New! Lisa's Tuesday Beginner Lessons In New Hartford!

Recently, I've been thinking of branching out from Hartford Ballroom and teaching classes throughout Connecticut.  Mind you, this is not because I'm thinking of quitting the studio or anything (no siree!), I just would like to make a little extra cash and maybe develop a dance reputation of my own outside of my mother's influence (she was actually the one who suggested I do this, in case you were wondering).  It doesn't help that we only have the one floor, so available time for new classes at the studio is severely limited.  So I shopped around for available floors to rent and found one in New Hartford that's really affordable!

So now starting January 6th  I'm going to start teaching beginner classes every Tuesday evening, from 7-9 p.m.  They'll run exactly the same as my Monday classes; they'll just be in a different town!

So far, I just have the schedule and the location.  The hall is a little isolated (it's 7 minutes up a hill from the New Hartford town center), but the floor is really nice.

New Hartford's Tuesday Beginner Ballroom Dance Classes

Where: Berkshire Hall in Brodie Park, 580 West Hill Road, New Hartford, CT 06057

How Much: $10 per person per class

Class #1: Absolute Beginners

7-8 p.m.

The perfect class for those who have never danced before.  Every month, we cover the basic steps of two dance styles, and we also do a little Merengue as a warm-up.  We keep things very easy and very friendly, so that the learning experience remains fun and relaxing.  The class is 45 minutes long with an additional 15-minute practice.

The Class Schedule:

December- Tango/Hustle

January- Foxtrot/Swing

February- Salsa/Cha Cha

March- Waltz/Rumba

April- Tango/Hustle

May- Foxtrot/Swing

June- Salsa/Cha Cha

Class #2: Ballroom Basics

8-9 p.m.

This is a great class for anyone who feels like the basic step is easy enough, and want to learn a little more but still consider themselves to be a beginner.  In this class we do one dance style a month; I'll quickly review the basic step, and then I'll teach up to 5 other steps within that dance.  These steps are repeated throughout the month, so you'll get plenty of time to practice the moves. 

The Class Schedule:

December- Waltz

January- West Coast Swing

February- Cha Cha

March- Rumba

April- Foxtrot

May- Hustle

June- East Coast Swing

Absolute Beginner Step List For December: Tango And Hustle

Happy Holidays dancers!  This month: Tango and Hustle.  We're doing Tango for the first two weeks, and Hustle the next two week.

Merengue Warm-Up

1. outside/inside turn

2. double turns

3. guy's turn
4. cuddle
5. yo-yo from cuddle
6. backwrap
7. lasso from backwrap

Absolute Beginner Tango

1. basic

2. corte

3. forward rock

Hustle

1. basic

2. inside turn

3. pickpocket

Lisa's Monday Class Information

Here's your basic information for the Monday beginner classes.  These classes occur every week at the Hartford Ballroom Dance Studio, and the cost is $10 per person per class.  You also have the option of signing up for a package of lessons: 10 lessons for $80.

There's one additional special we offer: if you take the first class 12 times, you can take both classes for the price of one!

Class #1: Absolute Beginners

7:15-8:15 p.m.

The perfect class for those who have never danced before.  Every month, we cover the basic steps of two dance styles, and we also do a little Merengue as a warm-up.  We keep things very easy and very friendly, so that the learning experience remains fun and relaxing.  The class is 45 minutes long with an additional 15-minute practice.

The Class Schedule:

December- Tango/Hustle

January- Foxtrot/Swing

February- Salsa/Cha Cha

March- Waltz/Rumba

April- Tango/Hustle

May- Foxtrot/Swing

June- Salsa/Cha Cha

Class #2: Ballroom Basics

8:15-9 p.m.

This is a great class for anyone who feels like the basic step is easy enough, and want to learn a little more but still consider themselves to be a beginner.  In this class we do one dance style a month; I'll quickly review the basic step, and then I'll teach up to 5 other steps within that dance.  These steps are repeated throughout the month, so you'll get plenty of time to practice the moves. 

The Class Schedule:

December- Waltz

January- West Coast Swing

February- Cha Cha

March- Rumba

April- Foxtrot

May- Hustle

June- East Coast Swing

Absolute Beginner Level For November 2014: Waltz and Rumba

Hello November!  Hello everyone!  It's time for Waltz and Rumba!


Keep in mind that this is a guide only, it doesn't replace the classes themselves, so come to class as often as possible!

Merengue Step List:

1. inside and outside turn

2. alternating underarm turn (she goes, he goes, she goes)

3. looping over the head ("combing the hair")

Waltz Step List:

1. Basic box step

2. Basic traveling step

Rumba Step List:

1. Box Step
2. Side-Together-Side
3. Underarm Turn

October Absolute Beginner Step List: Foxtrot and Cha Cha

Happy October everyone!  This month in our absolute beginner class we're doing Foxtrot for the first half of the month, and cha cha for the second half.  I'll be updating this post each week, so keep checking back for the latest steps!

Keep in mind that this list is a guide only.  It cannot replace the lessons themselves, so come to the classes as often as you can, so you can practice and improve your skill

Merengue:

1. basic turns: outside and inside

2. how to do more than one turn

3. leader's turn

Foxtrot:

1. basic

2. hesitation

Absolute Beginner September Step List: Salsa and Hustle

September is here!  And what a huge class we had this first week!

This post is for the whole month, so keep checking back for updates.

Keep in mind that this list is a guide only.  It shouldn't be used to replace the classes themselves, so take as many lessons as you can so you can improve your skill!

Merengue Step List:

1. The basic turns: outside and inside
2. Cuddle, with a yo-yo ending
3. Backwrap, with a lasso ending

Salsa Step List (Weeks 1&2):

 1. Basic step

2. Side Breaks

3. Basic Turn
4. Ladies' Underarm turn

Hustle Step List (Weeks 3&4):

1. Basic step
2. Basic inside turn

Hartford Ballroom's Absolute Beginner Class Monthly Recap For August 2014: Tango and East Coast Swing

 Well, August somehow flew right by!  And we managed to get a lot done in the beginner class this month!
 
For those who aren't familiar with Hartford Ballroom's absolute beginner class, we host it every Monday night at 7:15 pm.  The class only costs $10 per person, and it's a very comfortable class for newcomers.  We always start the class with a little Merengue, which is the easiest dance to learn, and therefore the most beginner-friendly dance we have to offer.  After Merengue, we take a quick break and then we teach one of two monthly dances (2 weeks one dance, 2 weeks another dance).

For August, our monthly dances were American Tango and East Coast Swing, and I've listed the steps we covered below!  Hope it helps!
-Lisa Spiro

Merengue:

cuddle (inside turn)
basic outside and inside turns
backwrap (outside turn)
hand change behind the back
tangle

Tango:
Basic step
Corte
Forward Rock (bonus step)

East Coast Swing:
Basic step (single step)
Ladies' Underarm Turn
Hand Change Behind The Back