Ballroom Dance Lessons

[dreamscometrue2]

Hello to All,

 

I am so glad I started this thread. There are so many people who love to dance. I also would like to thank those who told us about Stardust Dance Weekends. I looked up their web-site and it looks like a lot of fun. The next one is in NY at the Nevele Grande Resort and Country Club and I even have my DH excited about going!:D So I think we will sign up this weekend. For those of you who have attended one of these weekends what time on Sunday do they end and are there any events on Sunday? Also, how do the folks dress during the day and evening? I don't want to stick out or feel out of place by under or over dressing. Thanks again for all the participation on this thread and all the information shared here.

[tropicalsunset]

Dreams: this is a great thread!! who'd've thought there are so many cruisin' dancers out there!! :)

 

Dave and I took a group class (on foxtrot) at the dance camp on Sunday..

It was great... we spent the time really just fine tuning our form ... the instructor took the time to chat with us a while afterward... I'm hoping DAve will do a whole day next year!!

 

Welcome rhumba... glad to have you with us!! I so want to visit Toronto someday... maybe even check out the ball park...nice to know we can get some dancing in too!!!

 

Enjoying lots of sunshine and warm weather here in New England!!

 

Lorraine

[dreamscometrue2]

Thanks Lorraine!

 

Maybe someone can help me. In the movie "Dance with Me" at the very end they are dancing what I believe to be a mambo in line dance form. Am I correct, if so has anyone done these steps? I've tried to copy them but I am missing something. I guess my question is, is there a name for this mambo? Thanks to my many new dancing friends.

 

Linda

[mummsie]

Hi GCurry, No everybody knows the dances so when the music comes on we all line up in a circle and depending on the dance all face the same way or normal dancing position. Some steps the man and lady do the same thing on the same foot so you actually stand side by side (shadow hold). If you go to a social dance here they are usually about 30% New Vogue, Latin and Standard. They usually have a bracket of each unless its just an old time dance and then its pretty much all new vogue with a bit of standard thrown in. There are also some standard new vogue dances such as the Alpha Waltz or the Dream Waltz. When the music starts, we start on the same bar of music - usally bar 5 (most music has a 4 bar intro). If you don't know the dance you usually just follow the person in front. We are dancing in a comp this coming weekend. Doing just 2 styles this time, New Vogue and Standard. We haven't been working much on our latin lately as my husband has a sore foot at the moment. Jive and Samba kill it with the bounce action. bye for now - Gayle

[smoothdancer]

Mumsie.... I have really been enjoyng reading your posts on New Vouge dance. I too, took a look at the site you gave a link to. I looked at the message baord and found it interesting that no matter where you live, the issues seem to be the same. Here is a dance message board from the US that you may find interesting. http://www.dance-forums.com By the way good luck at your comp. Let us know how you do.

 

Tropical... Glad you had a good time at dance camp... For us, we find the foxtrot, by far, the most challenging of all of the dances. It is a never ending battle to learn the form and technique as you described.

 

Dreamscometrue....Cool. You will have a great time at the Stardust. During the day people are wearing comfortable clothes, to dance in. Sweats, shorts, ect... In the evenings at dinner and dancing, women are wearing cocktail dresses, and semi formal dress. It has been a few years since I attended this, but if I remember correctly, the dance sessions end around noon on Sunday. TIP.. If you have a low heel dance shoe, bring them. Your feet hurt by the end of the week-end. Some stay on to use the pool(which is great), tennis courts and exercise facilities... Also close by is some good outlet shopping, it that is your thing! Have a great time.

[tropicalsunset]

I have to say there were 4 women and My hubby at the dance camp ... tho some instructors "stood" in... and we spent the whole hour discussing and practicing the position and posture for smooth dancing... and variations in social form vs. competition... and got into how to defend oneself against an "aggressive" male... (never had that problem.... :confused: ;) :rolleyes: !!!) so it was fun and informative... the more I learn .... the more I know I need to learn... and I am amazed at the folks who come in to the studio and want to learn to dance in 5 weeks!!! :eek:

 

Not ready to sequence yet,,, but it is sooo interesting .... so many dances..... such a slow learner!!!

 

Lorraine

[dreamscometrue2]

Smoothdancer thank you so much for the info about Stardust. You have been a great help. Now we know what to expect and can dress properly. You can bet I will take some low heeled shoes for the daytime. So thanks again and have fun dancing:D .

[mummsie]

Smoothdancer, thanks so much for that link to the dance forum. Yes the issues are basically the same where ever you are. Politics always seems to rear its ugly head and gets in the way of people's dancing pleasure. I was interested to read the article about dancers being "D"'d for wearing nude coloured costumes. The only time its not allowed here is if the competition is under the IDSF rules. I have a friend who has a nude coloured costume for latin and it looks fantastic. We do however have very strict rules for level 1 dancers (beginners) - no dancing costumes allowed and no G strings allowed. To make it fair for the people just starting out, they must wear street clothes. Gives them a chance to see if they like the competition side of dancing before they spend a lot of money on costumes.

 

Speaking of costumes, I have just started sewing my new ballgown. I cut it out the other day and tacked it up during my lunch break at work. Last night I took it with me (Wednesday night is our group night when I help teach) and my coach Elizabeth fitted it for me so I can now starting the fun part of sewing :-) I will probably get a go on it tomorrow as I am having a day off work. Still have to cut out all the chiffon circles for the underneath but that is the easy bit. The hard bit is sewing the rotton stuff. It slips all over the place when you are trying to sew it. :-) - Gayle

[smoothdancer]

LOL Tropical....

 

I had this great idea, prior to our first ever cruise to take dance lessons so we could dance on the cruise.... (whole other story as to how I talked my husband into this ) I thought for certain in 7 lessons, we would absolutley know it all..... So we signed up with Arthur Murray... (felt the first dance lesson sticker shock) Then as the cruise came, we were all geered up and ready to dance at the captians party.... Well, with my well practiced Rumba steps..here we go... As it turned out, we hit rough seas during the party, I felt the lead Nick gave me and went... oops, was not a lead, was the ship sway... Hey they dont teach you about ship sway in dance lessons!!! 15 yrs later of weekly dance lessons we still have a lot to learn.... We have however gotten better on dancing on a ship!!

 

Gayle... Glad you enjoyed the link.... Lucky you.. I have zero ability to sew, and have to have my costumes custom made... They are pretty costly in the US, anywhere between 2,000- 4,500... Needless to say I dont change up my costumes to often... I would love to see pictures of your costumes... I am having a costume redesigned for our upcoming comp.... Just need to diet into it now!! I have 7 weeks to go....

 

Keep on dancin' all

 

Janet

[mummsie]

Hi Janet, Costumes here can be expensive too - that's why I make mine and my daughter's gowns. So far the material has cost me about $150 and if I can get the stones for about $300 I will be happy. I bought a whole stack of very large AB's in Singapore for $1.40 each which was good. Here they cost about $10 each. My coach makes all the dresses for the non sewers at our studio - she charges reasonable prices and she is an excellent designer/sewer - I think about $500 to make them plus the cost of materials. I usually go and help her when she is busy - I do handsewing and bits and pieces for her so that when I need help on my gowns she does it for free. Maybe we should start emailing to swap info on the comp side of dancing. Let me know if you want to go this route. ttyl Gayle

[terri23]

We are such rookies compared to you professionals! We took studio lessons for a couple of years, both private and group, but DH didn't enjoy it much - having a male instructor for the private class (boy, DH didn't like dancing with him!!) nor dancing with other students in the group class. So, I had wood flooring put in the game room of our house and bought some video lessons and CDs, but must have been a bit delusional about the whole thing as the "dance floor" collected dust for a year! Luckily, we are back in the groove, use Starlight Studios video lessons (they provide technique and styling details in addition to teaching the patterns) and are making good progress. Of course we will have to go back to a "real" instructor once we get beyond the beginner and intermediate series, but by then DH will have more confidence (and I think we will try for a female instructor - I think refining his lead technique will be easier that way). So obviously we are not "serious" dancers, but I so enjoy it! Right now we are working on EC Swing. We have also enjoyed salsa, cha cha, waltz (I can never get the body position right, though), merengue, rumba and, since we live in TX, are trying to learn country two-step. I think DH secretly likes the dancing, as long as I leave my perfectionist tendencies elsewhere (and make him a cocktail ;)). We have so much fun when we get it right! Aren't you all glad you're not beginners anymore!!! :D

[GCurry]

Terri, are you going out and dancing in public to see how your dancing works with other couples? Of course every town in Texas has some place for C&W dancing, so that would be easy enough to find. They will usually play a number of waltzes as well that would be good for practice.

 

Smooth, Mum, 2jay, what do your men wear in the competitions? Special costumes or standard Tux and or tails? Do they have dance shoes, Bolero jackets with latin shoes and two inch heels? Spats and top hats? Water skis and BVDs?

[critterchick]

We started taking private lessons a week ago. We're learning the Samba, which is really making DH learn how to move his hips. I don't think he much likes dancing with the male instructor either, but it really helps him to lead. Our group class (same teacher) just had an influx from the local community college, many of whom have 2 left feet. The first session (smooth) wasn't too bad, but the second (Latin & swing) was simply awful for HD - usually it's the men who can't tell right from left or count to 4, but this time is was the women. So we'll probably drop that class until the college crowd leaves - it's offered every other session through the catalog (that's how we found it), so the alternate sessions are quite civilized - only those who really liked it and made some progress come back.

 

Boy, it only took me 6 months to become an intolerant snob!:D

[dreamscometrue2]

Water skis and BVD's very funny:D :D :D !

[tropicalsunset]

Jean: funny you should mention that.... last nite we did a group class on Merengue... but we were the only ones that showed up... the first half hour we were working on the hip action....my husband was so frustrated ... I thought he was going to walk out...and we had a very new instructor that didn't help...

 

:D :D I think there might be a new trend out there!!

BVDs and Water skis for "casual" comps!!!

[smoothdancer]

Terri, That is kind of a neat way to learn how to dance. I am afriad however that you never get out of beginner fustration mode, no matter how long you dance. The dance is always changing and evolving.. For us, just when we feel that we are comfortable with our progress our coaches then introduces a whole other level or concept to the dance that prior we could not comprehend... So you are back to the fustrating feeling again.. It just never goes away.... Kind of like the reaching the end of the internet idea. It just cant happen.

 

We dance with both a male and female instructor each week. You are right, it is a completely different experience, although I cant explain it.... For all, you first of all have to find an instructor that you are comfortable with. If a male does not work for the men, get a new instructor. Priviate dance lessons are costly, so you should not feel uncomfortable changing instructors if you have to.

 

Gayle,

I would love to communicate with you by Email. Doont want to clog up this message board with competition conversations, which just would not be enjoyed by most!

[terri23]

Terri, That is kind of a neat way to learn how to dance. I am afriad however that you never get out of beginner fustration mode, no matter how long you dance. The dance is always changing and evolving.. For us, just when we feel that we are comfortable with our progress our coaches then introduces a whole other level or concept to the dance that prior we could not comprehend... So you are back to the fustrating feeling again.. It just never goes away....

 

LOL, I don't think I'll tell DH about this!! ;) Have a great weekend and happy dancing.

[smoothdancer]

I guess I am on the outside here,as I dont follow the humor of the BVD's....

 

We all find ways to enjoy dance, and comps help Nick and I to set short term goals.... The enjoyment of the whole dance expereince is just so personal, and am so sorry the whole comp conversation lead to this.... End of story

[nkpeeps]

Dreams. We are going to the Stardust weekend also. This will be our 5th. During the day the dress is casual. The evenings are different. A lot of people dress up. We are going with a group of about 40 from Chicago. Ask anyone from the Chicago group to point us out , and maybe we could have a dance.

 

Eric and Nancy

[dreamscometrue2]

Nkpepps that's great. I am amazed about how far people come for one of these weekends! When I made our reservation (just made it under the wire as I was told they were almost soldout) I was told people come from as far as California and Canada and other countries. I am already impressed and I'm trying not to me intimidated since we are beginner dancers. We plan to take it all in and really enjoy ourselves.

 

Linda and Mike

[critterchick]

Smoothdancer, what did I miss? I love hearing about your competitions, even though I have no such goals of my own!

 

We hit a wall on Friday night - We go to a "Practice Party" at the place we take lessons. There's a one-hour group class followed by a couple of hours of open dancing. The group class was paso doble, which is just a stupid dance to teach on a one-shot basis. NOBODY got it. Not the hips, not the arms, not the feet, not nuthin'. Even the "superstar" couple looked stupid. DH's brain ended up being full with that and it just ruined the rest of the evening, as he forgot all of the tango steps we had been practicing 5 minutes before the group class and (more tragically:rolleyes: ) all of the Samba that we just spent 2 private lessons learning. So we went home in a bit of a funk.:( We're going to try again today. The studio has gotten some big bands to play for 3 hours this afternoon - they may blow us out of the room with the sounds. Wood floors and no acoustical control. Maybe we'll dance in the parking lot!

[GCurry]

I think that has happened to all of us Critters, it's just a matter of practicing as often as possible to keep things right up there in memory. You mess up, then stop and try it again until you get it. The only people that really care at this point is you.

Love Big Bands, and Texas has a bunch of them, plus the touring Nationals like the Glen Miller Orchestra etc. We often go to public dances with a 17 piece band and singers. The only caution is to preview the evening, is it about the dancers, or is it about the band? We hit a Big Band Weekend in Kerrville TX with two Big Bands in two nights, hotel room, dance tickets etc per couple. The headliner was the Sentimental Journey Orchestra in WWII uniforms and a lot of show. Problem was, they were recording, so it was great band music, but awkward to dance to, and the dance floor was too small for the crowd (in a hotel).

 

Smooth, BVDs aside, what does your husband wear?

[mummsie]

Hi Smoothdancer, Well we got lucky Saturday night at the comp. We got a first place in our graded New Vogue event and got back to the final in our standard event but bombed out on the waltz. Its usually quickstep that causes us problems but it went fine this time. Foxtrot is always ok - my husband is the most fantastic foxtrotter around. He is just so smooth and glidy. my email is GdotMartin at griffith.edu.au

Gcurry for competition work my husband wears standard black dancing tails with Supadance patent/nubuck shoes and for latin he wears a pair of special latin pants that I sewed for him with a plain black Tshirt. (he doesn't like the sparkly shirts some of the guys wear). He wears special latin shoes with about a 1 1/2 inch cuban heel. Gayle

[smoothdancer]

Ok, perhaps I am a bit too sensitive here.....

 

MGurry, I did not think you were serious about what my husband wears, and thought you were making fun of us.... AGHHH, tough as nails on the comp floor, but still just human, elsewhere!!

 

So anyway, try to give you the short version... My husband wears tuxedo pants, tux. shirt, bow tie and vest... In competition dance you are judged very strongly on your posture and dance frame. To give you a visual... my husband was a lineback(football) in his college years and has very broad shoulders. A tuxedo jacket is padded, and for him, it would appear that he is shrugging his shoulders in a jacket, so we canned it!!...... Professional dancers will have tails made for comps... In the US, a tailsuit can cost up to 3K.... and so far we have not been able to jusitfy the cost....

 

Mumsie..... Damn.... good job... Only in my dreams will we take first place... From across the seas, CONGRADS!!!! And oh no it is not luck, it is skilll.....

 

Quickstep is our best dance... We excel the most in dances that have power and flight, and quickstep is just a natural for us... Foxtrot is our biggest challenge, so slowwww!! I am partial to waltz as I can relate the most to the music...

 

Wish I had the time to join you all at the Stardust..... Do come back after the week-end and tell us all about it...

[GCurry]

Thanks Smooth and Mummsie, after the discussion of high dollar dance costumes for women and after getting sticker shock at Lonnie and Roberts site for dance dresses, I wondered how far the men went. I have a lot of formal wear, designer tux, dinner jacket and a closet full of accessories I've added through the years, and really enjoy wearing it. But, dance shoes are the only special thing I've added. We do formal evenings and theme dances at our clubs, so we have other costuming, some of which works for cruises (tropic wear), and MsCurry enjoys dressing as well. We do carry a lot onboard when we cruise, and why not, there's plenty of room in most cabins, and the right clothes do make a difference, on ship and ashore.

 

Congrats to you Mummsie on the win, and to you Smooth for competing, I know that physically and mentally it's a difficult thing to do, and requires a huge amount of time and dedication.

When you compete, are you having to change, or is it a ballroom evening, or a latin evening?