Simply Dancing for Men

My name is Adam and I want to tell you about my experience of learning with Simply Dancing Partners.

Watching Strictly Come Dancing a few years ago I noticed that Anton du Beke, despite being about my age, was slim and had superb posture – and he looked like he was having fun. I decided I wanted to learn to dance.

After lots of online research (and one awful group lesson with a generic dance teaching company) I came across Simply Dancing Partners. The owner, Jenni Kravitz, invited my wife and I to come and watch a class in progress, it looked fun and the couples waltzing were very good - we signed up. Our teacher was an excellent professional dancer and we made good progress over a few weeks.

Then Covid struck. It was pretty apparent that no one was going to be dancing, but Jenni came up with a solution. She pared us up with a really lovely professional dancer called Elza who gave us lessons over Zoom. Of course, that isn’t the ideal way to learn to dance but we had a lot of fun, and learned enough to impress a friend’s dance group when we joined them for their New Year’s Eve dance after lockdown ended.

With my wife becoming ever busier we took the decision that I should learn on my own, particularly to improve my leading skills, so I signed up to dance with a professional partner with Simply Dancing Partners.  Joining this class has been a revelation. You learn so much when your partner knows what they are doing! Instead of treading on each other’s toes my partner gently corrects what I’m doing, takes time to explain the intricacies of the step and patiently unpicks my bad habits. You learn fast this way and it gives you enormous confidence. As a man you really appreciate what is required from you as a leader. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Ballroom and Latin dancing. The classes are friendly and fun, no one feel embarrassed and no one is made to feel uncomfortable or foolish – I really look forward to them.

Simply Dancing Partners Waltz lesson with my professional partner Carolina at Dance Art Studios

About a year ago I was lucky enough to run into Anton – I told him how much I loved dancing and that he had been the inspiration for it, he was exactly as charming as you would expect!

Adam with anton du beke

Couples always dance with their own partners in our classes

In our Couples classes we always keep partners together - after all they are learning to dance so that they can go out to social dances in the future.

It is a very satisfying experience to be the couple on the dance floor who know some moves and can enjoy the music rather than wish they could join in.

We teach our couples a limited number of moves for several dances such as Cha Cha, Rumba, Waltz, Quickstep so that they can memorise and practice them together. When they are out at an event they will be able to get up and dance to any song that they like rather than just the ones they know the steps for. Once you have a vocabulary of steps you will find yourself hearing the music then imagining which dance style fits.

Learning in a group is very sociable and a great way to build something as a joint project.

More details from: jenni@simplydancingpartners.co.uk

You do not need to find a partner to have a great dance lesson

It is ‘Strictly’ season, and many women imagine themselves on a Ballroom dancing with great partners just as the celebrities do.  However, there is still a bar to entry - particularly if you do not have a partner who is willing to learn with you – or if you have a partner who is not at all interested in dancing.

Several years ago, I found myself in this position and rather than give up on my dream, I decided to re-invent group lessons to fit my own criteria.  I wanted to be assured of a good, competent dance partner throughout my lessons and at the same time have the enjoyment of joining with a group of like-minded women.

I created Simply Dancing Partners to mimic the Strictly experience.  I hired a team of experienced teachers and dance partners and discovered that I had hit a chord.  The company is still thriving sixteen years later and has given a huge amount of confidence and enjoyment to dozens of women.

We occasionally have male clients joining us, but they are still few and far between.  They benefit from dancing with highly qualified female dance partners.

There is no need to wait until you can persuade a friend or relative to go with you.  We provide a very friendly atmosphere, and our team of dance professionals is always kind and helpful.  They don’t consider anyone’s age only whether the person is keen to listen and learn.  Our youngest dance partner is 16 and our oldest client is 76 – it just doesn’t matter as the love of dance is what they have in common.

We run courses of fifteen weeks, three times a year (not drop-in classes as partners have to be booked well in advance and paid for).  The classes run every Monday at 33 Seymour Place W1H 5AU – near to Marble Arch. 

We teach total beginners up to advanced level clients.  The lessons include a selection of: Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Tango, Cha Cha, Jive, Samba and Rumba – two weeks on each dance style so that you can really concentrate on each style.  You are always dancing with a partner who can lead you properly and help you to learn quickly.

A new term will start on 9th January 2023 and we are taking bookings now.  You are welcome to come and watch any of the classes between now and the 12th December 2022.

For more details call: Jenni 07768 760388 or send an email to jenni@simplydancingpartners.co.uk

The joy of a Private Lesson

I have been learning to dance for twelve years and although I can give a very good impression of being competent when being led by a professional partner, I am very much aware that my technique needs a lot of work.  It helps that I learnt ballet as a child because some elements of posture and timing do stay in your muscle memory.

However, the more private lessons that I take, the more I realise that a really detailed understanding of the technique involved in creating the steps is invaluable.  Not only does it affect the appearance of the figures, but it makes the experience more pleasurable for my teacher when I hold my own weight correctly and maintain the essential contact points and resistance. Otherwise it is extremely difficult to communicate.  As followers we really don’t pay enough attention to the well-being of our leaders. Hanging on them and not taking the initiative to drive the dance when it is our turn makes life uncomfortable for them – although they are too polite to complain.

It also makes it much more interesting when you can recognize a sequence and know that you are able to follow it through to the end.  This means that even if you are dancing with an inexperienced leader, you will know what you are doing.

Being able to relax and not trying to lead takes a great deal of practice (particularly for modern day women) but once you achieve it this removes stress and tension when you dance.  You have to pay attention to very subtle changes in hand and body direction that your leader gives you and when dancing Ballroom you also have to be prepared to get close to their right hip with yours otherwise you lose a lot of vital information.  All the time you also have to hold your own weight and stretch your head to the side in order to create a beautiful shape – AND – get the steps right.  It sounds daunting but when you get the hang of it the experience is amazing.

There is not always time to convey all of this detail in a group lesson where we concentrate mainly on learning routines.  However, many of our clients are taking private lessons as well as group so that they can concentrate on the detail and become more confident.

For me, my private lessons are the highlight of my week as I come out on an emotional high and really feeling that I have achieved something wonderful.

These are testimonials from some of our clients:

“Having had two 1-2-1 lessons with Istvan, I only have positive feedback. As I’d anticipated he is a talented and elegant dancer. As a teacher, he is interested in what I want to learn and what I already knew, as well as my objectives. He has kept the lessons interesting, informative and varied, moving at a pace that works for my ability and fitness level. He is professional, motivational and explains the steps and hold in a very clear and concise way. I’m really happy with all that I’ve learnt so far and pleasantly surprised that we’ve covered so much and feel rapid improvement albeit only 2 lessons so far! I would recommend Istvan without hesitation”. Rachel

“My private lessons with Nikita have given me the opportunity to work in detail on the techniques introduced in the group class. Nikita is an extremely talented dancer and teacher. He explains how a dance works by breaking it down into easy to understand components. This really suits my learning style. I am astonished as to how much I am able to learn from him I just one hour. This has taken my dancing, and my enjoyment of dancing, to another level.”
Kathryn

 “I have both private and group lessons with Catalin. He is a wonderful teacher and dance partner. He explains dance technique, steps, and routines in great detail, and with exceptional clarity. He has outstanding patience, understanding, and encouragement, together with a great sense of humour and fun.”
Mary

You can dance like the celebrities on Strictly

The new season of Strictly Come Dancing will start in September.  This is the time when hundreds of people decide to take up Ballroom and Latin dancing.  In their imagination they are being whirled around the dance floor by handsome young men who can lead them correctly.

Unless you come to Simply Dancing Partners this experience will be very hard to find.  You will turn up at your average dance school and discover that there is a room full of women, but you will see very few men.  The proprietors will tell you that this is how it has always been.

I was told this too way back in 2005 and decided to do something positive to change the situation as I really wanted to take up Ballroom dancing.  I created a dance school with a team of professional dance partners who already know how to dance very well.  Every client is guaranteed to dance with one of these partners throughout every lesson.  It has been so successful that we are about to enter our 13thyear and we made the dance experience pleasurable to many people to whom previously, partner dancing was something they could only dream of.

We have created an environment where professionals and amateurs of mixed ages come together on a weekly basis to enjoy learning to dance.  There is no need to look for a partner or a friend to go with you as we are very friendly and inclusive.  No-one ever sits on the side of the room waiting for their turn to dance and we assume that you will be a complete beginner.  In a very short time, you will be dancing Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba, Salsa, Viennese Waltz, Waltz, Quickstep, Tango and Foxtrot.

We run regular practice sessions so that you can dance freestyle with our team of partners

For those who want to improve their standard quickly we also run private lessons at times to suit you and we have designed a Latin Technique class that runs three times a week where you can learn to perfect Cha Cha, Samba, Jive and Rumba.

We run most of the classes in Central London near to Marble Arch but also include daytime sessions in Battersea and are planning to open some in Wimbledon later in the year.

Men are also welcome to join the classes as we have female professional dancers in the team.  There is also a class just for Couples who want to learn together.

The new term starts on the 7th January 2019 and we are taking bookings now.

The full schedule is on our website: www.simplydancingpartners.co.uk