Dance Lessons 101: The Basics and Beyond

Ten and twenty years ago, my wife and I took a few months of weekly dancing lessons for around $600 each. After each lesson, I couldn't remember much of what we had learned in the previous lesson and my wife and I would disagree with our steps. Because each of the dance companies were preparing us to dance competitively, although we were there to learn to dance socially, my back was always hurting after each lesson from trying to conform my body to these exact positionings. My wife and I learned very little, and thus when we went out dancing we rarely used anything from our dance lessons but just danced like everyone else did, so we could have fun. When we saw others dancing ballroom style, they always danced the same basic moves counter-clockwise around the dance floor (i.e., forward, left turns, and lady turns), regardless of which dance they were performing.After 33 years of marriage and dancing in our own styles, I thought I'd try learning ballroom dancing for my wife again but decided to try something different. I bought 6 of Shawn's dancing DVD's and took them with us on our vacation, watching one dance lesson each day, taking my time analyzing them and making detailed notes of each move (my wife would watch them after I had studied them, as she could learn faster and remember better than I did). In each lesson, we learned more than several lessons with either of the dance companies I mentioned above. Then my wife and I took our time to slowly work on each dance together. We moved the chairs and table out of the kitchens and set up speakers that were hooked up to my computer to play music, and would dance for an hour each night to different songs. Just for fun, we even tried new moves that Shawn hadn't taught and probably doesn't exist. Learning to dance was enjoyable and dancing with my wife turned out to be a wonderful experience - I finally understood the joy of dancing with one I love. After three weeks traveling through the U.S. and dancing almost every day, my wife and I knew how to perform 10 different dances well. We next went on a cruise, where we danced these dances every night and received compliments that we appeared to have been dancing for years.Since our cruise, we were unable to dance for a few weeks, so I forgot many of our dance moves. Unlike taking lessons from the dance companies, we didn't have to pay to relearn the dances - I went back to my notes and went back to Shawn's lessons and were quickly able to relearn the dances.We have since purchased additional dance videos from Shawn and will purchase additional ones in a few months. He takes his time instructing us and gives various angles to his lessons. I'm sure you will see how great he and his wife do from the other reviewers, so there's no need to cover that here. I just want you to see the benefits of purchasing his DVD's over taking dance lessons from the dance companies (even if you want to compete, I suggest you learn the dance lessons from him first, as he was a dance teacher at one of those companies long ago according to his statements on his DVD's and in his book).Before you purchase a DVD of his, I recommend you purchase his book, which comes with a DVD of dance videos before purchasing your first DVD.

We bought this DVD to learn some dance moves before our wedding. While the basics are provided for a number of dances, they are VERY basic. If you are someone who already has a brief understanding of some of these dances, skip this one and choose one that is only for one type of dance. They go through 2-3 moves for each dance and then how to put them together. Thats about it. One thing I really did like about this though is that the instructors show you a few times, from different angles, how exactly the move is done. They begin doing the move once, then you follow along once, and then they do it faster, and then you follow faster. And then they go through it two or three more times until they move on. My husband is doesn't pick up dance or rhythm very quickly so this was great. It allowed us time to really get the hang of each move before they moved on to the next. At the end of each segment, you run through the whole routine two or three times, in the correct timing, so it gives you a little practice time.

Shawn Trautman is a GREAT instructor! I attended one of his Dance Lessons 101 Live classes last week and was blown away by his teaching methods and ability to break dances down into pieces that everyone understood. I've taken many dance classes and this was by far the best I've ever taken. As a middle school teacher, I can honestly say I didn't expect to be impressed in the manner I was and I know others in the class were equally impressed.I purchased Dance Lessons 101 and strongly recommend it! I already know some of the dances featured on the DVD, like West Coast Swing and Hustle, but have struggled to get the right techniques and footwork. Other dances I've seen, but not danced, so I was pleased. This DVD is very easy for me to follow, and I can replay and practice the footwork I need help with until it "clicks" for me. I really like how Shawn and his wife, Joanna, explain things thoroughly and demonstrate on the screen exactly as I see it; in other words, it's not the mirror image. Like excellent teachers of any subject do, they anticipate and answer questions you might have such as where your weight should be, or what to do with your hands. Joanna offers tips about things that make the dances easier for her to follow, and I find myself practicing those techniques as well. It's almost like being in your own 2 hour private lesson that you've recorded and can play back to review. I also liked that Shawn shows a little more of what you can learn in each dance from his other DVDs. You won't get to be an expert in any of these dances by this one DVD, but you can certainly learn enough to go out and have fun with each of the 8 dances. If you're new to dancing or just want to learn some new dances like I did, you should give Dance Lessons 101 a try.