Dance Styles
What do you want to learn?
All private lessons are tailored to meet your specific needs as a dancer. Take a look at some of the options below and watch the video examples to get an idea of what you might want to learn. We suggest learning more than one dance at a time. This is called cross-training and helps your brain make connections between different styles of dancing. Below are some suggestions of dances that are easy to learn together, but feel free to pick and choose.
Ballroom Basics
Our standard "intro to social dance" lessons teach the basic movements of partner dancing and how to combine those movements with three basic rhythms to start learning waltz, foxtrot, and rumba at the same time. Learning this way helps you build connections between the dances and identify similarities. These dances tend to be slow and smooth, a perfect place to start.
Waltz
A classic smooth dance, this style is counted in 3s and uses simple but elegant movements. This is a traveling dance and requires a bit of space.
Foxtrot
This smooth style is very similar in feel to waltz but is counted in 4s. This is a traveling dance and requires a bit of space.
Rumba
While technically a Latin dance, this style uses many of the same basic movements and serves as a wonderful transition between smooth and Latin styles.
Intro to Latin
If you are looking for something a little more upbeat, Latin dances are fun and fast-paced. Be prepared for a bit of a workout as you learn the basic movements of partner dancing and how to combine those movements with three basic Latin rhythms to start learning salsa, cha-cha, and rumba at the same time.
Salsa
This iconic Latin dance has simple footwork and focuses on rhythm and working with your partner.
Cha-Cha
With slower but more complicated footwork, this dance is a great way to show off and also a great work out.
Rumba
This style is a lot slower and smoother, but uses many of the same movements as other Latin dances, making it a great third dance to learn.
Swing
If you like the idea of something more upbeat, but don't love Latin music, swing is a great choice. Between classic and west coast swing you can dance to just about any song you hear. Swing has a bit more of a learning curve, but it is well worth the effort. You will learn the basic movements of partner dancing as well as several basic footwork patterns and how to build them together to make classic and west coast swing steps.
East Coast Swing
Made up of both single and triple step swing, this style is often danced to vintage music and is characterized by circular movements and a bouncy feel. It is one of several classic swing styles.
West Coast Swing
One of the most versatile dances, this modern swing continues to evolve to fit a range of musical styles from blues to today's top 40. Check out this video to see some examples of this style danced to several genres of music.
Still not sure?
Contact us and we will walk you through some questions to help you decide.