We teach Latin and Ballroom dance classes from absolute beginners through to experienced dancers at four venues in central Bristol. If you haven’t danced before and you’d like to give it a try, the beginners classes are for you. It’s best to start in the first week as the dance lessons build on each other, week by week, but if you can’t make it not to worry come along the following week.
If you have experience and want to join a more advanced dance class, please use the contact information at the bottom of the page to tell us your experience level and we will be able to direct you towards a class to suit you.
During the beginners classes, which are generally 12-13 weeks long, we start Waltz, Cha-Cha-Cha, Social Foxtrot, Samba, Quickstep, Rumba and Jive. During the next few terms we introduce Tango, Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz. There’s plenty of variety for everyone, that’s what makes Latin and Ballroom dancing so great! Each week we teach two dances, generally one Latin dance and one Ballroom dance. We concentrate on these for a few weeks and then introduce two new dances, but we don’t forget the dances we have learnt in previous weeks and we recap those as well.
You will be surprised at how much fun dancing lessons actually are. There is always lots of chatter and laughing. You won’t know what you are missing until you try it.
Details of our new weekly beginners class are as follows:
New beginners class starting after Easter. Please subscribe to the newsletter so we can let you know exact dates when they are available, or keep an eye on the news section.
See our about page to find out more about what happens during a class.
Waltz (Ballroom) – The (“slow” or “modern”) Waltz is the ideal starting ballroom dance with a simple timing and a slow rhythm. The Waltz is characterised by graceful turns, a gentle sway and a rise and fall during the steps.
Cha-Cha-Cha (Latin) – The Cha-Cha-Cha is a great introduction to Latin beats. It’s catchy and energetic rhythm make it a firm favourite for many dancers and can be danced to many popular songs.
Social Foxtrot (social) – This dance introduces students to different step timings with slow, slow, quick, quick, step patterns. This dance comes in handy at social occasions and on crowded dance floors.
Rumba (Latin) – This is the slow Latin dance and uses many of the same patterns as the Cha-Cha-Cha, so you can get going with this dance quite quickly.
Samba (Latin) – This dance has a real carnival feel to it and should have lots of hip action. Unlike the other Latin dances which stay mainly on one spot, this dance progresses around the room.
Quickstep (Ballroom) – This dance combines elements learned in the earlier dances and adds speed. This is one of the more energetic of the ballroom dances and definitely true to its name.
Jive (Latin) – An evolution and combination of the swing dances of the 20′s through to the rock’n'roll of the 1950s. This is one of the fastest Latin dances with lots of kicks and flicks along with bounce and rotation.
Tango (Ballroom) – The Tango is an instantly recognisable dance because of the music and by the characteristic stalking and staccato movements which makes it alot of fun to dance. Think drama and passion and you’re well on your way!
Slow Foxtrot (Ballroom) – The slow Foxtrot is not introduced until the second year as it has a more difficult timing and benefits from students already being well grounded in the other ballroom dances. The slow Foxtrot is as fabulous to dance as it is to watch.
Viennese Waltz (Ballroom) – This is closer to the original Waltz and is roughly twice the speed of the slow Waltz that students start with. It is very fast and constantly rotating and requires certain aspects of dancing to have become automatic as there is no time to think. Dancing the Viennese Waltz is exhilarating and lots of fun.
