Is it just us, or does everybody have dance fever? And not only the celebs–though we’re sure “Dancing with the Stars” and Antonio Banderas’ new flick “Take the Lead” have something to do with this.
Yes, dancing days are here again, especially for us average slugs who’d never be caught dead shaking it in public, except for maybe the Electric Slide at a distant cousin’s wedding.
People are flocking to flamenco at the Vero Dance Studio on the Northwest Side. They’re mad for merengue at the Martini Room in Elgin. City officials are bracing for more dancers than they can shake a tail feather at for their free Chicago SummerDance parties, featuring Latin, ballroom and swing dancing in the middle of Grant Park beginning in June.
Even Ravinia–known for its, shall we say, sedate crowds–is about to bust out a 40-foot-by-60-foot dance floor for a “Swing Night” on June 18 and a “Latin Dance Night” on Aug. 26.
“There is this dance craze going on throughout the country,” said Welz Kauffman, Ravinia president. “And we have a lot of audience members who, when they hear music that is eminently danceable, they’re out there dancing anyway.”
Since everybody else is doing it, the At Play staff hit the dance floor to find out what the fuss is all about. Like you, we’re long on ambition but short on time. So we picked five popular styles and sauntered out to learn as much as we could in one easy lesson of each. Shall we dance?
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Put on your dancing shoes
How much can you learn in 1 short session? We put 5 dance lessons to the test
COUNTRY
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Chicago Barn Dance Company, Beginners Workshop; $6. Gym of the Bethany United Church of Christ, 4250 N. Paulina St., Chicago, 847-329-9173, www.chicagobarndance.com.
My head is still spinning.
I had no idea how to prepare for this class. Perhaps I should have played that game adored by 4-year-olds in which you spin around and around in a circle to see how dizzy you can make yourself.
If you go to the Chicago Barn Dance Company’s beginner workshop, listen to the instructors’ tips on how to avoid dizziness. I guess I did not, because the room did not stop spinning when I did.
The workshop started with a few of the regulars guiding us through basic moves of Contra dancing, which is sort of like square dancing. After a few practice runs, we were partnered up and the actual dance began.
Dancing along to a live old-time string band, I tried to cling to my husband as a partner, but they encouraged us to branch out. Good idea. I mean this as no dis to my husband, because truly he scored big-time points by accompanying me to a barn dance without too many questions, but I picked up the moves more quickly as regulars kindly spun me around in a swing.
Have I mentioned the spinning?
But with the spinning and swinging came a certain kind of glee, which made me remember why 4-year-olds like the make-me-dizzy game so much.
The dances move quickly, so as I moved from partner to partner, all I could catch were smiling faces swishing by.
While the beginners were unsure during the first few dances, each foursome included at least two regulars who knew what was going on. Yes, I made a lot of mistakes, but a helpful gentleman was always there to grab my hand and remind me of the next step.
To avoid dizziness, they advised us to keep our eyes focused on our partner’s face or shirt.
However, as I was swinging around with a new dancer every minute, I felt a little shy staring into the face of each new stranger.
But now I see that’s the whole point of this type of dance.
As soon as the music starts–whether in a Chicago school gym or an actual country barn–the other dancers aren’t so much strangers anymore.
— Crystal Yednak
HIP-HOP
Black Passion, Beginner’s Hip-Hop Dance; $10 (through May 6); 11018 S. Halsted St.; 312-842-2401.
I’ve always worn my hip-hop dancing skills on my sleeve, right next to my 18th Century Welsh literature skills and my invasive surgery skills.
See, I can’t walk and chew gum simultaneously. So here I am at a South Side dance studio on a Saturday morning, taking a beginner’s hip-hop dance class, looking for help.
Coming to my rescue is instructor Annette Hawkins, a barefoot and gregarious character with long blond hair. She leads her own dance troupe and has also taught jazz and ballet.
The class starts with a few warm-up moves, such as the shuffle, in which the dancer leans on the back leg on every fourth step. There’s the Charlierock, named so because it’s the Charleston with a rock. All the while, Annette tells us to “add your own flavor”–which in non-cool people speak means to loosen up, bob your head more and feel the rhythm.
There are four other young folks at the class, and they encourage me in my travails (though I must look hilarious to them). We then put together all the moves into some semblance of a routine. The other students are fantastic; I move like I lost my medication.
By the end of the hour, I am looser and noticeably sweatier. It’s a breezy and fun workout. But will you ever see me dancing behind Three 6 Mafia? Mercifully for you, no.
— Kevin Pang
WALTZ
Dance Center Chicago, Ballroom I: Waltz; $12. 3868 North Lincoln, 2nd Floor, 773-880-5044 or www.dancecenterchicago.com.
I am that most dreadful kind of dancer: wildly enthusiastic but lacking both talent and shame.
So when I march up the steps to Dance Center Chicago’s Tuesday night ballroom dancing class, I know I will have fun but also could seriously injure the poor soul assigned to be my partner.
That poor soul turns out to be a game and graceful middle-aged man, one of just five solo dancers in a class filled with young engaged couples aiming to learn to dance for their weddings.
Mari Ford, our instructor, kicks off the class by throwing on Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me,” the new “What a Wonderful World” when it comes to wedding first dances. Led by Ford, we walk around the room in time to Jones. One, two, three. One, two, three.
As soon as we are thinking in one, two, threes, Ford teaches us the foundation of the waltz, a six-part box step. To my delight, I get it in a few minutes, though I look terrible and mess up every time my eyes leave my feet. No matter; Ford soon has us facing our partners and touching fingers. She puts on some Elvis and soon my partner and I are dancing. He dances well. I dance … well, I’m trying.
After we master dancing by touching fingers, Ford instructs us how to hold each other, where to look and other details designed to make it easier for the man to lead and the woman to follow. We learn a turn. We learn how to break out of the little box we all are so comfortable in. We learn to dance with poise–at least, in theory.
At the end of the hour, Ford puts on some new music and tells the men to lead as they wish and the women to follow. My partner whisks me around the dance floor, throwing in turns and progressive steps here and there and mostly I catch his cue and follow along. Occasionally, I step on his foot. I bump into him. I turn when he doesn’t.
But at least once we are in sync. I float along with my partner, feeling weightless and graceful as we glide around our little corner of the dance floor. For a moment or two, it is sublime.
I finish with a goofy smile on my face. My dance partner looks happy too. Although his happiness may be relief that he survived my dancing.
— Trine Tsouderos
STEPPING
Stepper’s Network Tune-up Class; $15-$25 (varies by skill level); Co-Op Markets, 1526 E. 55th St., 877-871-9400, 312-330-0225, steppersnetwork.net.
About a year ago, I took the Stepper’s Network four-week beginner’s stepping class because I wanted to be one of those ladies prancing and turning in the stepper’s eight-count format instead of watching in awe.
I did quite well in the course, and was encouraged by my instructors and classmates to get stepping when it concluded. And I planned to. But life got in the way until about a month ago when I got the fever for stepping again.
So it’s back to Stepper’s Network for a Tune-up class, where students are assessed on whether they are ready to move on to the next level class, need to repeat a level or just get a refresher. (Although the classes are primarily stepping, Stepper’s Network founder and head instructor Leon Whiten teaches students how to social/partner dance, and not just how to count beats and steps.)
My refresher course is with the beginners since it has been so long since my original session. As we go over the basic eight-count steps, half turns and full turns, I realize I haven’t really lost much of what I learned a year ago. But then the true test comes when we pair up. This is my weakness. Instead of following my partner’s lead, I try to anticipate his moves. The result is me turning the wrong way, turning when I’m not supposed to, or ending up out of sync with my partner.
“Where are you going? Wait until I turn you before you turn,” says Whiten (great, my first partner is the instructor!). Instead of losing my self-confidence, I let go of my control issues. When I feel a slight pull from my partner’s hand, I half turn; when he motions my arm in the air, I full turn; when he doesn’t pull me at all, I stay put.
Even Whiten notices I’m getting it and invites me to stay for the more advanced class. Now, I feel like I have it.
— Regina Robinson
SALSA
Rumba, Latin Dance; free. 351 W. Hubbard St., 312-222-1226, www.rumba.com.
My wife has been urging me to take salsa lessons for quite some time–something for us to do together, on a regular basis. But she really got pushy after our addiction to “Dancing With the Stars” kicked in.
I wasn’t as into it as she was, certainly not for the kind of money I thought we’d have to throw down for an hour lesson.
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Free is more my speed, so we put on our dancing shoes and head to Rumba, a Latin restaurant that on weekends turns into River North’s hottest Latin dance club. We chat with instructor Ami Isett, who assures us we’ll be ready to strut our stuff by the end of the evening.
My wife and I, flanked by some 20 other people, then hit the dance floor for our quick, hour-long lesson. We stand behind Isett and simply follow her motions. “Just watch me,” she urges. “Forward, back, back; back, forward, forward.” We repeat this basic salsa move for 15 minutes before Isett decides we are ready to move on. “Forward, left, back and right,” Isett shouts. “That’s right. Start to let those hips go. That’s what they’re for. Really listen to that music, it also helps you.”
The wife takes to it like a duck to, well, salsa, adding twirls and dips to her motions. I don’t know if Isett is trying to make me feel good but she says she is impressed with how quickly I am catching on.
That’s all my wife needed to hear. Looks like I’ll be dancing for a while.
— Terry Armour
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COUNTRY
Beginners’ dance workshop
Chicago Barn Dance Company
Studio: Old grade-school gym
Scene: Young hipsters to older folk with everyone in between. The beginners’ workshop is a half-hour before the actual dance begins. Only about a dozen people arrived early for the beginners’ portion, but the school gym was packed by the time we left.
Best move I learned: Left-Hand Star
Can I dance in public now? By the end of the night, I was definitely getting the hang of it. These moves are not the kind you can break out at a party or a wedding unless you go to a lot of barn dances. But I would go back to the school gym just to do it again.
Rating (out of 5): 4 spins
HIP-HOP
Beginners’ Hip-Hop Dance
Black Passion
Studio: A single-room dance studio inside a bookstore. The ceiling fans keep the temperature comfortable.
Scene: Though it was mostly teenagers during our visit, adults often attend the class. The students were more than welcoming.
Best move I learned: The Charlierock. Makes me feel somewhat hip.
Can I dance in public now? Can I dance in public after a few more classes? Perhaps. Will I? Not a chance.
Rating (out of 5): 5 stomps
STEPPING
Tune-up Class
Stepper’s Network
Studio: On the lower level of the Hyde Park co-op, the large meeting/cake-making room has space enough to practice wide turns (and the spinouts when those turns don’t quite work right), with some distraction when bakers are preparing threetier cakes.
Scene: The class size of twentysomethings to sixtysomethings ranges from 5- 10 men and women (hey guys, there are usually more women than men, all eager to grab your hand and dance), wanting to learn the smooth stepper’s moves they have seen at stepper’s sets. Some students also want to learn to partner dance for their wedding or a big social event.
Best move I learned: Slow Dance (no, it’s not the slow grinding dance we used to do in those adolescent basement parties with the blue light). It looks really nice and is pretty easy to do.
Can I dance in public now? I’m ready to let my partner lead me across the floor. Someone even asked me to be their dance partner!
Rating (out of 5): 3 sweetheart turns
WALTZ
Ballroom I: Waltz
Dance Center Chicago
Studio: Located above hot new restaurant Sola on Lincoln Avenue, Dance Center Chicago has three airy dance studios, including a large one used for popular classes like Ballroom I. On a Tuesday night, the studio was bustling with a friendly, energetic vibe.
Scene: Ballroom I was filled with young couples on their way to the altar hoping not to embarrass themselves during their first dance. Amid the half-dozen pairs were five mostly young (in their 20s and 30s) solo dancers, including myself, who had to match up. In this class, just one man appeared to be older than 40.
Best move I learned: The waltz turn. If you just waltz in the most simple box pattern, you’ll die of boredom. This turn makes waltzing fun.
Can I dance in public now? Yes. And without stepping on my partner’s feet or looking too much like a dancing robot.
Rating (out of 5): 5 waltzing Matildas
SALSA
Latin Dance
Rumba
Studio: More fun than a typical studio setting. You’re in the colorfully opulent main dining room of this popular Latin-flavored restaurant. They push the tables and chairs aside for weekly lessons, which are punctuated by a live salsa band.
Scene: Though there are some regulars, instructor Amy Isett also rounds up prospective students who happen to be kicking back after-work cocktails or having dinner. The crowd runs the gamut from housewives in jeans to girlfriends out on the town to couples getting cozy on a date.
Best move I learned: The “bachata”–an easier, Dominican version of the salsa. You take three steps and finish with a thrusting tap, from side to side.
Can I dance in public now? Not quite in Drew Lachey’s league yet but definitely not as stiff as Master P.
Rating (out of 5): 4 hip thrusts–it is salsa after all.