Welcome Season 17 of Dancing With The Stars!

It's baaaaaack! Dancing With The Stars premiered last night and we are so excited that ballroom dancing is back on prime time television. Set your DVR for Monday nights at 7 pm because Dancing With The Stars is only on once a week this season. Gone this time are the follow-up results shows that everyone fast-forwarded through anyways. What do we have to look forward to this season? From what I can see, it will be an emotional roller coaster to say the least. I was already in tears last night on day 1 when Valerie Harper came out to perform. She was gorgeous and so inspirational! As a professional dancer, I was touched when she said that she was "glad to be alive, but even happier to be dancing". It was a heart-warming moment and a brave move on her part to live out her "unfulfilled dreams" and learn to ballroom dance.

Beyond Valerie, we get to be inspired this season on Dancing With The Stars by Jack Osbourne, who has MS. He did a fantastic job last night performing a Foxtrot. He was elegant and polished-especially for week 1 in the show. I predict that he will go far against his competitors.

On a lighter note, Amber Riley added a ton of personality and spunk to the evening with her Cha Cha performance with reigning champion Derek Hough. Corbin Bleu also shined on the dance floor in a contemporary piece with Karina Smirnoff. Keep your eye out for these two throughout the season as crowd-pleasers who will surely add to the entertainment value of DTWS.

In the past 17 seasons of DWTS, the benefits of ballroom dancing have been highlighted again and again. For some contestants, dancing has been an untapped passion that they have always wanted to pursue. With an opportunity like this, contestants like Elizabeth Berkly are reigniting their love of dance and "doing something for me". For others, dancing represents overcoming their fears and refining their movements. Snooki is hoping that ballroom dancing will take her farther away from being a "hot mess" in the weeks to come.

Regardless of the contestant, the time and effort put into training to learn to dance everything from the sexy Argentine Tango to the playful Swing will be rewarding in so many ways. From building their confidence to helping them get into shape, dancing is a hobby and skill that is satisfying unlike anything else.

We wish everyone the best in their experience on Dancing With The Stars, Season 17. We will certainly be watching as each star goes from good to great in our favorite Latin, Swing, Country and Ballroom dances.

You don't need to train 8-10 hours/day like your favorite star to be a great dancer. If you live in Phoenix, AZ and want to experience the fun and excitement of social ballroom dancing, check out Dance FX Studios today. We have great introductory offers to get you started learning to dance as soon as this week. It's your turn. Get off the couch and give us a call to begin your journey into ballroom dancing.

Country Dance Lessons are a BLAST!

Would you like to try something fun and exciting with your friends, your special someone or just for you? Give Country dance lessons a shot and let the excitement of knowing how to Country Two Step and Country Swing open up new doors for you. Who would have thought that dancing may be the answer to expanding your social life, getting fit, relieving stress and helping you re-connect with your mate? Well Country dancing can give you these benefits and more!

What is wonderful about trying Country dance lessons here in Mesa, Arizona is that it is practical and useful to have as a new hobby. There are Country dance bars everywhere in the East Valley, so why not get on board what is both popular and easy to learn?

Country dancing is also a great way to get off the couch and gain a workout without realizing it. For most people, hitting the gym is not something that we look forward to. But with dance lessons, you can get moving, use different muscles than at the gym and have a blast re-shaping that body. If you are not used to an intense workout, that's OK, because you will always start with the basics in your dance lessons before progressing to the really cool moves-like a warm-up of sorts. At the end of the day, you are no longer going to be sedentary once you know how to dance. You will be on your way to a healthier you, a perk of dancing that is irreplaceable!

When you begin to receive the health benefits of dancing, you won't want to stop there. You will soon begin to realize that Country dance lessons are also a wonderful means of unwinding after a long day at work. Because you can really only focus on what you are learning on the dance floor, your day's stresses seem to melt away once you get into your private dance lesson. With this distraction and time away from it all, you can more easily put work and other life issues into perspective.

For singles, dance lessons are a key outlet for meeting new friends. As mentioned above, Country dancing is so popular here in Arizona. When you learn to Country dance, you are expanding your social opportunities and giving yourself a chance to connect with others in an active manner.  

Couples also benefit from Country dance lessons. Forget dinner and a movie. Grab a bite a hit the dance floor on your next date night. Some of our favorite places to go Country dancing in the Phoenix East Valley include San Tan Flat and Cactus Moon. At San Tan Flat, you can have a great meal AND dance under the stars to amazing live Country music. With dance lessons to help you prepare for your outing, couples can spark up their relationship simply by going out dancing. Dancing is both fun and romantic, giving couples a phenomenal way to come together at the end of the week.

If you live in the Phoenix East Valley, near Tempe, Chandler or Gilbert, you can learn to Country dance with us at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona. We have been teaching AZ residents how to dance for over a decade and we would love to serve you as well. Get started with our introductory offer and discover the endless advantages of knowing how to Country dance in Phoenix.

Get Fit & Fabuous With Zumba!

Have you been thinking about trying a new workout? Tired of the same old routines that make you feel like you’re just going through the motions? Well, we have the perfect solution- Zumba® fitness! Some of you may have heard of it, but you may not be sure exactly what this latest craze in fitness is all about. Zumba® is a dance-fitness program that uses both dance and aerobic elements. Some of the dances it incorporates are salsa, hip-hop, merengue, and samba. Not only will you get fabulously fit, but you’ll have a great time doing so!

Dance FX Studios located in Mesa AZ, close to several Phoenix East Valley cities and known for our private ballroom dance lessons and group dance classes, also offers Zumba® fitness classes four times a week. Classes are available Monday and Wednesday nights, from 6-7 pm and on Saturdays, we have two classes- a 9-10 class, and a 10-11 class.  Our sprung wood floors are perfect for Zumba®, since they absorb shocks, as well as enhancing your performance and significantly reducing injuries. We have several low cost memberships available or feel free to drop into any class!

Zumba® fitness began in the 90s, when creator, Beto Perez, from Columbia, forgot his tape of aerobics music for a class he was teaching. He took the tapes he had, which were traditional salsa and merengue music, and created a class using this non-traditional aerobics music. After finding success in his native country, he moved to the US in 2001, where he teamed up with cofounder Alberto Perlman and a childhood friend, COO Alberto Aghion. And viola- Zumba® fitness was born! Today, there are over 14 million people in 151 countries that are shaping up and getting healthier, thanks to Zumba®.

This fun, high-energy fitness program is beneficial for people of all ages not only for getting into shape, but also for relieving stress, improving muscle tone, and as a great cardio workout! Zumba® is healing for your mind, body, and soul, as many fans are discovering. In addition to the original workout, at Dance FX Studios, near Tempe and Chandler, AZ, we also offer Zumba® Sentao fitness classes, which includes using a chair to strengthen and tone the body and Zumba® Toning fitness classes, which uses toning sticks to tone abs, arms, and other muscles, as well as adding body sculpting and cardio.

At Dance FX Studios, we have the best Zumba® fitness instructors in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area! Frankie Valenzuela kicks off the week on Monday nights with his always popular, energetic classes and on the 2^nd Monday of every month, offers Zumba® Sentao fitness classes. Kisha Klein takes over on Wednesday nights with her crowd pleasing, challenging workout and on the 4^th Wednesday of each month, offers Zumba® Toning fitness classes.

On Saturday mornings, we now have two Zumba® fitness classes. The first one, at 9:00 (our newest addition!), is led by Margarita Hernandez- Kohler, who with her love for Latin dancing and losing over 75 pounds with eating healthier and Zumba®, is an ideal choice for teaching this class. Maggie Colecchia, who also lost weight, 84 pounds, follows with her 10:00 class and is a very inspirational for those who may be overweight and discouraged. Their students feel that if these awesome instructors were able to do it, so can they and Margarita and Maggie are very encouraging helping them to achieve their goals.

In addition to Zumba® fitness classes, Dance FX Studios offers Latin, swing, Country, and Argentine tango ballroom dance lessons, as well as wedding dance lessons, for anyone in the Phoenix East Valley and surrounding areas. We are available for private dance lessons throughout the weekdays, from 12-8 pm, as well as, Saturdays, from 11 am-4 pm.

Since Zumba® is based on Latin music, it may motivate you to try learning Latin dancing with private dance lessons. With hot and spicy dances, such as salsa, merengue, cha cha and bachata, this is an electrifying and provocative way to connect with your partner and be able to go anywhere, for any occasion, and strut your stuff on the dance floor!

Dance FX Studios is located at 1859 W. Guadalupe Rd, in Mesa, AZ and in the last 12 years, has been teaching a multitude of students to learn to become self-assured and skillful ballroom social dancers. Give us a call at 480.968.6177 to get started with Zumba® fitness classes and our various private social dance lessons and group classes. We would love the opportunity to help everyone to become happier, healthier, and confident!

Swing Your Partner With Swing Dancing!

How many of you have secretly had “dates” with the broom dancing the night away, pretending to perform  intricate swing dance steps like a professional? No worries, you are not alone. Social dancing is an excellent way to get some exercise while also having a great time.There are various dances to learn, today, we’re going to focus on swing dancing. Some of you may be shy about it especially when just starting, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be a dancing machine in no time!

Swing dancing is fun, energetic, and is used everywhere from weddings to bars since there are so many swing dance tempos and styles. Swing dance lessons are perfect for beginners! Because it is so flexible, it’s a social dance that everyone should know. At Dance FX Studios, in Mesa, AZ, offering private dance lessons and group dance classes, beginners in particular will benefit from learning to swing dance for its versatility and exciting aspect. Swing dancing is very popular and can inspire even non-dancers to tap their feet and snap their fingers. It makes you just want to get out there and dance!

Dance FX Studios, Arizona’s premier dance studio, has been teaching numerous students how to swing dance throughout the last 12 years. Beginning with our Introductory Offer, only $40 per couple or single, we’ll have you feeling confident and skillful in no time! With private dance lessons, you will receive individualized attention, since your lessons will be personalized just for you. Each lesson will be based on your style and rate of learning, to allow you to reach your dance goals in the shortest amount of time possible.

There are many stories as to how swing dancing began. It has been said that the swing era began when Louis Armstrong joined Fletcher Henderson’s band in 1924. Others consider the official launch was when Benny Goodman performed at the Palomar Ballroom on August 21st, 1935. Benny was called the "King of Swing," and is credited for officially starting the swing era. Frankie Manning was one of the original swing dancers and is credited for creating the first Lindy aerial and has performed in and choreographed several movies. 

Swing music can vary from Jazz to Big Band, Country Western, Blues, Rock and Roll and oldies, making swing a must-have dance. Believe it or not, there are 24 variations. Wow! Who knew there were so many? While each swing dance style has its own look and characteristics, swing dancing in general is a the ideal dance for any social occasion.

Some interesting information about some of swing dancing's origins:

• The Charleston is considered the grandfather of swing dances and was popular in the 20s and 30s and in the Jazz scene. The Lindy Hop is from the same time and is associated with Charles Lindberg (hence, the name “Lindy”) and Frankie Manning and is known for its aerials.

• The Balboa came about in the 30s and 40s and is known for its subtle communication and close contact. The Savoy swing, also from this time, originated at the NY Savoy Ballroom and is a fast, jumpy, and casual style of dancing.

• The East and West Coast swing dances also came into popularity during the 40s. The West Coast swing began in California night clubs and is a slower version of the swing that can be danced to various genres of music.  The East Coast swing, which is a style of the Lindy, originated throughout many regions of the country, is a medium to fast version, with lots of turns and other variations, making it another fun option for social dancers.

• The Country-Western swing is a newer version of the Jitterbug style, popularized in the 80s and danced to Country and Western dancing. This dance is said to have begun with Bill Wills, who was fascinated with Jazz, formed his own western big band and helped to create this particular genre of music known as western swing. Today's modern country swing dance derives directly from the music Wills played and the way people danced to it.

OK, now that you know a little more about swing dancing, aren’t you psyched to get started? Dance FX Studios is available for lessons Monday-Friday, from 12-8 pm and Saturdays, from 11-4. We’re located at 1859 W. Guadalupe Rd, in Mesa, AZ, close to the 101, as well as other neighboring cities, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler, and Tempe. Please give us a call, 480.968.6177, to schedule your first lesson for this fascinating and enjoyable journey of dancing!