LEARNING TO DANCE through a book has always proven challenging at best... until now. Welcome to Picture Yourself Dancing, an insightful book & DVD combo that gets straight to the heart of what beginners need.
In writing this book, we were faced with the daunting task of taking our highly regarded curriculum from our beginner classes and putting it together with an instructional DVD. Our goal in writing the book was to give novice dancers a tool that, if used as directed, would teach them the basics of each dance so they could get out on the social dance floor and have some fun. We also wanted to set dancers up for success should they continue to pursue any of the dances wtih further classes, lessons, or instructional videos or DVDs.
Picture Yourself Dancing isn't one of those books that shows pictures of supermodel-like dancers posing with no true instruction, because we believe dancing is for everyone, and most people who enjoy social dancing have average figures and are not in Olympian shape. This book is not one of those guides that has counteless terms and definitions that you'll never use, nor does it expect you to learn to dance from an artist's rendition of steps on a floor with imaginary lines that, to the untrained eye, look like the remnants of a ball of yarn after an attack by a playful kitten. The approach we took to writing this book was to separate the essential building blocks from all the clutter and introduce them in an order that makes sense for beginners.
In addition to the clear, concise instructions in the book, we've chosen to include and integrate one of our bestselling DVDs with the book. The DVD, a 75-minute visual reference, covers everything from the four connection points, to tips for leaders and followers, to the basics of either different dances that are included in this book. Picture Yourself Dancing was synchronized with the curriculum taught in the DVD and it is referred to frequently.
Picture Yourself Dancing is truly one of a kind because it focuses on thinking patterns and true lead-and-follow dancing. Whether mastery of social dancing has been a lifelong dream or you are simply trying to learn a few moves to impress or meet someone special, this book is for you.
To really start out on the right foot, it is important that you master the foundational concepts taught in Chapter 2, "Beginner Basics." From there, you can either pick and choose the dances that you want to learn, or you can work your way straight through the text. The basics of couples dancing can easily be learned; however, you must have a proper foundation from which to work.
We look forward to seeing you out on the dance floor after you've had a chance to do some quick learning with our book and DVD. Don't spend all your time trying to perfect it at home - get out and dance with others, take additional classes, experiment with moves, and find ways to have fun and enjoy your new hobby. A lifetime of enjoyment awaits you!
- Shawn and Joanna Trautman
Sample Picture Yourself Dancing FREE by downloading the first few chapters here: Chapter 1 - Dance Floor Impressions Chapter 2 - Beginner Basics