Event Dates

New and experienced dancers alike, learn to lead and follow with skill and confidence! Learn the music, basic patterns, styling, turns, and common moves for Salsa, Merengue, Rumba, Cha Cha, Bolero, and other related partner dances. Beyond just steps and patterns, you will learn the movement and partnering principles needed for making any dance move possible. You will actually remember new dance moves and know how to apply them to many different dances. No dance experience required. No partner needed. Dress comfortably for a movement class.

Event Dates

New and experienced dancers alike, learn to lead and follow with skill and confidence! Learn the music, basic patterns, styling, turns, and common moves for the classic “smooth” partner dances – Tango, Fox Trot, and Waltz – as well as the exciting rhythmic Merengue. Beyond just steps and patterns, class focuses on good form and function. You will learn the movement and partnering principles to unlock your individual style. No dance experience required. No partner needed. Dress comfortably for a movement class.

Latin Dinner

This first Thursday of the fall, “have dinner” a different way! We will meet for 75 minutes on Thursday, 2 September. Have some fun relaxing from your work week, or getting ready for the new school year, with a hot Latin dance class designed for all experience levels! Pre-enrollment or advance registration is not necessary.

Learn energetic and sensual Latin dances like Salsa, Merengue, Rumba, Mambo, Cha Cha, Argentine Tango, and Bolero. Before class, we will decide as a group what we would like to work on that day. The focus is always on having fun! Bring your friends from school, the office, or job site. Spend some quality time with your favorite colleagues outside of work. Meet new people!

(Sorry, no food will be offered at Latin Dinner)

Get all the details and enrollment information for Latin Dinner.

Salsa/Rhythm 101a and 102

A little bit of Salsa and Merengue, with some other dances thrown in, for good measure! The New Dancer Salsa/Rhythm 101a class meets for six Thursdays from 6:00 – 7:15 pm; the Intermediate Salsa/Rhythm 102 class meets for six Thursdays from 7:30 – 8:45. Both classes are held at Kanopy on State St., starting Thursday, 16 September 2010.

In Salsa/Rhythm 101a, we will be focusing, in addition to Salsa, on Cha Cha. This fun, flirty dance is a close cousin of Salsa. While it’s one of the American Rhythm syllabus dances, it is also most definitely a club dance! You can see the range of styles possible in these videos: Syllabus cha cha in amateur competition vs. Club cha cha.

In Salsa/Rhythm 102, we will be focusing on the dramatic Rumba and upbeat Swing in addition to Salsa. As many of you know, these three dances are all related. We will be working on taking skills from one to help you develop your understanding of the other two. You will learn to tweak old moves, and also be introduced to some new soon-to-be favorites!

Get all the details and enrollment information for Salsa/Rhythm 101a and Salsa/Rhythm 102.

LOCAL DANCING

USA Dance-Madison’s First Dance

First Dance initiates Madison’s new Ballroom Dance Group: USA Dance–Madison. Join us for the first of many monthly ballroom dances. Two beginning lessons will be taught by Art of Dance during the dance. Dance demonstrations throughout the evening. General Dancing between the lessons, until 11:00. General Admission is $8, though drops to $5 if you are a Member or a Student. However, One Night Only! FREE ADMISSION for people who register as USA Dance-Madison members!

USA Dance dances are a great opportunity to put all of your new dance moves to use! They play a mix of music that will include salsa, merengue, rumba, cha cha, waltz, fox trot, tango, swing, and many others!

For all details, click here.

Helen C. House Party — Salsa lesson

Calling all Art of Dance dancers: LET’S GO DANCE! Thursday, 9 September, Sarah will be teaching a FREE beginner Salsa lesson as part of the Helen C. White Library House Party! Come enjoy the festivities with us: there will be Ninja Tag, movies and popcorn, a carnival outside, and performances of all shapes and sizes inside! Check the tentative schedule for more details.

For all details, click here.

Event Dates

This event occurred
in the past.

This first Thursday of the fall, “have dinner” a different way! We will meet for 75 minutes on Thursday, 2 September.

Have some fun relaxing from your work week with a hot Latin dance class designed for all experience levels! Pre-enrollment or advance registration is not necessary.

Learn energetic and sensual Latin dances like Salsa, Merengue, Rumba, Mambo, Cha Cha, Argentine Tango, and Bolero.

Before each class, we decide as a group what we would like to work on that day. The focus is always on having fun!

Bring your friends from school, the office, or job site. Spend some quality time with your favorite colleagues outside of work. Meet new people!

Please, no Street Shoes on the dance floor. Dance shoes, practice shoes, dance sneakers, or stocking feet are all fine.

Event Dates

Calling all Art of Dance dancers: LET’S GO DANCE! Thursday, 9 September, Sarah will be teaching a FREE beginner Salsa lesson as part of the Helen C. White Library House Party!

Come enjoy the festivities with us: there will be Ninja Tag, movies and popcorn, a carnival outside, and performances of all shapes and sizes inside!

Check the tentative schedule for more details.

Dress for the Helen C. House Party is casual–jeans and a T-shirt are normal.

Event Dates

This Group Class will meet each Thursday from 6:00 – 7:15 pm, beginning 28 October 2010 and running until 9 December 2010, for a total of six sessions.

In this 75-minute class meeting for a total of six sessions, we will discover how to produce many of the common dance moves you see at social dances where people dance many energetic and exciting American-style Rhythm (Latin) dances, such as Merengue, Salsa, and Rumba. We will cover turns, spins, style, and basic common patterns for these Rhythm dances, as well as balance, speed, flexibility, body awareness, and expression.

The class will emphasize creating a solid constant connection between the lead and follow and how to use that connection throughout the entire dance! 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). We will use a simple set of common moves to explore good lead and follow connections, inventiveness, and fluidity in Rhythm dancing.

This class is intended for people new to partner dancing or new to Rhythm 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! There is no such thing as doing “too much work” on the most foundational parts of dancing!

You do not need to enroll with a partner. Expect frequent partner changes and numerous group activities and exercises.

Please, no Street Shoes on the dance floor. Dance shoes, dance sneakers, or stocking feet are all fine.

Pre-registration is required. Contact the Instructor to reserve space in this class.

Event Dates

This Group Class will meet each Thursday from 6:00 – 7:15 pm, beginning 16 September 2010 and running until 21 October 2010, for a total of six sessions.

In this 75-minute class meeting for a total of six sessions, we will discover how to produce many of the common dance moves you see at social dances where people dance many energetic and exciting American-style Rhythm (Latin) dances, such as Merengue, Salsa, and Cha Cha. Cha cha, a fun, flirty dance is a close cousin of Salsa. While it’s one of the American Rhythm syllabus dances, it is also most definitely a club dance! You can see the range of styles possible in these videos: Syllabus cha cha in amateur competition vs. Club cha cha. We will cover turns, spins, style, and basic common patterns for all of these Rhythm dances, as well as balance, speed, flexibility, body awareness, and expression.

The class will emphasize creating a solid constant connection between the lead and follow and how to use that connection throughout the entire dance! 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). We will use a simple set of common moves to explore good lead and follow connections, inventiveness, and fluidity in Rhythm dancing.

This class is intended for people new to partner dancing or new to Rhythm 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! There is no such thing as doing “too much work” on the most foundational parts of dancing!

You do not need to enroll with a partner. Expect frequent partner changes and numerous group activities and exercises.

Please, no Street Shoes on the dance floor. Dance shoes, dance sneakers, or stocking feet are all fine.

Pre-registration is required. Contact the Instructor to reserve space in this class.

Event Dates

If you have completed one of Darrell’s or Sarah’s recent classes, then this class is for you!

This Group Class will meet each Thursday from 7:30 – 8:45 pm, beginning 28 October 2010 and running until 9 December 2010, for a total of six sessions.

In this 75-minute class meeting for a total of six sessions, we build upon skills you know in Salsa and Merengue (and perhaps other dances you already know). This class will use those skills to present Cha Cha and Bolero (two additional Rhythm-style dances).

Students should be familiar with cuddles, hammerlocks, under-arm turns, and the movement-of and reaction-to space – these are skills that both Darrell and Sarah teach in their beginner/new-dancer classes. You will continue to refine these skills in each more advanced class that you take.

In addition to having greater mastery of these basic skills, by the end of class you will be very comfortable in Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha, and Bolero.

Along with partnering, musical interpretation, in-class performances (for the other class participants – optional, but encouraged), developing greater strength/balance/flexibility, movement technique, and unlocking your individual and combined creativity, course material will introduce topics such as light and shade, acceleration, using changes in elevation, delayed turns, dynamic power, shared weight, dips/tricks, and partner communication/sensitivity.

This class is designed for dancers who have some experience with partner dancing and will move at an appropriate pace.

Please, no Street Shoes on the dance floor. Dance shoes, dance sneakers, or stocking feet are all fine.

Pre-registration is required. Contact the Instructor to reserve space in this class and to ask any other questions.

Event Dates

If you have completed one of Darrell’s or Sarah’s recent classes, then this class is for you!

This Group Class will meet each Thursday from 7:30 – 8:45 pm, beginning 16 September 2010 and running until 21 October 2010, for a total of six sessions.

In this 75-minute class meeting for a total of six sessions, we build upon skills you know in Salsa and Merengue (and perhaps other dances you already know). This class will use those skills to present Rumba and Swing (two additional Rhythm-style dances).

Students should be familiar with cuddles, hammerlocks, under-arm turns, and the movement-of and reaction-to space – these are skills that both Darrell and Sarah teach in their beginner/new-dancer classes. You will continue to refine these skills in each more advanced class that you take.

In addition to having greater mastery of these basic skills, by the end of class you will be very comfortable in Salsa, Merengue, Rumba, and Swing.

Along with partnering, musical interpretation, in-class performances (for the other class participants – optional, but encouraged), developing greater strength/balance/flexibility, movement technique, and unlocking your individual and combined creativity, course material will introduce topics such as light and shade, acceleration, using changes in elevation, delayed turns, dynamic power, shared weight, dips/tricks, and partner communication/sensitivity.

This class is designed for dancers who have some experience with partner dancing and will move at an appropriate pace.

Please, no Street Shoes on the dance floor. Dance shoes, dance sneakers, or stocking feet are all fine.

Pre-registration is required. Contact the Instructor to reserve space in this class and to ask any other questions.

Event Dates

This event occurred
in the past.

AoD students: This is a great place to go and practice what we’ve been working on, and to meet other students of dance. I have been to the dance in Belvidere many times and enjoy it for not only its beautiful venue (newly redecorated!) but for the energy, enthusiasm, and welcoming environment provided by the many people who attend. I usually expect to see over 100 people at the dance!

Doors for the 4th Saturday dance open at 6:45 PM with the lesson starting at 7:00 PM. The 4th Saturday dance is held every month and includes a group lesson from local professional ballroom dance instructors and generally includes a mid-evening showcase put on by the evenings instructor, the instructors’s students or other members of the local ballroom dance community. In addition we have one or two dance mixers as part of the evenings schedule.

Belvidere is only a few tolls into IL, just past the familiar “Belvidere Oasis” freeway overpass convenience station. It only takes about an hour & fifteen minutes to get there from Madison, and it is well worth the journey!

Map…

View Larger Map