Ballroom Dance

J M (Mike) Nelson
Email:jmnelson@cloudnet.com
Phone: 612-810-0157

Of course, I think my lessons are the best in design, content, and application (See: Why Our Ballroom Dance Classes are Better), but so do all the other teachers in the area. I suggest that you find out for yourself. You will learn something from each teacher, and you will probably find at least one you like. Check community education programs, local studios, community centers, senior centers, singles clubs, support groups, and any other organization you think might have a dance group that offers lessons. Get together with friends and share knowledge. It's fun, and everyone benefits.

Where to Begin? There are several things that you can do on your own that will save you money and time. Read This First, and follow the series. Also consider the article, Where Do I Begin?

Visit Libraries, both public and academic. Many libraries have an extensive collection of dance instruction on VHS and DVD.

Join a Dance Club. A good place to start would be USADance at http://www.usadance.org/, a national organization with chapters nationwide. Also, see Dance Links for information on regional organizations in Houston, TX, St. Cloud, MN, and Minneapolis, MN.

Check the Web. There are over 100 small video clips at the Ballroom Dance Learning Center http://www.ballroomdancers.com/Learning_Center/
These "mini lessons" range from beginning to advanced figures.
Dance Vision at http://dancevision.com has excellent learning DVD's. They also have sample clips for many of their products which in themselves are "mini lessons." Get together with friends, buy a few instructional DVD's, and pass them around.

Go dancing, watch, and learn. As one of my students said, "When I started, I thought there would be a lot of complicated steps; I was surprised to learn that mostly it is ONE step done a lot of different ways. It was a lot easier than I thought."

Ask. If you are at a dance and see someone doing something you don't recognize, ask. Almost every time you will get a "short, private dance lesson."

Dance! The more you dance, the better you get and the more fun you have.

See you on the dance floor!