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Group lessons are available Monday-Thursday evenings. Classes are held once a week for 4 weeks. Most classes feature two dances in a 50 minute class. Some classes feature four dances in a 75 minute class. Please check the class schedule page for specific class offerings. Click here for class schedule.
Partners
In our classes you will dance with the partner you register with. We do not switch partners. If you do not have a partner there are a few options for you. Other singles may be available for partnering with no additional charge. Call the Ballroom to add your name to the singles list. Based on availability, you may request an instructor to dance with you during your 4 week session. There is an additional cost to partner with an instructor. Click here for our prices.
Class Levels
Classes are scheduled for both beginning dancers and intermediate dancers. The descriptions below will help you determine which level of class you should register for.
Beginning Level Classes:
Beginning classes are meant for those who have never danced, have dance a little and need a refresher and for those who have danced some but are learning a new dance. We teach closed or open dance position, basic steps and beginning moves in these classes.
Bronze (Intermediate) Level Classes:
Bronze or Intermediate level classes are meant for those who have mastered the steps taught in the beginning classes. If you haven't learned the beginning steps for a dance take the beginning class. If you have already taken the beginning class but you feel you haven't mastered the steps then repeat the beginning class before moving on to the bronze level class.
Friday Night Open Dances are held from 7:00 -8:20 pm for high school students and 8:30-10:00 pm for adults, September through April. The adult session includes a 20 minute lesson on a different dance each week. After the lesson a variety of songs for different dances are played. Summer Open Dances are held for both high school students and adults from 8:00-9:30 from May through August. Current class participants attend open dances for free. The public is welcome to attend. The cost of the high school session is $5.00 per person. The cost of the adult session is $10.00 per person.
Punch cards are available for purchase at a discounted price. Click here for our prices.
Private lessons for individuals, couples or groups are available during the daytime Monday-Saturdays. Click here for our prices. Call
Ballroom At The Bridges at 605-334-1140 or e-mail info@ballroomatthebridges.com.
Many people ask what to wear for clothing and shoes when they come to class. Clothes should be comfortable for you. Attire ranges from blue jeans to dresses. Whatever you’re comfortable wearing. Shoes are the most important thing. Try to wear lightweight shoes with a back and smooth sole for gliding on the dance floor. Shoes that grip the dance floor, such as tennis shoes, are more difficult to dance in. During wet and snowy weather please bring shoes to change into so the dance floor stays dry.
class start April 5th Lesson Times
Join us for 25 minutes of East Coast Swing and 25 minutes of Night Club Foxtrot. We will move this class along at different levels so join in no matter what level of dancer you are.
provides instruction in over 12 different dances. Listed below are the dances that are regularly offered at the Ballroom. The style of each dance is described to help you choose which class you want to take. If you have any questions about the dances we teach please call the Ballroom at 334-1140.
Bongos and maracas, sensuous rhythms and a strong beat - all in that Latin style. No matter how cold it is outside, on the dance floor, it’s hot Latin music. The distinctive brass of Ban Sali and the soulful rhythm of Carlos Santana’s legendary guitar will get your hips moving with that classic “1-2-cha-cha-cha”. You don’t have to speak Spanish to dance it.
That Big Band sound. The night club scene. Cool, finger snapping, toe tapping sounds. The Foxtrot is all about American cool. If you’d enjoy gliding around the dance floor to the legendary sounds of Dean Martin and Bobby Darin or more contemporary artists like Michael Bublé to hits like Mack the Knife and Come Fly With Me , then this is your dance.
This dance can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Most of us associate the dance with the World War II era as we think about the old movies featuring dances at the USO clubs. Wild. Crazy. Freestyle. It’s all that. The basic step. Well, we will teach you one, but the dance doesn’t call for a formal regimented step. Much less so than the Swing, which is danced to a lot of the same music. So when if someone yells Swing and you want to Jitterbug. Then Jitterbug man!
Remember the days when you hoped and prayed for that perfect slow song when you were with that special person? Yes? This is the dance you should have known! There are so many classic rock and modern pop songs that are great Night Club Two-Step songs. Do not confuse the name of this dance with a Country Two-Step. This is a slow dance that moves gently and slowly in place. This is romance on the dance floor.
When the Latin rhythm slows down, the chemistry heats up with the Rumba. With it’s origin in Cuba, this is a slow dance with a distinct and unique snap to it. You won’t be rocking side to side like you did in high school. No! You will be moved by the slow-quick-quick rhythm of sensuous Latin music. Then you’ll be surprised when you hear that same rhythm in popular American songs like Fields of Gold by Sting or Smooth by Santana.
Is there anything hotter than Salsa?!!! Especially when it’s on the dance floor. It is a fast paced, strut your stuff kind of dance. Lots of hips, lots of style. Salsa is essentially Cuban in stylistic origin but you will find yourself dancing to American pop and rock too. This is a fun and somewhat freestyle dance that allows you to move in and out of closed dance position with your partner and mix it up with lots of moves.
American music man, that’s what we’re talkin’ about! From Big Band sounds to the birth of Rock n Roll. This is pure America on the dance floor and it seems nothing fills a dance floor like the beat of a swing. 1-2 Rock Step. That’s it Dadio! Just throw in turns and spins and you will be swingn’ to the hits of the 50’s like Johnny B. Goode and Great Balls of Fire; hits of the 60’s like Surfin’ USA by the Beach Boys. When you hear a classic, like Splish Splash and the Swing just seems too slow, then throw in a little “triple step–triple step-rock step”. Now you’ll be movin’ and a groovn’, splishn’ and a splashn’!!!
This dance is characterized by its combination smooth flowing movements and quick steps danced in closed dance position. You will be swaying with your partner to songs like Old Days by Chicago and I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King.
Passion, sophistication, strength, and elegance. All of these elements combine to make this one of the most recognized dances in the world. Tango is not for the faint of heart. Have you ever watched the movie, True Lies, which featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis dancing to Por Una Cabeza? Well, you’ll see Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman Tango to the same song. The beauty of the Tango is its simplicity; it literally is T A N G O.
If you’ve ever been to a country western dance then you’ve seen couples flying around the dance floor spinning and cuddling and doing all kinds of crazy pretzel moves with their arms. In this part of the country you will get plenty of chances to Two-Step. The basic step-closed step – step closed step in closed dance position gets you started. From there you’ll learn to open it up, turn it around, and do your own thing. Classic and contemporary country artists offer so many songs for the Two-Stepper.
One dance is synonymous with grace, elegance and romance. What other dance epitomizes Ballroom Dance more than the Waltz? If you learn no other dance in your life, learn to Waltz. Whether it’s the timeless Moon River by Andy Williams or a contemporary love song like Come Away With Me by Norah Jones, you will gracefully circle the Ballroom in an easy rising and falling fashion, moving in unison with your partner.
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