It’s common for new ballroom dancers to think that they have to learn many difficult ballroom dance techniques to look smooth when they’re dancing. Yes, there are a few rules, but nothing too difficult if you keep an open mind. Let’s start with some simple tips for the number one ballroom technique that you need…
Ragtime Music and Leon Redbone Made a Great Team
Leon Redbone was a singer, songwriter, and voice-over actor. He played and sang ragtime music and early 20th century standards. Born on August 26, 1949, in Nicosia, Cyprus, he died on May 30, 2019, at the age of 69 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Leon Redbone fiercely protected his privacy and personal life. We do know…
Electro Swing…Funky Feel-Good Music
Electro Swing…wow, love this music. It’s so jazzy and it takes you back to the 1930s and 1940s. You can’t help but move to that heavy beat. Particularly delicious are the groove and musical breaks. It’s easy to become a moving participant with the music as opposed to a listener on the sidelines. Exactly what…
Worried About Taking Dance Lessons? No Scandal Here!
If you’re looking for music, laughter, and good friends, now’s a great time to check out a ballroom dance studio. When you first start taking dance lessons you might feel a little nervous. It may seem shocking to be dancing so close to your lovely or handsome instructor, but there’s nothing naughty going on here. …
What are the First Few Ballroom Dance Lessons Like?
What are the first few ballroom dance lessons like? In fact, it’s like the song, “Getting to Know You“. To begin with, this is your chance to get comfortable with the studio and your instructors. At the same time, they’re learning about you and your abilities. Hence, you’re building a relationship that gets better “day…
What Not to Wear on the Ballroom Dance Floor
When starting ballroom dance lessons, one of the first questions people have is, “How do I know what to wear?” While the answer depends on what level you’re at, for a beginner it’s easy. When choosing what to wear when you’re dancing, we say be comfortable and safe. Shoes: What not to wear… Soft rubber…
Salsa Dance Flash Mob September 2019
National Ballroom Dance Week is September 20-29, 2019. If you’re following Dance Safari you’re either a dancer now or thinking about becoming a dancer. Why don’t we celebrate ballroom dancing with a Salsa Dance flash mob? It could start small with one or two couples dancing. Soon, other dancers join as it snowballs into a…
Do the Hustle for Friendship, Fun, and Festivity
In the early 1970s, I was a new ballroom dance instructor in NYC. Even though I was totally in love with ballroom dancing, not everyone shared my passion. Because the country was just coming out of the 1960s hippie era, ballroom dancing seemed kind of old fashioned. That is until people started doing the Hustle…
What to Do When You’re Waiting for a Hurricane
What’s it like to wait for a hurricane? Above all, it’s like being a sitting duck. Of course, you would think that after spending half my life in Florida that it would get easier. In certain ways, it is because Floridians take hurricanes seriously. This is what to do when you’re waiting for a hurricane. You’ll…
Peabody: A Simple Introduction to a Jazzy Dance
What do we know about the Peabody? The dance called the Peabody is a throwback to a really jazzy period in America. It started in the 1910s and held on strong through the 1920s and far beyond. It’s essentially a fast (really fast) Foxtrot. The Peabody is danced to Ragtime music at a tempo of…