Learning To Dance
"And you can learn all this in just one . . . two . . . three easy lessons and for only $5!"As head instructor of I've Got Rhythm, I recall when I first got started in ballroom. This ear-tickling one-liner used to be the weekly chant of the head salesman at my first dance studio, and boy did it work! Just five measely little bucks to look like they did! Count me in! You'd think that I and the many others who rushed to turn in our sign-up fee might have been a little more realistic. But so often we see only what we want to see, and back in those days I saw instant success.
Many years later, I can tell you that there is no such thing as instant success. The vast majority of the students who signed up for this amazing bargain have left ballroom never to return. Why? Because real competency was a good bit further down the road and considerably more costly than they had originally been led to believe.
So let's get real. You get what you pay for. Dance studios have a valuable service to offer, and they're not going to give it all away for a mere five dollars. That should be common sense. Furthermore, learning to dance is not an overnight process. You get out of it what you're willing to put into it. Don't fall victim to these sales pitches that promise oh so much for so very little. Take it as a fact. Learning to dance will require a substantial investment of your time, energy, and hard-earned money.
The real question is this: is ballroom dancing a pursuit worth investing in? And if so, to what degree is it worth investing in, given your personal priorities, time constraints, and financial limitations? Once you've got an idea of how much you're willing to invest your own personal energies in learning ballroom, then its time to come up with a realistic idea of what that personal investment is going to cost to sustain. After reading more about the various aspects of studio life summarized below and further explained in subsequent pages, I would strongly suggest checking out our weekly cost estimator, which will give you a good idea of the bare minimum you can expect to pay per week for quality dance instruction, based on I've Got Rhythm's standard lesson prices and your degree of commitment to learning.
Weekly Parties
Weekly parties are the main event for ballroom dancers. This is where you really get to strut your stuff. Don't have any "stuff" yet? You can still benefit from our beginners group class held every Friday and Saturday before the practice portion of the party begins. Bottom line, ballroom dancing involves a lot more than just memorizing a bunch of fancy steps. Come to weekly parties and get a taste of the full ballroom experience.
Group Classes
Group classes give our dancers a chance to go deeper in ballroom than our beginners classes are able to take them. We usually try to coordinate groups at the end of each beginners class series, but students may also request a class of their own. As long as we have enough interest, we can teach any dance or combination of dances a group of people desires to learn for as long as they care to continue. Such classes are a good segue into more advanced dancing patterns, and are more affordable per lesson than privates.
Private Lessons
Private lessons are a necessary next step for all advnaced dancers. In these you will have the opportunity to learn advanced patterns that typically require much personal attention to detail as well as proper formand technique. They are also good for dancers who are either having a lot of trouble at parties and in group class or who would like to move even faster than either of these will allow.
Remember, a balanced approach will include all of these elements of studio life and will allow you to learn ballroom at an accelerated rate, assuming you are faithful to practice your steps regularly outside of the studio. To read more about each of these elements and find out what is available to you at I've Got Rhythm, please choose the appropriate menu item from the sidebar.