Classes

Everyone has a different learning style, and we offer many ways to learn at Shall We Dance. We hope you can find what you’re looking for!

We offer instruction in three different categories:

1. Partner Dancing - Ballroom, Latin, International, Swing, Salsa, Argentine Tango

2. Movement Arts and Meditation Practice - Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Capoeira, Free Flow, NIA

3. Other Dances - Hip Hop, JazzBallet, Dance Conditioning

Enjoy our detailed description of Partner Dance instruction and dance styles on our online schedule (by clicking in the class name)!

Click here to visit our online schedule now!

Lessons, Packages & Programs

Private Lessons are the gold standard of ballroom dance instruction. You will work one-on-one with a teacher to develop technique, form, and musicality. You will focus on the dances you’d like to learn and move at your own pace — as quickly or as deliberately as you choose. You can even compete with your instructor in the Pro-Am division and perform with him or her in one of our student-teacher showcases. In short, nothing is better than private lessons to teach you the grace, fluidity, posture, and partnership skills of a true dancer. If you want to turn the sloppy into smooth in the shortest time possible, private lessons will do the trick! We have a variety of highly trained, professional dance instructors who are supportive, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. They will take you where you want to go.

Group Classes are a wonderful venue to learn patterns, the lead and follow, how to dance with a number of different people, and how to maneuver around the dance floor when others are dancing at the same time. They are a terrific place to meet friends and possibly even future dance partners!

At Shall We Dance, we offer Beginning Group Classes in Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Cha Cha, Rumba, Mambo, Samba, Merengue, East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, Salsa and Argentine Tango. Most of our classes are designed in series format so that you can build on material from week to week. The series of four classes usually begins in the first week of the month and is a great way to learn since you can take advantage of review and repetition and continue with the addition of new material. However some classes can allow drop-ins as well. Friday and Saturday are always drop-in classes. Our intermediate series classes include Viennese Waltz, Quickstep, Bolero and Jive.

Wedding Packages provide a special program tailored to wedding couples facing the challenge and joy of their first dance together as married partners. We can help you select music and will choreograph a routine for your first dance tailored to your specific skills. We also offer private group classes for everyone in your wedding party so your attendants and parents can look and feel great on the dance floor. Your first dance is a manifestation of the joy and love you feel for each other. We promise to make you shine!

Youth Programs are specifically tailored to students in elementary, middle, and high school as an outgrowth of our tremendously successful program in the Pacific Grove schools. We have been moved and inspired by the talent, enthusiasm, and perseverance of our wonderful students as they learn to treat each other with respect, to listen to the music, and to dance together as equal partners.

Medal Programs are offered for our most serious students. Students in a Medal Program progress systematically through mastery of an entire dance syllabus. The culmination of the student’s hard work is a formal Medal performance test, in which the student dances for an independent examiner certified by the National Dance Council of America. Preparing for a Medal test is wonderful motivation, and successfully completing a Medal exam is a true achievement. The student is then awarded a Medal certificate that proclaims the student has achieved a nationally-recognized standard of excellence.

Teacher Training will soon be offered as an off-shoot of the nationally recognized Ballroom Dance Teachers College in San Francisco. This is a formal vocational program that will teach you the formal technical language of dance used by instructors across the country. Our teacher training classes are open to people who dream of making dance their career but who may be currently working in another career. This is a sixteen-month program; the only prerequisites are a love of dance and a willingness to work hard and persevere. We believe that a career in ballroom dancing is the most wonderful job in the world and we want to help make your dreams come true.

Explanations and Descriptions of Dances and Dance Styles

All of the partner dances we teach at Shall We Dance fall into identifiable categories of Dance Styles. If you are new to ballroom dancing, all these terms can be quite confusing! We hope this Glossary will clarify things for you and help you choose the classes that are right for you.

At the broadest level, ballroom dancing is divided into two main dance styles: American Style and International Style.

American Style is the type of dancing made popular by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It generally has a freer, more open and more natural feel than International Style. In the Smooth dances (Waltz and Foxtrot, for example) the partners may separate from each other for turns and spins. In the Rhythm dances (Rumba and Cha Cha, for example) the hip action is softer and more earthy than in International Style, and the motion arises from supple, bent knees.

American Style is considered the most social style of dance. It is much easier to learn and to dance with a variety of partners. All beginners should start learning the American Style dances.

International Style is the gorgeous, elegant style of dancing shown on PBS’s Championship Ballroom series. It is generally the purview of advanced and competitive dancers, and is the style of dancing done at ballroom competitions around the world. There are ten International Style dances, divided into two categories: Standard (Waltz, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Tango, and Quickstep) and Latin (Rumba, Cha Cha, Samba, Paso Doble, and Jive.) The Standard dances are done entirely in “closed dance position”, meaning the partners maintain their dance frame and never break apart even for an under arm turn. In the Latin dances the legs are kept straight and the emphasis is on long, elegant lines.

We recommend you take American Style classes for several months before attempting an International Style class.

Most of the classes we offer at Shall We Dance are in the American Style dances. These dances can be broadly classified into three categories: Smooth, Rhythm (sometimes referred to as “Latin”), and Club dances.

Smooth dances, such as Waltz and Foxtrot, travel around the dance floor in a counter-clockwise direction called the “line of dance.” These dances are fluid and elegant and the partners demonstrate a beautiful dance frame in closed or open position.

Rhythm dances, such as Rumba and Cha Cha, are sensual, earthy dances which emphasize the connection between partners and the Latin hip action known as “Cuban motion.” These dances do not travel around the dance floor.

Club dances (like Salsa and Argentine Tango) are dances whose primary venues are social rather than competitive. Club dances also include Swing dances (like Lindy Hop) Disco dances (like Hustle.) Many dancers specialize exclusively in one of the Club dances. These dances tend to develop their own social networks and offer many opportunities to go out dancing every night.

Descriptions

American Style Smooth

Waltz is a beautiful, flowing dance which features a graceful rise-and-fall action as the partners move around the dance floor. Waltz is done to music in its characteristic triple time.

Foxtrot is the smooth, elegant dance in which the partners glide around the dance floor like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Foxtrot can be danced to Frank Sinatra (a classic Foxtrot is “Fly Me to The Moon”) or contemporary music with a slower Swing beat. Foxtrot is the easiest dance for beginners to learn and is very popular at weddings.

Tango is a dramatic dance that features cat-like, stealthy, staccato movement and is done to very distinctive music with a march-like rhythm. “La Cumparisita” and “Hernado’s Hideaway” are classic Tangos that are very fun to dance to. American Style Tango is different from and generally easier than Argentine Tango.

Viennese Waltz is faster than regular Waltz and emphasizes turns in closed position. The classic Viennese Waltz music was composed by Strauss in the 19th century (e.g. “The Blue Danube.”) Viennese Waltz is done in fast triple time and is the dance most likely to cause dizziness!

American Style Rhythm

Rumba is a slow, sensual, Latin dance which emphasizes hip action and a soulful connection between partners. It is known as the “dance of love.” A classic rumba song is the beautiful “Besame Mucho.”

Cha Cha is sometimes referred to as a fast Rumba. It is an exuberant and sexy dance which features a characteristic “cha cha cha” double time movement at the end of each dance figure. A classic Cha Cha song is “Oye Como Va.”

Mambo is a fast and fun Latin dance that is very similar to Salsa. In Mambo, the dance figures begin on the second beat of the measure instead of on the first, as they do in Salsa. Mambo is sometimes referred to as “Salsa on the 2.”

Merengue is a joyful, vibrant Latin dance which has its origins in the Dominican Republic. It is very easy to learn because the music has a characteristic 1-2-3-4 beat and each dance step takes up one full beat.

Bolero is a unique dance style that is a fusion of Waltz and Rumba. It is danced in 4/4 time and is the only Latin dance which features rise-and-fall action. It does not have Cuban motion, but emphasizes flowing and expressive movements.

Samba is a derivation of the exuberant Sambas danced in Rio de Janeiro. It features a characteristic 1-a-2 rhythm. In certain figures (like Samba rolls), the partners move around the line of dance.

East Coast Swing is the ballroom style of Swing dance derived from the Club dance Lindy Hop. East Coast Swing has a characteristic triple step and can be done with or without hip action. Its counterpart in International Style is the Jive.

West Coast Swing is a slower, more improvisational Swing dance that is characteristically danced to blues, funk, or disco music. West Coast Swing is danced in a “slot” in which the follower moves back and forth past the leader in a straight line. Each figure ends with an anchor step in which the partners establish a grounded connection. Many people consider West Coast Swing more of a Club dance than a ballroom dance.

Club Dances

Argentine Tango is an extraordinary form of dance that originated in the streets of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century. The partners dance in closed position with the upper body in close contact and the lower body apart. This allows for Argentine Tango’s characteristic kicks (called ganchos) and flicks. The music features violins, piano, and a bandoneon, which is a soulful accordion-like instrument.

Lindy Hop is a jazz style of Swing dance that emerged during Swing’s heyday in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Its Mecca was the Savoy ballroom in Harlem. Lindy Hop is fast and buoyant and is still danced to the incredible music of Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

Salsa is the wildly popular club Latin dance done in clubs from New York to California, often to live Salsa bands featuring claves, cowbells, and trumpets. It is easier than Mambo and features a lot of intricate arm moves for leaders and followers.

Hustle is the ballroom form of disco dance made popular in the movie Saturday Night Fever. It is done to fast, contemporary music. Classic Hustle musical artists include Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Donna Summer, and Madonna.

Night Club 2-Step is actually more of a ballroom dance. It was invented by a man named Buddy Schwimmer as a partner dance to be done to contemporary ballads. It is slow and romantic, and features rock-steps and a characteristic side-cross-side movement for both partners.