Dance and Musicality
Teaching Dance and Musicality
Dance is a learned skill. Dance is similar to language in that we all have an innate ability. However, the actual development of how to learn how to dance is environmentally determined. We can all learn a language easily when we are children, but for adults it is more difficult—the same is true for dancing.
That’s where we come in as teachers. We work with the different amounts of inborn potential in our students, encouraging their interest and passion along the way. Because we love dancing and music, we care about teaching the various skills involved with learning how to dance.
Dance is an expressive art with an athletic component. One of the more challenging aspects for many of our dance students is musicality—sensitivity to the musical quality and expression of dancing. As with any musical performance, we try to express emotions and feelings as we dance. We express musicality with our bodies. When we teach more technical skills, our students become more creative in their interpretations and more expressive of their feelings.
Musicality in dance involves many different abilities, including the following:
- Listening to music and developing an appreciation for it.
- Picking out different musical instruments in music.
- Hearing dynamics and nuances in music.
- Recognizing breaks and accents and anticipating their occurrence.
- Identifying the beats in music.
- Understanding tempos and time signatures in written music.
- Understanding phrasing, musical themes and song structure.
- Learning different dance rhythms.
- Developing individual interpretations.
The last one is especially important because the same dance is interpreted differently by every couple who dances it, bringing out their own creativity and flair. That’s part of the joy of teaching—seeing the individuality of expression in our students. As their musicality grows, their flair and joy in dancing will grow as well.
Upcoming Programs
Upcoming programs:
Winter Semester (Smooth ) January - April 2012
Tuesdays 7:00 -9:00 PM & Saturdays 10AM-12Noon
Summer Semester (Rhythm II) May-August 2012
Tuesdays 6:00-10PM
Fall Semester (Rhythm I) September-December 2012
Tuesdays 7;00-9:00 PM & Saturdays 10AM-12Noon
Winter Semester (Nightclub) January - April 2013
Tuesdays 7:00-9:00pm PM & Saturdays 10AM-12Noon
Talk to a Master Teacher or to sign up now, Call (312) 636-9547
Or contact us via the form below:
Fall Semester
Fall Semester
Course Starts September-December 2011
Tuesdays 5:30-7:30PM
3660 W. Irving Park
Saturdays 10AM-12noon
3660 W. Irving Park Road
Tuition $560 a month
($2240 per course)
The complete program is 16 months. There are 4 separate 4 month courses. Each course is 4 hours of class a week. Class meets twice a week for 2 hours.
The full 16 month Ballroom University Chicago program cost is $8960.
Teacher Training Workbook Only $125.
Over a 16 month period, trainees will learn the leader’s and follower’s parts of 17 dances. You will learn the technical, musical, and partnership elements of each dance figure for all seventeen dances of the DVIDA Bronze American Syllabus. Graduates of the program are ready to teach - no additional training required!
- Smooth: Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz
- Rhythm I: Cha Cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero
- Rhythm II: Merengue, Mambo, Samba, West Coast Swing
- Night Club: Argentine Tango, Salsa, Lindy Hop, Night Club 2-Step, Hustle
Those dancers and teachers who graduate from the course will have met an objective standard of national proficiency, a true solid professional in the career of dance
- The curriculum is broken down into four quarters
- Each quarter is four months long, and you may enroll at the beginning of any quarter
- At the end of the course, you will receive a diploma, acknowledging your achievement
- Learn the technical elements, musical information, and history of each dance
- Learn the unique language and terminology used in ballroom dancing
- Hone your teaching skills through homework presentations, in class and written exams
- Learn how to teach group classes and private lessons
- Participate and assist in dance classes for the general public
- Find out what the competition world is all about
- Master ethical and effective sales practices designed specifically for dance teachers
- Discover what it takes to make teaching dance a full time career
Your dream job starts here. Enroll today.
Talk to a Master Teacher or to sign up now, Call (312) 636-9547
Or contact us via the form below: