Private Dance
Lessons
Written by
Rick Archer
Last Update: July 2010
Salsa
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Swing
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Ballroom
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Western
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About Private
Lessons
There are several
compelling advantages to taking Private Dance Lessons.
1.
Speed. One of the
major reasons, of course, is speed. As opposed to the
gradual learning of Group Lessons, Private lessons are the
quickest way to improve your dancing if you need to prepare
for a special event such as the First Dance at a
Wedding
or dancing on a
Cruise Trip.
2.
Pace.
Private lessons
allow you to move at your own pace. They
are
useful for people who are fast learners or slow learners (meaning group classes would
either bore you or overwhelm you).
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3. Review. Private lessons are an excellent way to review patterns you might have
forgotten. They can also be used to polish leads or to quickly
catch up to the skill level of an advanced partner.
4. Odd Schedule.
Private lessons can be used to solve the problem of difficult schedules.
Many people have trouble making weekly group lessons on a regular basis.
5.
Excellence. Last but certainly not least, private lessons are
the best path to take if excellence in social dance is your goal. There
are details that can be covered in private lessons that are too
technical to be part of a group lesson. Private lessons allow an
instructor to fine tune everything from footwork to leads, arms and
timing.
Cost. The cost is
$50 an hour for up to
4
people unless otherwise specified.
To set up a lesson, please just drop us an email.
Rick and Marla are
available days, evenings, and weekends.
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2010: SSQQ
Bissonnet Closes: The
End of an Era
Written by Rick Archer
In April 2010,
I was forced to close the doors on
SSQQ,
my longtime dance studio,
after a 30 year stay on Bissonnet Street in Bellaire.
The Bissonnet Studio was forced to close because the
landlord wanted to build a hospital. It was a shame
because SSQQ had many friends who were sad to see the studio
come to an end. It was definitely
a bittersweet moment because SSQQ was more than a dance
studio. I believed it was a community. Something as good as
my dance
program definitely deserved to continue. Read
The Last
Waltz for the complete story.
Of course everyone
hoped that I would move the studio to another location.
Unfortunately, running a large dance studio requires a
tremendous amount of time and energy. At age 60, I was
reluctant to
start all over. In addition, there was a strong 'been
there, done that' kind of feeling. I felt like there
were other challenges out there. Marla and I felt the time had come to concentrate on
our dream
of seeing the world via our successful SSQQ sideline, the
SSQQ Travel Club.
After
SSQQ-Bissonnet closed, Marla and I still wanted to continue teaching dance. While it is true that organizing
large cruise trips can be a full-time job in its own right,
four cruise trips a year leaves still leaves 48 weeks at
home here in Houston.
With this in mind, Marla and I created a spacious 500 sq ft dance studio in
our home here in the Heights to teach private lessons. If you ever need
help with any dance - Western, Swing, Waltz, Salsa, Night
Club, Slow Dance, Foxtrot, Rumba, West Coast - just let us
know. rick@ssqq.com
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Private Lessons for Small Groups
Written by Rick Archer
July 2010
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When the term "Private Lesson" is used at dance
studios, it typically refers to one-on-one training or an instructor
working with a couple.
Going back to the days of the Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray
franchises, these studios historically utilized Private Lessons as the main staple of their
business.
SSQQ achieved its extraordinary success by trying a new concept:
Group Lessons. During its 30 year run, SSQQ made its mark
by emphasizing Group Lessons over
Private Lessons. The
SSQQ Group Class Dance Program was a phenomenal success. At
its peak, SSQQ averaged
over twelve hundred students a month. There was no other dance studio
in America quite like SSQQ.
As one of the first studios to concentrate on the Group Lesson concept,
SSQQ literally created a new model for dance studios. SSQQ was truly "one of a kind".
However, the April 2010 closing of SSQQ-Bissonnet put an end to
that, at least where Marla and I are concerned. Those days are
over. Now that we no longer have a 7,000 square foot, 6 room studio to run, Marla and I
have moved back towards the traditional Private Lesson concept.
Fortunately there
is a very pleasant compromise - "Group" Private Lessons.
Since the dance floor here at our house in the Heights can hold up
to a dozen people, there is no reason why an individual can't
organize their very own group to take lessons.
Do you have friends who would like to learn the Western Waltz?
Organize a group of your friends.
Do you have friends who want to learn Synchronized Polka or Night
Club? Organize a group of your friends. What's so
hard about that?
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Here
is how it works: A group private lesson will
run an hour and a half. The charge will be
$100. Limit 12 people.
We can
do the class Monday, Wednesdays, Thursday, or Friday
evening from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. We can also do
classes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and early
evening. The weekend time slot can be
flexible.
Back
in the heyday of SSQQ-Bissonnet, a group lesson cost
$40-$50 for 4 two hour lessons. Do the math...
that was $10 a night. Now if you get 12
people, a Group Private Lesson is $8 a night per
person. And why is it so inexpensive?
That's easy to explain - no overhead! Marla
and I are happy to pass the savings on to you.
A
Group Private Dance Lesson combines the best of all
worlds - Social Interaction, accelerated learning, a
fun teacher and inexpensive too. You
decide what you wish to learn. You decide who
is in your class. What more can you ask for?
rick@ssqq.com
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Private Lesson Photographs
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Susan - Salsa
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Wedding Foxtrot
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Meredith and Ron -
Wedding Slow Dance
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and Lina - Swing
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Kristi and Richard -
Western
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Jennifer - Western
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Cristina and
Travis - Western
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Devin and
Taylor - Wedding Foxtrot
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Sallie and Jeff -
Western
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Meredith and
Christopher - Wedding Foxtrot
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Marissa and Glenn -
Wedding Foxtrot
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Wedding Foxtrot
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