Let's Dance classes in May will be Beginning Night Club 2-Step from 6:30-7:50 pm and Intermediate East Coast Swing from 8:00-9:20 pm. on Wednesday, May 7, Wednesday, May 14, Wednesday, May 21, and Wednesday, May 28. We will also have Sunday practice sessions at which the dancers can get additional help from Deb on May 18 and 25 and June 1. The beginning practice session on Sunday will be from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm and the intermediate practice session will be from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. By tailoring the speed and content of each class to the skill level of the participants involved, the dancers will be challenged to learn something new without being overwhelmed or bored. Check with Deb at 731-3338 if you are not sure at which level you should enroll. The June 1 practice session will also present the opportunity for students to 'check out' on time for this months lessons. By working one-on-one with Deb, the student has the opportunity to get what amounts to a private lesson and earn a percentage grade and receive a frameable certificate signifying their accomplishment. Because of the schedule changes, we will not be having our usual last Wednesday of the month open CD dance party this month. Feel free to bring your own refreshments to the Sunday practices.

Please note that our class schedules are changing from our prior Thursday night schedule. This month the classes are on Wednesday nights and, starting in June, the regular class nights will be Tuesdays. This is the result of increasing scheduling conflicts in the use of the PLPOA clubhouse on Thursdays.

Classes cost $20 per person for the month, which includes all classes, practice sessions, a checkout opportunity and the CD party (if we hold one). If you are unsure if you want to sign up for the whole month or know you will miss some of the classes, you may also pay by the class at $7 per person per class. All Let's Dance sessions will meet at the PLPOA Clubhouse, 230 Port Ave. in Pagosa Springs. There is no need to pre-register but please arrive 10 minutes early to register. Classes must start on time because we are holding two classes each night. Although it is helpful to register with a partner, it is not necessary as there is usually a close match between men and women and we will rotate dance partners during the evening. Wear comfortable clothing and well-fitting shoes that have smooth or split leather soles, something that won’t leave black marks or mud. Shoes with rubber soles or lugs are inappropriate and difficult to dance in.

For more information call Deb Aspen at 731-3338 or email her at instep@centurytel.net.

About the dances:

The Night Club 2-Step should not be confused with the Country Western 2-Step. The only things they have in common are they are both danced with a partner and they have '2-Step' in their names. Night Club 2-Step is a versatile and practical social dance, romantic in nature, that is danced to soft rock or love songs. This type of music is often heard in nightclubs and on the radio. If you have ever gone to a dance and realized that you don't have a clue what to dance when they play a slow song, Night Club 2-Step is probably the dance you want to try.

East Coast Swing is also called Triple-Step Swing because of the triple steps or chasses that are done alternately to each side followed by a rock step. It is related to the other swing-type dances such as Jitterbug, Jive, Single-step and Double-step Swing, West Coast Swing, and Country-Western Swing. The choice of which swing to do depends on the tempo, rhythm and melody of the music, East Coast being danced to slower swing music.