Q. What should I wear to my first lesson?
A. You can wear whatever you feel comfortable in.
Q. What shoes should I wear?
A. To begin with, street shoes are OK. For men, avoid shoes with heavy rims as this makes it difficult to use the inside edge of your feet. Also avoid rubber soled shoes as they stick to the floor too much. However, once your dancing skill increases then dance shoes should be purchased. Dance shoes are lighter and far more flexible than street shoes thus enabling you to use your feet and ankles more easily. You can purchase your dance shoes from the Richmond studio. Please see you teacher to organise or if you are a Camberwell student then please call 9421 1228 and speak with Lara who will be able to help you.
Q. Do I need a partner?
A. No, on private lessons your instructor will instruct and dance with you at the same time. In group classes, there are lots of people to dance with. The group class instructor will rotate partners around so that you will get the opportunity to dance with a variety of people and enhance your leading or following skills.
Q. What happens on my first lesson?
A. Your first lesson at Forever Dance is free (*). One of our teachers will spend thirty to forty minutes with you. They will show you around the studio and will then teach you a couple of steps in the dances that you would like to learn. This gives you the opportunity to see how we teach and how much fun the lessons are. Secondly, it gives your teacher a chance to see how you learn and how they're best able to help you with your dancing. When you are happy with your initial free lesson, the teacher will enrol you on our Introductory Program.
Q. What is the Introductory Program?
A. The Introductory Program consists of 3 x private lessons, 4 x group lessons and 1 x 3 hour social night, at which you can use the new skills you have acquired. The cost of this program is $207 (including GST).
If you would like to learn with a partner, the Introductory Program includes 5 x private lessons, 6 x group lessons and 1 x 3 hour social night for both of you. The cost of this program is $355 (including GST).
Q. What will I learn on the Introductory Program?
A. There are 12 main social dances - 4 Ballroom, 4 Latin American and 4 Street Latin. Firstly, you will learn the foot positions and timings of 2 to 3 steps in as many dances as your teacher can introduce you to. Once you have covered the basics, you then work on leading/following, footwork and basic styling. You are always working at your pace of learning.
Q. When can I have my lessons?
A. Lessons can be booked in from 10am until 10pm on weekdays and from 11am until 3 pm on Saturdays in our Richmond Studio and 1pm until 10pm weekdays and 11am until 3pm on Saturdays in our Camberwell Studio. Lessons can also be taught on Sundays if required (Richmond only)
The first step is to determine a time which suits you to come into the Studio for your complimentary sample lesson, as everything starts from there. Please phone us on (03) 9421-1228 Richmond and (03) 9882 2938 for Camberwell after 1pm weekdays and 11am Saturdays to make an appointment or send us your contact details via our contact page and we will contact you. We look forward to hearing from you and can assure you that you will have a lot of fun learning here!
Q. What happens after the Introductory Program?
A. There are many different levels that you can achieve in your dancing. Throughout your introductory program, your teacher will speak with you about your progress and also about the best direction in which to take your dancing. Your teacher will always work at your pace of learning. We will enroll you on a program of private lessons and, with each private lesson, we will allocate a complimentary group class to give you extra practice with our other students and also to back up what you have learned in your private lessons. This also gives you the opportunity to get to know other students in the studio. During your private lessons, other students and their teachers will be on the floor at the same time as you and this provides a social atmosphere in itself. It also teaches you a variety of floor craft skills so that from the very beginning you will learn how to move amongst people on the dance floor.
Q. How much does it cost per lesson?
A. The cost for one private lesson is $69 for singles and $71 for couples. General group classes are a complimentary addition to each private lesson purchased. Competition nights are $18; friends and family attending pay only $10. Dance, Dance, Dance social nights have a $20 prepaid entry. Medal Presentation evenings are $70 which include champagne, supper, tea/coffee and dessert. Forever Dance is a licensed venue and drinks are available at all studio functions at bar prices.
Q. Can I pay as I go?
A. No, we don't have a casual payment system at Forever Dance, we work on a program basis. You enroll on your program, pay for it once or arrange a payment schedule with your instructor so you then can attend your lessons without worrying about bringing payments with you each time. This also saves valuable lesson time on your behalf.
Q. When do I start my group classes?
A. As soon as you feel confident with a few of the basic steps, your teacher will organise for you to start the group classes. It is best to have the basics "under your belt" so that when you do attend, the class is more beneficial to your learning.
Q. What if I don't want to learn all of the dances?
A. In order to be a good social dancer, you need to be able to move to different dance music. The dances we recommend are the most popular and are by no means the only ones that exist. The dances we teach at Forever Dance are the ones used most frequently on social occasions.
Q. How long will it take me to become a good dancer?
A. Dancing is a very individual and personal skill with people's ability varying greatly, so it is difficult to put a time estimate on learning. However, most people can expect to move through the basic stages in a few weeks. After that it depends on how often you attend your lessons and practice in between. Everybody is different and everybody learns differently.
