Charlotte dance instructors share tips


What styles of dancing do you teach?

Haskell Thompson: "We do ballroom, Latin and any partnership dances."

Tom Minieri: "We do ballroom dances, Latin, swing, social dancing, competitive dancing and wedding dances."

Dana Glandon: "All the ballroom and partner dances, Latin, swing, shag, country western, tap, jazz, ballet and hip-hop."

Besides learning how to dance, what are some other reasons people take lessons?

Thompson: "To lose weight, to make new friends and meet people, and to forget daily frustrations."

Minieri: "For social interaction, quality time for couples and exercise."

Glandon: "To get out and meet people, to gain confidence, to lose weight and for health reasons."

How do you charge for dance lessons and what's the cost?

Thompson: "A private lesson is $76 an hour, and a group session's $15 an hour. We have a starter package that's two private lessons, two group classes and two dance parties for $40."

Minieri: "We do private instruction and group classes. We have monthly packages that start at $150 a month."

Glandon: "We have packages that start at $48 a month. We give everyone a complimentary lesson. You can also come to a group class everyday for $117 a month."

Have shows like "Dancing with the Stars" helped your business?

Thompson: "Oh, yes. We even had a Fred Astaire teacher on the show, but he got knocked off. The show has brought new people in."

Minieri: "People better understand what we do and see that ballroom dancing is fun and modern - not stuffy and old-fashioned."

Glandon: "We've always been busy, but the show has helped us get more gentlemen interested. It shows that anybody can do it."

Besides teaching lessons, do you hold any types of dancing events at your studio?

Thompson: "Every Friday night we do a dance party from 9 to 11 p.m. "

Minieri: "We hold weekly social dances and dinner dances throughout the year as well."

Glandon: "We have a social every first and third Friday of the month."

How do you handle the most dancing-challenged clients?

Thompson: "They learn pretty quickly that they don't have two left feet. We're patient and go along at their pace."

Minieri: "Our teachers are very qualified. We tailor our lessons to whatever our students need. We go at their pace."

Glandon: "Everybody is able to be trained. We just teach them to dance. It's the same process for everyone."

Do you have any funny or memorable stories about any lessons you've given?

Thompson: "We've had someone with an artificial leg and one with two artificial hips."

Minieri: "Every day."

Glandon: "I've had ladies who've lost more than 150 pounds."

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