Ballroom dancing evokes many emotions;

the thrill of dressing up, the anticipation of meeting new people or just seeing your friends again, the buzz that surrounds the dance floor and the excitement of dance itself. All feelings are valid, justified, and welcome; they make the experience more than worth the wait. However the flip-side to that coin can be a discouraging one, so here are a few things to remember to better enhance the experience of yours and those around you.

First be kind and courteous, no one will want to dance with you if you’re judgmental of them or their ability. Always try to remember what it was like to be brand new to dancing. It is nerve racking, and scary at first so help encourage all you come into contact with.

Second, when on the dance floor be aware of your surroundings as well as the situation. When dancing smooth move towards those in front of you, most likely by the time you arrive there they will have progressed and moved on. Think 3 steps ahead, so as not to run up on the people down the line of dance from you, don’t start an elaborate 6 measure pattern 4 feet away from someone, it will usually end badly. When dancing Latin all those sexy arms you’ve been dying to try out keep in check till the right place and time. If now happens to be the right place and time consider how crowded the floor is and maybe consider making the arm styling  shape upward to avoid beheading the couple next to you.

And finally floor craft. Think of the dance floor like a Bulls eye, if you are newer to dancing keep simply to the middle of the floor so as to keep out of the way of experienced dancers as well as for your own peace of mind. When first exploring learning to dance, gaining confidence is the key. And the more comfortable with your surroundings you get the more confident you become. Second ring of the “Bulls eye” is for the next level of dancers, those that are comfortable on the floor but are still in the stage of understanding movement through pushing off and body flight. And our final outside ring is for those that are more experienced with the ebb and flow of line of dance, and are more confident in their ability to maneuver around other people. Most importantly and this is for all levels of dancers remember to be understanding.  Avoid being upset if you get “cutoff” more likely than not, it was unintentional, and was simply a mistake. No matter who you are, or how good you become you WILL make mistakes, accept it, learn from it, apologize for it when necessary, and move on. I always try to express to my students, and those I coach to not worry so much. I don’t mind that they make the mistake, I care about how they react to the mistakes they make. Learning to dance is a gift we all like giving as well as receiving gifts, so show your gratitude.

We are so lucky…

that a professional of this caliber, is willing and able to take time out of her competitive tour to visit our studio March 30-31, 2012!  Currently between the 5th and 6th leg of the Capezio Dance Beat Smooth Tour with her partner Mazen Hamza, Izabella will be exclusively at Paramount Ballroom Company for just two short days offering Private Coaching and Workshops.  This is an opportunity that we are proud to provide our students and dance community.  Space is limited and pre-registering is strongly suggested.

Pricing:

Workshops:  $40 per person/$70 per couple.
Save $10 by when you attend both workshops: $35 per class
Save an extra $5 per workshop when you schedule a
private coaching: $30 per class

Private Coaching (with or without personal instructor, by appointment only):  $145

About Izabella:  Her first dance steps Izabella took at the age of 6 in her home country of Poland. Dancing became not only her big passion, but also a lifestyle.

Since early childhood she has been coached by some of the top dance teachers in the world. Izabella won many prestigious competitions in the following styles of dance: International Latin, International Standard, American Smooth and Showdance.

Izabella moved to US in 2004 and began competing in professional International Latin. She won numerous Showdance competitions and participated as Open Latin finalists in many competitions in the US.

In 2006 Izabella demonstrated for Jerry Springer and Kym Johnson, from “Dancing With The Stars”, in their instructional dance video.

Izabella had the privilege to be the main coach of the Ohio State University Ballroom Dance Team in 2008.

In 2009 Izabella began her partnership with Mazen Hamza in the American Smooth style of dance. In a short period of time they have been dancing together they already won numerous competitions around the country.

Mazen and Izabella are bringing new dimension to the American Smooth, very contrasting and innovative from what has been done so far in this style of dance. Basing their styling on deep understanding of body mechanics their dancing leaves no room for ordinary interpretation of any dance.

Yet again in 2010 Izabella took the position of a collegiate dance team coach, but it was at the University of Delaware.

It was in 2011 that Mazen & Izabella have reached their highest yet placement in the Am. Style Smooth dancing: 2nd at the National Championships as well as 2nd at the World Championships.

Mazen and Izabella are excited to see what the 2012 competitive season brings.

There have been a lot of things in my dance career that I have learned from taking classes, lessons, and private coaching, and over all these years there are a few “gems,” as one of my students calls them, that just stuck with me.  Whether it’s a vivid explanation or picture story, for some reason the “gem” just sits in your mind like a dormant storm just waiting to stir up when called upon.  So let’s call upon a few now.

When maintaining dance position, think on this:  worry less about staying there, and more about being there.  Now that may sound redundant, so let me explain.  Most of us can get into a pretty good dance position, but the real issue at hand is usually maintaining it through movement.   Once you get into proper position, don’t immediately start worrying about staying there.   Instead, worry (if you will), about being there from one step to the next.  Live in the “now”, not the “what will be 2 minutes from now.”  A golf instructor I once had told me to focus on one thing at a time…meaning when you posture up to tee off don’t stand there and repeat in your mind, “Don’t hit it in the water… don’t hit it in the water!!”  Why?  Because guess what will happen…yup… Blooop!   So don’t worry about if you’re in position at the end of the song, just be in position for each step, you might surprise yourself at the end of that 2 minutes.

There are constant issues with achieving and maintaining dance position for both men and women, but I want to share another tip with the ladies.  We’re going call it “The Airplane.”  This is a great exercise for ladies to practice for achieving and maintaining proper dance position.

1.  Stand with your feet together, stretch nice and tall (lengthen your torso), arms stretched straight out.

2.  Think wing span, now keeping your upper body as one, angle your “airplane” to turn left, make sure your head stays dead center of the plane.

3.  Keeping your head where it is, level your shoulders and arms back parallel to the floor.

4.  Now have your partner place himself into dance position with you.

There you have it, now just work on keeping your position by thinking one step at a time.  All right guys, the next blog is for you!

What an honor…

to have such a top-notch professional as our first coach!  We hope that you will have the opportunity to come to the studio to meet and train with Max Sinitsa exclusively at Paramount Ballroom Company during his stay January 14-16, 2012.  Max will be teaching a Waltz and a Tango Seminar and will be available for private coaching.  We are so lucky that he was able to take time out of his busy schedule to come share his knowledge with us, you do not want to miss this opportunity!  Space is limited and pre-registering is strongly suggested.

**Pricing:

Private coaching by appointment only: $145

Seminars: $40 or both seminars for $35 each.   Seminars will be discounted to $30 with the purchase of a Private Coaching.

To schedule a private coaching please call Amy Castro @ (913)957-0579,  or find her on her facebook page, Amy Castro Ballroom Dance.  To reserve your spot for a seminar, you may call Amy, or Paramount Ballroom Company @  (913)859-9778, or find us on face page, Paramount Ballroom Company.

**All seminars and coaching appointments must be paid for before their scheduled time to guarantee you spot!

About Max Sinitsa  Max’s impressive list if credentials include:  2010 United States Rising Star Champion,  2010 United States Open Professional Semi-finalist,  and 3 time United States Amateur American Smooth Champion.

Max began dancing in Ukraine at the age of 10. His parents were both Dancers in Kiev but not in competitive ballroom dancing. At first Max had done both Latin and Standard programs and only after he had moved to Los  Angeles that he made a decision to focus on the International Ballroom.  Following the move to Los Angeles in 1993 Max began training in the American Smooth style and with his current partner Lesya Sinitsa won the U.S. Amateur Title in 2000. After keeping the US Title for 3 years in a row, Max and Lesya had decided to stop competing in the American Smooth style and only put their focus on the International style once again.

In 2004 Max and Lesya had unfortunately split their partnership due to personal reason and both remained competitors with different partners. Following a 6 year break from dancing with one another, Max and Lesya had reunited again in May of 2010. This time both individuals were professional and had begun to pursue their first Professional Rising Star Title. In September of 2010 Max and Lesya had won their first US Professional International Standard Title at USDC in Orlando Florida.

Within the last 2 years Max has slowly built a group of kids in the local Los Angeles area and those who have found partners began competing locally. Now the group consists of 7 couples ranging from ages of 7 to 18 years old. Aside from private lessons, the group is put through simulation rounds 2 times a week and they children are encouraged to practice and cross-train parallel to their school work.  Every summer Max runs a Summer Intensive Program designed to teach the kids many aspects of Ballroom Dancing such as partnering, floor-craft skills, musicality and behavior on and off the floor. The camp has been very successful in the last few years and has grown to accommodate a large group of 18 young adults.

Everyone is invited to attend a grand evening celebrating the year’s grand exit!

Enjoy cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres, and dancing well into the new year featuring the city’s best studio mix of ballroom, Latin, and WC swing favorites.  A party like this only comes once a year, so dress to impress!  View our facebook event here.
$50 per person, space is limited.

Ticket required and must be purchased in advance by December 23rd, afterward all ticket sales are subject to a price increase.
Checks may be made to Jim or Jessica MacAuley and sent to the studio.

Paramount Ballroom Company
9860 Quivira
Lenexa, Ks. 66215

From last year's bash...don't miss this year's fun!

‘Tis the season…

for family gatherings and giving…and dance lessons?   As we all start to move in to the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we tend to get a bit overwhelmed and free time just isn’t that available.  For us, this time of year is always bittersweet.  As much as we love to spend this time with our families as well, we miss seeing all of you, our students and studio regulars.

Remember us this holiday season:  If you have seen too much of your family and you need a date night…we can help!  If your family is in town and you’re looking for a way to entertain everyone…we can help!  Do you know a special someone that has begged you for years to take dance lessons, or know a little one that has big dreams of being on “Dancing With the Stars?”  Know an avid ZUMBA fitness lover?  We can help with that to!  Scope out our calendar to find a class or studio party, visit our dance instruction page for lesson or package deatils, and contact us to get your gift certificates printed just in time to stuff your stockings!

As a small business, we depend on you!   We hope that you can find an hour here and there to come see us!  Happy holidays and thank you, as always, for your continued support!

News!

Paramount to be the “go to” studio on Saturday nights!

You asked for it, we gave it to you!  Actually we were dragging our feet…we are creatures of habit sometimes, too.   But every week we had at least two people mention that we should have our parties on Saturday nights.  And since when have we been the studio that does what everyone else does?!  So starting this Saturday, November 12, Paramount Ballroom Company will be the “go to” studio for Saturday evening dancing!  We will have an Intermediate Group class at 7 pm, followed by the Studio Party at 8 pm.  We want to allow a lot of flexibility without a lot of confusion, so we have set the price as follows:  $10 for the group…or $10 for the party…or $10 for BOTH!  So no matter when you come, or how long you stay, the price is the same!  And remember, refreshments are provided!

What our parties have to offer:   We have been getting a lot of compliments on our music selection!  We were tired of hearing the same tired music, too.  So we work really hard at finding new music and mixing them with the old stand-bys in all dance genres.   We also have great party ideas!  We will have a special themed party about once a month.  You won’t see generic party themes here.  And as always we will occasionally move our party away from the studio with ”Paramount Paints the Town,” where we meet out students out on the town, for a night of dancing!

We are looking forward to seeing you and being your Saturday night dance connection!

In celebration of reaching 200 Fans on Facebook…

Paramount Ballroom Company wants to thank all their fans and dance friends by announcing this amazing limited time offer!  Starting Friday, October 14th all private lessons will be 1/2 price!! 

Here is the one and only catch:  Lessons must be purchased one at a time, and must be taken at time of purchase.  However, there is no limit to how many lessons each person takes.  When the lesson time is reserved, it is yours!  This offer will not last long and spaces are very limited, so please reserve your lesson time NOW!  Contact us at:  913-951-9890.

If you cannot make you scheduled lesson time, please cancel within 24 hours if possible, so that others may get a chance at this offer.