July 20, 2009

Ballroom dance classes available this fall

by Ashley McRaven

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Do you ever go to parties, weddings, or dinner dances and wish you could get up and dance? Or perhaps you’re looking for fun, new ways to exercise or socialize.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Division of Continuing Education is offering the chance to make it happen with the return of the popular ballroom dance courses for the fall 2009 semester. Participants can learn a variety of basic dance steps used in the six most common ballroom dances.

Beginning Ballroom Dancing offers beginners and veteran dancers alike a quick introduction to the basic dance steps for the waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba, cha cha and swing with instruction in lead/follow and proper dance technique.

Those who have mastered the basics will want to check out Beyond Beginner Ballroom Dancing. This class expands on the instruction and gives more advanced ballroom dance technique help. Instructors for both classes are Jeremiah Linson and Crystal Hodges of Paducah.

There are two six-week sessions of each class this fall. The first session kicks off Sept. 1 and will focus on the waltz, tango and foxtrot while the second session, starting Oct. 13, includes rumba, cha cha and swing professional instruction.

The Beginning Ballroom Dancing class meets 7:30-9 p.m. each Tuesday while the Beyond Beginner course meets 6-7:30 p.m. each Tuesday during each six-week course of instruction. The classes meet in Ballroom A at the SIUC Student Center. Singles and couples are welcome. The registration fee is $30 per person, per six-week session.

For more information or to register, contact the Division of Continuing Education at 618/536-7751 or look online at https://www.dce.siu.edu.