New program starts: Salsa Dance Lessons & dance practices

** This new salsa only program starts tonight, that includes an hour long lesson, socials, and an invitational weekend social dance program.Train towards our Mid-Winter Dance Party, Jan. 19th (http://www.funabalu-singles.com/events/88560272/). Drop-ins welcome too.**

*It`s scientifically proven that the best way to enjoy being single is dancing. After thousands of years, dancing still is the best way to meet new people, have fun, get fit, and learn new skills. It`s how many of our parents met and why we were born, so you know it`s true.

Why Salsa Dancing?

Salsa dancing is the most popular form of latin dancing in our town. In addition to salsa music, it is quite adaptable to many other latin styles of music. For this reason, we start our latin dance program by learning salsa, followed by cha-cha, to ensure you can enjoy latin dancing anywhere. These lessons will be combined with a program in which you will be invited to join your fellow students at various dance halls and clubs around town to practice and enjoy salsa on other evenings. This is the fastest way to learn, have fun, and meet people. Unlike nightclub dancing, these dances are characterized by people readily inviting both men and women onto the dance floor. It is a very social way to connect with thousands of healthy, positive minded singles in your area. In combination with swing and cha-cha dancing, you could be busy every night of the week, if you wanted to. Fall and winter is a great time to enjoy learning and dancing. Come spring, you will be have a new skill to enjoy for life.

Check out these videos to get a better idea what salsa is about:

"Why we love salsa dancing (http://www.funabalu-singles.com/events/88370162/null)" and Introduction to salsa dancing . (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB-lM1MmuPU)

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** Please note: people have already registered and paid. Those who RSVPd to this individual event are just some of them.**

This season, we have a new Funabalu formula for fun. Our objective is to introduce you to hundreds of singles in our region, through our dance program and visits to local dance halls. Unlike other dance programs, this one brings you an instant group of people to learn and visit these clubs with, so you always have people to dance with. By going to dance clubs together on Fridays & Saturdays, you will also meet more people outside of Funabalu. It`s the best way to do social networking in the real world, while having fun.

Can`t dance?

Our approach is to hire funny, energetic, and great instructors. We promote no anxiety learning. If you are a lousy dancer, that`s great! Truly, the best dancers are those who begin as bad dancers. For some reason, they often learn quicker than those who may already feel comfortable on a dance floor, doing freestyle nightclub dancing.

By the end of winter, your married friends will envy your single lifestyle and wish they were single again.

And, unlike Internet dating, this is a good way to enjoy life and get introduced to the local dance community which is made up of positive, healthy, and fun people.

Demographics:

No matter how young, old or wonderful you are compared to those in your particular class, keep in mind that we are going to introduce you to hundreds of people in your community through our visiting dance halls and clubs. Just because you don`t imagine marrying anyone in your class by the end of the first few lessons, keep this in mind and come out anyway. First, you need the lessons which we provide as part of this program. Once you learn two lessons, the adventure begins, as we make our first visit on Friday, Oct. 19! That`s when things get really interesting. It`s like flash mobbing or a large blind group date whenever we head out on the town. Those you learn with often introduce you to others they meet and vice versa. It always seems to work like this. Besides, people tend to welcome strangers who come introduced through people they already know. Dancing is no different.

The program:

We offer two dance programs, swing at 8 pm and salsa at 9 pm! We encourage all to join both for a fast-track dance that will get you dancing in public this fall. This year, we combine the Tuesday lesson with a bonus practice session on Friday nights, so we will learn quickly and have even more fun. If for some reason you cannot come on Tuesday, you can join us on our Wednesday class.

More details:

Imagine how great life is when you can meet new people through dancing. Dancing enables singles to get up close and enjoy an active, social lifestyle the way we were meant to. Overcome your rhythm fears and learn the steps that give you dance floor confidence. Lousy dancers learn quickly when they are relaxed and have proper instruction. Our program is unique. We provide you the fastest path to mastering dance, as we will be combining our lessons with swing and salsa dance nights on the town. By the end of the program, you will not only learn how to dance, but also learn where all the hot dance clubs, meet other single dancers, and become part of the new Funabalu dance clan that will dance throughout the fall, winter and spring. It is our goal to turn this program into Ottawa-Gatineau's newest singles sub-culture. Come summer 2013, we aim to take advantage of summer dances throughout our region. Make dance your lifestyle choice to enrich your future. Afterall, it is how many of our parents met and how many continue to meet.

(See Steve's testimonial at the end of this email).

How the program works?

We learn Tuesdays (& Wednesdays for those who want a double lesson) each week with Melissa, our instructor (also a competitive dancer), who has a very entertaining approach to dancing that is different from any other instructor around. We have found that the key to quick learning is to practice our moves later in the week by taking part in a variety of swing and salsa dances around town on Friday or Saturday nights, depending what program(s) you join. These practice sessions will allow you to step into Ottawa's broader dance community and learn more quickly. They are held at various nightclubs and dance halls around town for free or at a door fee, usually under $10. Each outing will be announced on the Wednesday lesson and are intended only for those who take our program, so that we can focus on practicing the moves we learned together as a group.

We will also look out for dance parties, including Christmas parties and galas. This dance program is designed to focus on two of the most popular dances in our region. By the end, you will be comfortable enough to take on any dance floor in style. (Drop-in for the first lesson or pay the discount rates for 5 or 10 weeks at a time.)

** History proves, the more who who sign-up, the more of the opposite gender do too, so RSVP today and encourage others to join the fun. **

Why? Like sex, you can do it all over the world: Dancing is a universal language that is transferable throughout the world. Use it in nightclubs, dance parties, galas, at resorts and on cruises. Learning to dance is your passport to good times with great people.

Swing is a North American dance style for swing music, but also classic rock, country, disco, and R&B. It is perhaps the most important style to master for dancing to popular music.

Salsa is a latin dance of Cuban origin, considered to be one of the most popular around town. There are a number of nightclubs and dance parties in which you can use these steps to get out and enjoy them. It's lots of fun down south too!

PLEASE NOTE: THOSE WHO KNOW THEY WILL MISS UP TO 2 CLASSES CAN BE CREDITED TOWARDS FUTURE CLASSES, DANCE MODULES OR PARTIES. GREAT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PRIOR COMMITMENTS OR SHARED KID RESPONSIBILITIES.

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Unique Opportunity: Come learn some steps with us and enjoy a social adventure with other positive, outgoing singles. We are offering a unique opportunity for adult singles to learn together as a group. It will be more fun that way. We can learn, develop, and have a gang to dance with afterwards. And, you will have skills to dance at our monthly dance party. It will be fun! And, it may also change your life, just like my Dad meeting my Mom at a dance.

Fees:

A cheap night out for singles fun! To save even more, please prepay online when you RSVP or through email Interac transfer. Drop-ins can pay at the studio at the full rate.

Drop-in fee of $25 (payment in person at the studio.)

5 lessons for just $79 (online, $15.80 per class) / $85 by cheque or cash ($17 per class).

10 lessons for $145 (online or $14.50 per class) / $150 by cheque or cash ($15 per class).

**IN AN ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE GENDER BALANCE:

GUYS: OFTEN THERE ARE WAY MORE WOMEN THAN MEN INTERESTED IN DANCING. AND, WOMEN APPRECIATE MEN WHO ENJOY THEIR COMPANY, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GETTING AT? IF WOMEN CAN LEARN TO WATCH HOCKEY WITH US, ITS ONLY FAIR TO DANCE WITH THEM!

WOMEN, YOU CAN SHOW THE GUYS WHAT I MEAN BY SIGNING UP EARLY. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS. OUR EXPERIENCE SHOWS, THE MORE WOMEN THERE ARE, THE MORE GUYS SIGN -UP! EVEN SO, WE OFTEN GET MORE GUYS THAN GALS, WHICH IS WHY FUNABALU IS THE BEST DANCE PROGRAM AROUND FOR GALS TOO!

More reasons to dance?

Dancing is an important social skill and leads to new opportunities to enjoy life and meet new people, maybe meet a new partner too. It's great for de-stressing, building new skills, muscles and flexibility, and improving memory. After a hard day at work, it clears the mind and resets your nervous system to normal again.

It opens up doors socially. You can attend events where these skills are useful (office parties, galas, resorts, and cruises). You get to meet a new dynamic crowd of people who share a sense of social adventure. And, you can weed out the kinds of people you hope to avoid (couch potatoes, bar flies, and wall flowers).

Dancing is a great way to enjoy music, people and fitness. You can aim to be a good social dancer and even aspire to become a competitor.

Travel is always more fun when you are able to dance. Ask my friend who danced competitively through Europe. As he said, "There's nothing better travelling through Europe dancing with beautiful women in beautiful places." I enjoyed latin dancing on a cruise ship in the Galapagos on New Years, watching the sea turtles sidling up to the underwater lights of our ship. Like outdoors people, dancers are adventurous people and travel well.

You get to dress up for a change, when modern society likes to dress like programmers all the time. Who doesn't enjoy seeing people dressed to kill now and then?

THE PROGRAM COMMITMENT:

Sign-up for each 5 or 10 week session. Those who cannot attend all sessions can get credits towards future sessions too. Each week, we head out for our practice dance session at a local hot spot.

Our program allows singles to benefit from learning and socializing together. This is an alternative to dance schools where singles are often mixed in with a high proportion of couples. It's more fun this way and you don't feel like an outsider, like in programs filled with couples. We will develop a group who can also attend dance parties and nightclubs together as well.

Wednesday nights: 8 pm to 9 pm

We teach each basic dance over 5 to 10 weeks, then move onto the next level.

The Instructors:

Melissa is our dance instructor. She's great and lots of fun. She has a way of making everyone relax, laugh, and learn at the same time. Also, the Ottawa Dance Sport Studio (http://www.ottawadancesport.com), where we learn, is staffed by some of the best competitive dancers in our region. Whether you want to master the dance floor or become a competitor yourself, Milla (the owner) and her instructors are committed to making this the best place for single adults to learn. They have customized their program for our needs. And, they will teach us dances that we can also adapt for nightclubs too. In time, you may come to enjoy dance as part of your normal lifestyle too. What a fun, healthy lifestyle it is when combined with our other outdoors activities!

Preparations?

1. What is the dress code? Casual, except expect to wear something nice for the parties.

2. What type of footwear is required? - Leather sole shoes are best. Make sure the soles are clean beforehand, as grains of sand scuff up the floor. Rubber that marks the floor is not allowed, so avoid rubber soles.

3. Can I pay at the door for the full series of lessons? - Yes, but it`s $6 more for a program $85 versus $79 through online payments or prepayments by cash, cheque or money order.

4. Drop-in fees? Yes, we offer drop-in fees at $25, but it's a way better deal to pay by 5 or 10 weeks at a time where the cost drops to just $13 per session. You learn more that way too, so that by the end of the program, you have mastered the program.

Best Reasons To Learn & Invite Your Single Friends:

Great exercise: cardio, muscle tone, balance, flexibility, and coordination.

Good cross-training: I use merengue for improving my hip flexibility for downhill skiing turns. It works!

Impress friends and enemies. With just a few new steps, you can move the dance floor, even if you started learning with two left feet.

Meet potential lovers. George Bernard Shaw once said that dancing is the "vertical expression of a horizontal desire legalized by music". He was a bit of a pervert, brought you can catch what he was getting at.

Enjoy a sense of community. Dancing is a way to engage your community and broaden your network. Dance partners end up being friends and activity buddies. We have lots of people who have connected through our programs as friends and lovers, so it does work.

Meet a different kind of people. People who may never met otherwise have a chance to connect. Like outdoors people, dancers are a unique breed of positive, outgoing individuals who don't shrink away from social adventure.

Health benefits abound. Reduced stress, improves concentration, builds memory, cardio, muscle tone, and coordination.

Dress up is fun. Dancing allows people to dress up again, like in Montreal or Toronto or the bad parts of Ottawa.

Like sex, you can do it all over the world: Dancing is a universal language that is transferable throughout the world. Use it in nighclubs, diplomatic galas, on cruises, resorts, etc.

Can lead to a career: If life takes a detour, I may end up as a hired male dancer on some cruise ship line, travelling the world. Not a bad way to live, eh?

Make people envious: Especially guys who can lead a gal around the dance floor.

Go competitive: Put your skills to the test. This is as tough as any sport, requiring the same level of discipline as a martial arts competitor.

Get invited to special events: Dancers get into events that others cannot. It is your passport to parties where you can enjoy hanging out with a truly different crowd.

Good career skill: Anyone who knows how to dance can use these skills as office parties, networking events, diplomatic parties, and conferences.

Challenging: Because it challenges your mind and body, it is rewarding when you master it.

Transferable skills: I told my friend who complained he never met any women through his martial arts training to try dancing, because the skills he developed in learning body positioning and foot work would probably transfer to him learning dance quickly. I was right. In half the time I learned, he was a master dancer at a local latin dance club and had all the women eager to join him on the floor. He's now married and as his best man, I got to dance at his wedding with his beautiful sister.

Have people want to invite you out: Good dancers get asked out more often to dances. Makes sense, doesn't it?

*APRES DANCE PUB OUTING: after our dance lesson, we will head out to:

Grace O'Malley's Irish Pub and Restaurant

Address:http://maps.gstatic.com/mapfiles/transparent.pnghttp://maps.gstatic.com/mapfiles/transparent.png

1541 Merivale Road Nepean, ON K2G 5W1 (613) 226-9695 gracies.ca (http://maps.google.ca/local_url?q=http://www.gracies.ca/&dq=Grace+O%27Malley%27s+Irish+Pub+and+Restaurant&ftid=14714804833325655341&lyr=m%40162000000&iwp=maps_app&hl=en&view=smartmaps&sll=45.355523,-75.736034&callback=xdc._44gtrpo0ac&oi=miw&sa=X&ct=miw_link&cd=1&cad=homepage,cid:14714804833325655341&ei=jq6YTtD3GYLSMum6jbEC&s=ANYYN7muE71wbLBszqbHTCj38XjfA1eD1g)

** Directions: Take Chatelain to Kirkwood Avenue and turn right onto Merivale Rd. south. Go across Baseline Road on Merivale until you reach Clyde Ave., where you turn left onto Clyde and go one block. Grace O'Malley's is on the left hand side of the road in the mall beside the Ultramar gas station, near the corner of Capilano Drive and Clyde Ave. Look for our table.

Personal note:

I owe my life to ballroom dancing. At my Mom's funeral, all sorts of guys admitted they had crushes on her. She was a beauty. Many of them probably wondered how my Dad had snagged her from all the other potential suitors in her life. The secret was that my Dad made a decision one night to go to a dance. He had two left feet, but learned enough dance steps that he could ask my Mom for a dance. She complied and the rest is history. Those dance lessons he took were the best investment he ever made. Dancing created our family. He's still a lousy dancer, but at least he learned enough to get him the woman he desired.

Steve Keppel-Jones' testimonial:

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You may not think of yourself as a dancer, or necessarily be all that comfortable around women, and I didn't either. But it may not be as difficult as you think to pick up some nice moves. Before you know it you will be able to look your partner in the eye, smile, swing her around the floor, and dramatically improve your self-confidence at the same time. After a few months of dance lessons, I feel right at home putting my arm around my partner's shoulder, taking her other hand, and stepping around in time to the music. I almost would not have believed this was possible for me. One woman I dated said she thought my confidence level was very good in general, not just dancing, and I attribute a large fraction of this to the dancing classes. And in dance class you will be dancing with all of the women in turn, so you will become more comfortable with different personalities and levels of confidence on their part too, all the while being nice and up close and personal. Nothing wrong with that!

Angela said in our comments below:

Most local dance class programs require you to sign up with a dance partner. If you are single and love dancing, but don't have a dance partner, and your friends are reluctant to try swing or salsa, this is definitely the program for you! Check Steve's testimonial. During each class our teacher, Melissa, has us change partners frequently so we can dance with all others in the class. In some classes there are more men, in other classes, more women. It is more fun when there are equal numbers. so sign up now!