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Is It Hard to Learn? DancerGuy's opinion on the relative effort required to learn the various dance styles he teaches |
Easy Ones Country Swing Cowboy Cha-Cha Jitterbug Merengue Peabody Nightclub Two-Step |
Medium Ones Bachata Balboa Blues Collegiate Shag Cha-Cha 1920s Charleston Country Two-Step Foxtrot Rueda Salsa Shim Sham Waltz |
Hard Ones Argentine Tango Lindy Hop West Coast Swing |
For most kinds of dance, there are both "Level 1" and "Level 2" classes available. But what does that mean? In a nutshell, Level 1 classes are for beginners; no prior dance knowledge is assumed, and no experience is required. The Level 2 classes do assume previous experiencethey are for people who have already taken the corresponding Level 1 class or have equivalent experience.
That said, please note that it is pretty common for people to take Level 1 classes in a particular dance style two or more times before going on to Level 2 in that style. This is often a good idea to make sure you have a solid grasp on the fundamentals, so that when you go on to Level 2, you'll pick it up more quickly, and won't need as many corrections on basic aspects of the dances.
As for Level 2, no two Level 2 classes are alike. Once you have the basics, you can go in so many directions that there is far more than will fit into one series of classes. So, Level 2 classes are tailored to the needs and desires of the students. You could probably come to a dozen Level 2 series of classes and see new things every time.
So which one should you take, Level 1 or Level 2? On the Swing, Latin, Ballroom, and Country pages are the things that are taught in their respective Level 1 classes; if you are familiar with all the moves mentioned there, you are ready for Level 2. If you are not, I would recommend that you take (or retake) Level 1 to familiarize yourself with these moves, so when you get to the Level 2 classes, the foundational skills are already there.
Who: | People who enjoy dancing or would like to learn. Even though these dances are partner dances, you do not need to come with a partner. You can come with a dance partner or by yourselfeither way will work. The reason is because we rotate people around, so every gentleman gets to dance with every lady. This has two benefits. First, everyone gets to dance (it is rare that the number of ladies is exactly equal to the number of men), and second, you learn to dance better, because everyone dances slightly differently, and dancing with several people will increase your ability to lead or follow. Married couples in which one partner dances and the other doesn't are also welcome; the non-dancing partners are welcome to come and watch if they would like to. |
What: | Public classes are multi-week workshops to learn to dance, and to get to know other like-minded people. All public classes offer approximately five total hours of instruction; see the Class Schedule page for details. For Level 1 classes, if you cannot make it to the first class, you can start at the second class; if you cannot make it to the first two classes, it will probably be difficult to catch up unless you have a good bit of dance experience. Private lessons have none of the constraints mentioned above; see the Private Lessons page for more details. |
Where: | Although Dave has and is still instructing at other locations also, most Dancer Guy classes are held in the dance studio at Dave's home at 813 Marshall Street in Fort Collins; close to the intersection of Lemay and Trilby Road in the Brittany Knolls subdivision. From Lemay, turn west on Brittany Street, north on Buchanan, and west on Marshall. For more detailed direcctions and maps, see the map. |
Wear: | See the Clothes page. |
Waiver: | Any kind of physical activity carries with it a non-zero risk of injury, so before taking dance classes from Dancer Guy, you must fill out the Participation Agreement and Acknowledgement of Risk. (This just needs to be filled out once, not once per class series.) |
How Much: | This depends on what you want. See the Class Schedule page for prices on public classes, the Custom Classes page and the Private Lessons page for prices in those settings, and the Make Payment page for payment options. |
Parking: | Park first in our driveway; there is room for six cars there. If you are the first car in any of the "slots" in the driveway, please pull up close enough to the house that someone else can park behind you without blocking the sidewalk. (Of course, if you are the second car in any of the slots on the driveway, please pull up close enough to the car in front of you that you don't block the sidewalk.) Then park in front of our house, minimizing parking in front of neighbors' houses, and completely avoiding the house directly across the street from our house. |
So what am I asking you to do? If you are interested in taking private lessons or any of the available public classes, please pre-register, so I can approximate the number of people that will be attending, mark it on your calendar and then show up at the lessons/classes. Whether you personally are interested in taking the classes or not, please let other folks know about it if you think they would be interestedthe advertising for this is primarily word of mouth.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email or give me a call. If you do post the information on a bulletin board or pass it on to others, please include my name and number as the contact person.
Hope to see you there!
Dave
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