Event Dates

This event occurred
in the past.

One of the people from my (Darrell’s) Inspiration Videos is coming to Madison!

This guy has traveled the world doing a cute little dance with anyone who will join him, and now you can be in his next video!

Details from his newsletter appear here…

Valentine’s Day Special – For couples. You must call to schedule your first appointment on or before 14 February 2010. Private Lessons provide individualized instruction and a lesson plan tailored to your goals!

New Class

Sarah’s “New Dancer Salsa 101″ begins Thursday, 11 February 2010 at 6pm. This is the perfect time to take a dance class! Follow the link and contact Sarah to enroll.

Merchandise – Valentine’s Day Sale

Select some great items from the Art of Dance Shop. Use the following coupon code at checkout (ZAZZLEVDAY10) and get: 30% of the Zazzle card and photo card, 20% of the Zazzle sticker and bumper sticker, or 10% of the Zazzle mug!

Offer valid only until 10 February 2010 at 11:59pm PT.

Be a Leader – USA Dance Chapter

So many of our students have been asking us why Madison lacks a ballroom dance scene specifically for adults. There are plenty of night clubs and excellent specialty organizations, but there is no general-purpose ballroom dancing club.

In response, Sarah and Darrell are using their influence to help organize a New Amateur Ballroom Dance Chapter in Madison, which will become a chapter of USA Dance. USA Dance (formerly USABDA) is the national body that oversees amateur ballroom dancing in the United States.

Sarah has prepared a Page on our website with more information. We need a core group of at least 25 people who are interested! Are you?

• Jacket Special – You can still take private lessons at 40% off! You must call to schedule your first appointment by 31 January 2010.
• Valentine’s Day Special – For couples. You must call to schedule your first appointment on or before 14 February 2010.

Private Lessons provide individualized instruction and a lesson plan tailored to your goals!

New Class

Sarah’s “New Dancer Salsa 101″ begins Thursday, 11 February 2010 at 6pm. This is the perfect time to take a dance class! Follow the link and contact Sarah to enroll.

Merchandise – 15% Off Sale

Select some great items from the Art of Dance Shop. Use the following coupon code at checkout (ZAZZLEFORYOU) and get 15% off! Applies to your purchase of one or more mugs, buttons, t-shirts, and pet t-shirts.
Offer valid only until 03 February 2010 at 11:59pm PT.

Be a Leader – USA Dance Chapter

So many of our students have been asking us why Madison lacks a ballroom dance scene specifically for adults. There are plenty of night clubs and excellent specialty organizations, but there is no general-purpose ballroom dancing club.

In response, Sarah and Darrell are using their influence to help organize a New Amateur Ballroom Dance Chapter in Madison, which will become a chapter of USA Dance. USA Dance (formerly USABDA) is the national body that oversees amateur ballroom dancing in the United States.

Sarah has prepared a Page on our website with more information. We need a core group of at least 25 people who are interested! Are you?

Event Dates

This event occurred
in the past.

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! This class assumes participants have little to no experince with dancing, and will move at a pace appropriate for New Dancers. You do not need to enroll with a partner. Expect frequent partner changes and numerous group activities and exercises.

Note: Each of the 3 lessons in the 3-week series will build on what we learn the first week, so you will learn faster if you can attend the first lesson.

Dance Lessons can be fun!

Our Instructors teach partner dancing that incorporates full body movement, performance, choreography, personality, and excitement.

The Art of Dance offers exciting Group Classes and quality Private Lessons in the numerous forms of ballroom dancing (Partner Dancing).

The school operates private lessons and classes out of several beautiful Locations in and near Madison.

About our students

Ballroom Dancing is an enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding activity for people of all ages and backgrounds.

High school students, college students, trades people, office workers, business owners, single people, engaged couples, married people, people with children, people with dance backgrounds, people who have never been to a dance lesson, retirees, and senior citizens all Attend Classes at the studio and even participate in Competitions & Showcases. Read their Feedback.

Partner dancing and leading / following does not require couples to be men and women. Same sex couples and people who prefer dancing with others of their own gender are encouraged to enroll.

Event Dates

This event occurred
in the past.

This Group Class will meet each Thursday from 7:00 – 8:15 pm, beginning 10 September 2009 and running until 17 December 2009, for a total of fourteen sessions. There will be no class on Thursday, 26 November (Thanksgiving).

In this 75-minute class meeting for a total of fourteen sessions, we will discover how to produce many of the common dance moves you see at ballroom dance competitions and social dances where people dance many American-style Rhythm (Latin) dances. Learn energetic, exciting, and passionate Rhythm dances like cha cha, rumba, merengue, bolero, and mambo/salsa.

This extended-length class will allow us the opportunity to explore in more depth the possibilities and variations within each Rhythm dance…and have fun in the process! We will cover turns, spins, style, and basic common patterns for several Rhythm dances, as well as challenges in 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 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 Rhythm 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 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.

Sarah is currently based out of central Connecticut. Please contact Darrell for Madison-based dance lessons.

[Contact Sarah]
[Read Sarah's Articles]

Sarah brings ten years of dancing experience and a background in yoga, Tae Kwon Do, and musical theater to the Art of Dance school. Her passion for expressive dancing and exciting choreography makes her a powerhouse teacher. She thoroughly enjoys working with students of all levels, and loves to find new ways to have fun on the floor!

Originally from a small town in Massachusetts, Sarah moved to Minnesota for college. In 2000, while still in school, she began taking ballroom and swing dance lessons.

She continued dancing through many more moves across the country and the world. In 2003, she settled in Madison for graduate school. She now holds an MA in Languages and Cultures of Asia, and is working on a second Master’s degree in Library Science.

In 2006, she met the owner of Art of Dance Ballroom Dance School, Darrell Dieringer, at a social dance. They compete in American Style Rhythm.

In addition to her University work, Sarah also teaches partner dance classes as an Independent Instructor through Art of Dance. While she enjoys many styles of dance, Sarah can never turn down a good West Coast Swing! Contact her here!

Related pictures based on the following tags: sarah

Music

You can find Sarah Warm Up Music as well as music for every ballroom dance genre (and some non-ballroom genres) in our Media Gallery.

Dance Inspiration

These are the videos that make me want to get up in the morning and dance!

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.

If you have questions or comments about using the new website, please Contact the Studio

[Contact Darrell]
[Read Darrell's Articles]

Darrell is an active participant in Madison’s social ballroom dance scene and has been ballroom dancing since 1994.

Darrell began dancing during his first year at UW Madison, actively participating in and eventually helping to direct the social ballroom dance organization at the University.

As a way to introduce more people to the excitement and satisfaction of ballroom dancing (and to counterbalance the sedentary work proscribed by his degree in computer science), he began teaching people to dance.

His often unique approach to teaching borrows from other movement disciplines, emphasizing not the reproduction of “steps”, but the fluid, comfortable, and expressive creation of movement based on an individual dancer’s own strengths.

Now, nearly twenty years after attending his first dance and eight years after opening his own dance school, he is still an avid social dance participant. He enjoys meeting people who are just beginning their adventure into ballroom dancing.

With his professional dance partner Sarah Calhoun (whom he met at a social dance), he trains and competes in American Style Rhythm.

He is an NDCA registered ballroom dance competitor, having competed with amateur partners at a variety of competitions in and around Wisconsin. The amateur competitors trained by Darrell have scored numerous first, second, and third place finishes.

Darrell enjoys working with dancers of all ages and all ability levels. New Dancers and Wedding Couples are some of his favorites. He helps you to develop genuine skills as a dancer. This quickly builds your confidence so you can have more fun and feel great about your dancing.

Related pictures based on the following tags: darrell

Music

You can find Darrell’s Warm Up Music as well as music for every ballroom dance genre (and some non-ballroom genres) in our Media Gallery.

Dance Inspiration

These are some videos – not all of them ballroom dance related – that exemplify movement, choreography, performance, personality, expressiveness, and excitement that inspire me. All of them are available on YouTube.