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 Ballroom
Blitz
By Tom Ralabate
Step in time to success with ballroom dance
On today’s dance scene, and in the public eye, ballroom dance
is exploding, making a feverish resurgence. As a former United
States Latin Ballroom dance champion and representative to the
World Latin Dance Championships with my sister Kip, I can say
with confidence that now is the time for all “business smart”
studio owners to take advantage of the current pulse in
American social life. The new appreciation for ballroom dance
(or “touch,” or social, dancing) is a cultural phenomenon with
its roots in the powerful medium of TV, and it has great
potential to influence studio development and offerings.
In 2006 audiences across America watched Emmitt Smith, the
NFL’s all-time leading rusher, as he won their hearts and took
home the trophy on Dancing With the Stars. Armchair
running backs who tuned in must have thought, “If Emmitt can
do that, so can I.” On the other wildly popular TV dance show,
So You Think You Can Dance, dancers compete outside
their area of expertise by reinventing ballroom and other
dance forms while reflecting its tradition and intercultural
exchanges. On this show, even hip-hop dancers have been
transformed into elegant couples gliding across the floor in
an English quickstep. Viewers are tuning in by the millions.
Although competitive ballroom dance can be seen on TV, the
viewing public is being introduced to “dancesport”— dance as
sport, a preface to ballroom dance’s presence in the Olympics.
But TV is not only the only place to see ballroom dance these
days. Audiences are flocking to see the stage show Burn the
Floor, ballroom’s version of Riverdance. And in the
documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, grade-school students in
New York City learn the etiquette and basics of ballroom dance
for a citywide competition.
In dance teacher circles, ballroom has always had a presence.
Dance Teachers’ Club of Boston has a long tradition of
ballroom dance in its student Dance Education Training Course.
At annual national conferences, dance organizations such as
Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and Dance
Masters of America (DMA) Teachers Training School devote an
evening to the ballroom experience. (An intensive in ballroom
dance has been proposed for DMA’s 2008 Teachers Training
School).
Institutes of higher education are also keeping in step by
offering ballroom dance, and those classes are receiving high
praise from
students. At University at Buffalo, a course in social dance
is required for all BFA dance and music theater majors. UB
alumni have told me they made it to the final cut for B roadway
tours because of the advantage given them by their ballroom
dance skills. Other alumni have expressed thanks for the
course because it prepares them to teach the basics at schools
and community centers, where flexible teaching schedules allow
them to make audition rounds. And at Brigham Young University,
which hosts an award-winning international traveling formation
dance team, students can major in ballroom dance.
For emerging professional concert dancers, ballroom dance
training is a plus in terms of performing choreography that
emphasizes partnering skills. And some dancers in training for
concert dance
careers end up shifting their direction, launching competitive
ballroom careers instead, including acclaimed ballroom dancers
Sharon Savoy (a world champion ballroom cabaret dancer) and
Rebecca Nicholson, both schooled in ballet. Top competitive
ballroom couples can make a lucrative living through
performing, offering workshops, and coaching other dance
teams.
In addition to franchised ballroom studios like Arthur Murray
and Fred Astaire, ballroom is offered in many adult-education
classes and at weekend club dances. And of course there will
always be vintage dance experiences like proms, weddings, and
social gatherings, where people continue to enjoy embracing
their partners in traditional dance positions.
At the request of Dance Masters of America, Chapter 34, I
presented a “Ballroom Blitz” session, a “how and what”
introduction to initiating ballroom classes in dance studios.
Here are some ideas on how to jumpstart a ballroom division in
a dance school.
Pricing and structure
Offering ballroom classes in the evening, after the
traditional curriculum classes, is a smart way to generate
extra studio income. Adult ballroom
students usually like to attend class after the dinner hour or
later in the evening. Studios that have multiple rooms can
easily keep operating at full capacity during later hours or
alongside other performing arts classes.
I suggest doing group lessons in four- to six-week blocks,
offering a combination of smooth (foxtrot, waltz, and tango)
and Latin rhythm dances (merengue, rumba, cha cha, and swing).
During these initial sessions the basics are drilled, the
etiquette of ballroom dance is learned, and two important
rules are reinforced: how to lead and how to follow.
Individuals who do not have partners can meet other singles or
rotate with other couples. (Because of the partners’ proximity
to one another, I always provide both breath mints and
antibacterial hand gel at each class.)
Pricing for private lessons and group classes can be both
creative and flexible. Private lessons can range from $50 to
more than $100 per hour, and group lessons can range from $15
to more than $20 per hour per couple. With more than one
ballroom teacher in your studio, you can have multiple private
lessons going on in the same room at the same time, which is a
common practice in ballroom studios. Organizing groups of 5 to
10 couples is the most lucrative structure. You can charge by
the couple, individually, per class, or per session.
Offering ballroom classes for parents whose children are
taking class in another room is a great idea. Teach the basics
to the children, and eventually have them join their parents.
Once everyone has a handle on the basic moves, organize a
studio dinner dance and present ballroom dances as well as
performing arts dances. Consider holding your own studio
competition—a takeoff on Mad Hot Ballroom—in which
students compete only in the basic movements.
Here come the bride and groom
A new sign of the times is the demand for ballroom dance
instruction for wedding parties. The traditional first dance
has been a highlight of wedding receptions from time
immemorial, but now there is a new twist. Today’s couples are
requesting that their first dance be
 choreographed
for them and, in a growing trend, sometimes even for the
entire wedding party. These requests include reenactments of
dance scenes from movies (Dirty Dancing), music videos
(Thriller), or routines for the bride and groom like
those seen on Dancing With the Stars. These types of
instructional and choreographic sessions provide built-in
classes that include the bride and groom (and sometimes their
parents), the maid of honor and best man, and other members of
the wedding party.
Rhythm Break Studios in New York City makes a business of
choreographing wedding parties. And the demand is so great
that my sister, Kip Ralabate, who directs the Kiptom Dance
Center and teaches ballroom at Canisius College in Buffalo,
NY, books two wedding parties at the same time. “In these
joint wedding party sessions new friendships are made, and
there is a whole lot of laughing with a sense of
accomplishment,” Kip says. “People constantly say to me they
are hooked on ballroom.” These “hooked” couples often sign up
for more lessons after the wedding.
First steps for teaching ballroom dance
Many books, online sources, and instructional videos about
teaching ballroom instruction are available. One of the best
books is Dance a While: Handbook of Folk, Square, Contra,
and Social Dance by Jane Harris, Anne Pittman, and Marlys
Waller. Books and DVDs are useful tools for instruction, but I
strongly recommend taking lessons from a qualified master
teacher to guide you aurally, visually, and expressively
through the basic patterns in both the smooth and Latin
dances.
Teacher preparation and lesson plans
In each beginner session, I like to do a combination (no more
than five or six) of both smooth and Latin dances. (I save the
mambo, salsa, samba, paso doble, and quickstep for more
advanced intensives.)
Use a variety of word and image cues, as you do when teaching
other dance forms. Once the couples become proficient dancing
together, many of the cues will be abandoned. Some examples:
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Rhythm: quick, quick, slow or 1, 2, 3-4
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Step: side, together, side, touch
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Direction: turn, step back, step forward
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Style: up, up, down
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Foot: left, right, left
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Warning: get ready for the turn, lift your arm, freeze
At the end of the lesson, I like to incorporate a line dance
or mixer in which couples change partners to practice
freestyle dancing. Once the class feels comfortable as a
group, I often begin the class with a warm-up mixer as a way
of saying “Welcome” and as a time for fun and sharing.
I usually do a short drill—an exercise that helps teach
ballroom technique, style, or rhythm—before I teach any of the
dances. A common drill for the smooth dances is teaching the
“dance walk” in order to refine footwork. For the Latin
dances, the common drill is to teach basic Cuban or
International hip styling in relation to the footwork. After
this preliminary instruction, I move on to the basic step of
each dance and share some historical or descriptive
information about it. For example, the cha cha, from Cuba, is
a playful dance that incorporates a triplet action, the
cha-cha-cha. The waltz, a ballroom dance in 3/4 time, was born
in the Alpine region of Germany and made popular by the music
of Johann Strauss.
The following are some common drills.
-
Dance positions—closed, open, and variations of body and arm
positions
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How to lead or follow
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Footwork exercises
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Hip-styling exercises
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Rhythmic understanding with the appropriate ballroom dance
form
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The use of space for smooth dances: moving in a
counterclockwise direction around the
floor
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The use of space for the Latin rhythm dances (spot dances),
which do not circle around the floor
-
Etiquette: How to escort a partner on and off the dance
floor; the reverence at the beginning and end of each dance
for sharing the pleasure of the dance
For beginners, circle formations are highly effective in
teaching weight changes, making the students feel comfortable,
and getting to know one another. Place the students in a
circle and have them hold hands with their feet in parallel
first position and the left foot free. Have them do the
following drill.
-
Move to the side with the left foot (1).
-
Come together with the right foot (2).
-
Move to the side with the left foot (3).
-
Draw the right foot to a parallel third position, touching
the left foot to the right (4). Reverse the
pattern, moving sideways to the right.
After you’ve done the drill for a while, introduce a
variation:
-
Move to the side with the left foot (1).
-
Come together and touch with the right foot (2).
-
Move to the side with the right foot (3).
-
Come together and touch with the left foot (4).
Once the students master the basic weight changes, you can
create variations with the side closes. This exercise will aid
greatly in teaching the smooth ballroom dances.
Straight or parallel line(s) formation
The straight-line formation is an effective way to teach
drills or the basic patterns (steps). The teacher/
demonstrators position themselves in the middle of the room
with their backs to the parallel lines of students. Those
doing the leader’s part should stand behind the demonstrator
doing the lead; those doing the follower’s part should stand
behind the demonstrator doing the follow. Repetition of the
drill or pattern takes place in these lines. Remember to
stress the two most important rules about ballroom dance:
Those doing the traditional man’s part will lead, and those
doing the traditional woman’s part will follow.
Once the dancers are partnered off, be sure to circulate
around the room as they execute the patterns in unison. This
will allow you to correct individual couples’ technical
problems. Once the couples master the patterns, allow a period
of free practice to prepare them for the social dance floor.
Carpe diem
Ballroom dancing receives high praise for its obvious health
benefits, the joy of dancing together, and its miraculous
marriage of music and movement on the dance floor. So now is
the time to seize the opportunity to expand your dance
programming. The phrase carpe diem means “seize the
day,” with the implication that “tomorrow you may die.” While
life is not always the celebratory party we hoped for,
remember that as long as we are here, and ballroom dancing is
here, we might as well seize the dance as well as the day.
Let’s dance!
Photo captions:
MIddle photo: Tom Ralabate and a young Alisan Porter (now on
Broadway in A Chorus Line) show off their swing dancing chops
in Boston. Photo by Jody Dumbrowski
Bottom photo: U.S. and North American Latin ballroom dance
champions Tom Ralabate and his sister, Kip, in competition in
the early 1970s. Photo courtesy Tom Ralabate
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