1. "Do we have to pay double
because there are two of us?" No! There is no
extra charge for the fact that you are a couple.
My rates are for private lessons assuming there are 2 of you. 2. "How long is one lesson?" Each lesson is 50
minutes long and can start on the hour or on the half-hour.
The rehearsal space is rented by the hour, and I usually schedule
clients back-to-back,
so it is not possible to run overtime, since you would be cutting
into someone else's time.
So please try to arrive on time so you can get your money's worth!
3. "Do we have to sign up for a whole package of lessons
if we don't feel that we can fit it into our schedule?" No! Unlike some
infamous chains of ballroom dance studios in NYC,
I do not believe in using sales techniques to pressure my clients
into buying huge, expensive packages of lessons-- you decide how many lessons you need,
and you are more than welcome to pay per lesson as you go.
4."If
we have to cancel, do we lose our money?" You are welcome
to cancel and/or reschedule your appointment,
and will incur no charge as long as you call to report the cancellation
with 48 hours notice.
For instance, if you are booked for a Wednesday at 7:00pm and
are cancelling,
you would need to call me by 7:00pm on Monday.
If I do not answer the phone, you can leave a voicemail,
and as long as it is time-stamped by the deadline, it will be
acceptable.
When you schedule an appointment, I hold that spot for you
and turn away all other clients who request that spot.
In order to be able to offer your spot to others in the event
you cancel,
I need time to rebook it. So if you do not give sufficient notice,
or are a "no-show", you will be responsible for payment.
Sorry to have to take such a tough stand, but some people are
unfortunately very flaky,
so I want to make it clear upfront what the policy is.
5."How
is best to make an appointment-- phone or email?" You are welcome
to do either...
however, it is much easier for me if you email me all the info.
That way, I have everything written down already
and don't have to try to remember it from a phone conversation.
I check my email at least once a day, so you will get a quick
response.
If you call me, I may not be able to return your call until I
get a break inbetween lessons,
since I give my clients my undivided attention when at the studio
and don't generally have phone conversations when teaching.
To set up an appointment, please click on "Book an Appointment"
below in the main menu.
6."What
form of payment do you accept?" Cash payment is
preferred. I also accept credit card payments, but on the website
only,
and the credit card transaction must be completed no later than
48 hours before the appointment.
If you prefer to pay me in person at the dance lesson, it will
have to be cash only,
as I do not have a physical credit card machine.
Personal checks are not accepted.
7."Will
you ever sell our contact info to other people/businesses for
mailing lists?" No, and I hate it
when people do that to me too!
The contact info I have on my clients is for my purposes only,
and I do not share it with any other businesses.
8. "We're
not sure what dance or song we want to do for our First Dance.
Any suggestions?"
Here are the top 6 most popular songs for the First Dance.
If you want to be original, don't pick any of these!
#1: "At Last" by Etta James
#2: "It Had to be You" by Harry Connick Jr.
#3: "The Way You Look Tonight" by Sinatra
#4: "Fly Me to the Moon" by Sinatra
#5: "When You Say Nothing At All" by Ronan Keating or
Alison Kraus
#6: "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Israel K.
By far the most popular wedding song these days is "At Last"
by Etta James.
And besides being overdone, it is not an easy song to dance to
because it has a tricky jazz beat
and some lyrical sections where the beat dies down, so beware
when picking this one.
It is beautiful to listen to, but not good to dance to--the audience
can't really get into it
because it's too mellow and intimate to be a crowd pleaser.
(In order to pull the audience in, you should pick a song with
more "oomph".)
The song you pick determines the dance you do, though some songs
can fit into more than one dance style.
I have had couples do anything from the jazz standards mentioned
above to Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Van Morrison,
Enya, Sade, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Julio Iglesias, Sting, Firehouse,
Marc Anthony, Joshua Kadison, Queen, Beatles, etc.
You can pick any song you like, and we can work with it. Don't
be afraid to be original! 9. If we are really
bad dancers, should we pick a slow song?
No! Dancing slow is HARDER than dancing fast.
In order to be able to do justice to a slow song, you have to
remain calm & steady,
filling in the gaps in the music with minute, fluid, subtle body
movement.
Normally you'd have to be a very experienced dancer with great
rhythm to pull this off.
If you doubt your dance abilities at all, you should go with a
medium tempo song-- not too slow. 10. What should
we wear to the dance lesson?
Ladies should not wear open toed shoes to the first lesson--
please protect your feet from him until he learns his steps!(I
have seen toenails ripped off !)
Also, it's not a good idea to wear your actual wedding shoes for
the first lesson--
they will get black scuff marks on them, and white satin is difficult
to remove stains from.
You should not wear a sweater or you will get overheated. A dress
shirt or short sleeved shirt is best.
No matter what time of the year it is outside, the dance studio
is typically 75 degrees year-round,
so please keep that in mind and don't dress too warmly for indoor
dancing.
In case you get thirsty, there is a water fountain in the hallway,
and bottled water is sold at the reception desk.
Welcome to www.BallroomDanceNYC.com
: Wedding Dance by Kerensa!