Monthly dances offer you a chance to learn some contra dances during the early part of the evening and to do some more complicated patterns later in the evening. Live music.

Next Dance is Saturday, April 4 in the UUCA social hall off of Briarcliff Road.

Their website has some photos of basic contra dance moves like the Star left shown here.

The lesson is at 7pm. The band plays from 8pm until 11pm and there is some really good Louisiana food catered at the Knights of Columbus for these monthly dances.

Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys will keep you moving, there is a cash bar and lots of friendly people. Email shirley@comeoutdancing.com if you want to go. We save a little off the entry price if we can get a group of 5 dancers to go. More details on their website www.aczadance.org or mine on the calendar at www.comeoutdancing.com.

The rumba rhythm is a four count rhythm – and most songs are written in four or eight count phrases, so this dance ‘works’ or fits a huge amount of music.

Ballads especially make great rumbas. So do love songs. Often half of the Grammy nominees are a rhythm that fits either American rumba or its European cousin, the bossanova. (Adele, Duffy, Maroon 5, Sara Barielles, Leona Lewis, even Ne-Yo are some of the Grammy 2009 artists whose songs include some rumbas.)

If you are still on the fence, remember that rumba is essentially slow salsa and is also related to Country Western Nightclub two step. Since rumba is a slow dance, it is useful to learn some moves in rumba and then transfer them to salsa.

We dance at the studio on the square in Decatur – next door to the Raging Burrito restaurant.

This Friday, we will have supper at Raging Burrito before the lesson.  We usually gather about 6:30pm.

The lesson fee on Fridays is a sliding scale of $7 to $15.

The second hour of dance in the studio at 9pm varies a bit each week and those present usually request music and dances.

We review the dances we have learned recently: Two step, waltz and tango are the last 3 dances we learned.

Salsa makes Mondays spicy

You will find yourself looking forward to Mondays – once you start coming out for classes in beginning salsa.

On Mondays, at 7pm, in the Several Dancers Core Studios in Decatur,

you will learn to move to Latin music

and enjoy dancing to the rhythms. Improvers in the class learn to link moves together and to create their own style on the floor.

You will get some social dance time when you join us at Pura Vida Tapas on

the third Friday each month:  March 20 and April 17..

Shirley is teaching Mondays at 7pm at the Studio in Decatur.

You can ‘drop in’ for $12 a class

or $40 gets you the whole month of classes – and in March that is 5 classes.

“I Can’t Dance” Dance Class in April

The March series is full but it is the perfect time to register for April’s beginning dance class.

The next class series starts April 5 and will run for 3 Sunday afternoons.

(We will meet on Easter Sunday.)

We meet in Decatur at 2pm. Cost is $50 per person.

Our focus is learning how to lead and follow a partner to various tempos..

Details on the calendar at www.comeoutdancing.com

Email shirley@comeoutdancing.com to register. Class is limited to 7 students.

Peach State Dance Weekend is March 20, 21, 22

Each year, this weekend draws hundreds of dancers.

And they are at all levels and so are the classes.

Pre-register online at Peach State Dance.

It features terrific classes, big dances, competitions and performances

by national champions. Treat yourself.

(It is officially country dance but that includes waltz, swing, hustle, and more.)

Waltz is arguably the most romantic dance you can invite someone to do with you.

It’s three beat (actually six beat ) rhythm is easy for some dancers – because it so much like walking.

This Friday we will learn a simple side sway and review the twinkle step for the improvers and beginners will learn the basics.

Every third Friday after class, some of us head to Pura Vida Tapas for some salsa, merengue and bachata.

So our second hour this Friday will focus on latin rhythms and you will see how the three waltz steps can help you learn salsa and rumba more quickly.

Cost for this evening is a sliding scale fee of $7 to $15 – depending on your personal economy right now.

We meet at the studio next to Raging Burrito, Several Dancers Core, on the Square in Decatur.

Meet us for Supper at 6:30pm at Sage on Sycamore just a couple doors down.

Saturday, February 21, at 8pm Shirley teaches a two step class for beginners.

The dance venue is the country western bar called ‘3 Legged Cowboy‘ but some of us still call it “Hoedowns”.

It is next to Trader Joe’s in Midtown.

The dance floor is terrific and the sound system is too.

After the lesson, you can dance to new and old country tunes.

I will teach the basic rhythm in open and closed position and then depending on the students, we will either learn the ‘belt loops’ pattern or a couples turn.

Be ready to dance. And be sure to say thank you to Sheila and Deana, the owners, for the free lesson.

Note: this is a gay venue but you will find it welcoming to men and women, gay and straight and dancers of all skill levels.

The photo is not about dance but about country singers who ’step outside the lines’:

(Shelby Lynne, Willie Nelson & Shooter Jennings). Thanks to Vanity Fair for the image.