Current Classes

Beginner Ballroom II

Instructors:	Robert and Megan Nissen
When:	8 Sundays, starting April 5th, 12:00-2:00 pm. NOTE: There will be no class on April 12 because it is Easter. There will also be no class on April 19 due to the Caltech Dance Show. Please go watch it!
Practice:	After class from 2:00 - 2:30pm.
Where:	In Winnett Lounge (2nd floor).
Price:	FREE for Caltech Students (with ID); $6 per class or $40/series in advance for Caltech affiliates and alumni and for students of other universities (with ID); $10 per class or $70/series in advance for all others. * Discounts apply for full-time students from any college/ university/institution. Please bring a current student ID. ** Series price paid in whole on the first day of class.
Description:	This class will be a continuation of the Fall beginner series in Waltz and Cha Cha and the Winter beginner series in Foxtrot and Samba. The first four weeks will cover Waltz and Cha Cha and the second four weeks will cover Foxtrot and Samba.
Prerequisites:	Dancers should ideally have had exposure to most of the following figures before taking the class: Waltz: prep step, natural turn, change step, reverse turn, natural spin turn Cha Cha: basic, New Yorker, spot turn, alemana, 3 chas (forward and back) Foxtrot: feather step, three step, natural turn, reverse turn Samba: bounce, basics, whisk, botafogos, voltas

About the Instructors:

Megan danced ballet, tap, and jazz for 18 years and taught for 2 years before she began ballroom dancing in 2004. Robert came to the Caltech Ballroom Team from MIT, where he began dancing in 2004. Robert and Megan have been dancing together since 2006. They have competed in both Standard and Latin and placed first in Open Pre-Novice Standard two years in a row at the UCSD Dance by the Shores and first in Novice Standard and Pre-Novice Latin at the 2008 Caltech Dance of the Roses.

More info:

Hosted by the Ballroom Team. Find out about Team events, subscribe to the 'ballroom-team' list or visit the Ballroom Team page.

Intermediate Ballroom II

Instructors:	Professional Jerry More
When:	8 Sundays, starting April 5, 2:30 to 4:30pm. There will be no class on April 19 (dance show!) and May 24, so the last class will be on June 7.
Where:	In Winnett Lounge (2nd floor).
Price:	FREE for Caltech Students (with ID); $6 per class or $40/series in advance for Caltech affiliates and alumni and for students of other universities (with ID); $10 per class or $70/series in advance for all others. * Discounts apply for full-time students from any college/ university/institution. Please bring a current student ID. ** Series price paid in whole on first day of class.
Description:	The first half of the series will be International Waltz and Cha Cha (1st hour Waltz, 2nd Hour Cha Cha) and four weeks of International Foxtrot and Samba (1st hour Foxtrot, 2nd hour Samba). The class will cover mostly Silver patterns in each dance (time permitting), body techniques for each, some open patterns at this level (time permitting), lead and follow and presentation (for show/comp or just showing off!).
Prerequisites:	Dancers should be able to do the basic bronze figures in all four dances. There will be a brief tryout at the beginning of the first class. If you cannot come to this tryout, please contact the team captain about trying out at another time.

About the Instructor:

Jerry's achievements and credentials include:
- 1985 and 1987 America's Amateur Dance Champion
- 1989 Arthur Murray 9 Dance Rising Star Champion, 1990, 1991 and 1995 National and International Dance Finalist
- A 19 year full-time Professional Teacher of both the American and International Styles of Ballroom and Latin Dancing
- An accredited member of the NDCA, Terpsichore Dance Association, the U.S.I.S.T.D. and the I.S.T.D. in both the American and International Styles
- Currently registered with the NDCA as an adjudicator of both International and American style Ballroom dances

More info:

Hosted by the Ballroom Team. Find out about Team events, subscribe to the 'ballroom-team' list or visit the Ballroom Team page.

Intermediate Modern Jive ("Ceroc")

Instructors:	Eve Stenson, Brian Standley, and Neil Halelamien.
When:	8 Mondays, starting April 20, 8:30-9:30pm
Where:	In Winnett Lounge (2nd floor).
Price:	FREE for Caltech Students (with ID); $5 per class or $35/series in advance for Caltech affiliates and alumni and for students of other universities (with ID); $8 per class or $56/series in advance for all others. * Discounts apply for full-time students from any college/ university/institution. Please bring a current student ID. ** Series price paid in whole on first day of class.

Description:	Modern Jive is based on Ceroc, a modern dance with swing influences, popular in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Caltech. A very versatile dance-style, it can be danced to most modern pop music. With a 4 step-4 beat rhythm and mostly open style dancing, it is also a great introductory dance for complete beginners and those looking to pick up flashy moves useful in other dances. Prerequisites: This class will assume prior knowledge of the basics of ceroc; those with experience in dances other than ceroc are also welcome to try!
Prerequisites:	No special attire, previous experience, or partner needed!
About the Instructors:	Eve Stenson, a grad student in APh, studies loops of plasma in hopes of learning more about fundamental flows and magnetic interactions, as well as why plasma loops on the sun act the way they do. She has danced Ceroc since 2005 and is proficient at both following and leading. She took over as Caltech's Ceroc Coordinator and started teaching the classes in 2007 and choreographed the Ceroc formation in the 2008 Caltech Dance Show. Neil Halelamien is a grad student in Computation & Neural Systems. He uses non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to understand how our brains represent visual information. He is also the president of the Caltech Ballroom Dance Club. He traces his dance roots back to the DDR video game, and has danced a number of varieties of swing dancing for several years.

Beginner Lindy Hop

Instructors:	Laurence Yeung and Lisl Walsh
When:	8 Mondays, starting April 20, 9:45-10:45pm
Where:	In Winnett Lounge (2nd floor).
Price:	FREE for Caltech Students (with ID); $5 per class or $35/series in advance for Caltech affiliates and alumni and for students of other universities (with ID); $8 per class or $56/series in advance for all others. * Discounts apply for full-time students from any college/ university/institution. Please bring a current student ID. ** Series price paid in whole on first day of class.

Description:	We will start with Jitterbug (a.k.a. East Coast Swing) to illustrate and practice some of the basic step patterns and partner connection principles utilized in all forms of swing dancing. Afterwards we'll move on to Smooth-Style Lindy Hop and finally a little bit of the Charleston. Of course we'll teach you how to blend all of these together on the dance floor -- that's half the fun!
Prerequisites:	No special attire, previous experience, or partner needed!
About the Instructors:	Lisl Walsh: After a failed career as a gymnast and mathematician, Lisl Walsh began teaching swing dancing at Oberlin College in 2000. She has taught many styles of swing dance, including Jitterbug, Savoy-style Lindy, Smooth-Style Lindy, West-coast, Charleston, Balboa, and the ever-popular Shag. She is currently a graduate student at USC, pursuing a Ph.D. in Classics. Laurence Yeung: Laurence originally started swing dancing at Oberlin back in 2000 to meet girls. Despite his best efforts, he has since "let the music take control / let the rhythm move [him]." He is a co-founder of Bad Dance Movie Club, which has been on hiatus recently after turning into the Tiny Instrument Band. In his spare time, Laurence has been doing graduate research in Chemistry.

Argentine Tango: Intermediate Tango I

Instructors:	Professional instructor Alexis White http://alexisandbarbara.tangoafficionado.com/
When:	8 Thursdays, starting April 9 to May 28. Class: 7:00-8:30 pm Practica: 8:30-9:00 pm ** Please arrive 10-15 mins before for registration!
Where:	In Winnett Lounge (2nd floor).
Price:	FREE for Caltech Undergrad & Grad students (with ID); $5/class or $35/series* for full-time students & Caltech affiliates (with ID); $8/class of $56/series* regular * Series price paid in whole on the first day of class.
About:	Alexis' creative, powerful and eye-catching approach can be seen on display throughout the milongas of the greater LA area. His sharp eye for detail and formidable technique will help make your tango more confident and expressive. He brings a wealth of experience and a clear teaching methodology to his dynamic lessons, in the intricate and intimate art of Tango.

Description:

This series will further explore giros, sacadas, paradas & barridas, focusing on proper technique for leaders & followers, and introducing embellishments and variations.

We will concentrate heavily on technique and proper execution for each element, rather than focusing on steps (the steps are a tool to teach people to better understand the mechanics of the dance, so they can gain more confidence more quickly). Then at the end we will work on combinations and sequences with these elements.

Requirements:

Basics of tango -- embrace, walking in parallel & alternate systems, cross, forward & back ochos, giros (molinete/turns) -- covered in the Beginner I and II series.

This is the third series in the year-long Tango program at Caltech taught at Beginner I (Intro Beginner) & Beginner II (Adv Beginner), and Intermediate I & II levels.