DANCE STYLES WE TEACH
Ballroom, Latin and Nighclub Dance Lessons in Sydney
As Sydney’s social dance specialists, we offer dance lessons in a range of ballroom, Latin and nightclub dance styles. Whether you want to learn something traditional and elegant such as the fox trot, upbeat like the cha cha or versatile like the nightclub two step, we have you covered.
When teaching students to dance, we use our proven teaching method and utilise an internationally recognised dance syllabus. The secret to our success is how we use structure in our learning programs to meet individual needs.
Learning to social dance is a very special journey, and our friendly teachers will ensure that you have the skills to be confident on the dance floor. Come in for a trial lesson and you’ll see why people come from all over greater Sydney and surrounds to learn to dance with us.
Pro Tip
Don’t learn a single style of dance. Learning is accelerated by learning at least 3 styles. Plus, most places play music that suits more than one style of dance. Don’t limit yourself!
Ballroom dance styles offered at William Maslin
Fox trot
The fox trot is a smooth and flowing dance. Like its name, it began as a ‘trot’ with a natural ‘down, up’ movement throughout the dance, like walking. It is refined to a smooth flow as you develop your skill. The American social Fox Trot is a wonderful foundation to advance your dance ability.
Viennese waltz
The Viennese waltz is the oldest of all the ballroom dances, danced at the fast tempo that characterised the first waltzes. Later versions, such as the French and Boston waltzes, are much slower. The golden age of the Viennese Waltz in Europe was the early 1800s, when Johann Strauss was composing. Its popularity has gone up and down, but it has never gone out of style. It is classic “old-school” ballroom.
Peabody
The peabody is a Ballroom dance form similar to the Fox Trot made poplar at the beginning of the 20th century by William Frank Peabody, a N.Y. police Lieutenant and active dancer. The use of the Right Outside Partner position is a major characteristic of this dance form. For the most part, the Peabody is a fast One-Step danced to lively ragtime music.
Latin dance styles offered at William Maslin
East Coast swing
The most popular variation of a larger Swing family, the East Coast swing is derived from the Fox Trot and Lindy Hop dances. The Swing is famous for its back rocks, triple to single step variations, and pendulum hip movements. It’s a medium paced yet grounded dance, perfect for a swinging 50s disco.
Mambo
The mambo is a rhythm or Latin dance, that is fast, fun and often known as Salsa on 2. It follows the same rhythm as Salsa, but starts on the second beat. It is a very traditional dance, preferred by communities in Mexico and Cuba, with accentuated hip movements at each step. Mambo means ‘shake it’ and has evolved to include influence from Bolero and Rumba.
Merengue
The merengue is a travelling dance, that is fun, light and joyous. It can just look like stepping to the side for 8 steps, but coupled with Cuban motion, weight changes and a strong, proud torso, the Merengue is far from easy. It is fast, fun and fancy. The Merengue was banned in 1941 seen as scandalous at the time. But the dance took off in the following decades in social and dance halls, and is now a much loved dance for beginners to learn Latin motion.
Bolero
A romantic, flowing spot dance. It shares a similar timing to Rumba, although lends itself to a longer ‘slow’ step. It includes rise and fall similar to the Waltz, and weight change indicating step change just like the Argentine Tango. To further accent the sensuality of the dance, it uses contra-body movement like the Tango. The bolero is a unique, complex and intense dance where you can showcase your smooth and rhythm ability all at once. Its unique ‘slip pivot’ gives the dance flow and shape different of any other dance.
Samba
Brazil’s signature dance, the samba is a carnival starting at your feet, and inviting your whole body to experience the fast paced rhythm and happy tones. The Samba in Brazil is danced a little different to the western version of this social dance, and actually there are over 10 variations. As the dance travelled worldwide, many variations evolved, but the ‘Samba rock’ versions took hold in the Western and European countries. The Samba, while it still holds its Brazilian roots and characteristics, it can be considered the most international Latin dance as a result of its international evolution.
Nightclub dance styles offered at William Maslin
Argentine tango
Originating in the slums of late 19th century Buenos Aires, the Argentine tango has become synonymous with Latin passion. Mixing grace with warm-blooded temper, this style offers dancers a way to express emotion, impulses, and spontaneity in intriguing ways. The Argentine Tango is especially well-suited for dancers who appreciate the Tango form but want more room to improvise.
Bachata
A dance from the Dominican Republic, which has evolved as a box step to a side-by-side step dance. The bachata has distinct music and a unique hip pop on the 4. The Bachata hold can be close and intimate, reflecting its romantic tone. But the intimacy of the hold can vary throughout one dance dictated by the lead’s push and pull. Bachata is now loved throughout the world and you can find many variations including Bachatango and Urban Bachata.
Hustle
A popular dance that took off in the 1970s disco era. It started as the Two Step, individual dance. It evolved into a partner dance, with the lead using push and pull to bring the follower in and out, producing the circular, spinning movement we know as the hustle. This is a versatile dance that has lasted through the ages as it can be applied even to modern music. We will teach you a 3 step Hustle with syncopation for a more fun, disco style dance. Who can forget John Travolta popularising the Hustle in Saturday Night Fever?
Salsa
The salsa is a fun and fast Latin dance, with fancy steps are often very easy to learn. There are many variations of Salsa from the Cuban to the New York Salsa. Some Salsas are vertical, others horizontal, circular and many a mixture of the 3 directions. The Salsa is fun and free dance, and once mastered, you can impress on any dance floor.
Lindy hop
The lindy hop is a fun, active dance from the swing family. The dance has the same back step as the Swing, followed by a controlled downward kick by each foot. This bopping dance was discovered in the 1920s, perfect for dancers keen to improvise and integrate other dances such as the Charleston and even acrobatics.
The 4 stages of learning to social dance
1. Trial Lesson
Work out a suitable dance program, such as style, number of lessons, timeframe etc
2. Learning Elements
Learn all the figures in each dance style. Starting with the basics and then through to harder figures.
3. Putting it Together
Now you have all the pieces of the puzzle, it’s time to start putting it together into a beautiful artwork.
4. Perfecting
What did we say? Practise, practise and more practise. You’ll run through it a few times to make it great
Fun Fact
Why do quality dance studios encourage students to learn the ‘core six’ styles of dance – rumba, cha cha, swing, fox trot, tango and waltz?
With this repertoire you’ll be able to dance to most common types of music.
5 tips to become a successful social dancer
1. Learn a variety of styles
You might be worried that learning a variety of styles will be harder and more time consuming than sticking to one or two. Our experience shows that students learn faster and become better dancers quicker with multiple styles.
Also, if you want to social dance, you’ll be exposed to a range of music which will suit different dance styles. Therefore, you don’t want to limit yourself to a single style and find yourself sitting out most dances because what you know doesn’t match the music.
2. Attend group classes
So you’re just starting out and lack confidence. Don’t let that prevent you from participating in group classes. Other students will be in the same shoes as you.
The major benefit of attending group classes is you’ll experience what it is like to dance with different partners, which is critical to becoming a great social dancer. You’ll also learn the key skill of floorcraft – dancing around other people on the dance floor.
3. Experiment with your dancing
So you have learnt a step in the rumba. Try doing it in the waltz. You’ll need to make some adjustments, but most of the time, you’ll find it will work. This is a great way to quickly build your library of dance steps.
The other thing to experiment with is dancing a style of dance to music that doesn’t suit that style (within reason). Most DJs know nothing about dance, so their playlists will favour a consistent beat. This can make dancing a bit boring as you’ll be limited to a smaller group of dances depending on their taste. Mix it up a bit and enjoy it by playing with the dance styles.
4. Don't critique your partner
You’ve been dancing for a little while now and are happy to dance with anyone. You try to do some moves and it doesn’t work, so you try and tell your partner what they should be doing. While your intention comes from a good place, it actually makes for an unpleasant experience. Only offer feedback to your partner if invited.
5. Dance to the ability of your partner
Your an advanced dancer and you know how to lead, so you try a hard figure with a beginner. It doesn’t work, so you try again. You give it a bit more time and try for a third time. Still no luck.
This is the quickest way to deter a beginner from continuing with their dancing and will only end up limiting the pool of futer advanced dancers you’ll have to dance with. Dance to your partner’s level. Enjoy a good partnership and just dance.
Book your first private class today
Now is the perfect time to start learning to dance.
Come alone or with a partner and one of our great teachers will show you a few of our dances. You’ll see how quickly you can learn and what’s involved.