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Let Social Dancing be the Answer to Your 2016 Resolutions

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local dance studios for adults near Chandler AZWe’re on week two of what is bound to be an incredible year, don’t you agree? With hope on the horizon, and goals pasted on our vision boards, I am certain that each and every resolution will come to fruition. Many of us write general plans for the year ahead, including our financial aspirations, social intentions, and even our intellectual expectations, like to read more, or take on a new skill. Now you may not have thought of this, but knowing how to social dance/taking social dance lessons, can solve many of your needs and wants in 2016. “Like what, and how?”, you may be wondering. Let’s take a look!

  1. Make a sound financial investment. What an awesome New Year’s Resolution! Who doesn’t want to put their money in the best place possible? I know I do. When you invest in social dance lessons, you are setting yourself up for years of fun with a new and exciting hobby that will enrich your life on many levels. Now is that a good use of your time and money, or what? To elaborate, learning to Swing dance, Salsa dance and Country dance is a healthy way to spend your time. Dancing increases your heart rate, giving you that workout that our bodies all need. You will also get your social goals met, which we will look into next. Overall, though, social dancing is the cure-all for the mind, body and spirit, and a skill that I highly recommend that everyone learn in the year ahead.

2. Connect more with others. If you’re looking to put yourself out there more in 2016, social dance lessons will give you the confidence you’ve been looking for. Once you can Two Step, slow dance or even do the Argentine tango, you will have a cool and unique way to make new friends and meet interesting people who also love to dance. By making these connections, your business skills can grow right along with your personal opportunities for love and adventure with friends you may have not met otherwise. Cool, right? I think so!

3.  Learn more. Some may take a college course to gain knowledge, or read an interesting book, two really cool ideas, but if you’re seeking that total transformation, consider learning to social dance. Again, the mind/body connection in partner dancing is powerful. What social dancing has to offer, as discussed in a recent blog on how dancing makes you smarter, is the opportunity to think fast and make split-second decisions on the dance floor. From what dance moves to remember, to which ones to use on a tiny, crowded dance floor, social dancing requires thought and a sharp mind. Keep your memory active and learn to social dance, you’ll love the results you gain!

As you can see, social ballroom dancing has a ton to offer you in the new year and beyond. Get the confidence to take that first step into a local dance studio near you. You’ll surely find in a very short time how many of your resolutions can become a reality-just by knowing how to dance! 🙂

AZ Swing dancing lessons

Popular Swing Dance Styles

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AZ Swing dancing lessonsHave you always wanted to learn to Swing dance? Why not!? It’s exciting, versatile and so much fun! Did you know that there are formally 24 Swing dance styles? And that doesn’t even include the most popular of them all… Country Swing dancing! Here at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona, we teach Jitterbug Swing, Country Swing, and West Coast Swing, as these are the most useful for social dance situations, from weddings to nights around town here in Phoenix. Crazy enough, each Swing dance style has its own characteristics and history, but they all come from the same root dance, the Lindy Hop. Swing dancing originated almost a century ago in the 1920’s. Here’s a bit more information on the three Swing dance styles that we can offer you:

Jitterbug Swing: Jitterbug is a dance that moves in a circular fashion, which makes it a “spot” (non-traveling) dance. You can dance the Jitterbug Swing to all of your favorite oldies, including Rock and Roll, and Big Band music. It is a modified version of East Coast Swing (or Triple Swing) that evolved from Lindy Hop in the 1940s. Jitterbug is the single-rhythm version of East Coast Swing. It uses mostly six count patterns, although there are some variations that use eight counts. The most important piece, and the constant piece, in this dance is the rock step, which is what creates momentum!

Country Swing: Country Swing is avery trendy dance in Arizona today. It is fast-paced and furious, not to mention lots of FUN! Country Swing dancing is very similar to Jitterbug Swing in terms of the moves you can dance, but the styling of the Country Swing is what sets it apart from other Swing dance variations. Put a little Cowboy or Cowgirl twist on your Jitterbug dance steps and you’re on your way to becoming a great Country Swing dancer. This is a must-have dance if you live with us in Arizona, so get started on your Country Swing dance lessons today!

West Coast Swing: The West Coast Swing is a smooth style of Swing dancing that started in California in the 1950’s. It is also known as the Hollywood Swing. This style is danced in a slot style – the follower has one track that is used to go back and forth on, like a balance beam. There are quite a few speculated ideas as to where and why this style originated, but it is not pinpointed to one time or place. West Coast Swing dancing is very flirty and can even be considered sensual, so when you learn this medium-tempo dance, get ready for a really cool experience.

Besides the shape of the dance-circular, a slot dance, etc…music is a big definer that determines which  Swing style to dance. The nice thing about Swing dancing overall is that there are many different genres of music that you can dance to. The most common Jitterbug music includes early swing era jazz tunes, 40’s music, Doo Wop 50’s, 60’s Surf & Beach songs, Rockabilly, R&B, Blues, Motown music, Disco and Neo-swing 90’s and 2000’s music. Country Swing is preferably danced to Country music. It also mixes nicely with the Country 2-Step. Country Swing can be used to to some of the styles of music mentioned in Jitterbug as well. West Coast Swing can also be danced to a wide variety of music styles (R&B, blues, soul, rock, pop, ballads, C&W, and other contemporary music), but it is generally a little slower than typical Swing music.

All three are extremely fun, versatile dances! Come learn how to get down with beginners Swing dance lessons at Dance FX Studios today!

More Social Ballroom Dance Benefits…

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Have you read our recent blog post, “Enjoy Life and Ballroom Dance“? Well the benefits that we shared with you about how becoming a great social dancer will enhance your life were just the beginning! Yes, dancing does add romance, relieve stress and, learning to dance Salsa, Country Swing or Argentine Tango definitely builds confidence! Believe it or not, there are even more benefits to explore when it comes to how your life can change by taking up this fun and exciting new hobby, overall known as ballroom dancing.

For those laymen out there, ballroom dancing is a term that describes partner dancing in general. It is an umbrella term to used to lump the main categories of partner dancing under a main heading. Dances under this broad category can range from Cha Cha to Foxtrot and Country Two Step to Tango. As long as you have a partner, or can learn to dance with one, you will enjoy the benefits of ballroom dancing. To expand upon what we have covered in our previous blog, here are three more benefits of learning to dance-as a single person or as part of a couple.

1. Dancing assists with balance and coordination. Ever feel gawky and uncoordinated? Everyone wants to feel and look naturally graceful or elegant, but this is not necessarily something that comes easily to all. With dance lessons, you can learn to move with ease. You can also work on how to use your core to guide you in any balance issues that you may have encountered. Ballroom dancing helps you to walk taller and use those muscles that will help you to become a more poised individual.

2. Social dancing is exciting! Forget about chilling on the couch and watching those pounds creep right up on you. Get your daily workout on the dance floor, skip the gym, and get fit without even knowing it in your Salsa or Swing dance lesson! Learn new ways to express yourself and see how much fun it is to dance.

3. Meet new friends through dance. Partner dancing is great because there are at least two of you doing it together! Find new friends through a healthy and rewarding hobby and make new contacts with people you may have never run across otherwise. What is wonderful about knowing how to social dance is that you can shine at those holiday parties and nights out on the town. Impress others by knowing a skill that everyone would love to have.

Try dance lessons with us at Dance FX Studios and be that guy or gal that walks taller and has confidence wherever you go! We have an amazing Introductory Offer to get you started with the basics of learning to dance. From there, the fun is just beginning. Dance FX Studios is located in the East Valley of Phoenix in Mesa, AZ, near Tempe and Chandler, AZ.  Have as much fun as we do and learn to Salsa or Swing dance! You’ll be so glad you did!