Posts

How to Know if Swing Dancing is for you…

/in /by

Swing dance lessons near Chandler ArizonaAre you looking for a fun way to relax after work? Have you been wanting to try something new and exciting? Does meeting a few new friends with similar interests sound like something you need more of? Then learning to Swing dance may be just what you’ve been missing!

How do you know if Swing dancing is for you? Let’s start by identifying what kind of music you listen to. If you like Oldies, Big Band, Rock and Roll, Hip Hop or Country music, Swing dancing has you covered. There are actually 24 variations of Swing dancing, so your favorite types of music are sure to be included in this versatile dance. How cool is that!?

If you didn’t select any of the above music genres, that’s OK. You just may learn to love them after you see how much fun it is to Swing dance. With Swing dance lessons you’ll discover how easy it is to spin and turn with the best of them. You will also most likely be smiling from ear to ear because of the feel-good characteristics of the Swing. To sum it up, Swing dance lessons are a wonderful way to relax and unwind at the end of a hectic day. There will be a little skip in your step and a second wind from your lessons that will put you in a great frame of mind before you have to go to bed and do it all over again.

Once you’ve taken Swing Dance Lessons at a dance studio near you, you can find local places to dance the Swing, from Country bars to retro venues around town. What a creative and cool way to connect with others who also love to dance! Start putting your skills to the test in the real world and before long, you’ll have a new group of buddies to share in your new hobby.

Swing dancing is not only relaxing, fun and a fantastic way to meet people, but it also is quite aerobic, which is amazing. When you think about it, Swing dancing checks off many boxes. You can virtually skip the gym as long as you Swing dance on a regular basis because you’ll be burning up to 450 calories per hour….just by dancing! With an increased heart rate, your fitness goals can align with your social and personal goals to make Swing dancing your all-in-one cure for many areas of your life.

Have you decided that Swing dancing is for you? I hope so! Give beginner’s Swing Dance Lessons a shot and see how it opens you up to new possibilities, and provides an incredible outlet for endless hours of fun.

social ballroom dancing AZ

Top 3 Tips To Keep Your 2015 Dance Resolutions

/in /by

social ballroom dancing in ArizonaSocial dancing is a blast! Who wouldn’t love to go out Country Swing dancing or enjoy an evening Salsa dancing at a local Latin club? Dancing is great fun, a wonderful means of stress relief and a great way to meet others, but getting to that comfort level where you can really dance with ease takes a bit of time. No one is born knowing how to dance, so taking the time to learn is a must. No worries! While learning to Swing dance or dance the Tango may be a challenge, it is well worth it in the end-especially when you can be one of the few who do it well. 🙂 Here’s how to get to that point where you can dance comfortably and with confidence in the upcoming year.

Practice every day 

It’s one thing to say, “I’m gonna dance like Bruno Mars did on the Superbowl half-time show!” It’s another thing to commit the months and hours of daily practice to create the dance results that you’re truly looking for. Great dancers that get praised in public are rewarded for all the hours of practice they’ve trained in private.

Make a plan and commit a consistent amount of time your willing to spend week and stick to it. Consistency is key! People that are healthy and in shape aren’t that way by accident. They specific ritual of how much they exercise, what they eat, how much they eat and what they avoid eating to get the body they want.

Makes dance goals clearer than your HD TV

It’s great to have big dreams and aspirations for your dancing, but make sure you’re S.M.A.R.T. about it. Make your dancing goals:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

For example, instead of writing down a goal like,”I want to be an amazing Salsa dancer!”, write down, “I want to be a smooth and confident Salsa dancer that can lead/follow most basic dance combinations comfortably within the next six months.” Knowing what is realistic is very important so that you don’t overshoot or undershoot your goals and end up becoming disappointed. This is where a meeting with your dance instructor is relevant. Make sure that you find a social dance instructor that helps you set measurable goals so that you are always headed in the right direction with your dancing. Progress is key to sticking with social dance lessons and having more fun on the dance floor. Be sure to set daily and weekly goals that are easy to control so you can see gradual progress along your dance journey. Also have long term goals that keep your eye on the prize!

Find an experienced instructor in your local area 

Sure, many people have tried to learn how to Country dance or Latin dance from a YouTube video, but there is one thing that videos cannot teach and that’s “feeling.” Partner dancing is about developing a feeling, connection and communication with your partner, something that’s impossible to get through your PC, smartphone or TV. Having an experienced dance teacher who can give you specific and clear guidance based on your learning style is absolutely crucial to your development as a dancer. Plus your instructor can correct any dance mistakes and bad habits you might have, something a video just can’t do.
Now it’s your turn to do something that you may have always wanted to do…Dance! Make 2015 the best year ever and learn a skill that can be used anywhere from date nights to weddings and holiday parties to cruises. Swing dance your way through 2015 in style and watch your confidence soar! For Arizona residents, come visit us at Dance FX Studios in the Phoenix East Valley. We are in Mesa, just off the 101 highway, bordering Tempe and Chandler, AZ. Dance FX Studios serves residents Valley-wide from Gilbert to Scottsdale and Phoenix to Queen Creek. Discover social dancing with us and begin with our New Student Offer, then let us take you on a journey into a hobby that you can use forever. Here’s to an exciting new year of fun and dance! We hope to see you in 2015!

Dancing…So Much More Than Just “Steps”

/in /by

You did it! You began the new year by fulfilling a resolution that took you 10 + years to get up the nerve to do. You went for it and signed up for Country dance lessons for you and your wife. How exciting! How glamorous! How…SCARY! Now, literally steps closer to the dance floor than you have ever found yourself since prom 20 years ago, there is still one thing holding you back… that dreaded first step on to a “real” dance floor. No longer in the presence of your instructor at your local dance studio, it hits you that, in order to enjoy dancing, you must go out and use it.  Suddenly, the tapes that have been floating around in your brain all of these years are being put to the test. “What am I doing out in this Country bar? I can’t dance!”, you say to yourself. Even with 30 plus hours of dance lessons under your belt in the last few months, you have the biggest hurdle in front of you yet…YOU! The fear of failure, looking stupid or drawing a blank is right in front of you and the pressure is on.

Thanks to Nike, telling yourself to “Just do it!” does build some confidence. What most people don’t realize, though, is that becoming a great social dancer is more than just knowing your steps. Getting over that psychological hump of not feeling “good enough” is a process that everyone goes through when they are first learning how to dance.

If you can relate to this guy and his story, you are not alone. Inadequacy is one of the biggest hold back’s of couples and singles giving dance lessons a try. He wants to please her, she wants to feel sexy and elegant, and the expectations can cause a lot of pressure. Fortunately, gone are the days where many viewed dances like Two Step, Salsa or Swing as feminine. But now, guys are stuck with not feeling “man enough” on the dance floor. So much pressure! Here are a few things to keep in mind when that time comes for you to get out and dance for the first time:

1. Everyone has a “first time”. It’s best to get over yours now so that you can say you did it and move forward from there. Hey, with enough positive inner dialogue, you may even remind yourself of how much you actually DO know about dancing so that you can relax and give it a try. Who knows, you may even do better than you thought on the dance floor!

2. No one is watching you. It’s more than possible that others may be having their “first time” too and they may be so wrapped up in what they are doing, that they don’t even notice you. Everyone else will be busy either showing themselves off or figuring out this whole dancing thing too.

3. Only practice will make perfect. If you never get out on an actual dance floor, how will you be able to apply what you have learned in your dance lessons? Make the most of your investment in each other by taking that scary leap and trying out what you know. Worst case scenario: You forget everything. So what, you got out your initial jitters and you will live to dance another day.

In short, while dancing can be intimidating, it would be so much less fun if you didn’t do it. You would be missing out on one of life’s greatest joys. Push through the pain and the rewards will be met on the other side. Don’t believe us? Ask some of our students how they feel about dancing.

We at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona specialize in creating social dancers who can enjoy any “real-world” dance scene. Located in Mesa, Arizona, we offer private dance lessons and group dance classes to singles and couples. YOU can enjoy all of the amazing benefits of knowing how to dance for yourself. Give Salsa, Swing, Country Two Step or Tango dance lessons a chance and discover a hobby that you can use for a lifetime.