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What Learning to Dance Can Reveal About You…

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social ballroom dance lessons near Tempe ArizonaHe has agreed to take Private Dance Lessons. He’s been working diligently one-on-one with his instructor to be a great leader on the dance floor, just so that he can sweep you off your feet one day. Now the time has come for him for him to take you out dancing to your favorite Country bar. Tonight is the night! The pressure is on, and boy can he feel it!

You get on the dance floor and he freezes. So what do you do? You begin pulling him around the floor, like you’ve always done before. In no time, he’s ready to leave. “What’s the point of taking lessons if you can’t use what you’ve learned?”, you ask. Here comes the beginning of the end of any chance you have of your man wanting to dance again. What a shame that you two are going to miss out on the joys of spending your date nights out dancing!

Before you start scratching your head and wondering why, can you relate to this story? Are you the woman who has been trying to “help” your man to be a confident social dancer by turning yourself or pulling him along the dance floor? If this is you, please know that you’re not alone. Of course you want to enjoy Country dancing with your man! Of course you wish he could just be comfortable enough to want to join you anywhere, anytime for a dance. Of course he’s sick of watching other guys Two Step the night away with his wife. And of course it is not your fault that you have to take over on the dance floor because you are just trying to help, right? Well, maybe not.

Unknowingly, and quite ironically, you are both the reason why he started taking dance lessons, and the reason why he still cannot dance with confidence, both at the same time. As a result of his night out Country dancing with you, he feels inadequate and defeated, and may not want to venture out onto another social dance floor anytime soon. In his best efforts to please you, he did not reach his goal of putting a smile on your face on the dance floor, and has therefore failed. Did you know he felt this way? I doubt you did or I’m betting things would have played out differently.

The wonderful experience of learning incredible social dances like Country Two Step, Swing and Argentine Tango is that you are not only exploring how to move properly on a dance floor, but you are seeing things about yourself in the process of gaining a new skill, so you can grow as a person. This is the best part, in my opinion, of stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying something new and challenging like adult dance lessons.

In the scenario above, she may have learned that her need to control the situation at the Country bar in order to have a good time may have overshadowed his need for a calm and patient partner on his first night out dancing. Had she given him a minute to settle in and shake off his nerves, he may have been able to perform better. This is quite common, as I mentioned before, and it is most probably something that she would be willing to fix if it were brought to her attention.

Teamwork is a huge aspect of social ballroom dancing that is key for developing a successful partnership on the dance floor.  Sometimes, though, we can stand in our own way by not supporting our other half, or by blaming each other when things don’t go quite right.  As your guide through this process, I take this as an opportunity to help bring a couple closer together, which will in turn help you to make more progress on the dance floor. That’s a great thing! With a few ideas and recommendations, it can be a simple fix. And this is why I like to think of myself as a dancing therapist. 😉

Lastly, social insecurities can hold you back in a big way from having fun with social dancing. If you’re looking to push past that, take Private Dance Lessons and learn your stuff so you can have the confidence to get onto any dance floor without caring what anyone thinks. Partner or not, you absolutely can be an amazing social dancer!

Many insecurities and issues that we have can be not only revealed, but resolved through the process of learning to dance. My best advice is to find a local dance studio for adults that takes a true interest in the real reason why you want to begin learning to dance. You may not even know the deeper reasons that you have been drawn to this new hobby, but if you find the right place to learn, you should be waltzing out of that studio down the road with your head up high, full of confidence and proud that you know the coolest hobby ever…social ballroom dancing!

3 Dance Tips for Ladies When Dancing With Someone New

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Yessss! That hot guy that has been eyeballing you from the bar has finally asked you to dance! Now is your chance to show him all of those cool moves that you learned in your Salsa dance class, right? Wrong! Let’s explore a few tips from us pros on what it means to be a lady on the dance floor. Whether your doing the Country Two Step or the Latin Bachata, the rules are the same. So ladies, heed our warnings on what not to do once you have been asked to dance for the first time with a man that you don’t know.

1. Don’t Lead Yourself: Talk about making him feel inadequate! While this may not be your “intention”, he will feel like he wants to run for the hills if you pull his man card by leading yourself into all of the cool moves that he should “know”. Remember ladies, on the dance floor, he is in charge. Let him do his thing and figure out what feels right for him. Hey, he got on the dance floor to impress you, so help to build his confidence by making him the leader on the dance floor.

2. Don’t show off-Match His Style: So you know he’s cute and you think that if you shake just a little more in that Salsa dance, he’ll want to dance with you again. This may work for a minute, but remember, you are rolling the dice on this one. Intimidating your partner may again make him feel inadequate and “not good enough” to keep dancing with you. Try to match his style and tone things down until he is ready to take it to the next level. This way, he directs you on the dance floor and not the other way around. We get to be in charge off the dance floor, so throw him a bone and relax girls.

3. Don’t Teach Him His Part: NEVER, EVER teach a guy that you have just barely met how to dance on the floor-in front of everyone. If you really want to be strategic, make him look good by smiling and going with the flow. Teaching a guy that has just built up the courage to ask you to dance is deflating. I know that is not your objective, so why turn your dance into a dance lesson?

It’s tricky to be a lady when it comes to ballroom dancing, including Swing, Latin and Country dancing. We usually have to wait to be asked for a dance, wait for a good leader to approach us, and hope that once we get out on the dance floor that he knows what he’s doing. That’s a lot of pressure for him too, though. Go easy, develop a relationship and over time, maybe suggest a few private dance lessons for that cute beginner dancer. Keep these tips from us to you in mind and send him over to Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona, located just minutes from Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale, AZ. We will build his confidence in no time so that you can enjoy dancing with him rather than directing him. Better yet, give him a gift card for an introductory dance lesson at Dance FX Studios and join him so that you too can pick up a few pointers on how to develop a partnership with your new man. Dancing will bring you closer, guaranteed, as long as you relax and enjoy the journey.

3 Things To Discover With Salsa Dance Lessons

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It’s sexy, it’s spicy, it’s sensual…it’s Salsa dancing! Can you see yourself sweating to those Latin beats in a hot, steamy club? Would you like to learn to Salsa dance to spice up your fizzled relationship? Are you looking to unleash your inner diva or dude? No real need for a “reason” to get started with Salsa dance lessons because once you begin, your new addiction will keep you coming back for more.

What makes Salsa dancing so cool that it’s hot? Aside from the chance to connect in an intimate and seductive way with others on the dance floor, Salsa dancing opens you up to explore a new “sassy” you, allowing growing room for self-expression and a freedom that cannot be felt from many other hobbies.

If you haven’t danced before, you now know what you’re missing without Salsa dancing in your life.  Before you grab a pair of heels and hit the dance floor to get your Latin groove on, take our advice and start with Salsa dance lessons for beginners. Here are a few things that you will learn in private Latin dance lessons at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ:

1. Partner connection: Salsa dancing is generally fast paced. In order to move  as one with your special someone, let us help you to understand the principles of partner connection. With faster dances, being connected on the dance floor is key. In our private lesson introductory offer, you will be given an exercise to assist you in understanding how to move in synch with anyone on the dance floor.

2. Small steps: As with all Latin dances, small steps are essential for several reasons. One reason has to do with getting your hips moving. The only way to get those hips  moving the “right” way is by keeping your feet underneath your torso by taking very small steps. More information in your Latin dance lessons at Dance FX Studios will help you to understand the importance of tiny footwork.

3. Lead and Follow: In order to be a great Salsa dancer, knowing how to lead or follow is of primary importance. Rather than memorizing steps from a video or in a group class setting, get the basics of lead and follow first. Then your will have a solid foundation that you can use to build off of.

Explore the Salsa in dance lessons for couples or singles to see how much fun it is to Latin dance! If you live in the Phoenix area, give Salsa dance lessons a try at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ. We offer Salsa lessons for beginners to residents in Tempe, Chandler, Phoenix, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Queen Creek and beyond! Our introductory offer for private Latin dance lessons will give you a window into our unique concept, one that can make a dancer out of everyone-even YOU!