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BallroomBooks.com announces a rare clearance sale of sorts before Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes gets rechanneled through the major venues! If you like misprints, first editions, rough drafts, and the like then you have to get these before time and supplies run out:
Of course, if You just can’t wait any longer for the real thing, we at BallroomBooks.com understand, You can order the author’s intended version of Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes here before the major retailers get their hands on it:
http://www.xlibris.com/BeginningBallroom.html
by Matt Barber Author, Columnist, and Dance Professional
We dance teachers get asked all the time about the proper way to care for dance shoes. I believe that, first and foremost, You must respect that Your dance shoes are called dance shoes for a reason, that is to say they have a very specific purpose: dance. If You’re not dancing in Your dance shoes, You shouldn’t being wearing Your dance shoes. Hence, You shouldn’t be wearing Your dance shoes outside the dance school or dance studio, You shouldn’t be wearing Your dance shoes to walk to or from Your car, and You shouldn’t be wearing Your dance shoes to go the restroom.
Why can’t I do those things in my dance shoes, You ask… Well, Your ballroom dance shoes should have semi-delicate suede soles. I could easily enumerate quite a long list of rules regarding Your dance shoes, but if You’ll just commit to remembering that Your dance shoes’ soles are made of semi-delicate suede, You won’t have to remember a long list of dance shoe do’s and don’ts.
Therefore, You cannot wear Your dance shoes outside because Your dance shoes’ semi-delicate soles can and will tear from rocks and pebbles. You should not wear Your dance shoes outside the dance studio or dance school because other venues do not keep their dance floors nearly as clean as Your dance studio or dance school; thus, dirt and grime can and will build up in the suede fibers of the soles of Your dance shoes. If You wear Your dance shoes to go to the restroom, You risk getting water on the suede fibers of Your dance shoes, in which case the fibers may lay down and never be able to be popped back up.
So why use a semi-delicate suede sole in the first place? You can control Your speed on the dance floor if You have the ability to lay down and pop-up the suede fibers of Your dance shoes’ soles. Ergo, You have to protect those dance shoe sole fibers!
So when You brush Your dance shoes’ soles, do so with care. If You’re ripping the fibers out, You’re doing it wrong. Be gentle and care for Your dance shoes, and Your dance shoes will last You quite some time.
We dance teachers get asked all the time about the proper way to care for dance shoes. I believe that, first and foremost, You must respect that Your dance shoes are called dance shoes for a reason, that is to say they have a very specific purpose: dance. If You’re not dancing in Your dance shoes, You shouldn’t being wearing Your dance shoes. Hence, You shouldn’t be wearing Your dance shoes outside the dance school or dance studio, You shouldn’t be wearing Your dance shoes to walk to or from Your car, and You shouldn’t be wearing Your dance shoes to go the restroom.
Why can’t I do those things in my dance shoes, You ask… Well, Your ballroom dance shoes should have semi-delicate suede soles. I could easily enumerate quite a long list of rules regarding Your dance shoes, but if You’ll just commit to remembering that Your dance shoes’ soles are made of semi-delicate suede, You won’t have to remember a long list of dance shoe do’s and don’ts.
Therefore, You cannot wear Your dance shoes outside because Your dance shoes’ semi-delicate soles can and will tear from rocks and pebbles. You should not wear Your dance shoes outside the dance studio or dance school because other venues do not keep their dance floors nearly as clean as Your dance studio or dance school; thus, dirt and grime can and will build up in the suede fibers of the soles of Your dance shoes. If You wear Your dance shoes to go to the restroom, You risk getting water on the suede fibers of Your dance shoes, in which case the fibers may lay down and never be able to be popped back up.
So why use a semi-delicate suede sole in the first place? You can control Your speed on the dance floor if You have the ability to lay down and pop-up the suede fibers of Your dance shoes’ soles. Ergo, You have to protect those dance shoe sole fibers!
So when You brush Your dance shoes’ soles, do so with care. If You’re ripping the fibers out, You’re doing it wrong. Be gentle and care for Your dance shoes, and Your dance shoes will last You quite some time.
About the Writer:
Matt Barber, author of Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes and the upcoming Two (Million) Left Feet, first encountered ballroom dancing as choreographed routines onstage for musicals and began ballroom lessons in high school. At eighteen, Matt started training to be an instructor with National Dance Clubs as a side job in college; he went on to teach in the independent world, for Arthur Murray International, and for Fred Astaire Dance Studios. At the same time, Matt graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan and acquired an SB from Fordham University, his MS, and his business management and leadership training from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
Matt Barber, Author and Dance Professional
Matt Barber is a dancer, teacher, author, columnist, and dance coach in the ballroom dance world.
Matt Barber first encountered ballroom dancing as choreographed routines onstage for musicals and began ballroom dance lessons in high school. At eighteen years of age, Matt started training to become a ballroom dance instructor with National Dance Clubs as a side job in college and went on to teach in the independent world, for Arthur Murray International, and for Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Concurrently, Matt graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan and acquired an SB from Fordham University, his MS, and his business management and leadership training from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Barber’s books on ballroom dancing hope to forever change the way ballroom studios conduct business.
Early Experience in the Dance World
Matt Barber initially encountered ballroom dancing as a child growing up in the theatre. As chance would have it, nearly all of the shows Matt participated in as a teenager had him dancing in choreographed ballroom dances onstage. Family and friends quickly realized that Matt was more fond of the dancing rehearsals than the blocking, singing, or acting rehearsals; thus, for birthdays and holidays, Matt received ballroom dancing lessons as presents, mostly in the form of gift certificates to a local dance studio called Ballroom Memphis. Outside of the theatre, Matt spent his teenaged free-time as an escort in Carnival Memphis, which meant Matt occupied his free nights and weekends dancing at some of the finest balls the South had to offer. Perhaps not-so-surprisingly, Matt and his date won a small dance competition associated with the Carnival Memphis organization.
Professional Dance Career
National Dance Clubs and the Independent Dance World
At eighteen, just out of high school, Matt Barber began training to become a dance instructor with National Dance Clubs, where he worked under the supervision of the world-renowned Elkin family in Brentwood, TN. Matt soon switched studios and moved to Stepping Out Dance Studio (also in Brentwood), where he was fortunate enough to train under such West Coast Swing notables as Jordan Frisbee, Kyle Redd, and Sarah Vann Drake, and also to work alongside many other world champion dancers so early in his dance career. It was at Stepping Out Dance Studio that Matt first began formal training to become a competitive ballroom dancer.
Independent Dance Study: A Brief Teaching Hiatus
While Matt was working in the Nashville-Brentwood area, he was also studying at Middle Tennessee State University, where in addition to his double-major, Matt undertook university-level ballroom dance classes given by Arthur Murray-trained staff. Matt left Nashville in his senior year after being selected to attend the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan. At AMDA, Matt was introduced to the finer points of dancing and theatre.
Fred Astaire Dance Studios
After graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Matt began working for Fred Astaire Dance Studios and quickly rose to the top of the sales charts. Matt soon began to place at national competitions and, in his freshman year, won the organization’s coveted “Rookie of the Year” award. With Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Matt was not only able to work alongside and learn from such dancing greats as Tony Dovolani, Fabian Sanchez, Wendy Johnson, Dan Rutherford, Nicole Carroll, Bruce Hasson, and countless others, but Matt also had the opportunity to spend years training directly under such industry giants as Tom Korpitz- an undisputed legend in the Fred Astaire business, Lyall Bradshaw- one of the organization’s premiere syllabus writers who also introduced Matt to the Gold syllabus, and the world-famous Mosteika’s- a couple both on and off the boards who for years consistently ranked among the top five elite of the dancing world.
More Dance Training…
It seems Barber took advantage of everything Fred Astaire Dance Studios had to offer. With Fred Astaire, Matt became a Rainbow Room regular and stayed jet-set as he traveled all across the United States and all over the globe. Besides simply getting to tour and sightsee such places as New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, California, Mexico, South America, and Europe, Matt was also able to take Swing lessons in Catalina, California; Samba lessons in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Argentine Tango lessons in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Waltz lessons in the United Kingdom. Matt also seized the opportunity to study and test for numerous teaching certifications from the National Dance Council of America including certifications in DanceSport.
Dancing with the Stars
Across many Fred Astaire studios, Matt had the opportunity to work alongside several of the dancers and choreographers from the hit television show Dancing with the Stars. At Dance Times Square, Matt and his partner were asked to perform in the live promotions for the Dancing with the Stars which took place around Manhattan in such places as Times Square, Lincoln Center, the Waldorf Astoria, Grand Central Station, Union Square, Penn Station, etc. Around the same time, Matt was asked to emcee a small dance meet at Lincoln Center for the local Fred Astaire Dance Studios.
Arthur Murray International
While teaching at Arthur Murray, Matt was welcomed with open arms and was quickly made to feel at home. Matt was promptly jettisoned to sales conferences and ballroom competitions, and was able to receive coaching sessions from some of the best coaches Arthur Murray had to offer. Matt was made studio dance-master inside just a short span of time, but soon left Arthur Murray to pursue his outside education fulltime.
Ballroom Writing
At first, Matt took to writing about ballroom dance, because he simply needed his staff to be better equipped with the nuances of the sport. However, Matt quickly came to realize that the students could use a primer as well, as many of his clientele were asking for books on ballroom dance that simply provided information about the culture, history, and practicality of ballroom dancing. Matt is currently working on four ballroom books and is employing his free-time freelancing as a dance columnist; his aim in his ballroom writings is to make the nuances of ballroom dancing accessible to all students, trainees, and staff who seek them.
Barber’s Ballroom Bibliography
A Must-Read for Dancers of All Levels!
We hear You! We at BallroomBooks.com can hardly wait either! We’ve spoken to Matt Barber and he assures us that Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes will be available VERY SOON!
The hold-up, Barber says, is apparently a graph. Matt wants to make sure that the graph is absolutely clear and legible for You…
For those of you who haven’t heard, Matt Barber was injured in a car crash at the beginning of the month, and we suspect his injuries have also contributed to the delay in the release of Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes Matt is currently working his way off of his neck brace and is expected to have a clear MRI within a week.
by SwayedBottoms, BallroomBooks.com webmaster
We at BallroomBooks.com get asked all the time if learning how to ballroom dance really helps people lose weight or achieve their weight loss goals… Of course! Learning how to ballroom dance can help practically anyone lose weight or achieve those long-term weight loss goals!
Have You ever seen the Oxygen Channel show Dance Your A** Off? It’s a television show in which contestants actually lose weight via a simple combination of eating right and learning how to ballroom dance! Last season alone, the contestants dropped over 500 pounds!!!
People naturally assume that Dancing with the Stars must make ballroom dance studios and ballroom dance schools a whole bunch of money, but Dancing with the Stars actually doesn’t! Yes, You read that right! Dancing with the Stars does NOT make much, if any, financial difference to those of us on the front lines teaching ballroom dance “night in and night out.” Why?! Those aren’t real people learning how to ballroom dance on Dancing with the Stars! Those are celebrities learning how to ballroom dance!
In all actuality, we ballroom dance teachers see more new dance students coming in from having watched and been inspired by television programs such as Dance Your A** Off, as those are real people losing real weight. And, yes, Dear Reader, learning how to ballroom dance can help You lose weight, too!
If You’re still unsure, don’t take it from me… Matt Barber, in his new book, Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes gives real-life examples of dance students who lost weight ballroom dancing. In particular, there was one dance student who dropped over eighty pounds and another dance student who achieved a lifetime membership award from her weight loss group!
If You have a personal, ballroom weight loss story, feel free to hit the “Leave a Comment” link at the top of this article and share it with the rest ballroom dance world!
Looking forward to hearing from You soon!
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If You’re interested in learning how to eat right and would like to help support BallroomBooks.com You can
Click here for more information!
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by SwayedBottoms, BallroomBooks.com webmaster
Matt Barber, author of Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes, says the answer to whether or not You require dance attire depends on how serious You are about learning how to ballroom dance. Be careful here, as Barber defines the “serious” dance student as anyone who is willing to exchange hard-earned cash for intangible dance lessons from their local dance school or dance studio…
As Matt explains, You don’t really need a gee to learn karate, a chef’s coat to learn the culinary arts, or a tennis skirt to learn tennis, yet students of these and other activities wear the “uniform” anyway. In fact, most hobbies require the student to don the “uniform du sport” by the end of the first week of lessons. Sure, the dress is somewhat functional; however, more importantly, the attire subconsciously forces the learner to take his or her lessons a little more seriously as the costumes are all but the everyday. Says Barber, “we ballroom teachers have always done our dance students a bit of a disservice by not forcing them to wear dance attire on their dance lessons. Our dance students would get so much more out of their ballroom dance lessons if only they were to take five minutes to change into dance attire before their dance lessons begin.”
Imagine for a moment the difference between walking into a dance studio or dance school right after work in Your business attire and trying to focus on your dance lesson versus taking just a few moments to change into your dance attire and then proceeding on with Your dance lesson… Does not the change in attire equate to a change in focus?!
Barber says to think of it this way, (unless You go absolutely crazy with it) the money You spend on dance attire can very easily turn into money saved from having to take repetitive lessons in the future.
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About the writer:
SwayedBottoms is the shared webmaster username of BallroomBooks.com – the website that invites students of all dance schools and dance studios (Arthur Murray, Fred Astaire, National Dance Clubs, DanceSport, etc.) to come learn how to dance!
by Matt Barber Author, Columnist, and Dance Professional
Should I compete? Most definitely! Whatever Your age, weight, handicap, level of experience, or excuse is, doesn’t matter! I don’t even have to know You to say, “Yes, Dear Ballroom Student, if You’re reading this dance article, You should be prepping for a ballroom competition!”
The benefits of a ballroom competition are simply too numerous to pass up! First and foremost, as soon as You sign up for a ballroom competition, You’ll hear Your dance instructors say things You’ve never heard them say before! I once saw a dance student, who’d been ballroom dancing for four years, yell at her dance teacher the very day she signed up for a ballroom competition because she said she had never been told to brush her legs before that day. Of course, her dance teacher had been telling her to brush those legs for years, but now that she had such a significant goal to prepare for- namely, the upcoming ballroom competition- she finally heard what her instructor was saying. (By the way, at that dance studio, it was practically mandatory to have a dance lesson on leg brushing on the fifth lesson, so she was most likely introduced to leg brushing in only her second week of learning how to dance! Regardless, on that day, approximately four years later, she booked a double lesson and signed up for the ballroom competition between her two dance lessons… the dance lesson just before she signed up, and, thus, the dance lesson just before her outburst, included brushing too!) Story aside, I’ve had many dance students over the years say that they compete simply because they get so much more out of each private lesson before a ballroom competition- so much so that each private lesson felt like a coaching session!
At a ballroom competition, You’ll find out exactly which dances really are Your best and which dances could, well, use some work. If You dance proficiencies, You’ll find out exactly how Your dancing compares to the norm. If You dance championships, You’ll find out exactly where You stand compared to those at the competition, and You may even find You develop a healthy rivalry or two that will sustain, motivate, and push You in the “off-season”—the short turn-around between ballroom competitions.
Dancing is fun, but it is a sport as well. People would get tired of practicing many sports if there were no thrill of competition attached. In ballroom dancing, we call our matchups heats. Sign up for one today! (…and thank me tomorrow!)
About the Writer:
Matt Barber, author of Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes, first encountered ballroom dancing as choreographed routines onstage for musicals and began ballroom lessons in high school. At eighteen, Matt started training to be an instructor with National Dance Clubs as a side job in college; he went on to teach in the independent world, for Arthur Murray International, and for Fred Astaire Dance Studios. At the same time, Matt graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan and acquired an SB from Fordham University, his MS, and his business management and leadership training from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
by Matt Barber Author, Columnist, and Dance Professional
Do I have to have a dance partner in order to take ballroom dance lessons? Absolutely not! Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequent of the frequently asked questions I get, and usually, it’s asked by a married person! For the record, even if You are married, it is almost always easier to learn how to ballroom dance initially by taking private dance lessons one-on-one (You learning dance by dancing with a dance instructor on Your private lessons) than by taking lessons as a couple (You learning to dance with a student partner on Your private lessons as a dance teacher watches).
Oh, and if You happen to be a single ballroom dance student, don’t fret, as the majority of most dance school’s student bodies are single as well. But remember, even if You happen to snag a “hottie” for a dance, social dancing etiquette dictates – usually even if You are married – that we switch dance partners after every song at a party!
So… what have we learned here???
No more excuses!!! Whether You have a partner who doesn’t want to dance or You don’t foresee having one who does in Your immediate future, it’s time to hit the boards dancing!
About the Writer:
Matt Barber, author of Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes, first encountered ballroom dancing as choreographed routines onstage for musicals and began ballroom lessons in high school. At eighteen, Matt started training to be an instructor with National Dance Clubs as a side job in college; he went on to teach in the independent world, for Arthur Murray International, and for Fred Astaire Dance Studios. At the same time, Matt graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan and acquired an SB from Fordham University, his MS, and his business management and leadership training from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
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