Have you ever heard that expression, “You get what you pay for?”? With all of the free group dance classes in the Country bars, Latin clubs and Casinos in Arizona, you would think there would be tons of great dancers here. Consider different social ballroom dances like Country Two Step, Salsa, Swing and Argentine Tango. Exploring these cool and exciting dances are really the same as learning a new language. Beyond learning the “ABC’s”, or basic dance steps, you will discover how to string your moves together into dance “sentences” and eventually “paragraphs” when you dance to an  entire song. With regards to expecting to learn to dance in a free group class in a bar or casino, imagine how challenging it would be to get into detail on how to be an amazing leader or follower in such a setting. Even if the instructor is top-notch, learning to dance inside a group class of 20 to 30 other people is very difficult.

The fact is, when you look around at most social dancers at places like Moonshine in Tempe, AZ or Bourbon Jacks in Chandler, Arizona, the truth is that most of the couples that you are admiring hasn’t a clue what they’re doing. You might be thinking “they’re having so much fun! Isn’t that all that matters”? Actually no, that is not all that matters. Fun does matter, but what matters most when dancing at bars or nightclubs or even at your best friend’s wedding, is that those around you are safe and comfortable and that you can actually apply what you know to a real world situation. Beyond that, true fun means knowing more than 3 cool moves repeated over and over no matter what song or music type!

These are just three questions that you should ask yourself to help decide if private dance lessons are a better investment than group lessons. 1.) Do you want to avoid embarrassment? 2.) Do you want to know how to dance of just fake it? 3.) How confident do you feel about your dance ability now that you have taken a year of free group lessons?

Here’s the scoop on why dance lessons one-on-one with an instructor are the better investment in yourself and your social life:

Attention to detail!

In group Swing or Salsa dance classes, are you told if you have a proper dance frame? Did your instructor check your footwork and was it secondary to the connection you and your partner had in your upper bodies? Are you leading, or is your girlfriend back-leading? Do you have any idea if you are being taught how to lead or follow? Now the lesson is over and you think you just learned several cool moves, but the reality is that you can simply do a bunch of sloppily executed moves with no structure or foundation. How unfortunate! What’s more, was that lesson really free if you paid that bar tab and took a cab ride home?

Conversely, after just a few private dance lessons, you should know how to lead or follow during all the dance moves you are learning, not to mention dancing in the correct dance frame and so on! Simply by understanding your roles and responsibilities on the dance floor as a leader or follower, you will have advanced further than any typical group lesson. Learning these first few tools your confidence will build as you go. You are sure to have more confidence and you will take that with you to any social dance floor.

Private dance lesson are customized for how you learn best! 

A disadvantage of group dance classes is that you are learning with the masses. You may pick up the material and you may not. You may learn fast or slower than other people. You may respond to challenges or nurturing. Maybe learning to dance seems difficult only because you are not being taught in a way that makes sense to you. For example, some students learn best when seeing a move over and over again, while other people learn best when an instructor explains it verbally or shows how something is done with examples that are relatable to them. In a group setting, it’s just not possible to personalize a learning experience. This tends to be quite de-motivating and be a reason why you and your partner give up a hobby that would truly enhance your lives.

Private dance lessons teach using customized instruction from a knowledgeable instructor. If you are having difficulty with traditional instruction, you will be taught in a different way that makes sense for you. Our instructors at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona are particularly focused on you and works directly with only you and your partner. Maybe the dance instructor is your dance partner? That is the very fastest way to learn. Teaching you to dance well is a dance instructor’s full-time job. It is a dance school’s job to make sure you are happy and getting your monies worth, and guess what… For all of those reasons and more, you certainly will!

Group classes are pattern-based great social partner dancing means adhering to specific rhythms. Being a great social dancer is not just learning five or six cool moves. It is also not memorizing routines that watch on YouTube. Rather than memorizing patterns and using them for all the music that comes on in the night club, through quality dance lessons you will learn spontaneity and how to use dancing to navigate around other couples or within a crowd. More importantly, dancing well means having “musicality”, which is the awareness of music and rhythm in dance. Learning music identification and knowing which dance goes with what song is the signal to every partner you dance with, or everyone watching you perform, that you know exactly what you are doing.

If you don’t know how to identify different dances or have the ability to identify music, that’s OK, it just means that you haven’t taken private dance lessons yet! The good news is, it’s never too late to enjoy the benefits of knowing how to dance.  The key is getting what you pay for: quality instruction and a well-versed education. Having confidence that you know what you are doing, are able to improvise and have all the tools you need to be a great social dancer will keep you on the dance floor all night long!

Obviously you are worth the investment! There is no substitute for taking private dance lessons. Why fake and fumble it around on that dance floor when you can float with ease and comfort doing any social dance, from Salsa dancing to the Country Two Step. If you live in Phoenix, Arizona, Dance FX Studios is ready to have some fun with you while we teach you the dances of your choice.  Our studio is in Mesa, AZ right off the 101 highway. We accommodate residents valley-wide and beyond. Schedule a lesson using our New Student Offer, only $25, and your days of enjoying social dancing are just around the corner!