What do we teach?
We teach many different styles of dancing for children and adults. You may know exactly what you want to do or try them all before deciding what most suits you.
Latin American This covers Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Jive and Paso Doble.
These are danced to the Latin rhythms and use the feet and legs to
create hip movement. The dances all have very different styles
and are danced with a partner.
Alternative Rhythms These are also Latin dances, but are more recent
additions to the family. They include salsa, mambo, merengue and swing
(a rock’n’roll based dance to a latin rhythm). These dances are fast and fun.
Many of our classes teach Latin American and Alternative rhythm dances together to give you an all round latin knowledge.
Ballroom - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot and Slow Rhythm.
Viennese Waltz is also a Ballroom dance but is very fast and quite
difficult and therefore is not taught in classes,
but can be learnt in private lessons.
Ballroom dances are graceful and are
danced in close contact to your partner.
Disco/Street/Hip Hop These are all names used for the same thing!
We use moves similar to those in today’s pop videos put together
into routines that are taught clearly before using music. These classes
are for children and adults and help improve fitness and co-ordination.
We warm up before dancing to minimise the risk of injury but do
ask that you notify us of any existing injury before the class so we
can avoid movements that aggravate it. We also cool down at the end
of the class so you can go away feeling good and without aching.
Tap - at the moment we don’t have any regular tap classes running, but we can organise lessons by arrangement.
Rock’n’Roll Dance to the sound of the 50’s! We teach basic steps and leads followed by further moves in the 50’s style. At the moment we do not have a class dedicated solely to Rock’n’Roll as a majority of pupils want to learn several dances together, so we teach some Rock’n’Roll in the Latin American class.
Children We cater widely for children of all ages, teaching them all types of dance for fun, competitions, shows and displays. They can also work for I.S.T.D. medallist exams, or the new government accredited graded exams, which can qualify the candidate up to A-level standard and ultimately carry points towards university entry.
Just starting out?
At HDC, we know that it can sometimes be daunting when you’re thinking of starting something new. We’re sure you have loads of questions:
- Do I need a partner? (you don’t)
- Do I have to do exams? (you don’t)
- Do I have to book and pay in advance? (pay each lesson as you go).
- What clothes and shoes should I wear? When you’re starting out, please wear any clothes you feel comfortable in, it’s not necessary to “dress” for classes. Trainers and flip flops are hard to dance in - we will happily advise you on footwear.
- Will it be fun? (yes!)
We welcome you to drop by the studio when we’re running classes to have a look at how we teach, and we’ll also try to answer any questions you may have.
What else can you do or can we do for you?
If you wish, you can progress to exams in any of the dance styles
we teach. We hold exam sessions in the studio 3 times a year
with an I.S.T.D. examiner coming to judge. Having taken an
exam you can then be entered for competitions if you wish.
See our Competition Guide here.
Exams and competitions are voluntary.
Many pupils come to learn for social purposes only.
We can provide dancers or choreographers for shows, or our
teachers can attend functions to teach a group for a one off lesson,
for example at a party or as a team building exercise.
Our teachers are very experienced.
Do you want an original dance for a wedding first dance or a special occasion? If you give us your music we can choreograph a dance especially for you. It makes a wonderful surprise and is very enjoyable.
The Social Aspect
We organise a social night for general ballroom and latin dancing, which are occasionally themed (click here to see our calendar of events).These are great fun and you will really enjoy yourself. Please see the calendar of events for dates. In addition to these regular events we also organise groups to go to dances and dinner dances as well as a Christmas lunch and much more.
The Social Dancer
Dancing is fun and it keeps you fit. We teach you well but we keep it light hearted. We want everyone to do their best but enjoy dancing, after all, when you’ve had a hard day at work you want to relax. When you are dancing you can forget all about your bad day and you enjoy yourself.
The Serious Dancer
Many pupils wish to further their dancing and working for exams is a good way of ensuring your style and footwork is the best it can be. We always teach our pupils correct technique, from beginners to competitors. Some pupils want to progress even further and we can train you for professional dance teachers exams if you wish. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Classes or private tuition?
A really great value way to learn is by joining one of our regular classes. Some people however prefer not to be in a group, or want to learn something specific, or can’t make it to a class or just prefer one to one tuition in which case you want a private lesson. Call us to arrange a time to suit you.
