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Class Information
Each ABD class runs for 5 consecutive weeks unless otherwise noted. Each class meets once a week at Hancock Recreation Center, 811 E 41st Street. In each 5-week session participants may elect to take either one class or all of the classes available in that session.

The fees for each 5-week session are as follows:
  ABD Member Non-member
One Session - One Class $20 $35
One Session - Unlimited Classes $30 $45

* All two-hour classes require you to pay the unlimited price.

2008 Class Schedule

Don McCollum's Classes: Tuesdays and Thursdays
  Tuesday Thursday
Dates 7:30-8:30pm 8:45-9:45pm 7:30-8:30pm 8:45-9:45pm
1 01/15-02/15 Samba 3 Trad Cuban Rumba 4 ECS 1 Polka 2
2 02/19-03/21 Intl Viennese 1 Samba 4 Trad Cuban Mambo 1 ECS 2
3 03/25-04/25 ECS 3 Intl Viennese 2 Intl Paso Doble 1 Trad Cuban Mambo 2
4 04/29-05/30 Trad Cuban Mambo 3 ECS 4 Intl Foxtrot 1 Intl Paso Doble 2
  06/03-06/06 Mid-Year Workshop
Samba - Advanced (no beginners)
This will be an extension of the Samba 4 that was just completed
5 06/10-07/18* Intl Paso Doble 3 Trad Cuban Mambo 4 WCS 1 Intl Foxtrot 2
6 07/22-08/22 Intl Foxtrot 3 Intl Paso Doble 4 Trad Cuban Cha Cha 1 WCS 2
7 08/26-09/26 WCS 3 Intl Foxtrot 4 Foxtrot 1 Trad Cuban Cha Cha 2
8 09/30-10/31 Trad Cuban Cha Cha 3 WCS 4 Intl Quickstep 1 Foxtrot 2
9 11/04-12/12* Foxtrot 3 Trad Cuban Cha Cha 4 Waltz 1 Intl Quickstep 2
  12/16-12/19* Winter Workshop
Peabody
This will be to introduce a new dance that is coming next year

Richard Fowler's Classes: Thursdays and Fridays
  Thursday Friday
Dates 7:30-8:30pm 8:45-9:45pm 7:30-8:30pm 8:45-9:45pm
1 01/17-02/15 Nightclub 3 Demand Foxtrot 1 Mambo 2
2 02/21-03/21 Mambo 3 Bolero 1 Waltz 1 Foxtrot 2
3 03/27-04/25 Foxtrot 3 Demand ECS 1 Waltz 2
4 05/01-05/30 Waltz 3 Demand WCS 1 ECS 2
  06/05-06/06 Mid-Year Workshop
No Class
5 06/12-07/18* ECS 3 Demand Tango 1 WCS 2
6 07/24-08/22 WCS 3 Viennese 1 Samba 1 Tango 2
7 08/28-09/26 Tango 3 Demand Rumba 1 Samba 2
8 10/02-10/31 Samba 3 Demand Cha Cha 1 Rumba 2
9 11/06-12/12* Rumba 3 Demand Mambo 1 Cha Cha 2
  06/05-06/06 Winter Workshop
To Be Determined

*Weeks Skipped
07/01 - 07/04
11/25 - 11/28

NOTE: "Intl" is short for "International Style," rather than "Intermediate."

*Demand classes are determined by student vote. The voting is held at the beginning of the last class of each 5-week session to determine what will be taught for the subsequent five weeks.

American vs. International
American style dancing is done mostly in the United States and Canada while the International style is done all around the world (including the U.S. and Canada) and is the style that will be danced at the Olympics. American style dances were codified with ease of learning (and sales) in mind, and so tend to have patterns that are easier to mix-and-match. Most beginners find the American style easier to learn and to dance socially, since a dancer with only one figure in a dance can be functional (although a bit boring) on the floor, whereas International style dances tend to have smaller patterns which must be fit into longer sequences in order to get to a point where a sequence can be repeated.

One way to think of it is that International style patterns are syllables and American style patterns are words you use in forming dance sentences. The International style was also codified more for descriptive clarity than with ease of teaching (or sales) in mind, and so some difficult skills are included fairly early in the syllabus, while the American style builds up to these skills over time. Eventually, the two skill sets are quite similar, the two styles just take two different paths to achieve their goals.

Once you've attained a certain amount of skill in one style, it is easier to learn the other, and in some cases the differences are quite minor (especially between Smooth and Standard).

(From kungfuballroom.com)

Hancock Recreation Center
811 E 41st Street: [Map]

Schedule
Download Print Version - 2008 Download Print Version - 2007

Scholarships for Teens
ABD scholarships are available to junior high or high school students 18 and under who could not otherwise afford to attend our dance classes.

Dance Class Guidelines
Austin Ballroom Dancers is a social dance club dedicated to providing an enjoyable dance experience for its members and guests. These guidelines are a list of good manners and acceptable behavior.

  1. Please don't talk excessively in class while the instructor is talking.

  2. Please turn off your cell phone's ringer during class.

  3. Please arrive for class a few minutes early if possible so you won't disrupt the class by coming in late. If you can't help being late, please come in quietly.

  4. It's more than likely that you will be in close proximity to others during class, so please make sure your breath isn't offensive and your deodorant is working. Even if your perfume or cologne is nice, too much can be overpowering, and some people might be allergic to it.

  5. Be open to switching dance partners during your class. You and your partner will learn more that way.

 

Copyright © 1996-2007 Austin Ballroom Dancers

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any comments or questions.

Austin Ballroom Dancers, PO Box 4571, Austin, TX 78765