Hello Dancers,
As you may have seen in the article “Two arts providers to shut down near Overture Center” in the Local section of the Wisconsin State Journal from Thursday, 06 September 2007, I am not renewing the lease at the present studio’s location.
However, I will not cease business operations, as implied by the article. Sarah and I will both continue teaching in and around Madison. Independent ballroom dance teachers frequently rent space from other desirable facilities - health clubs and other dance spaces in particular - for running their group classes and private lessons.
Over the four years of operating the studio and teaching dance, I have cultivated my joy of dancing into an overwhelming passion. I cross-train in other forms of dance and movement, including Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, and Ice Skating. Sarah and I spend many hours each week with our Coach and in other dance classes taught by other fabulous instructors. We devote many more hours to practicing dance, to developing strength, and to enhancing body awareness, styling, connection, and flexibility.
The decision to stop running my own studio space has been difficult. I enjoy the ease of running group classes and private lessons out of my own facility. Operating out of the State Street area is attractive and central to everywhere in the city, but it comes with the high rent and parking hassles of any desirable urban environment.
Published on
1st
October
2007
People who learn to dance always have a place to go and a way to meet people when they get there. Going to dance is a great social activity, either by yourself, as couples, or in groups.
Every social environment has a set of rules - some written and some unwritten. For people new to attending social ballroom dances, this article will attempt to capture those rules (and write down the unwritten rules, perhaps adding a few along the way.)
You do not need to be an expert dancer to have fun at a social dance. People who have excellent interpersonal skills, instead, often have the most fun. Being confident enough to ask other people to dance and to respectfully decline invitations to dance go a long way to making you a desirable dance partner. Conveniently, attending social dances is a great way to continually develop your interpersonal skills. Becoming skilled at dancing also is a great confidence booster.
Attending a ballroom dance is primarily a social activity. You should expect making small talk and connecting with a variety of people of different ages and wonderfully different backgrounds. If you are willing to network with the people who attend dances, you will make many new friends.
Additionally, ballroom dancers socialize by dancing with each other. With friends. With colleagues. With neighbors. With the romantic partners of their friends, colleagues, and neighbors. This topic is the focus of the remainder of this article.
Published on
29th
March
2007
What shoes do I need?
When you are attending a dance or a dance class, definitely arrive with a second pair of shoes - shoes you have not worn outside. Tracking in outside dirt and moisture is rude to the people who own ballroom dancing shoes and is also rude to the event organizer or the venue in which the event is held.
There are two main styles of shoes - Latin and Smooth. Latin shoes for men have a 1.5″ (or slightly more) heel that is relatively narrow compared to an off-the-shelf pair of dress shoes for men. Latin shoes for women have and open-toe design and come in a variety of heel sizes - 2.5″ is a common heel height.
Smooth shoes for men have a lower and wider heel, much more comparable to an off-the-shelf pair of dress shoes for men. Smooth shoes for women have a closed-toe design and come in a variety of heel sizes.
You do not need special shoes to begin dancing, but you will find that the proper footwear really enhances the activity. Discount shoes can be found online starting at around $60/pair (men / women). A good pair starts at about $100 and goes up from there. The build quality and materials tend to be much better the more money you spend. A good pair of dance shoes can last an avid social dancer five years or more. Even a discount pair of shoes will last a long time if proper care is given to them.
If you dance a lot or attend a lot of dance classes, get a good pair of shoes. Otherwise, the discount shoes will wear out and you will need to purchase another pair. This dual-purchase will ultimately cost more than just buying one good pair in the first place.
Published on
29th
March
2007
Beginning with the Appleton Competition, the studio is taking a more robust approach to competition participation. This is similar to the way other dance studios handle competitions both small and large. Instead of dancing only a small number of entries per person, my goal is to have everyone dance as much as possible.
The numbers add up quickly when entering a competiton. The studio’s prices are quite competitive. Where other studios and dance teachers add a sizable surcharge per dance for each pro/am event, I do not. I want you out there dancing! I want to dance with you. I know money is a consideration for most people, and I would like your dollars to get you as much time on the dance floor as possible.
In addition to the per-dance surcharge I just described, other instructors often charge “lost time” for attending (and traveling to) competitions - four to eight hours of private lesson time per day the teacher is at the comp dancing with students. At first glance, that may seem unreasonable, but economic pressures play a role - the teacher could have stayed home and booked private lessons instead of participating in the comp with the amateur. (Teachers have bills to pay and businesses to operate, of course.)
The teacher also has hotel, meal, transportation, and admissions costs to cover related to attending the comp. Those costs are split between all competitors entering the comp with the teacher. (So if the teacher enters with 10 students, those costs are divided by 10 or somehow prorated between those students. Having more students means each student is responsible for a smaller share of that cost.)
If you are dancing with Darrell or Amanda, also expect to pay a portion of the hotel, meal, transportation, and admission costs for Darrell or Amanda. Having more competitors means less teacher cost per competitor.
Published on
19th
March
2007
About every week (usually less frequently), I send an announcement about upcoming classes and events at the studio. Occasionally, people wish to be removed from the distribution list. I understand - we all receive a lot of email every day.
Since the studio opened its doors over three years ago, subscribers to the mailing list have always been able to unsubscribe themselves by following the instructions at the bottom of each message sent to the list.
Unsubscribing involves visiting the page for the Announcements mailing list, providing your email address, and pressing enter. This is much easier than the manual steps required for me to unsubscribe the people who request it by email.
Sending an email message to announcements-request@artofdancemadison.com with the word “unsubscribe” in the message body (no quotes) will also work. Be certain to send the message from the address at which you receive the studio’s announcements.
Each method may result in the system sending you an “are you sure” type of message, but after that, you are done! I’m sad to see you leave the list, but I hope that you are now empowered to manage your own mailing list subscription.
Published on
8th
February
2007
The studio’s previous website was very useful and served the studio very well, but the time had come for something more modern and more interactive.
In addition to the new look and feel, you will notice an improved Calendar system (with more enhancements still coming), the “Upcoming…” area in the sidebar of the main page, a smarter “News Flash” area, an improved way to send email inquiries to the studio, and a number of new ways to interact with the website - including leaving comments!
Specific people at the studio have voluntered to help me (Darrell Dieringer - studio owner) to keep information on the site up to date. Many social dance opportunities in and around Madison will appear on the Calendar.
In 2007, the studio will take more Road Trips to social dance events. We will attend and participate in more Competitions.
I encourage everyone to Leave Feedback about your experiences at the studio, about taking classes, about your private lessons, or about dancing in general.
Published on
8th
February
2007
