Queen City Ballroom Group Classes with Karen at N-Step!
Recommendations from Karen
Are you new to ballroom dancing?
Unsure about how to start? Group classes are a great starting point! Your first month as a Queen City Ballroom member is half price, so you pay
only $16 for your first month trial! Queen City Ballroom is proud to offer a progressive syllabus so you can start at the very beginning in the "Big 5" (most important ballroom dances) and study your way up to Intermediate/Advanced level. You don't need a partner or any dance experience, so let's get started!
Enroll at the beginning of any month in the class marked “L1” (for “level one”) on the calendar. The type of dance offered will vary from month to month, so if you don’t see your favorite dance this month, page forward a bit to find out when it will be offered. Notice that the class time and
location of the L1 (and all classes) vary from week to week. Your first month of classes is a special deal for new students, half price, at only $16 per person!
As you continue into your second month of classes, the membership cost will be at full price ($32 per person), but it will be a great value because each subsequent month that you continue in classes qualifies you to take additional classes per week. Notice on the calendar that on your second month you can continue studying the dance you began with by taking L2-3, and/or you can pick up a new dance, L1. As the months pass, keep learning more about the
dance you started with and/or learn new dances. The choice is yours. To get the most out of your membership, remember to enroll in every L1 as
it is offered so you can follow it through the levels and be come more confident in your dance skills. As a non-member the cost per person per class is $12.
Give it a whirl! If you have questions about the Queen City Ballroom programming, please e-mail Karen at karen@queencityballroomnh.com or call her at 603-622-1500. Walk-in registration accepted. Please arrive a few minutes early to fill out a
registration form. If paying by credit card, please do so via the QCB website at least 24 hours before your class starts. Checks payable to Queen City Ballroom, and cash are accepted at time of walk-in. Please make sure to check the footwear policy.
Are you an experienced dancer? Wondering how to jump into this new programming? First the highlights. Our new programming is still taught by certified instructor, Karen Shackleford. It’s still progressive, and still based on the DVIDA syllabus. Classes are held at N-Step Dance in Hooksett, NH.
Of particular interest to Silver level dancers will be the classes marked “Int/Adv Sil”, and possibly those marked “Pre-Sil” (formerly known as “Intro to Silver”). These courses will feature work in syncopation, pivots, balance, lead/follow, and timing through presentation of new DVIDA Syllabus Silver figures. Please see the calendar for dates, times, and locations. Click on any entry to get a pop-up window with details. Membership classes will now meet two weeks out
of the month, and the membership price has accordingly been rolled back to $32 per person ($24 for Silver dancers who are not taking bronze classes).
________________________________________________________________
QCB BALLROOM DANCE CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
L1 (Level 1) - One dance per month on a repeating cycle including the following dances: East Coast Swing, Rumba, Cha Cha, Waltz, Foxtrot.
Beginner level. DVIDA Syllabus “Bronze Level 1” figures.
No prerequisite. 40 minutes.
L2-3 (Level 2-3) – A continuation of L1. DVIDA Syllabus “Bronze Level 2-3” figures.
Prerequisite: completion of L1 or equivalent experience. 40 minutes.
L3-4 (Level 3-4) – A continuation of L2-3. DVIDA Syllabus “Bronze Level 3-4” figures.
Prerequisite: completion of L2-3 or equivalent experience. 40 minutes.
Pre-Silver – A continuation of L3-4. DVIDA Syllabus “Silver Level 1” figures.
Prerequisite: completion of L3-4 or equivalent experience. 40 minutes.
Intermediate/Advanced Silver – A continuation of Pre-Silver. DVIDA Syllabus “Silver Level 2-4” figures.
Prerequisite: completion of Pre-Silver or equivalent experience. One hour.
All levels Practice – ½ hour of continuous music for unsupervised practice. Great for trying out your new material.
Music genres vary by week and are selected by Karen based on the knowledge base of those attending practice.
Pre-dance lesson – a 45 minute Intermediate level DVIDA lesson.
Prerequisite: working knowledge of the genre being taught.
________________________________________________________________
What is BALLROOM DANCE?
"Ballroom" is a term used to describe the type of partner dancing that is led and followed. Typically, new students in the Ballroom Dance Program are drawn to it after having seen partner dancing on television, at a wedding or other event, or because a spouse or friend has suggested it.
The national governing body for Dancesport in the United States, USA Dance says, "It is often a good idea to start with group lessons in the American Style Bronze Syllabus. This will give you a basic foundation for social dancing that will be useful all of your life.".
At Queen City Ballroom, we offer American Style classes in the DVIDA Syllabus which is recognized by the National Dance Council of America.That means you can enroll with confidence! We offer all levels, from beginner through advanced.
________________________________________________________________
At Queen City Ballroom, it is easy to get started. If you would like more information, placement assistance or for any other general concerns, email karen@queencityballroomnh.com. For pricing info, please go to our payment page.
It's that easy! No need to preregister. Just arrive a few minutes early to fill out your registration form, and you're on your way to a fun, new hobby!
Capture the joy of ballroom dancing. Add some zest to your life. Give it a whirl! Our ballroom dance program includes courses in
Waltz, Swing, Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Rumba, and more.
Thank you, and wishing you happy dancing!
Learn & Polish Your Dance Technique with QCB's 'Big 5' Group Classes!
Each of the “big five” genres are placed on the schedule to flow in the following manner: Level 1, Level 2-3, Level 3-4, Pre-Silver, Intermediate/Advanced Silver. Courses in any given genre should be taken in this order without skipping levels.
The prerequisites stated on the website are, “completion of (previous level/genre)”. But what does “completion” really mean? It means more than simply attending class. It means understanding and being able to lead or follow the figures confidently and with some attention to the associated technique. The average learner should plan to repeat levels, possibly several times, before progressing to the next level. Most students need to see and dance the same material multiple times before they are able to blend all of the aspects of learning a figure that contribute to proficiency
(foot placement, footwork, timing, amount of turn, orientation, CBM, sway, rise and fall, etc.).
Why is correct placement in classes important to you? It’s important to you because by progressing at your own pace and repeating levels as necessary, you’ll have the time to work on memorization, technique, and lead/follow. You’ll learn the elements upon which the higher syllabus figures are built, and you’ll understand the terminology when it is used in the upper level classes. You’ll also learn how to execute elements in a manner that is safe both for you and for the partners you dance with. You’ll find that by repeating levels, your confidence will increase. And the other students in class will seek you out as a partner to dance with because your hard work at mastering the figures will be evident!
Why is your correct placement in classes important to your classmates? All students deserve the opportunity to put their base of knowledge to work in class by applying it to more advanced figures. But having that knowledge base before moving from one level into the next is imperative. When students attend any class without having the appropriate knowledge base, the instructor may find it necessary to digress, define terms, demonstrate elements from previous levels, and increase the number of repetitions of each section of the figure being taught. The impact of this on students who are in the correct level is that they have less time to practice the completed figure at the end of class, and they don’t get the benefit of instruction in lead/follow and technique because the instructor’s time has been dedicated to simply “getting through” the material.
The Bronze classes labeled Level 1, 2-3, 3-4 are easy to follow numerically to move from one level into the next. Repeat any level as needed. The Pre-Silver and Intermediate/Advanced Silver classes require more attention to “level of proficiency” before entering them. Here are some potential ways to determine readiness for these levels:
-
Before joining Pre-Silver Rumba, Cha Cha, or Swing classes, students should know the following terms/concepts: chasse, open break, crossover break, back and forward spot turns, cross body lead, 5th position break, second position break, opposition break, syncopation, tuck turns.
-
Before joining Pre-Silver Waltz or Foxtrot classes, students should know the following terms/concepts: rise and fall, line of dance/orientation, sway, CBM, frame, pivots, and dance positions including closed, promenade, outside partner, and fallaway.
-
Before joining Intermediate/Advanced Silver Rumba, Cha Cha, or Swing classes, students should know the following terms/concepts/figures: Silver figures 1-4, swivels, side-by-side position, Cuban rocks, cradle wrap, spirals, open walks, hammerlock, pivots, hooks, sailor shuffles.
-
Before joining Intermediate/Advanced Silver Waltz or Foxtrot classes, students should know the following terms/concepts/figures: Silver figures 1-4, slip pivot, continuity finish, hairpin, shadow, grapevine, weave.
What does “equivalent experience” mean in reference to QCB prerequisites? Equivalent experience means that you have studied a different syllabus (be it American Style or International Style) through which you have learned all of the necessary elements for the level you’d like to enroll in. As an example, while you may not have studied the DVIDA Open Right Turn in Silver Foxtrot, you are familiar with its elements: twinkle to promenade, passing right turn, heel turn, and continuity ending, and you could easily dance these elements connected once shown.
If you have questions about your dance level, please ask. Thank you for reading, and thank you for following the above guidelines to insure a fun, productive, safe dance experience not only for yourself but also for your classmates.
QCB Group Classes on Break Through January