Kick Up Your Heels This Holiday Season!

It does not seem possible that the holidays are now upon us! Many of us are looking forward to going to holiday parties with family, friends, and coworkers. How festive! Now we know that with parties comes music and with music, dancing. What is a party, after all, without music and dancing?  This may be the ideal time to do something you have been meaning to do for a while- learn to dance! Learning social dances like the Country Two Step, Swing or Salsa is not only good for parties, but for other events as well, such as going out to clubs or weddings.

This time of year gets pretty hectic with holiday planning, shopping, card writing, cooking, etc. So, why not take some time out of your busy schedule to relax and have fun? At Dance FX Studios, part of the East Valley region in Mesa, Arizona, we would love to help you become a competent and confident social ballroom dancer, whether it’s learning sassy Salsa, the steamy Argentine Tango, or the swinging Jitterbug. The best way to get started is with our Introductory Offer, a one hour private lesson for only $40 (per couple or single). Wow- such a deal! This is a great way to sample a few dances at one time, in case you can’t decide which type you like best or if you just aren’t sure where to start.

If you are tired of not being able to kick up your heels, this is a good opportunity to do something about it. And the sooner you get going, the better! Dance FX Studios is offering some excellent deals on private dance lessons through the holidays, so now is the time to not only begin learning to dance, but to continue on with lessons at a terrific savings- very important at this time of year!

During the holidays it can get a little stressful trying to get everything done, so why not give yourself a break and take the time to do something to help relieve some of that tension? You certainly deserve it! Dancing is a perfect way to leave all your worries at the door and just focus on enjoying the moment. When you are concentrating on dancing, there just is no room for stressing out, so why not do something that is so beneficial for you?

The great thing about learning to social dance is that no matter the occasion, rather than watching everyone else having fun dancing, you’ll be prepared to grab a partner and glide your way across the dance floor. You will now have the confidence and skills to be a participant rather than just a spectator. Let’s be honest, isn’t that something you have dreamed of doing? Let Dance FX Studios help you on your way to realizing your dream and have a fabulous time while doing so!

You may be thinking-“How in the world am I going to find the time during the holidays to learn to dance?” That is a fair question, but like anything in your life, sometimes we just have to make the time to do something that really is good for us, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, as well. Dancing is one of the few activities that can do this for you and with your busy schedule and taking care of others throughout the year, aren’t you entitled to do this for yourself?

So, don’t hesitate! Enhance your holidays learning to dance and give Dance FX Studios, close to Chandler and Tempe, AZ a call at 480.968.6177 to schedule your first social dance lesson. Happy Holidays!

Lift Your Spirits With Dance This Season!

In light of the upcoming holidays, let us share with you how to combat the seasonal stress with dance lessons in fun dances like Salsa, Swing, Country Two Step and more! Traveling, shopping, budgeting, cooking, and preparing for holiday festivities can bring a long list of tasks and frustrations that encroach on your holiday cheer.  Oh what fun it would be to not to focus on the negative during this happy time of year and dance your way through the holidays! Social ballroom dancing is good for your health, mental well-being and stress maintenance during the not-so-fun aspects of the holidays. 

Did you know that stress, if left unchecked, can cause chemical imbalances in your body? This can lead to serious illness by weakening your immune system. The improved muscle and heart function and increased oxygen levels in your body that come with dancing can atone for these negative effects of stress. Irritability, poor memory, aches and pains, sickness, and sleeping and eating more than usual are just a few symptoms of stress that goes unchecked. (Yes, there is a reason for your bah-humbug attitude!)  Managing your stress is so important for your health, during the holidays and throughout the rest of the year. Dance FX Studios, one of the most established social ballroom dance studios in Arizona can help you combat stress all year round. With our great deals on private dance lessons and our Black Friday offers, the holidays are an even better time to get moving! If you live near Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, or Queen Creek, we are THE place for you to learn to dance.

Dance, whether it is the Country Two Step, the saucy Argentine Tango, or the passionate Bachata, is an excellent form of stress relief for many reasons. It provides an enjoyable level of healthy stimulation that improves your overall well-being both physically and mentally. Physically, dance is a great form of exercise. It helps muscle coordination and reduces the tension in muscles and glands that our bodies hold onto when we get stressed.  Dancing also requires you to think about multiple parts of your body and how certain movements and parts of your body feel. This can help you become more in tune with your body physically and become appreciative and aware of what is going on with yourself. Stress can attack your body in various ways, so when you are in tune with yourself, you are better at knowing when you are stressed and what you need to do (or not do) to relax. This is especially important during the holidays when it is easy to become overwhelmed and when you otherwise may not know why you are feeling sick, isolating yourself, or acting extra cranky. You can release negative emotions in your private dance lessons and the endorphins we talked about in our blog “Dancing Keeps You Happy During the Holidays…” will recharge your mood.  You will be working off holiday munchies and getting yourself revved up to accomplish what you need to all season long! 

Self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-expression are enhanced through dancing and are all beneficial any time of the year. Mentally, dance spurs the growth of connections in your brain, since it requires you to constantly think about where your body is and where it needs to be. This improves the coordination of your muscles and how well your brain controls and keeps track of the rest of you. Keeping your stress in check is made easier by this self-awareness as well. Dance is also beneficial emotionally in a few ways. When you let yourself loosen up in a lesson at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ, dance can become a great outlet for the various things you may be feeling during the holidays, both positive and negative. Focusing on your lesson, your partner if you bring one, and the music you’re moving to can take your mind off of your growing holiday to-do list and give you the clarity and energy necessary for tackling it all. The more aware of your body and feelings you become, the better equipped you are to know when stress is taking over.

With our current deals on lessons and classes, now is as great a time as ever to get started on those Big Band Swing lessons and Zumba Fitness classes! They also make a great gift for loved ones. We can help you fight off the stresses of the holiday season and maintain your cheer at Dance FX Studios. Don't wait until the New Year to get involved in the fun. You'll be glad you did!

Dancing Keeps You Happy Through The Holidays...

As we have mentioned in previous blogs, social ballroom dancing, including Swing, Salsa and the Country Two Step, is excellent for your health and well-being in so many ways. Namely, it serves as a form of exercise, relieves stress, and strengthens neural connections in the brain. During the holidays (can you believe it's already that time of year again???), exercise and stress relief are vital. Even though the minutes you have to spare seem to get filled with other activities like meal planning and decorating, staying consistent with your dancing will keep you smiling all winter long. Let us help you keep up the holiday cheer this season with Dance FX Studios' holiday dance and fitness specials and Black Friday deals on private dance lessons, Zumba fitness classes and group dance classes for couple. If you live in Arizona, Dance FX Studios is THE place to go to learn to dance, get re-charged, unwind, relax and prepare for those favorite relatives to pay you a visit.

The holidays are meant to be cheerful and festive, but with all of the stress of dealing with dramatic cousins and creepy uncles, spending way too much money on presents and groceries, and keeping up appearances at countless holiday parties, sometimes the joy can be hard to find. Many people find themselves down in the dumps this time of year, whether they have a history of depression or not. Lessons at Dance FX Studios in the Phoenix East Valley of Arizona can help you break the cynical cycle! Dancing the Merengue or Cha Cha or even dramatic Argentine Tango can wipe away that negativity and help keep you on track for a pleasant time with relatives. Let’s also explore how dance lessons assist with exercise, exposure, and expression all year round.

Dancing, as we discussed in “Dancing Through The Holidays…” is a fantastic form of exercise. Exercise is known to help combat depression. This means dancing will help you fight off the holiday blues and help you find some cheer this season! The release of endorphins in your brain is one major benefit of physical activity. When you exercise, endorphins are released by your body and they interact with receptors in your brain. These receptors reduce your perception of pain and trigger a positive feeling in your body. This feeling is very similar to that which morphine creates. Perhaps you have heard of the “runner’s high” that people experience after they run or workout. This “high” that instills a positive, energetic mood is created by the release of endorphins from physical exercise. One unfortunate aspect of depression is low self-esteem. You can improve your self-esteem with regular exercise, and dancing itself will boost your confidence as you learn new skills and can see your new abilities carry over to your social life. Get yourself moving with Swing, Tango, or Country lessons and you can experience the benefits of dance and great physical activity all wrapped into one!

Although our instinct when feeling depressed or grumpy is usually to veg on the couch with the DVR and some snacks, social support is actually very helpful for people with depression, even if it is seasonal. Joining group activities and classes and exposing yourself to positive social settings can be very beneficial during the holiday season when you might feel this way. Dance lessons at Dance FX Studios are a great way to get yourself out of your funk and doing something for yourself, not to mention dancing is very fun! After some lessons, you can take your new array of abilities to social settings and let loose in a new way you weren’t capable of before. You can bring a partner to your dance lessons and share the great experience with them, helping spread holiday cheer and to grow closer with that person. This provides physical activity and emotional comfort for you and your partner if you choose to bring one.   

Zumba fitness classes are also a great way to get involved in a positive group activity that will get you moving through the holidays! Learn fun, easy-to-learn dance routines that will keep off the pounds and get the body begging for more.You will be working out without even knowing it as you dance Salsa, Bachata and even a few Country dance moves in Zumba fitness classes at Dance FX Studios (held 3 times/week).

Not only is exercise a great way to battle depression and the Grinch that threatens our holiday cheer, self-expression is also beneficial. Self-expression has been recommended by professionals to help mild to moderate depression for quite some time. Sometimes depression can steal your sense of creativity and fun, but expressing yourself as a means of fighting depression helps you find that part of you again. You can exercise your imagination through many venues, dancing included! Dancing will help you “vent” creatively, whether you consider yourself an imaginative person or not. Your creative juices will be flowing again and our instructors at Dance FX Studios can help you loosen up and relax while keeping your lessons positive and upbeat, increasing your positive emotions and using your smile muscles.

Whether you are thinking of learning to Two Step or Ballroom dance, getting your groove on with Zumba, Latin or Swing dance classes with our Holiday Specials, Black Friday Deals, and Zumba Memberships, is a wonderful way to breeze through the season with joy. Beat those holiday blues at a bargain with our help at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ. Now it's your turn to pry yourself from the couch, put the peppermint bark away, and come dance with us!

Social Ballroom Dancing for the Real World

Ballroom dance includes a variety of partner dances from the Foxtrot to the Tango, Swing, Cha Cha and more. It  is enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world because of the many benefits that ballroom dancing has to offer including relieving stress and learning a new hobby. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. Many TV shows have caused a wave of popularity to come over the world of dance. Shows like Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Best Dance Crew, and Dance Academy have exposed the world of dance and its many facets to the world which has sparked interest in prospective dancers, professional or not. Even Friends had an episode where Joey was drawn into ballroom dancing. With all this exposure and growing popularity in watching serious dancers show off their moves, many people of the general public want to join the craze but not to the same extent. This brings up the question: “What is the difference between social ballroom dancing and competitive ballroom dancing?”

To begin, social ballroom dance lessons focus on equipping you with the skills you need to dance in any social situation where dancing occurs. With private social ballroom dance lessons in all of the most useful styles of dance in Arizona like the Country Two Step, Swing and Salsa, you will be prepared for holiday parties, nights out on the town, date nights, weddings and the like. Social dance lessons are a great way to meet new friends, relieve stress and enjoy a fun and exciting new hobby. 

With social dance lessons at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ, we will also teach you cool dance moves, proper dance form and posture, how to connect with your partner on the dance floor, how to lead or follow your partner, how to navigate around a crowded dance floor and so much more! When you join us at Dance FX Studios and invest in yourself with social dance lessons, you will gain much more than just dance skills. You will learn to move with confidence, poise, and good posture. Dancing is a great form of exercise that gives you a workout without even knowing it. Even better, FUN is included in the lessons at no extra charge!

Competitive ballroom dancing is also an option for those who love the idea of taking their dancing to a higher, more serious level. With competitive ballroom dancing lessons, students prepare for competitions where they will be judged on criteria like poise, posture, body alignment and shape, frame, timing, expression, and presentation. Competitive dancers take lessons that are geared toward perfecting specific technique and choreography for upcoming competitions. They fine tune their skills and their bodies to the type of dance they are going to compete in. Competitive ballroom dance studios can be found around Phoenix for those who want to master the art of ballroom dancing.

At Dance FX Studios in the Phoenix East Valley, you will learn technique and follow a syllabi much like a competitive dancer would, but in a more relaxed environment. All of the skills you acquire will apply directly to the “real world” outside of the studio to social settings where you can bond with your partner, unwind from your day and have a great time. 

At Dance FX Studios, we teach social ballroom dancing to people who live all over the Phoenix Valley. We are located in Mesa next to Gilbert, Chandler and Tempe, Arizona for East Valley residents to come and enjoy fun and useful dances. We recommend that beginner dances start with our Introductory private dance lesson for singles or couples for just $40. Private dance lessons will put you on the fast track to becoming a great social dancer.

If you want to dance like a star and apply practical new skills to your social life, check out our lessons at Dance FX Studios today!

Zumba Fitness Toning Classes

As we all know, exercise is a very important part of everyone’s health regime. It relieves stress, controls weight, speeds metabolism, strengthens the immune system, improves mood, combats health conditions and diseases, promotes better sleep, and boosts energy. An impressive list, right? At least 30 minutes of exercise is recommended every day, but sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to get moving. Whatever the excuse... "Sweating isn’t fun, I have so much to do, I’m tired, There’s not enough hours in the day"; the recommendation is still there and exercise is still great for your well-being. If you haven’t found something to keep you motivated and active, maybe Zumba® fitness classes will get you off the couch! Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona offers Zumba classes three days a week: Mondays and Wednesdays 6-7pm and Saturdays from 10-11 am.

Zumba® is a unique, exciting exercise program that incorporates dance and aerobics. It combines choreography from Latin dances like samba, mambo, cha cha, salsa, merengue, bachata and more-even Country dancing and Swing are incorporated into Zumba classes!  Our high energy instructors at Dance FX Studios are all lively and positive and are sure to get you revved and moving in any of the hour-long classes we offer. The music is pumping and everyone is smiling while the instructor is grooving right along with the “fitness party”.

There are eleven variations of Zumba® and here at Dance FX we offer three of these variations. One of the most popular types of Zumba® is Zumba® Toning. In this type of Zumba® class, there is more focus on strength training exercises within the dances than a normal Zumba class. It’s basically circuit training: a few minutes of cardio followed by a few minutes of strength training, accompanied by more cardio, and so on. This combination creates a higher-calorie-burning exercise than regular Zumba. Maraca-like Toning Sticks are used, which are weighted and used to the beat of the music to enhance rhythm, build strength, and aid in toning the target zones, like arms, abs, and thighs. These tools also help in shaping other muscles throughout the body. Not only will you enjoy your time in the class, you will also love the results! This class is geared towards creating a toned, shaped look of the arms, legs and core. Your posture, balance, coordination, agility, bone density, joint mobility, and more will all improve with Zumba® Toning (and other Zumba® classes too!). Zumba® Toning is an outstanding way to sculpt your body and get an aerobic exercise while having fun and dancing!

If you’re looking for a new exercise routine, a new hobby, or even if you don’t have an exercise regime at all, come to Dance FX Studios in the Phoenix East Valley of AZ and try out Zumba® Fitness! You can join the craze with our great Membership Packages and Newcomer’s Specials. Visit the website for packages and the Zumba® class schedule.

Dancing Through the Holidays...

Though it seems to have crept up on us, the holiday season is upon us!

It is so easy to fall out of regular physical activity routines and put your hobbies on the back burner when the holidays roll around. Family comes to town, gatherings need planning, meals require prepping, and the list of to-dos seems to keep growing and growing. Whatever you do this holiday season, don’t let your dancing fall behind! The holidays can be stressful and dancing can help you stay sane through it all. Not to mention, social ballroom dancing is great exercise, which is much needed to work off that extra comfort food that is such a part of the holidays. No need to feel guilty this year about indulging if you’re keeping up with your dancing! We are always happy to see you here at Dance FX Studios here in the Phoenix East Valley, AZ to help you to keep moving and having fun throughout the winter.

Dancing, from the Country Two Step to the Swing, Tango and Salsa, is an excellent form of exercise. It is a great way to raise your heart rate, work off unwanted body fat, and build lean muscle. Social dancing uses a wide variety of motions to engage multiple muscle groups in an effective, dynamic way. And, since this is also cold and flu season, regular workouts like dancing can even help you ward off sickness! 

Sticking with exercise throughout the holidays is much more likely if the activity is enjoyable, and dances like the Swing and Cha Cha are tons of fun! You are much more likely to get fit and stay fit if you are having a great time while exercising. Dancing burns a significant amount of calories so get moving and breeze through this season in your favorite jeans without fear. :)

The types of dances that will get you the most results this holiday season vary in style from Country to Latin.  Depending on your weight, muscle mass, gender, and intensity, you can burn up to 650 calories in an hour with us at Dance FX Studios. How much effort you are putting into your dancing also affects the amount of energy required. Dancing can actually burn as many, if not more, calories as more traditional forms of exercise like running and lifting weights. It is very easy to “plateau” in a workout routine, but if you switch up the types of dances you learn and learn many styles, you will keep your physical activity fresh! Here’s a list of different dance styles and an estimate of how many calories you can burn while dancing them. We offer all of the following types here at Dance FX Studios, near Tempe and Chandler, AZ!

• Salsa – Roughly 405 to 480 calories are burned in an hour of Salsa dancing.

• Swing – Different moves and styles of Swing dancing can change the intensity of this dance. You can burn between 300 and 550 calories depending on how high impact the style is. Swing dancing can easily expend even more if you perform intensive maneuvers.

• Country Western – Again, energy expended relies upon the speed and difficulty of the movements, but Country dancing typically uses up 290 to 420 calories per lesson.

• Zumba – Zumba is an exceptional way to burn calories, as it is designed to be an exercise class that provides toning as well.  Anywhere from 350 to 650 calories can be burned in a Zumba class!

• Cha Cha – An energetic dance with a steady beat, the Cha Cha can burn from 260 to 530 calories.

• Waltz - As a simple, yet elegant ballroom dance, the Waltz can burn 140 to 275 calories. If a faster paced song is danced to, even more calories can be expended.

• Tango – The Argentine Tango can burn from 150 to over 220 calories per hour!

Whether you taking private dance lessons or Zumba fitness classes at Dance FX Studios, we can help you to keep trim this holiday season. We have great specials during our Holiday Savings Season to give you even more reasons to stay on track! Take advantage of great private dance lesson deals now through December, 2013. If you've never tried Zumba, we also have a new member special so you can give it a test run, or we have great membership deals if you want to continue with your classes. Give us a call at Dance FX Studios and keep moving this holiday season. Do it for you! 

Zumba Fitness Classes-Great Workout, Great Fun!

Being healthy and fit is not just about trying to fit into a smaller pair of jeans. Although this is a great advantage and motivator, being fit is really a lifestyle choice. In today’s society, many people are looking into improving the quality of their life and are taking the necessary steps to achieve this goal. Keeping this in mind, we at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ have the perfect suggestion for getting and staying fit- Zumba® fitness classes with us!

You may be asking- what is Zumba® fitness? Well, Zumba is a dance-fitness workout class that integrates great music, exciting Latin dances such as Salsa, Swing, Cha Cha and Merengue along with exciting, easy-to-learn moves that are all choreographed into easy-to-learn dance routines. Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it? Well it is! In addition to getting into shape, you will also be releasing stress and tension, increasing your cardio and improving your muscle tone. Because of the enjoyment, versatility and fun of Zumba, instead of dreading going to class, you actually look forward to it! 

At Dance FX Studios, the leading social ballroom dance studio in the Phoenix East Valley area, in addition to our private dance lessons, we offer Zumba fitness three times a week. A great advantage of taking Zumba at Dance FX Studios is our sprung wood floors. It’s incredible how sprung floors can really affect your workout since they absorb shock and reduce the impact on your body. You will really feel the difference and your body will be most thankful.

Kicking the week off, Frankie Valenzuela teaches our Monday night Zumba class from 6-7pm. Frankie has been teaching Zumba® fitness at Dance FX Studios for years and he packs the room every week. His personality, energy, and love of teaching Zumba spills over into his sessions and his students just love him! In addition to Frankie’s regular Zumba, he also teaches Zumba Sentao on the second Monday of each week. Zumba Sentao is a Zumba variation using a chair that focuses on using body weight to strengthen and tone the body. So, whichever style of Zumba you choose will definitely be fun and beneficial. Come and check it out!

Dance FX Studios also offers Zumba fitness classes on Wednesdays  from 6-7pm with Kisha Klein. Kisha has also been teaching Zumba at Dance FX Studios for a while. Her sessions are empowering and butt-kicking!  In addition to the dance moves, she integrates a lot of fitness/bootcamp moves into her choreography. Kisha’s students love her style as she has a very dedicated following. On the last Wednesday of each month, Kisha instructs Zumba Toning. Zumba Toning focuses on the abs, thighs, arms, and other muscles, while also adding body sculpting and cardio, using toning sticks. If you’re looking for a high energy, versatile workout, this is the one for you!

Lastly, we offer Zumba fitness classes on Saturday mornings, from 10-11am. Maggie Colecchia leads Zumba Toning each week. She has been teaching Zumba at Dance FX Studios for the past year. Maggie discovered Zumba years ago when she herself needed to lose weight and get healthier.  Not only did she change her diet, but she was so inspired by Zumba, that it motivated her to stick to her lifestyle change and she has since kept the weight off for years.  Maggie‘s story is great encouragement to those who are looking to get in shape.  She loves helping others to achieve their fitness goals by approaching each class with enthusiasm.

Whatever your reason for coming to Zumba fitness at Dance FX Studios, you will find each class therapeutic for the mind, body and soul.  Dance FX Studios, near Tempe, Gilbert, and Chandler, Arizona welcomes everyone to come try Zumba out. Who knows, you may also become a Zumba® fitness enthusiast and find you just can’t live without it!