Tango by the River Makes the Cover!

We were searching for a Latin Music DJ for a big party in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)

This position has been filled, but you may still contact us if you like, because it is always good to have a backup!

You may contact us by phone using the form below.

Private Dance Lessons for a First Dance

Thinking of taking Private Dance Lessons for your First Dance as a Married Couple?
Phil Seyer is available for lessons for people in cities such as Auburn, Rocklyn, Roseville, Loomis, Sacramento, Citrus Heights, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area. Phil and can help you look your best for your first dance.  He can help you learn to dance in a hurry. The best way to contact Phil is by phone. He will be happy to answer all of your questions.  Just call 925-888-4392 or use the convenient phone below to make the call at no cost to you.

Tips for Private Wedding Dance Lessons

Start taking lessons now! Don’t want until a few weeks or days before your wedding! Learn to dance together then go out on dates together once a week at a local place.  Phil can recommend some great locations for you to practice your dance figures. Don’t just do this First Dance thing because it’s what everyone does for a wedding.  With this attitude, you will miss one of the greatest joys of life: dancing!  Moving together as one creature with four legs. Remember, couples that dance together, stay together.  Dancing does so much for a relationship!

Wait until  10 Weeks Before your Wedding.  Ok, if you just want to fall in line and do this First Dance thing because you are supposed to, I can still help you.  If you don’t care about missing the best part of your life, then yes, go ahead and use the “just in time training” approach and wait until about two and 1/2 months before you wedding.  Then take lessons every week and you’ll look great on your Wedding Day.  But mark my words and write this down:  You will be missing out on something wonderful with this lackadaisical approach.  Go ahead, wait till the last minute if you want.  Later you will regret it when you final discover the joy of partner dancing.  Why dance?  Mainly for the joy of doing it.  Not because your mother expects it.

Pick a Song you Both Love.  Don’t let some strict ballroom dance teacher tell you that the song you want to use is not good for dancing.  Find a teacher who who understands that music comes first.  We dance to music! Music is king. If you love a song, the song will inspire you and you will have a great time on your wedding day.

Use a Choreographed Routine.  If you are new to dancing, it is best to use a choreographed routine.  Learn a number of dance figures and then put these figures together in a way that fits the music. Your dance teacher can help you with this.

Write down the Name of Each Dance Figure You Learn.   If your dance teacher doesn’t tell you the name of the figure you are learning, make up your own name. Make it creative and memorable to you.  For example if you move across the dance floor in a sexy way with a certain figure, you might called it “The Michael Jackson.”  Ask your teacher if he or she is willing to email you some notes about your dance lesson.

Remember Who Fault is It if something Goes Wrong!   This will save a lot of arguments!  Whose fault is it when something goes wrong during a dance routine? Is it the follower because she didn’t respond appropriately to a lead? Or is it the leader for not making the lead clear?  Think about it!  (Answer will be given later in this article, so stay tuned)

Custom Videos.  Use Custom Made Videos to Help you Learn Faster and Remember Your Dance Figures. Ask your dance instructor to make a video of the new dance figure that you have learned at a lesson. If you don’t have a cell phone will a video camera, ask your instructor to make the video for you and email you a link to it.

Google+  If you don’t have one, yet get a Google+ account!  Any video you take can be immediately available for private viewing on your Google+ account.  Or the video your instructor takes can be easily available to you on Google Plus in a private “Circle.”

Before you Sleep.  Before you fall asleep mentally rehearse the dance steps you are learning. Believe it or not, this can be calming and can help you solidify your memory of the dance figures.  Studies have proven than mental rehearsal and mental practice can be extremely effective.

Form Not Just Figures.  Ask your instructor to give you some tips on posture and dance form.  Sometimes instructors get so caught up in teaching basic footwork, they forget to offer tips on posture  and larger body movements during dance.

Practice Free Style Routines.  Be prepared for what to do if you forget your choreography.   Learn to take it and break out into a free style dance for a while then come back together to continue your structured partner dance routine. Consider building this break from convention partner dancing into your routine!  It will make your First Dance really unique, fun and different.  A good dance instructor can show you specific things to do if you forget your routine. This will save you a lot of embarassment.

Don’t Count!  Beginning dancers often count to help them “stay with the program.”  That’s OK for a while, but you’ve go to get past that or you’ll really look stupid on the dance floor.  You don’t that do you?  Hey, it might be better to sway for 3 minutes than to try to dance and look like an awkward beginner counting out his steps.  OK, you can count mentally, but don’t move your lips!

Make it a Surprise!  Consider doing something different.  For example, start with a traditional tune like “The Way You Look  Tonight” but then break out into salsa, swing, tango, nightclub two step or some other more modern, exciting dance.

Do you have a party coming up that you would like to enhance with a dance contest, dance performance or a dance lesson? I’ve helped many people add something special to a corporate party or private house party by giving a group dance lesson.  If necessary I can supply an awesome professional BOSE sound system along with the dance lesson or dance contest. Private dance lessons are also available.

Give me a call to discuss Individual Private or Private Group Lessons!  The form below makes it easy to call me.

Some special group dance lessons I have given include:

• Dance lesson for guests a surprise birthday party (Argentine tango) in Sacramento
• Group salsa lesson at a house party in Roseville, California
• Line dance lesson at a Wedding in Sacramento
• Salsa lesson and dance contest for a corporate event at the San Francisco Airport Marriott
• Dance lessons for a “Ladies Night Out”  party in Citrus Heights, California — East Coast Swing, West Cost Swing
• Corporate Party in Sacramento: Hustle (popular in the 1970′s and 80′s) — still popular in ballrooms today

I also offer private dance lessons for singles and couples.  It’s best if you have a partner, but I have successfully worked with both male and female students who do not have partners. I teach free style dance as well as all of nightclub and ballroom partner dances.  Dances I teach include:

• Argentine tango
• American tango
• Salsa
• Cha-cha-cha (sometimes called Chacha or cha-cha)
• Merenge
• Bachata
• Bolero
• Waltz
• Foxtrot
• Swing (East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Shag, Lindey Hop)
• Nightclub Two Step
• Country Two Step

Some special features of my lessons:

• Email summaries of what was taught in a lesson
• Optional, custom videos of the dance figures learned
• Totally private lessons
• Choreographed Wedding Dance Lessons for Bride and Groom — Father – Daughter, Mother – Daughter dances.
• Tips for the First Dance of the Bride and Groom — how to walk out on the dance floor, how to improvise when necessary, how to finish the dance with style

Frequently Asked Questions About Dance Lessons

How much do you charge for private or group dance lessons? — this is decided on a case-by-case basis.  Best to call and discuss prices.
When can I take dance lessons?  – we can usually agree on a suitable time, mornings, afternoons, and evenings are available.

How long have you been teaching?  –  Since 1995!  How time flies!

How did you become a dance teacher? — I studied intensively with Diane Jarmolow, Director  of the Dance Teacher’s College.

Do you have References?  –  Diane Jarmolow of the Dance Teachers College will vounch for me and I have many satisfied students who will recommend me.

For your convenience the form for contacting me by phone is repeated below. There is no cost to call me about dance lessons using this form:

Here’s a list of some interesting movies available  on Netflix.

No connection yet with dance or music, but they look like interesting flicks.

Do the Right Thing (oops not on Netflix streaming)

Mona Lisa – available on DVD only
Duck Soup– available on DVD only
My Cousin Vinny — available on DVD only
Video Drome — watch instantly
The Chockale WAr
? Stone
Life’s Funniest Moments
The Pixar Story
The Danger
Somewhere in the City
The Lion in Winder
The Safety Objects
Switched at Birth

Although it’s great to be able to play by ear, being able to read music opens up a new door to any musician.

Here are some tips for Argentine Tango Followers.

1. Focus on the leader’s upper body.   You can tell a lot by watching the leader’s chest.

2. When to cross left over right. When the leader move to your right side and stays on your right side for  the following two steps,  it is traditional for the follower to cross left foot over right.   (In the traditional 8-count basic, this would be steps 3, 4, and 5.)

When the leader pauses, he often wants you to cross left over right.  Some leader’s also indicate the cross with a slight lifting action on your back.

3. When to cross left behind right.  When the leader steps to his left (your right) and pauses, it is traditional for the follower to cross her left foot behind her right. This would be step #2 of the traditional 8-count basic.  It is also effective for the follower to tap her left foot to the music while waiting for the leader to continue after pausing.

4.  Reaching Back from the Hip.   When stepping back the follower should reach back from her hip and straighten her leg.  This helps her take big steps and make room for the leader.  Beginning followers should generally lengthen their steps, while beginning leaders should shorten their steps.

5. Upper body lean.  The follower should lean forward toward the leader.  Advanced follower often dance chest-to-chest with the leader.  When leaning forward the follower should be careful to stick her bottom out.

6. Avoid Being an Ocho Motor.  Some followers, when dancing an ocho, will dance the ocho in their own rhythm (almost like a motor that is running) and will not follow the tempo indicated by the leader.  This is particular true of experienced ballroom dancers who are not yet used to the rubato style used in Argentine tango.  Watch the leader’s chest; the speed of the leader’s chest rotation sets the speed of your ochos.he wants you to do the ochos.

7. When the leader traps your foot.  When the leader traps your foot, just pause and wait for a lead as to what to do next.  Don’t withdraw your foot.

8. When the leader sweeps your foot.   When the leader sweeps your foot, just let him do it, don’t move your foot yourself.  Keep your foot close to the floor unless the leader lifts it.

9. Eye contact. If a leader catches your eye from across the room and holds eye contact, he is asking your to dance!  Nod your head to accept the dance and when the leader moves in your direction, stand up and come to him!  If you don’t want to dance with that leader, you can look down or away from the leader.  [Note this is the approached used in Argentina and in some American milongas (tango dances).  Being an old school American dancer, I prefer to directly ask for a lady's hand in a dance.]

Private Dance Lessons

Memorizing Music with Retrogressive Chaining

A very effective way to memorize music is to use retrogressive chaining.  This was method of training developed by psychologist B.F. Skinner, but it was also described in an Etude Magazine that predated Skinners work.  I’ve used the method myself successfully and thought I would pass it along to you.  Here’s the idea as described in the Etude Magazine.

Select a piece of music that you would like to learn and memorize.  Turn to the last measure!  Study the score of the last measure. Then without looking at it try to play just the last measure.  If you can’t do it, then play from notes. Then again study the score and play without looking at the score.

Make a goal of learning at least one measure a day.

On day #2, memorize the next to the last measure and play through to the end of the song from memory. By the end of the week, you will be able to play the last 7 measure from memory.   Of course, you may memorize more measures than this, but this can be your memorization minimum.

Notice that the last part of the song or piece will get the most practice because you always play through to the end. This has the beneficial effect of giving you more and more confidence as you play because the last part of the piece will be more strongly embedded in your memory.

Of course, you will probably want to often play the piece from the beginning, but your memorizing should be focused on the last part.

Rule: Once you memorize a measure, never play it again directly from notes!  

If you can’t remember a measure that you’ve previously memorized, stop and study the notes to refresh your memory; then turn a way from the notes and play from memory.

Reviewing Memorized Music — make a definitely time in your practice sessions for playing through music that you have previously memorized. It will be fun and enjoyable.  Don’t let these great pieces you’ve worked so hard on slip from your memory and fingers.

Mental Practice.  Memorizing a measure at a time can be combined with mental practice. You can handle one measure!  Without actually playing anything, imagine that you are playing that measure.  Try to feel it and hear it, but don’t actually do it.  If you can’t visualize it or feel your self playing that measure, then again study the score and then try again.   With repeated efforts, you will be able to practice the music in your mind!

This can be a great help once you learn to do this.  You can practice your music anywhere and any time: on a bus, while waiting for an appointment, while waiting in line at the grocery store or just before falling asleep.

Memorizing without your instrument. If you don’t have access to your instrument, you can still memorize music if you have the musical score to study!   One pianist was called upon to perform a concerto, but he was on a tour performing other music. Hehad to travel for long hours on a bus from city to city. So he memorize the concerto sitting on the bus.  Of course, he had time to practice each night when he arrived at his destination, but the bulk of his memory work was on done riding on a bus!

Muscle Memory.  Muscle memory is very important in playing music. But don’t rely on it alone! If you have no mental image or memory of your music but just play “on automatic” there is a strong chance that this muscle memory may just go away suddenly during performance.  If you play the same thing over and over again, eventually your fingers will memorize it and you can play it automatically without thinking. But again, beware of this. Don’t do it.  As you play sing the tune in your mind; try to anticipate the sound of each note before you play it.

Charting your Progress.  Another helpful thing to do is to create a chart showing your progress using graph paper.  Determine how many measures you need to by a specific date. Then draw a line on the chart to show the minimum progress needed per day to reach your goal.  Each day, plot a point on the chart showing how many measures you’ve actually memorized.   Drawing a line in a different color connecting the data points.

Bob Mager — a writer in the instructional technology field — has used this method, but he plot pages written instead of measures memorized, but the idea is the same.  Somehow it seems that seeing our progress on a chart gives us a new kind of feedback that will motivate us.  For example, if we see that your actual plotted line is falling below the minimum progress line, we know that we’ve got to get our “buns rolling” (work harder) to catch up.  This keeps us on track.

Improvising on the Original Tune.  Try this.  Instead of playing the music exactly as written, improvise on it but keep the basic chord structure the same.  This will force you to understand and remember the actual chord structure used in the original.  When you understand the chord structure, this will make it so much easier to memorize the music and make it your own instead of just playing from dumb muscle memory.

Super Slow Tempo. Play the music extremely slowly and thinkingly.  This is another way to ensure that you are not just playing with blind musicle memory.

Think or say aloud the Chord Names and melodic movement.  As you play in a very slow tempo, say the chords aloud and describe the melody.  For example.

I’m starting with an E-flat major 7th chord with third in the sopranto.  It’s a IV chord in the key of B-flat. The sopraono is moving up la -ti- do (or scale steps 6, 7 and then skips a 6th to  mi — the 7th of the E-flat chord.

Hope this help!s  Please let me know your thoughts by replying to this article below.