Ballroom Etc Dance Studio-Dance Lessons-Monmouth County NJ

May 10, 2010 - PRLog -- Me! Dance Lessons?

Most people coming into a dance studio have some trepidation.  They’re thinking about how to mask their two left feet, or wondering if the teacher will notice that they’re out of their comfort zone and already perspiring or, as I overheard a student saying recently “I hope this is not a waste of time”.  Well, as to the last I can guarantee, it’s not.

Embarking on a new hobby always takes a little bit of practice.  You come for your first lesson to give it a try and think, “hey, this is kinda fun – in a way I never expected”  Then you get curious and wonder what else there is to it and before you know it, you’re studying the schedule and planning out future visits to the studio with relish.  You look around at the dancers who have obviously been there for a while and you may feel out of place, but before you know it, your instructor comes over with those same dancers in tow and introduces you and they’re the nicest people you’ve ever met and seem genuinely excited at the prospect of you joining in their fun.  They leave you to your instructor with a knowing smile.

You’ve had some private lessons with your instructor and are getting the hang of a couple of dances.   The Tango – because I have always wanted to do the Tango.  The Swing – I remember my parents and grandparents doing the Swing.  Then you did the Rumba and the Cha Cha and I can’t believe I love the Waltz!  Your instructor had taken you through all the dances you could think of when you were first asked what you would like to learn and a couple more to boot.  You’ve been working hard and feel you have sufficiently mastered a few of the basics and now you’re going to join in one of the weekly Group Classes, your teacher told you, you were ready and has not steered you wrong yet.

“There’s a lot of people here” you think to yourself as you walk in the door for your first ever Group Class.  But your instructor told you there would be several other couples and singles so you take a deep breath and line up with the other dancers who are happily bunched around in groups chatting.  You sidle over to a group and one of the dancers introduces themselves and you get caught up in the conversation.  Then and instructor appears and off you go on your first ever Group Class.  You feel like a fish out of water and amazingly without having taken one step yet your heart rate has gone up.  You’re asked to warm up to a Swing and you take the plunge and your partner and get to dancing.  You know this one, we worked on it with our instructor.  Now it gets serious.  The instructor demonstrates the pattern to be learned and you are ready to bolt.  But that just would not do.  So you listen to the instructions, the how to’s, how not to’s and are told to give it a try.  And Voila! You’re amazed it worked.  You’re doing the step with your partner that the instructor just demonstrated with almost as much finesse.  You look around and everyone is busy doing the pattern, relieved that all eyes are not on you.  More instructions are given, someone cracks a funny comment, you’re laughing and acknowledging how clever it was.  You dance some more.  Yikes, you change partners and end up with the Wisecracker.  The lesson is over and you’ve got the pattern, you’ve had a laugh and even broke a sweat.  You go home feeling good at your accomplishment without injury to self or other, chuckled at the wise crack and can’t wait to tell someone at work.

Back you go for more private lessons with your instructor who is thrilled that you came to your first Group Class and mostly remembered the pattern taught.   Beaming, the instructor tweaks the  pattern, gives you a good tip on execution and moves you through the other material you’re working on cleverly incorporating what you just learned in the Swing into the Cha Cha.  Sly devil, probably had that planned.  And of course, your instructor asks you to finish the lesson with a Waltz.  How do they know that’s secretly my favorite?

The next step is a Dance Social.  Well, the Group Class went well, so ok, I’ll try the Dance Social.  It’s 8pm and you figure since it starts at 7:30 you won’t be the first one there.  The lights are low, which gives you confidence that no one will recognize you and the music is on and the place has a dance floor full of people and the tables are filling up.  You encounter a dilemma previously not thought of “what do I do now?” and before you know it your instructor appears (they have a way of doing that) and guides you over to a table that, much to your distress is already full.  No worries here, everyone gets up and rearranges chairs and pulls over an extra table while introducing themselves in rapid fire succession that you know you’ll confuse later.  Seats are retaken and half the dancers drift off to do a Rumba and the dancer next to you leans over and asks your name again since they’ve forgotten already, you chuckle since so have you.  No sooner do you know it but Wisecrack from Group  Class shows up and asks you to do that swing step you learned which your instructor had the brilliance to review on your lesson.  Swingers abound on the floor and you find a spot and join in.  You’re proud of yourself because once again you have danced the Swing with confidence and no one was injured.   Back at the table everyone has moved around to a different seat and all names are mixed up again.  You join them and once again half drift off to do a Waltz – my favorite!  You’re captivated by the couples gliding around the floor, all executing what could only be a difficult math formula. But more importantly, you notice that there are several couples doing the steps that you just learned and you realize, they look just like me! You take your partner and join the other dancers.  The beautiful music ends and you exit the dance floor feeling great, you got around once and after only one near collision with one of the mathematicians you emerge unscathed. That was awesome, you think and resume your spot at the table.  Everyone looks happy, and you realize, so are you.  Next to you is a dancer who you find out is actually a math professor and you engage in a conversation about the complexities of the Waltz problem and are assured by the professor that “give it some time, I never thought I could get it either”.  Dancers and instructors keep drifting to and from the table, engaging in conversation or whisking off a partner.  You dance some more.  The Cha Cha went well.  We’ll ask about the Rumba on our next lesson.  It’s time to go home you never expected it possible that time could fly so quickly.

Back to the dance schedule.  You study it more intently now and plan out a Zumba class on Saturdays and then a Group Class right after.  Friday night Dance Socials are a given and once a month on the 1st Saturday there’s a Country Western Dance.  I have to tell my co worker about the Yoga classes every Sunday at 1pm.  There are Advanced Group Classes on Wednesday, but I’ll hold off on those till my instructor tells me to go.  Belly Dancing is on Monday nights and in July.

For more information about Dance Lessons, Group Lessons, Zumba, Yoga, Belly Dancing or Kids Programs contact Tina or Gabe at 732-528-6555 or online at ballroometc@optonline.net or visit our website http://www.ballroom-etc.com . We are also on Facebook

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