing will build to the point that your social calendar of activities will be full. Unlike Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, dancing with another person is real, face-to-face interaction. Dancing connects two people along with groups of people with each other. Utilizing online sites has facilitated us to devalue the true importance of palpable, touchable, concrete, one-on-one human experiences. Going out to communicate with another person while dancing helps you use your social skills in new environments, allowing you to gain new and lasting relationships.

Enjoy date nights without a screen between you! Instead of posting a picture of your dinner on your home page or spending date nights in front of a computer screen Skype-ing … go out Country dancing! Imagine meeting your new potential girl or guy out at a dance club knowing you already feel comfortable anywhere there is dancing! Spend romantic time actually getting to know someone using the hobby of dance to create passion in a relationship that will last a lifetime. You can’t use a computer or cell phone while dancing so both of you will be looking and interacting with full attention on one another. How exciting and fun is that?!  Take looking at your partner on a screen out of the picture, go out together at least one time per week, and you’ll notice a lot more happiness in how you feel about yourself, your friendships and your romantic relationship.

Get out and live life in person, try new experiences like social dancing, and stop looking at life through the internet. Learn how to social dance at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona with beginner private dance lessons. Take advantage of our New Student Offer and for only $25 you can start getting out into the real world and having real and exciting interactions today! We are located inside the greater Phoenix area, in Mesa, AZ. If you live anywhere in the East Valley, we are minutes away. Drive over from Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, or Gilbert and visit us now.  We are open 12 – 8 pm Monday through Friday and Saturday’s 11 am to 4 pm.

Arizona country dancing

Putting Your Best Foot Forward…

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Arizona Country dancingSo you’ve decided that you’re tired of bellying up to that barstool and watching everyone else on that dance floor have fun. Why should they be kicking up their heels while you are watching from afar? It’s time for you to learn to dance and you’re ready to finally do something about it. Does this guy or gal sound like you? Then give your local dance studio a call and get the ball rolling!

There’s no better time than now to invest in yourself with private dance lessons. With private dance instruction, you can get great tips on how to lead or follow, how to connect with a variety of partners (or your special someone) and how to actually do all of those cool moves in your favorite styles of dance. If you’re like most people, you have questions when embarking on a new hobby such as social partner dancing. Here are a few of the most common questions along with answers from us, the pros at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ.

1. What styles of dance should I/we learn first? This question comes up often.  You wouldn’t want to begin exploring a dance that is not useful to you as a couple or single, so our instructors begin by asking you what kind of music you enjoy. If you’re a couple that loves Rock and Roll, we will show you how to Swing dance. If you love Country music, the Country Two Step is definitely in order. For those that love Latin music (and it is so popular here in Arizona), of course we will explore the Salsa and Bachata as your two most useful dances.

With so many dance styles to choose from, we believe in quality over quantity, so our suggestion is to start learning 3 or 4 dances, at the most, initially. That will lead us into Most Common Question #2…

2. Can I start with just one dance and go from there? We don’t recommend it. Not only is learning just one dance limiting, but it is also the slowest way to progress. With one dance, you will be sitting out a majority of the night. What’s the fun in that? Taking in at least two styles will keep you out there on the dance floor longer, which is exactly what you wanted, right? Since dancing is healthy and enjoyable on so many levels, you wouldn’t want to take lessons only to find yourself watching from the sidelines again.

In terms of slowing down your progress, learning several styles that are relatable all at once is ideal. You will be working smart and not hard, as well as staying up on that dance floor having a blast!

3. What type of footwear should we wear for our dance lessons? Proper footwear is a main component of partner dancing, believe it or not. For you golfers out there, would you consider golfing with a stick if you didn’t bring your clubs? Or using an apple as your ball if you ran out? Of course not.

For Country dancers, we always recommend a nice pair of leather bottom shoes that you can find at your local boot store. Rubber does tend to stick to the floor, so leather is best. Latin dancers ideally should be in a heel with a strap around the ankle (for ladies) and a leather bottom dress shoe (for guys). Ease of movement is what we’re after here. Think back to the golf analogy when beginning your dance lessons so that you set yourself up for success out there and you don’t waste your time being distracted by your shoes.

Social partner dancing is a skill that makes an impression on others. It’s hard not to be impressed by someone who’s a confident social dancer. Embark on your exciting new journey into the world of social dancing with us at Dance FX Studios! We will take you, the everyday single or couple, and give you the tools to dance anywhere with ease and certainty.

Arizona residents… give our New Student Offer a try and see how dancing can help you to put your best foot forward in any social situation.

Three Unique Styles of Swing Dancing

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Did you know that there are 24 variations of Swing dancing? It’s true! Most of the Swing dances used today spawned from Lindy Hop, the “original” Swing dance from the 1920’s, which gained popularity in the 1920’s in Harlem, New York. Let’s explore just three of the many styles of Swing dances that are popular social dances today…

1. West Coast Swing: West Coast Swing is a versatile, slower (and quite sultry) version of the Swing that can be danced to many genres of music from Country to Hip Hop. West Coast Swing dancing is done on a “slot”, like a diving board, that gives it a more linear look as compared to its predecessor, the Lindy Hop, which is more circular. We at Dance FX Studios like to call the West Coast Swing the “adults” version of the Swing because it can be very sexy with the right styling and music. West coast Swing also has a bit of Latin flavor in the dance as there is a swag or a bit of hip shaking that makes the dance even more sassy. For a dance that is a fun and exciting challenge, but well worth it, give West Coast Swing dance lessons a try. You won’t be disappointed with the end result after knowing this commonly used dance. As mentioned earlier, you will be able to have fun with the West Coast Swing everywhere from a Country bar to a social dance event.

2. East Coast Swing: Like the Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing dancing is circular, taking up less space and providing a hybrid of West Coast Swing and Lindy Hop. East Coast Swing is a medium to fast tempo version of the Swing that has lots of turns, side by side opportunities and other playful variations, making it another useful and versatile option for any social dancer. An example of East Coast Swing music would be “Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel. Take a listen to this song to gain a better understanding of the general tempo of the music that accompanies East Coast Swing as a dance. East Coast Swing can also be danced to everything from Country to Rock and Roll and Big Band music, like the West Coast Swing.

3. Country Swing: Until very recently, and depending on where you live, Country Swing has not been considered as a separate and unique dance on its own within the Swing dance family. At a Country Western dance venue, you may see several variations of what they call “Country Swing”, which seems to be more like a whole lot of yanking and throwing of the lady while the man stands in one spot on the dance floor. Since the music is quite fast, it is common to see the guy flinging her around like a rag doll at the Country bars. Unfortunately, there seems to be no official timing or rhythm that these dancers use to stay in-beat with the music. “If the song is fast, toss her around” appears to be the trend. Thank goodness Dance FX Studios is here in the Phoenix metro area to show you how you can execute this exciting dance ON TIME with the music and in a way that keeps her arms in their sockets. Country Swing is genre-specific and great fun- when you handle your partner with care.

Come explore the diversity of the Swing with private Swing dance lessons at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona. Sample out our teaching style and what we have to offer in our introductory offer for just $40. See how to become a confident social dancer in no time with private Swing couples or singles dance lessons at Dance FX Studios!

For a great supplement to your private Swing lessons, join in our Swing dance classes on Monday evenings at 7pm! They are a great way to learn to Swing dance for a nominal fee and with a group of other people.

Dance FX Studios is located just minutes from Tempe, Chandler and Gilbert in Phoenix, AZ. Visit our website today for more information on what makes us a one-of-a-kind ballroom dance studio in Arizona.

Swing Dance Variations

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What is Swing dancing and how many kinds of Swing dancing are there? Well…here they are!
  • Lindy Hop
  • Balboa
  • Collegiate Shag
  • St. Louis Shag
  • Jitterbug
  • Lindy Charleston
  • Eastern Swing
  • East Coast Swing
  • West Coast Swing
  • Western Swing
  • Boogie-woogie
  • Carolina Shag
  • Imperial Swing
  • Jive
  • Skip Jive
  • Modern Jive
  • Rock and Roll
  • Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll
  • Washington Hand Dancing
  • Push and Whip
  • Modern Swing
  • Mo-cathy or silly swing

After condensing all of these Swing dance variations, these are the ones that can be used most socially:

  • Lindy Hop
  • Balboa
  • Shag
  • East Coast Swing
  • West Coast Swing
About these dances:
Lindy Hop, the original swing, emerged in the 20’s to 30’s. It was followed Balboa and Shag-two dances that are also in the Lindy Hop family.
East Coast Swing, a simplified version of Lindy Hop and comes in triple, double, and single-time varieties. Single time is commonly referred to as Jitterbug, although the term “Jitterbug” originally referred to anyone who danced Swing.
West Coast is a more modern version of Lindy Hop with a different twist on the style. Originally, Lindy Hop dancers looked down on West Coast dancers, or “Westies” as they called them, and vice-versa. Now, dancers tend to appreciate each other’s styles a bit more.
So what is Swing? Swing is an always evolving and changing form of dance with lots of fun turns and exciting music to match. New versions of old dances are inevitable and the rabbit hole of Swing dancing goes as deep as you want it to.
Our recommendation? We recommend starting with either Jitterbug or West Coast Swing in private dance lessons for the fastest way to becoming a great Swing dancer. This way you can dance swing to a variety of music and have fun doing it.