Don’t you love it when you go to the supermarket and they’re giving away samples? Me, too. Likewise, if you want to check out a ballroom dance studio, there’s a good chance they’ll let you sample a free ballroom dance lesson.

Here are a few ways to try a lesson at a ballroom dance studio with little or no cost to you.

To begin with, find a studio that gives away a free sample ballroom dance lesson.

With this in mind, go to a studio’s website, Facebook page, or other social media. When you do, you’ll see that they want to make it easy for you to check out their ballroom dance studio.  All businesses need new customers in order to thrive.  When you visit the studio, if they do everything right, it’s possible that you’ll decide to become a customer.  

For more information on your first lesson, please read the Dance Safari post, “Learning to Dance: What to Expect on a Free Lesson at a Ballroom Dance Studio“.

Be a Guest or Student Referral

Lots of studios have a Guest Program where a student is offered a discount or a free lesson as an incentive to refer qualified guests or bring them to a Guest Party.  In short, a qualified guest is usually described as a local resident who is 18 or over.  

Students who bring guests enjoy an extra dance party and can show their friends and family what they’ve been learning. 

Because a happy student is the best salesman, a consistently scheduled Guest Party is ideal for studios to welcome potential new customers. 

• If you’re a new dancer, you’ll enjoy this type of party. To begin, there’s usually a ‘guest lesson’ which is a brief introduction to the elements of dancing.
• Next up will be some general dancing and demonstrations.
• At some point, a free or highly discounted private lesson will be offered to the guests.
• The student who brought the guest gets his or her incentive after the guest takes the lesson.  Indeed, a good deal for everyone involved!

Open House

Similar to a Guest Party, an Open House Dance Party is a free dance night for everyone in the community to celebrate, whether it’s a holiday, an anniversary, or a Grand Opening.  But one thing is for sure, it’s a time for the studio to put it’s best foot forward. 

Open House parties that I’ve hosted included:

• Hors d’oeuvres
• Beer, wine, soda
• Welcome gift
• Guest lesson
• Student demonstrations
• Professional show  

Attend Open Houses whenever you can because you’ll get to mingle with the students and staff.  Above all else, it’s a great way to meet the members of the dance club.  With this in mind, get out there, meet new people, make new friends!

At an Open House, new people are sure to be offered a free or discounted dance lesson.

Silent Auction or Charity Raffle

Often, ballroom dance studios support different charities by donating lessons for a raffle. As a result, a lucky winner receives a package that may include private lessons, group classes, and dance parties.

Most instructors would recommend that you start with at least one private lesson after which they’ll guide you in choosing group classes and dance parties.

Groupon, Living Social, Local Daily Deals

It’s become increasingly popular to turn to Groupon or another daily deal for discounts on just about anything you can think of. In fact, the deals for ballroom lessons typically offer a short starter program.   

These specials are working very well at getting people started with their dancing.  I found 14 deals in the Raleigh area when I searched Ballroom Dancing on Groupon.com.

There you have it. Pick one or try them all. It doesn’t matter, as long as you take the advice of the late, great James Brown and “Get up offa that thing and dance…“