|
I have no dance experience,
am I going to just make a fool of myself?
Our teaching method assumes that you
have two left feet and no dance experience, and therefore
you won't be made to feel silly.
Every week there will be people turning
up for the first time and therefore you will never feel
like the odd one out.
Do I have to come with a partner?
Absolutely not as our teaching method
means everyone changes partners every couple of minutes.
If I don't have to bring a
partner who will I dance with?
It makes no difference if you come with
someone, because everyone is put into lines and you change
partners every couple of minutes.
Do I need to book on a course?
No, complete beginners are welcome every
week.
How big are the classes?
We are averaging 150 people which makes your Tuesday class the biggest ballroom and Latin American class for adults in the UK! It’s been something like 50 years since these dances have been taught on this scale. This is very exciting, but it’s also very stressful for us as it’s not easy teaching something that is quite hard and trying to make it easy. We have therefore had to ‘think on our feet’ for the first few weeks and it will take us a few more weeks to really understand how best to structure the classes and at what pace to teach the dances.
How easy is it to learn?
Ballroom and Latin American comprises
of several dances and therefore it will take a few weeks
to be confident to dance the night away. However like golf
or other activities, you will love it whether you are good
or bad ... the fun really is in the learning.
As a beginner what time do
I need to arrive?
Each week there are a lot of complete
beginners and it's important you arrive in time for the
beginners class which starts at 7:30pm .
Is there an age limit?
The only condition is you must be at
least 16.
Do I have to wear any special
clothes or shoes?
Absolutely not, just wear whatever you
feel comfortable in. Do avoid trainers however, a normal
leather soled shoe is fine.
I have been to Ceroc , will
I therefore pick this up easily?
If you are a Ceroc dancer you already
understand the basics of lead and follow etc and you will
therefore pick things up quicker than a complete beginner.
I've been and I found it harder than Ceroc
This is no surprise, you are not learning one dance but 5 dances which immediately makes it harder.
Ceroc is a dance that is led from the upper body, where as Ballroom and Latin requires very different techniques including footwork and therefore there is a lot of new thingsto learn, but these skills are necessary of you really want to develop your dancing. This time next year if you stick at it, you will not only be competent in these dances, but you will be an all-round better dancer and you will enjoy your dancing so much more.
I am a keen Cerocer and I want to develop my Ceroc, are these classes for me?
Ballroom and Latin American are serious dances in so much as you will develop techniques and ‘muscle memory’ that will dramatically improve your overall dancing in not only these dances, but also in dances like Ceroc.
Furthermore, unlike Ceroc we will be are teaching you technique, floorcraft, musicality, posture and body movement. Essentially if you are serious about your dancing and you want to become a great dancer then the skills we will be teaching you will improve your dancing in general including your Ceroc dancing.
Is there a membership fee?
Ceroc are hosting these classes, and
therefore all attendees will be required to become a member
of Ceroc .
If you're not a member of Ceroc on your
first night you will be asked to complete a very simple
form and you're then a member for life. The joining fee
is £3.
If I'm a complete beginner
can I stay all night?
Yes and you will have the chance to practice
what you learnt during the freestyle dancing later on.
How do I know whether the record playing in the freestyle is a Quickstep or a Fox Trot?
When you first start out this can be very frustrating and confusing. We have detailed below the technical differences between the dances, however I suspect this won’t help much. All I would say is be patient and with time you will easily be able to tell your Cha Cha’s from your Rumbas.
Some of the music is a bit naff?
We wouldn’t argue with this especially when you take the Waltz. Unfortunately, because of the rhythm patterns the music you can play has to be specific to the dance and as yet there are only a handful of really exciting Waltz tracks available for example.
We are also trying to only play music for the first few months that has a very strong strict tempo to make it easier for you to pick out the rhythm.
How many weeks will it take
before I'm really good at Ballromm and Latin American?
This obviously depends how quick a learner
you are, but it's safe to assume that on your first night
you will have mastered a few steps which will get you around
the floor.
Ballroom and Latin American dancing is a serious dance in that it requires you to really develop your technique. Therefore unlike Ceroc where there is almost instant gratification after your first class, you will have to investment a lot of time before you will be a really good ballroom dancer. If you are serious about really developing your dancing and wanting to become a better Ceroc dancer, then learning Ballroom and Latin American dancing is in our opinion the best way of achieving this.
Becoming a great dancer isn’t about learning scores of moves and variations it’s about developing your technique and really improving your basic action in all the dances. Therefore every week time will be spent on really developing your dance technique.
What's the difference between
Ballroom and Latin American?
All the ballroom and latin American dances
are different, however there are some very distinct differences
between the ballroom and latin American in general.
Ballroom Dances include dances like the
Waltz, Quickstep and Fox Trot.
Latin American dances include the Cha
Cha Cha , Rumba and the Jive.
I'm an experienced Ballroom
and Latin dancer; are the lessons worth attending?
We do run an improvers class as well
as the beginners, and our suggestion is try the improvers
class and see whether you enjoy it.
What defines whether you are a good dancer or not?
There is a huge misconception that becoming a great dancer is about learning scores of moves and variations.
Any professional dancer will tell you that yes you need a handful of moves, but your technique and musicality is far more important. Our strongest advice is don’t be in a rush to learn lots of variations, really work on improving your basic step in each of the dances.
If you know three or four variations in each dance and you can dance in time with a little bit of rhythm this is so much more important than knowing lots of variations.
Why did you choose Hannes and Amy to teach?
This night has been in the making for over a year, however we haven’t started this night because we couldn’t find teachers that we were happy with in terms of understanding the Ceroc philosophy of teaching. Hannes and Amy are not only great teachers, but they are also professional competition dancers and we are really excited about their introducing you to some of the most exciting new moves in the dance.
Do you have any freestyles planned?
At regular Ceroc nights we already play a lot of music which you could dance the Cha Cha, rumba and the Fox Trot
We do intend to host freestyle nights that combine ballroom and Latin American dancing in the future.
Do you run workshops for those
people that want to learn quickly?
Yes we do run regular 4 hour intensive workshops focussing on technique, ballroom hold, posture and style and additional dance moves that we do not get the time to teach during weekly classes. These are suitable for complete beginners.
CLICK HERE for our Classes page for dates and further information.
Can I bring along my own drink
including water?
No the venue has a bar and the venue
will ban anyone bringing in their own drink. We would also ask that if you want to smoke, you smoke upstairs or outside..
Are there any plans to start a class in Central or Southern London?
The very nature of the dance where you dance on the edge of the floor means that you need a large ballroom. Unfortunately there are no other ballrooms in London that are either big enough or cheap enough to host a class on the scale of Ashtons.
|
