We love - and love to teach - the following dances:
West Coast Swing
West Coast Swing
is our favorite dance! True to the West Coast aesthetic, it's a cool,
laid-back dance.
It can also be funky, groovy or lyrical, depending on
the music and your personal style. It is a constantly evolving dance
that gives both partners - but especially the follower - a lot of
opportunity to interpret, style and "play". It is also musically versatile
and can be danced to blues, R&B, Motown, classic rock, disco,
top-40 music and more.
WCS is a modern offshoot of vintage swing dances like East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop. It's extremely popular in the U.S.A. and is the official state dance of California. Currently, there's a movie being made about this dance. Read more about WCS on our web page devoted to the topic.
We'll have you dancing in just a few hours!
Hustle (3-count, New York Style)
Recapture the disco era! Andre was a club DJ and Maria was barely born yet, but we both love this dance and its music.
Hustle is unique in that it is a three-count dance danced to four-count music. Arm work is an integral part of the essence of this dance, and learning to free your arms can provide great inspiration for styling in other street dances. Hustle is a "spot" dance, which means that it is danced mostly in one spot on the floor (not in a slot like West Coast Swing, and not in a promenade around the floor like Waltz). Read a detailed discussion on Hustle >>
Learn what made John Travolta a sex symbol! More importantly, dance to disco music! (As well as much contemporary pop music). Long live the Hustle!
You'll be dancing in just a few hours.
Four-Count Hustle
This is the ultimate "survival" dance, and it's also known by other names, including "single swing" and "melange." Need to look good on a dance floor but only have a week to learn to dance? Want to be able to dance to almost any music at a DJed wedding? Testing out a new partner? Just wanna have some fun? This is a great "starter" dance for the beginning beginner, and it provides a great foundation for rhythm and lead-follow technique. Four-Count Hustle can be danced to rock-and-roll, disco music, swing, and many other contemporary songs.
We'll have you dancing in 45 minutes!
Movement Study
Look like a dancer! Based on her training in modern jazz and ballet, Maria offers "movement study" classes that are designed to help anyone unlock her or his unique movement style, as well as to understand the fundamental techniques of movement that make any dance look and feel better.
Maria believes that intention is a key element of what sets apart someone who "looks like" a dancer from someone who looks like a perpetual beginner. To help dancers create intention when they dance, movement studies create awareness of the key elements of movement and develop an individual's control over those elements.
If you don't see a Movement Study class in our list of Upcoming Group Classes, you can contact us for a customized private lesson(s).
