Our West Coast Swing Program with Instructor Phil LaMothe

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Our West Coast Swing Program
The ULTIMATE rhythm dance
Instructor: Phil LaMothe

Our classes are designed to develop the skills necessary to explore the connection and rhythm possibilities which West Coast Swing allows.
Come join the adventure of this unique and fascinating dance.

Fundamentals-1 of WCS – Saturday mornings: 9:50a – 11:00a
The fundamental class is designed to build and strengthen the skills necessary to dance good solid West Coast Swing. For the beginner this class begins to develop the skills to be able to dance and lead / follow this elegant and sophisticated Rhythm Swing. We encourage the more advanced dancer to consider this class an environment where they can be guided to focus on and improve specific aspects of their dancing and lead/follow.

Fundamentals-2 of WCS – Saturday mornings: 11:00a – 12:00p
This class will introduce and develop the movements for the leaders and followers needed to dance outside the fundamental patterns. With “How to” and “why” in mind, lead and follow rules will be heavily focused on. Leaders and followers will be introduced to basic Styling ideas. Choreography concepts and some additional syncopations will be worked on.

Novice WCS – Saturday mornings: 12:00p – 1:10P
This class uses the skills from the fundamentals classes to begin adding more footwork variations for both leaders and followers. We discuss and improve partnering and connection skills. We discuss musicality further working in phrased groups of 32 beats of music. Leaders begin learning the skills of leading different patterns to compliment footwork and followers focus on the rules of following and styling.

WCS Just Patterns – Monday nights: 7:00p – 8:00p
This Class focuses on simply new and current patterns from the west coast where all the newest movements originate. Patterns of different levels are taught and follower’s work on styling in and out of the patterns. .

WCS Just Syncopations – Monday nights: 8:00p – 9:15p
This is a class that focuses only on rhythms and matching footwork on all the parts of movement from the first two beats thru the anchors. Students work on foot control and stling to make the syncopation look and dance great!!

WCS Master Class – Every other Tuesday evening: 8:00p – 9:15p
This is a workshop style class designed for those students who want to dance WCS on a higher level. Dance skills and connection skills are developed using a workshop and exercise format. .

For information about our studio, group classes, private lessons or
to register for any class, please call the studio at 973-335-9920 or Email Us.

Rhythm in Shoes – a unique social dance studio
By Phil LaMothe
Rhythm in Shoes was born in a roundabout way. Instead of starting with a vision of what our dance studio would be, it started with a vision of how a dance environment should feel. Oh, yeah – we already had a following of students. Sure, we already had a dance space we used on a part-time basis. Both worked well and worked well together. But the vision of a dance space where students would feel ‘at home’ and ‘welcome’ is what we wanted – we just didn’t "know" it yet!

A "fluky" encounter with a long-time acquaintance is what started the wheels in motion. Phil had stopped at this coffee shop many times in the past 4 years. It was one day when the owner was working in the building next door that the vision started. Grant you the vision was a bit ‘foggy’ at first. But when the owner showed Phil the ‘diamond in the rough’ space she was renovating, the fog began to clear and the vision began to materialize.

That’s how great things begin, we guess. A little luck, a great vision, and a lot of being in the right place at the right time! Since the location was so prime, Phil had to make a quick decision on the space. The wheels of fate had obviously started with the chance encounter, so far be-it from us to stop the momentum of that which seemed predestined! We said, what the heck, we’ll give it a go!

And so Rhythm in Shoes was born – not to us – but to the students who had developed themselves into a dance community without even trying. Rhythm in Shoes is their home. We say the subtitle of the studio is "where the students rule!" This is the vision coming true – a place where the students’ input is what matters the most. They want practice time after lessons? They get it! They want a different dance taught in-between each West Coast Swing 6-week class series? They’ve got it!

The studio is "a unique social dance studio" because of this value placed on students’ input, the emphasis on dancing being a social skill, and the constant reinforcement of the basics of dance. The students care about newcomers because they, too, were once newcomers and know how terribly intimidating it is to walk into a beginner class and be the ‘newest’ of the group. Or walk into a monthly social and sit the whole night without ever once being asked to dance. This is a place that students feel comfortable being themselves, at whatever level of dance they happen to be. We are all just dancers celebrating life through our love of dance.

We welcome you to our warm, friendly studio – we hope to see you soon!