Taking the 1st Step to Dance Class

If you and your two left feet are toying with the idea of learning to dance, if your child sees a ballerina and exclaims, “I want to do that,” or you realize you’re ready to learn a new way to kick up your heels, it may be time to make tracks to the local dance studio.

North County has dozens of offerings to accommodate both the serious dancer and the budding street performer. In an effort to expand the limits of conventional dance, classes are being offered in a multitude of areas, from traditional to trendy, classic to ethnic.

Children can be encouraged to participate in their cultural heritage by taking ethnic dance classes; adults can learn the latest MTV moves in a jazz class.

From full-time dance studios to in-home dance instruction, teachers are available to assist students at all levels of dance. All that seems necessary is a willingness to learn.

Here’s a sampling of dance instruction available in North County:

Country-western

On Saturday afternoons at Leo’s Little Bit of Country in San Marcos, various dance instructors hold one-day, three-hour private dance lessons.

Unlike square dancing, country-western dancing has two forms of dance--couples style, such as the two-step and the cowboy cha-cha; and “line” dancing, where it’s every cowboy and cowgirl for themselves.

Although most country western bars hold free dance instruction in the evenings, the three-hour classes at Leo’s are meant for people who can’t get to the clubs early enough for the free lessons or for those who are apprehensive about learning in a public forum. For couples who want to learn some basic dance moves, the beginning two-step class is a good choice.

Dancers are taught the basic two-step, then additional turns are incorporated into the repertoire. By the end of the class, 10 separate moves will have been learned, and dancers should feel confident enough to hit the dance floor later in the evening when the band begins. As an added bonus, a hand-stamp in class will get you in later if you choose to leave and come back.

Couples can learn from example by following the two instructors that teach the two-step class. Because repetition plays such a strong part in the learning process, moves are explained then practiced several times to songs with different tempos. After mastering the beginning moves, an intermediate two-step class is also taught focusing on more complicated moves.

Line dancing is another option at the three-hour workshops, giving people a chance to focus on some of the dances that they might have been wanting to learn but are not normally covered at the free lessons. At Leo’s, you can learn standards such as the Cowboy Boogie or the Tush Push, or newer dances such as the Achy Breaky or the Boot Scootin’ Boogie.

Class sizes can be small or large, depending on how many people show up. A complete list of all Saturday classes and their instructors can be obtained by calling or stopping by Leo’s. Each three-hour class is $10 per person, or $15 per couple, payable at the start of class. Generally held between 3 and 6 p.m., the classes are alternated so that the line dancers and the two-steppers have classes available on a regular basis.

Leo’s Little Bit of Country

680 N. San Marcos Blvd.

San Marcos 744-4120

Folklorico

Originally from Guadalajara, Sebastian Flores now teaches children interested in learning about the cultural heritage of Mexico through dance.

Focusing on dances from the state of Durango, Flores has chosen them because their style is often overlooked. Differing from the fiesta-style most often associated with Mexican dancing, the style is appropriate for California’s western heritage, he said. New dances are introduced to students at his Escondido classes, held two nights per week.

Averaging 20 dancers a class, the children range in age from 6-15 and cross ethnic barriers.

“Some of the students, mostly the teen-agers, are there out of a cultural interest. Others are interested in performing, and some are there just to have fun,” says Flores.

Classes are taught on Mondays and Thursdays, from 6-8 p.m., and cost $5 per week. If they aspire to a performance level, Flores also leads the Ensemble Folklorico de San Diego, an adult group that has performed locally at the Bazaar del Mundo Cinco de Mayo Festivities in Old Town.

For new students, Flores recommends simple, low-heeled shoes so that the children will be able to “hear their feet.” Then, if they show continued interest, special dance shoes can be bought.

Often, the younger dancers are asked to perform at private parties and functions. But because their parents won’t get to see them perform there, Flores arranges to hold performances twice a year.

“It takes about six months to learn a new dance routine and make the costumes,” he says. “And it gives the parents an opportunity to see their kids.”

Sebastian Flores

Ensemble Folklorico de San Diego

591-3607

Irish Step

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening, instructor Donna Means teaches her students the precise, crossing foot movements that characterize Irish Step Dancing.

For generations, the highly stylized dances such as the reel, light jig, slip jig and two-hand reel have been handed down and taught verbally and visually. The movements are meticulously studied and practiced until they are mastered by the dancers.

Once her dancers reach a certain level of expertise, they are ready to compete in a feis, a Gaelic word for dance festival. Representing her school of dance, the competitors are then divided into groups according to age and level of expertise.

Although most of her students aspire to vie for trophies and medals at the various competitions around Southern California, several are there strictly for enjoyments’ sake--competition being a distant concern.

Means, who has been dancing since the age of 8, has competed throughout the Western United States and western Canada, but retired from competitions after becoming the senior champion. Now, several of her students compete for titles at the World Championships Feis, carrying on the tradition of Irish Step Dancing.

Although she currently teaches mostly children and teens, Means is forming an adults-only class in January. Classes last one hour and cost $7 per class.

School of Irish Dance

1956 W. El Norte Parkway

Escondido, 743-0938

Polynesian

“It’s more than just a school of dance--it’s a cultural experience,” said Torea King, owner and instructor of Te Tahiti Otea in Oceanside. “I teach my students how to make their own costumes, how to make leis, how to speak and understand the different Polynesian languages and learn about their cultures.”

Polynesian dancing is a very disciplined style of dancing, according to King. Because it’s also extremely culture-oriented, she feels it’s important to use the language of the country the dance is from. “When I teach a Hawaiian dance, I speak Hawaiian. When I teach a Tahitian dance, I speak Tahitian.”

She starts her students in private to semi-private groups of one to four dancers, then allows them to progress into larger dance classes with up to 14 people per class. Within three months, after having acquired the basics, a new student will have decided whether or not Polynesian dancing is for them. “They’re either with me for life or realize it’s not their cup of tea. I have students who have been with me for 12 years,” King said.

Te Tahitia Otea is a strictly Polynesian school, with separate classes for men because the masculine dance form is different. All of the dancers also learn to dance to live accompaniment to prepare them for the possibility of performing with one of the groups that dance at private luaus and parties. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for rehearsals or shows, leaving Mondays through Thursdays available for classes.

In addition to teaching dances from Hawaii and Tahiti, dances are also taught from Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand, rounding out the cultural excursion into the South Pacific.

Private and semi-private classes meet once a week for $40 per month, and beginning, intermediate and advanced classes meet twice a week for $40 per month.

Te Tahiti Otea

4079 Oceanside Blvd., E

Oceanside, 631-0391

Ballet

The American Ballet School was established 10 years ago with an emphasis on training students for a career in professional dance. Occupying over 5,000 square feet, the art of dance is taught through ballet, the basic dance form, said Linda Yourth, director of the school in Sorrento Valley.

“We have instructors who’ve danced with the Kirov, the Bolshoi and the New York City Ballet,” Yourth said.

With what Yourth describes as a “mixed bag of dancers,” drop-ins, (from visiting touring companies), former dancers, dance lovers, aspiring performers and children at various levels make up the students who attend classes at the school.

Among the offerings is a men’s class that Yourth said is well attended.

Various ballet classes provide a well-rounded background for the dance student, and include instruction in technique, pointe, pas de deux and variations. All programs are tailored to the individual student’s level, with emphasis on personal accomplishment.

Trained at the School of American Ballet in New York under the tutelage of George Ballanchine, Yourth performed as a ballerina at Lincoln Center. As a guest artist, she danced in Europe with the Paris Opera and the Royal Danish Ballet.

She feels that dance is a means of communicating and of sharing emotional and physical expression with an audience. To accomplish that, the school encourages promising dancers to join the American Ballet Ensemble, an outgrowth of the school. Members of the ensemble perform in the San Diego area and in Mexico.

Classes are held Monday through Saturday, and prices vary. As an example, a 10-week beginning ballet session for a child, meeting twice a week, costs $170.

American Ballet School

11760 Sorrento Valley Rd., Suite P

San Diego, 792-1882

Square dancing

“Fun and friendship is what square dancing is all about,” says Keith Spears, head of the Palomar Square Dance Assn.

Using a mixture of current country-western hits, as well as light rock ‘n’ roll, a new energy has been fused into square dancing.

Classes form every September and January, and run for approximately six months. During that time, more than 50 different dance commands are taught.

Touting square dancing as a family-oriented activity, Spears said no alcohol is allowed at the dances hosted by local square dance clubs and held in church halls, schools and recreation rooms. The emphasis is on the dancing and individuals from all walks of life and all age groups can participate.

Newcomers are encouraged and welcomed, and Spears said that after two or three months, even a beginner will feel confident enough to attend a dance and be able to follow the “callers’ ” directions.

In the beginning, the men are usually dragged to the dance by the women, Spears said. “Then they end up getting more involved and enthusiastic than their partner.”

A square-dancing festival is planned for February, and new classes begin in January.

At $3 per person per night, a two-hour square dancing class might be the bargain of the year. Usually starting at 7:30 or 8 p.m., the classes are held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights in Escondido, Fallbrook, Oceanside, Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Penasquitos. The Palomar Square Dance Assn. can act as a referral service to put students in touch with an instructor in their area. With over 19 clubs in the North County alone, square dancing is gaining in popularity almost as quickly as country-western.

Palomar Square Dancing Assn.

Keith & Linda Spears

743-4155

Three-way instruction

If your child is flirting with the idea of becoming a dancer, a good introduction might be through a class at Tanya’s Dance in Vista.

Emphasizing enjoyment rather than performance-level instruction, new classes form every two months. Dorraine Worrall said that each class is a combination class of three different techniques--jazz, ballet and tap--designed to give the children an introduction to the basic forms of dance.

At this school, children can be fitted with shoes from a stock of trade-ins, rather than having to purchase new ones. There is also an extensive array of costumes on hand, saving parents the need to sew or purchase expensive outfits. As the mother of a dancer, Worral said she remembers what it was like having to purchase dance costumes worn for one performance, then shoved in the back of a closet.

“Now we provide the shoes and the additional add-ons to the basic dance outfit (a leotard and tights) for the performances,” she said.

Schooled as a dance instructor, Worrall teaches children ages 3-13 in her Vista studio. Classes are held Monday through Thursday, with occasional performances at the Vista Street Market on Thursday nights. Classes meet twice a week. Divided into different age groups, the eight classes cost $35.

Tanya’s Dance

149 Ocean View Drive

Vista, 630-4827

Jazz, etc.

Chris Aguilar remembers what it was like struggling to become a dancer: “I wouldn’t be a dancer if people hadn’t given me breaks along the way.”

To that end, he has instituted a scholarship program to give a broad range of students the opportunity to attend classes at Aguilar Dance Academy, his new studio in Encinitas.

Prior to opening his own studio, Aguilar taught at several dance studios around San Diego, and has worked as a choreographer in feature films.

In addition to afternoon children’s classes of jazz and ballet, adult jazz classes are taught several times a week, with baby-sitting available for the morning classes. There are hip-hop and country-western line dance classes that are open to all ages so parents can learn the latest dance steps along with their kids.

Aguilar said he feels dance can be a way for kids with too few structured activities to use some of their time and energy productively. “With budget cuts in schools, the arts suffer. I’m trying to fill that void.”

With four other dance instructors slated to teach classes, Aguilar is excited about the opportunities that will be available for students. Among his instructors is Joey Doucette, a choreographer originally from Mexico who teaches an adult jazz class using what Aguilar calls a “strong, traditional jazz background.”

At the academy, single classes are $7.50, and booklets of tickets good for up to six months can be purchased in increments of 4 to 20 classes at a cost of $26-$96.

Aguilar Dance Academy

1105 2nd Street

Encinitas, 436-9490

Center stage

The largest and one of the most popular dance schools in North County, Carlsbad Dance Centre has won many top honors for dance performances, choreography and costumes. The studio works to provide a multitude of performance opportunities for its students.

Providing instruction for students ages 2 1/2 to adult, the studio offers tap, jazz and ballet, as well as classes specifically geared for teens and adults. A boys funk/street dance class is also available, as are combination “musical theater” classes.

Ginya Sherlock, founder of the school, has 20 years of teaching experience and is on the board of the Carlsbad Patrons of the Arts Foundation. Backed up by seven other instructors, she leads students into what she feels is a program designed to inspire a commitment to performance-level dancing.

Part of the agenda at the center is the competition program, designed for those students who “excel in dance and have demonstrated a sincere desire to commit themselves to furthering their level of achievement in dance.”

Students are selected for specialized professional training beyond the basic curriculum, then given an opportunity to perform at selected regional and national competitions where they can showcase their talent.

Last year, a trip was arranged to Futtsu, Japan, where members of the Carlsbad Dance Centre performed at the Kobe Green Stadium at the Japanese-American All-Star Baseball Classic.

Classes are held Monday through Saturday, and cost $32 per month for one class per week, with discounts given for additional classes or family members.

Carlsbad Dance Centre

2008 Roosevelt St.

Carlsbad, 434-5182