About Shawn Trautman Instruction
SAVE TIME. DANCE BETTER.®
Lessons that combine advanced learning techniques and technology.
How it Works
Choose the dance you most want to learn from over a dozen dances & styles, choose DVD or Streaming, and get ready to have a blast!
This month's TOP single purchases
Club Line Dances 1&2
* Great for balance, endorphins & cognition
Two-Step BASICS (3 DVD Set)
* Challenge your brain with fun lead & follow dances
Swing Dancing 101
* Get in better shape by moving to these energetic dances
Salsa 101
* Show off your dance partner with *must know* moves
We make it easy for you to look & feel confident, fast!
Line Dance Lessons
The ultimate collection of must-know line dances w/full breakdowns and step-by-step instructions that make learning each line dance a snap! Main focus is on building confidence and muscle memory for the next time you go line dancing, to a club, event, a cruise or an upcoming wedding. Includes Electric Slide, the Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, Tush Push, Cotton Eyed Joe and more…
Beginner Dance Lessons
Consider this your toolbox as it’s filled w/a ton of dances organized into our easy learning system for beginners with quick access and tutorials. Each dance lesson can be learned and danced the same night. Includes Two-Step, Swing, Cha-Cha, Salsa, Hustle, West Coast Swing, Waltz, Nightclub, Double 2-Step and more…
Wedding Dance Lessons / Slow Dancing
Slow dance videos that can be used for almost any occasion, but are especially helpful for weddings and date nights! Here you’ll discover just how much goes into making a slow dance look ‘smooth’ and how quickly it can be attained. Here, you’ll get rid of your old “stand and sway” and replace it with a beautiful and elegant slow dance that others won’t soon forget…
Why is it so effective?
Shawn Trautman Instruction is so much more than just showing step-by-step lessons or how to be flashy. That part’s easy & you can find it anywhere. Shawn Trautman Instruction delivers much more in that he teaches partnering, connection, positioning, music, timing, leading, following, etiquette, having fun & how to look great on the dance floor. The focus is on how good YOU look, how YOU feel, and whether or not YOU truly get it, not him.
Discover the key to unlocking your talent and building skills
Explore hundreds of full dance lesson videos optimized for success
Instant access to ONLINE lessons (& DVDs) for beginners thru advanced
Save Time. Dance Better.
…Shawn Trautman not only has ‘it’, he literally wrote the book…
Some people are gifted with the ‘it’ factor, and when it comes to dance and getting people dancing, Shawn Trautman not only has ‘it’, he literally wrote the book (Picture Yourself Dancing)!
Each video was designed to increase your confidence, fast, using a combination of visual, auditory & kinesthetic techniques to ensure the largest number of successes. Drawing on experiences from his competitive dancing, coaching in country, ballroom, swing, and west coast swing, his MBA, corporate leadership training, and his expertise in program management, his videos are designed to work with and for you and maximize your dancing.
Each dance video you’ll find here was developed for people who have the ability to listen and follow directions and that have either intrinsic or external motivations that drive them. It’s not enough to have full step-by-step dance lessons laid out in front of you, you have to want it.
If you’re ready to fully trust instructors who are ready to take on the task of giving you what you need, then Shawn’s lessons are exactly where you need to start!
Who is Shawn Trautman Instruction for?
These lessons are for people who want to impress others. They’re for people who want to make new friends and be more social because they’re part of the action and not just sitting out and watching. They’re for people who want to improve the quality of their interactions with others – have better dates, connect quicker with partners, and look better doing it.
What makes Shawn’s lessons stand out?
Depth. Organization. Clear communication. Stacked learning. Foundation building. Confidence boosts. Our passion is for sharing info that truly changes lives.
Where did Shawn Trautman Instruction start?
Shawn Trautman has developed one of the most trusted and successful dance instruction methods for teaching beginners (Shawn Trautman’s Dance Collection) with video. His true skillset is in leadership and connecting with others and this means you’ll have exclusive access to both his content and his drawing board of upcoming lessons where you can collaborate directly with him.
Advanced Learning System
You ARE capable. You CAN learn to dance. You’re just one instructor away.
Real results, fast! You’ll learn to line dance, how to two-step, why west coast swing is so contagious and how much fun swing is while getting great exercise.
Here, the focus is on you, not your classmates nor your instructor. Once you start a dance you’ll see it all laid out in front of you and you’ll be set until you’re ready to learn a new dance.
Better than group or live dance lessons and classes. Here you’ll be dancing in minutes
Here’s the deal. The constant search & hope method of finding “dance lessons near me” is tiring, and most likely detrimental to your overall success. With Shawn Trautman Instruction, we take pride in knowing you’ll start dancing in just minutes and that we’ll be helping with your local lessons as we cut right to the chase meaning you’ll be dancing immediately and have information to go to your instructor with. Here, you’ll have a professional learning system for putting it all together. Our 101 series lays a foundation that is second-to-none and provides you with necessary building blocks while dancing & getting better throughout.
years teaching/coaching
dance lesson videos
Let’s discover your strengths
Develop your natural talents with instructors who truly care! The sooner you start the quicker you’ll find true enjoyment and the dances you’ll want to pursue…
Who are the dance videos for?
Whether you want to figure out how to survive a basic step, spice up your moves a bit, or even burn the floor with never-before-seen advanced lead-and-follow combinations; Shawn and Joanna have just the right lessons for you. Shawn Trautman is a proven instructor with students around the world singing the praises of the Shawn Trautman Instruction method. The secret to his students’ success is Shawn’s well-known knack for making the basics, nuances, leads, and turns that make each dance fun and simple enough to grasp. In the words of one of Shawn’s students: “…quite frankly, Shawn provides the best and most comprehensive instruction of anyone i’ve seen. Shawn’s videos are so detailed and thorough that it would be almost impossible not to be able to learn from them…” – E. Adams, Wisconsin
What video should we start with for couples dancing?
This is a great question that has so much to do with your current situation. Historically, the top recommendation by customers is dance lessons 101, though that’s probably because it’s had the most visibility of any of our products and it was released prior to our new 101 series.
If you’ve never danced before and feel you have zero coordination and two-left feet, Dance Lessons 101 may be right up your alley. If you have a decent grasp on your ability to move & take kinesthetic direction, the new beginner 101 series will much better fit your needs.
Dance Lessons 101 was specifically designed for those who have never danced a day in their lives and want to start at square one. Dance Lessons 101 will also give you a good idea of what dances you will like. If you know the specific dance you want to learn or if you’ve taken lessons in the past, you should look at one of the 101 DVDs such as Swing Dancing 101 or Salsa 101 as they’ll set the tone and give you the foundation to start with.
Last, if you find that Dance Lessons 101 is too fast for you or goes at a pace that you’re not yet comfortable with, you should take a look at Slow Dancing for Beginners Volume 1. We often recommend the slow dancing series as a great starting point as it provides a great platform to build upon.
My partner does not want to learn to dance - what should I do?
This is a tough one, though there’s still hope. Just as dancing is supposed to be fun, so is the learning process. There’s generally a reason behind someone not wanting to learn and most of the time it has to do with confidence as no one wants to be embarrassed, especially in front of a loved one or friends. The best thing to do is to set up a month-to-month membership and try the instruction on your own – then repeat it and try the instruction from your partner’s perspective (i.e., if you’re a lady, try the man’s part) so you can talk confidently about its ease when you explain it to him/her. It’s a much easier sell if you have it on and ask him/her to join you and “it’s really easy” than to ask if they’d be interested in learning how to dance. Keep in mind, too, we’re one of the few companies that allow you to cancel at any time with no recurring fees past what you signed up for.
Do I need a partner to learn to dance?
No – and this goes along with the question above regarding a partner who doesn’t want to learn to dance. It’s easy to learn the steps on your own, but we encourage you to try to learn both parts. this way, you’ll understand what’s supposed to happen and it will make things easier when you try to dance with others. There are countless places to dance socially with others who “just want to dance.”
Can I learn to dance if I can't hear the beat?
Most men feel this way or ask this question, but it’s not just men. It boils down to being taught what to listen for and how to apply it to your dancing (in other words, it’s a learned skill). The skill itself is what’s called perception-motor match and is something that can be practiced alone or with a partner. There are a number of tips and drills for understanding rhythm and music in our book, Picture Yourself Dancing (page 21). In addition, Shawn Trautman’s videos do a great job of explaining the steps and using danceable music to practice with while dancing along with you to ensure you’re keeping up.
What if I have two left feet?
If you feel like you have two left feet, don’t despair! We can help! And, you’re not alone. Shawn Trautman has developed a system that is excellent for beginners and for people who’ve never danced a day in their lives. It’s so easy to go through his videos and actually feel good about what you’ve learned. We hear all the time that the instruction was painless and that people are amazed by their own abilities that they never knew they had. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to accomplish something such as learning how to dance, especially if you thought you never could. You’re only one video from Shawn Trautman away from changing your impression of your feet!
What is the best line dance video for beginners?
This is a great question! The best line dance video for beginners has to do with what your goals are. If you want to learn a few line dances so you can have some fun at an upcoming dance, wedding or cruise, then you’ll probably want to check out Club Line Dances 1&2 as it will give you what you need
Differently, if you’re new to line dancing and want to learn how to do each type of step so you can learn line dances all night long the next time you’re out, you’ll probably want to watch Line Dance 101. This video collection was built for people who want to learn one step at a time (truly step-by-step instructions) and build in a stacked learning format.
