+ I can't dance. Can you teach me?

Let me guess: you have 0 dance experience, your partner can't stay on beat, and you've had a few bad experiences trying to dance together. You're exactly the kind of person I love to work with. Having fun moving to music is a universal human language; if you can walk, you can dance. I've taught 20 year olds and 80 year olds, and all of them have come out of these lessons looking good and having fun. I dare you to be the first exception.

+ How long do lessons take? How much time before our wedding will we need for lessons?

Each lesson takes about an hour. For engaged couples, I've done lessons as close as three days before the wedding. Even an hour with me will help you create much better memories of your first dance!

+ Where can you teach?

As lessons are often online, anywhere within the US. For in-person lessons, I teach within driving distance from where I'm located in Falls Church, Virginia.

+ How can you teach dance online? Is it different than your in-person lessons?

There are pros and cons to both online and in-person - but my entire curriculim is designed to be easily communicated online. With the ease of both video chat and presentation today, online lessons offer incredible flexibility with scheduling, a lower price, and greater accessibility for you - no need to trek out to a dance studio after a long day at work!

Finally, after every lesson, I offer clients the recorded audio of everything we went over - a benefit most clients find incredibly helpful to remember and refresh everything long after the lessons end!

+ What makes you so different from other instructors or studios - what's your story?

As said on the About page, I teach dance based on connection and self-discovery. Every other instructor and studio I've had taught from a very left-brain, complicated, and time draining regimen - without ever giving a why. And I paid thousands of dollars per month for it.

An easily frustrated student, this left me with a hole in my wallet and a burning question: "why can't the process of learning to dance be fun, affordable, and accessible?" So I began to research and craft my own curriculum - asking how I would like to be taught. And over the past eight years, I've developed a methodology I believe to be simple to demonstrate, easy to understand, and fun to learn. And because I don't have to pay franchise licensing fees or rent a studio, I can not only charge significantly less but afford to teach far more content in each lesson.

That said, my methods are always adapting and sharpening. I learn something new from every client, and have yet to teach the same lesson twice to different people.

In the end - this is my passion. I love dance, I love teaching it, and it energizes me like nothing else to see others catch that same fire. Check out the Testimonials section for yourself.

+ Do you have something against other dance studios?

Not at all. Dance studios do great work and provide a great service to dancers worldwide. It's just that their teaching methods aren't aligned with what most people actually want.

Professional studios (and most instructors) use a methodology designed to produce professional and competitive dancers - those that travel to competitions, are judged with the greatest of scrutiny on the angle of their left foot, and win medals.

But that's not what 99% of people want. In my research, I found that almost no one wanted that ultra-precise, competition-level expertise for their dancing. Instead, I heard the same two concepts over and over: "we just want to look good, and have fun together." Thus my motto.

+ What styles do you teach?

Technically, East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Blues, Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata - as some examples.

But I never start with styles. That's not where dance starts. And when instructors do start there, beginners invariably find themselves frustrated by the complicated footwork without understanding the purpose or meaning behind it.

All dance styles originate in specific styles of music. So first, I focus on subconscious connection with the music itself. Once that's achieved, dance styles flow naturally.

+ Do you choreograph for weddings?

Yes. But for several reasons, I believe that choreographing a first dance is usually a bad idea.

First, couples certainly don't need anything else to think about on their big day. With so much organization and love swirling around, the last thing the bride and groom will need is to stress about remembering more details.

Second, I want to give couples more than a few patterns they'll forget immediately after the wedding. In the same amount of time and expense that choreographing and memorizing a dance would take, I could give them the skill of looking good and having fun together - without thinking about it - for the rest of their lives.

Finally, an unplanned dance is simply more genuine to the couple. Unless you're a professional, you can't choreograph those moments of laughter at an unexpected turn or a goofy face made halfway through a dip.

So a one-time dance or lifelong connection? To me, there's no comparison.

+ How many lessons do I have to sign up for?

Completely up to you. As I've found it to work best, I recommend the 3-lesson package, but there are no contracts or obligations here. You can have just one lesson and leave; if you want more, contact me and we'll put it on the schedule.

+ Do you give personal or group lessons?

Yes to both. I've taught at many events as well as more personal settings. You will obviously learn much more with the one-on-one focus of personal lessons, but group classes will be cheaper (rates depending on the size).

+ Do I have to have a partner?

Currently, online lessons are offered only to couples or small groups. Relationship status doesn't matter: friends, dating, engaged, married, it all works. In-person lessons are of course not as restricted.

+ What should I wear?

Anything you're comfortable moving around in. Jeans and a T-shirt is fine, but I would not recommend bare feet.

+ Is there any kind of age limit?

Absolutely not. Whether you're 25 or 85, if you want walk and like having fun, you can learn to dance.

+ Do you teach more advanced students?

Sure. I'm more than willing to take intermediate dancers to the next level - and can even provide references for some excellent advanced instructors in the area if you choose not to go with me.

+ What do you like most about teaching dance?

That magic connection moment. It's when everything suddenly clicks: the couple stops thinking and starts creating something beautiful to the music - together. Whether clients are 8 or 80, this moment always happens, and it's a huge motivator for me to keep on doing what I do.