Class Descriptions

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COUNTRY SWING

Learn the old-time Country Swing … as done before ballroom-style “East Coast Swing” and “West Coast Swing” infiltrated the Country & Western dance floors! Old-time Country Swing is COWBOY style Swing. And I’m not talking about the wild “yank & crank” where the leader is pulling the follower all over the place like he’s roping cattle. Real COWBOY style is a very smooth & tight dance. It has a lot of arm turns/moves and a simple boot-scootin’ step. It is Swing at it’s best!!![spacer height=”10px”]Learn how to INSTANTLY COMMUNICATE with your partner without ever saying a word. Learn how to enjoy the music by dancing SPONTANEOUSLY, and not memorizing routines.[spacer height=”10px”]You will not only master the Country Swing Moves and Combinations, but you will also build a firm foundation on which you can develop your own moves and style, limited only by your imagination.[spacer height=”10px”]Many people associate Country Swing with wild acrobatics, like aerials, lifts, and flips. I do not teach acrobatics. Back in the day, a couple was automatically disqualified from a competition if either partner had both feet more than an inch off the dance floor, at any point in time … it wasn’t considered country/western. These people usually did the same 6 moves, over and over, and threw in a lot of acrobatics.  In case you are not aware, there are over a hundred Country Swing moves and turns that can be done, without doing any acrobatics … that’s what I teach![spacer height=”10px”]Country Swing arm turns/moves include: SINGLEHAND Arch and Waist Turns; DOUBLEHAND Wraps, Side-by-sides, Overheads, Pretzels; CROSSARM-SINGLEHAND Turns; CROSSARM-DOUBLEHAND Turns; plus ADVANCED Turns/Moves. And, of course, I teach the HAND SIGNALS with each and every one.
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WESTERN ROUND DANCE

There are many Western Round Dances. Most originated in the 1800’s, as folk dances for the “common man”. Some are primarily danced to fast tunes and some are primarily danced to slow tunes. Some are done in a Closed Dance Position (facing each other) and some in Opened Dance Position (side-by-side, facing same direction). And, some have “Swing-type” arm turns. But, what they all have in common is that they are fun partner dances and the couples circulate counter-clockwise around the edge of the dance floor.[spacer height=”10px”]Most Western Round Dances fall into 5 categories: TWO-STEP, COWBOY POLKA (a.k.a. Shuffle / Triple-step), COUNTRY WALTZ, COWBOY CHA CHA, and SCHOTTISCHE.[spacer height=”10px”]You will not only learn the Dance Positions and Steps, you will also learn how to move FORWARD, BACKWARD (in the line of dance), SIDEWAYS, and in CIRCLES. And you will learn DIRECTION CHANGES, to navigate a crowded dance floor. [spacer height=”10px”]You will also learn what to listen for to FIND THE BEAT in any song, and how to recognize WHICH DANCE FITS WHICH SONG.
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LINE DANCE

I teach both, the old classic Line Dances and the newest contemporary Line Dances. There are many, many Line Dances; so if there are any particular ones you would like to learn, just let me know.
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C&W DANCE ENTERTAINMENT / SOCIALS

You bring the enthusiasm, and I’ll bring the sound system and great DANCE tunes! Dance to the old country classics, the newest country songs, or both.[spacer height=”10px”]As DJ and MC for Country & Western Dance Socials, I usually precede the actual Dance with a short basic Country Swing and Two-step Dance Lesson, so that people without prior dance experience can participate.[spacer height=”10px”]Then, we kick off the Dance with a rowdy old-time Barn Dance; which always means a whole lot of foot stompin’, whoopin’, and holler’n![spacer height=”10px”]And then, between sets, throughout the Dance, I do short 5-minute instruction-and-walk-throughs of the dances, so everyone will know exactly how to do it and no one will feel left out.  Nothing difficult will be done … everything is kept very simple.[spacer height=”10px”]The idea here is to keep it light and make it more about a fun “dancing” experience, rather than a “learning” experience.