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- UWCE Beginning Ballroom Dance
- begins Wed, 15 September (6:30-8pm)
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Event Dates
from 5:45-7pm
Will NOT Occur On...
Sun, 24 February 2008
Occurs...
through
Sun, 16 March 2008
Instructor: Sarah Calhoun
Enrollment: limit 20 (this is a group class)
Tuition: $100/person (for all eight sessions)
Eight Weeks of 75-Minute Group Classes
Offered by: Art of Dance Ballroom Dance School
Pre-registration is required. Contact the Instructor to reserve space in this class, regardless of whether you have already been taking classes or Private Lessons with this instructor.
You do not need to enroll with a partner. Expect frequent partner changes and numerous group activities and exercises.
This Group Class will meet each Sunday from 5:45-7:00 pm, beginning 13 January 2008 and running until 9 March 2008, for a total of eight sessions. There will be no class on Sunday 24 February.
In this 75-minute class meeting for a total of eight sessions, we will explore how to play with the common WC Swing dance moves you will see at clubs. This energetic, fluid, compact (and sometimes sultry!) swing dancing features many spins, turns, and changes of place. While refining the basics, we will spend time working on syncopation, musicality, and flare.
The class will emphasize creating a solid constant connection between the lead and follow and how to use that connection throughout the entire dance and in every move that we create! We will use a simple set of common moves to explore good lead and follow connections, inventiveness, and fluidity in Swing dancing.
Improve your own balance and learn to recognize how each partner influences the balance of the other. Develop an understanding of how you move your own body and how those movements are felt and interpreted by your partner. (Applies to leads and follows alike.) Build the fundamentals for creating good partner connections and for leading and following well. Exercise those fundamentals to invent your own moves!
This class is intended for people who have had at least some exposure to partner dancing or West Coast Swing dancing and will move at an appropriate pace. Experienced dancers, enroll to improve your sense of partner connection and to refine your body action and basics!
You do not need to enroll with a partner. Expect frequent partner changes and numerous group activities and exercises.
Pre-registration is required. Contact the Instructor to reserve space in this class.
Held at:
PilateSpa
2045 Atwood Avenue
Suite 107
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 244-0402
( map | website )
PilateSpa is easily accessible (located on Atwood Ave. near the Barrymore and Montys) with plenty of free and well-lighted parking.
PilateSpa is a Pilates and dance studio. They have a floating bamboo floor–approximately 1000 square feet–with plenty of mirrors and ambient lighting. There are two bathrooms and a small sitting/kitchen area in the front of the studio.
From East Washington Ave. (Hwy 151), turn onto South 1st St.
Cross over the train tracks, and then turn left onto Winnebago St.
At the next light, turn right onto Atwood Ave.
Go a block and a half (past Tex Tubbs Taco Palace).
You will see a large sand-colored building (Kennedy Place).
Turn right into the parking lot (next to Milios) – you are there!
The entrance to PilateSpa is located on the parking lot side of the building near Good N Loud Music.
Each instructor at the Art of Dance is independent and sets his or her own prices. See Prices for all available private lesson packages. See Group Classes for all avaialable classes. Lesson packages and group class enrollments are not transferable. Limitations may apply. Please see the FAQ and read the studio's Policies.
Impress your in-laws with your new dancing skills! Enroll now for personalized wedding dance lessons.
Class Notes
Hello dancers!
Welcome to the inaugural Class Note for our West Coast Swing class! Here is a comprehensive summary of what we have been working on for the past three weeks:
We started by doing some basic connection work, finding ways to play with “one arm up, one arm down” and moving within the slot. The lead’s job is to create a large, round space, and the follow’s job is to fill that space. For cross-body leads, the lead will move out of the slot, the follow will move straight foward down the slot, and the lead will return into the slot.
We have spent a lot of time going over a basic sugar push: getting our timing down and working on body positioning. We have also spent time finding a strong connection with our dance partner, and figuring out where a good “hook” and “wall” position are.
We have also been working on whips, and feeling the momentum that can be built up. We contrasted these to cross-body leads.
We have started doing a “dance circle” at the end of class in which we cut loose and have fun dancing with each other! The class then ends with the “reflection circle” in which we share with each other something fun or interesting we picked up that day.
We started working this week on some more advanced whips and dips!
First, we worked on a basket whip (follow’s back to the lead, arms crossed). We added an outside turn at the end of this as a variation (on the 5&). Next, we worked on right-side passes with a follow’s free spin (1.5 turns) at the end (on 3&). We continued the free spins by doing a free spin out of a half of a closed whip.
With all of the whips, we talked about creating momentum and a conection between the lead and the follow at the end-point (3&) of the whip. The follow will usually start to move backwards on the 4…but this is all dependant upon what the lead leads!
Finally, we returned the room to a stationary position and did some work on lean-dips. These start from a cuddle position (basket whip!), and then after assuring both partners are still, the lead will lunge off to the side. The lead can end this by letting go with either hand (unwrapping the follow, or leading an underarm turn).
Due to nasty weather, class will be cancelled tonight, 17 February. This is also a reminder that we have no class NEXT WEEK (24 February) because Darrell and I will be competing in Indiana. We will next meet in two weeks, on 2 March. I will let you know then how we will deal with making up the lost time from today.
Stay warm, and stay safe!
We started off with a bit of review. Leads and follows both worked on good sugar pushes for awhile, both with eyes closed and eyes open. One tricky thing that follows were working on was being able to react to the lead only AFTER the lead led a move.
From there, we started working on some swivels. There were two main variations that we explored: 1, 2, slow-slow, 7, 8; and 1, 2, slow-slow-quick-quick-slow-slow, 7, 8. The key for leads is to make a nice solid “stop sign” for follows, and then to lead the swivels from the center of the body, and not from the arms. Both leads and follows were working on keeping their shoulders square through all this motion.
We then added a little more to this sequence, doing a slow-slow-quick-quick, and then from there going into a hammerlock, unwinding with a double spin, and then coming back out to groove for a bit.
Also, the Wisconsin State Competition is coming up April 17-20. Darrell and myself will be competing both the evenings of the 17th and 19th (Thurs and Sat). If you’re interested in coming, let us know ASAP so we can get tickets!
Sadly, this was the last class for most of you 
However, I will still be teaching the 8th lesson NEXT WEEK, Sunday, March 16, at 5:45.
As a bit of farewell, we reviewed a lot of the moves that we’ve been working on for the previous 6 weeks. This included some technique–finding our lats, and working with a short lead.
From there, we went over some moves like the side dip, the body roll (with the feet front and back), a whip, a basket whip, and the “cape-whip.”
From there, we played with some variations on the “cape-whip”. You were playing with combining body rolls, follow’s visual leads, and arm swims. We ended by playing with the lead’s “back arm-swim”. We discovered that this can also become a follow’s “back arm-swim”…providing that the follow has soft elbows and wrists!
All in all, a fun class that was filled with lots of play and experimentation…the way any good West Coast Swing dance should be!
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