Dance Demos

01/03/2025

Top 5 dances for February, 2025. Three long-time favorites (Legends, Could I Have, and Feed the Birds), one current favorite (Hey), and one Curt's-Paso-Revival (Phantom Paso) 😀

11/02/2025

Because these Practice Sequences were created for our own use, most of the them are for Phase 4/5 dances. But we thought we'd introduce the concept with a Phase 2 example from a dance that most people know, but can't always do - "Feelin'". This sequence targets the tricky "Part B" of the dance - you know, the part where the whole floor breaks down… Give it a try - you might be surprised how much muscle memory you can build in a short time with focused practice.

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

10/02/2025

*** New Feature ***

A while back, we were leading a workshop for our fellow Phase 4/5 dancers focused on really mastering some commonly played dances. We hit on a technique that worked really well, and the workshop participants have been encouraging us to publicize it.

Based on the "deliberate practice" technique, we took a section of the dance we wanted to focus on, then cued that sequence over and over to simpler, slower music, adding in whatever connecting figures were necessary to get the dancers back to the correct starting position.

The result was LOTS of reps without stopping/starting all the time. Also, it allowed the participants to continue dancing while we helped particular couples one-on-one. There were a number of other advantages, which we've detailed in a writeup on the dancedemos site under "Teach-it", but the bottom line was that the participants felt they learned the dances better and faster than with any other technique.

We have posted quite a few on the new "Practice Sequences" tab on the main DanceDemos website - www.dancedemos.com/practice-it. We will post more as we work our way through them (we have quite a few, both from the workshops and our own practice sessions - we now do this with most dances we tackle).

These "videos" are really all about the cued music, but, to make it easier to use for practice, when possible we asked the couple who demoed the target dance to dance the Practice Sequence through once or twice at beginning of the video so you don't have to flip back and forth between this video and the original. Dances with video have a little picture of the dancers in the upper right hand corner of the video thumbnail. Those Practice Sequences targeting dances we don't have (yet), just have the title slide. We hope to make recording demos of the original dances at a future recording session.
www.dancedemos.com/practice-it

01/02/2025

Top 5 dances for January 2025. A nice mix! Five different dances from five different choreographers: Mee, Hicks, Garza, Pinks and Kenny. Three new choreographies (Maybe, Sweet Caroline, and Perfidia New) and two popular, established dances (Dream a Little Dream III and Adios Amor). Two higher-level dances, two medium dances, and one beginner-level dance. Something for everyone!

13/01/2025

Here's something fun for you - a Phase 3 Rumba final exam! This Phase 3+0+1 Rumba by the Garzas, "Perfidia New", uses every Phase 3 Rumba figure. We had hoped to pair it with the Hurd's famous Phase 5 Rumba to the same music, but there were problems with that recording and it will have to be redone. In the meantime, why not let lower-level dancers enjoy that wonderful music? Great music, great choreography, and a chance to test your knowledge of Phase 3 Rumba! Why not give it a try?

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

11/01/2025

LOVE this dance. The Johnson's are teaching it this weekend at Southern Stars in Plant City. It's Tom Hicks' wonderful new Phase 5+1 Foxtrot "Sweet Caroline". Terrific use of sway to match the music. Love the music, love the choreography. And Tom and Dawn really show it off beautifully. Take a look:

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

11/01/2025

Tom Hicks and Dawn Mee suggested this excellent Phase 4+2 Rumba "Adios Amor" by Jack and Sharie Kenny. Great choice. Wonderful Rumba music and nice choreography. A great dance to add to your repertoire!

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

10/01/2025

Love this new Phase 4+2 Cha from Tom Hicks - "Katchi Cha 4", danced for us by Tom Hicks and Doris Ho. Very creative choreography, and the music is, well, catchy. You'll be humming this tune the rest of the day - but in a good way! We expect this dance to really "katch on"! Take a look:

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

08/01/2025

Here's Tom Hicks' new(ish) Phase 5+2 Foxtrot "Stompin at the Savoy", danced for us by Tom Hicks and Dawn Mee. Catchy, very foxtrot-y music and very clever choreography. Love it!

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

07/01/2025

Here's another great lower-level dance, Dawn Mee's (soft) Phase 4 Cha "It's Good To Be Alive". Great music, and nice use of direction to make the dance more interesting without adding complexity. And, of course, Tom Hicks and Dawn make it look both fun and easy! Take a look:

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

06/01/2025

Love this lower-level Tango "After Midnight Tango" (Phase 4+1) by Brent and Judy Moore. A great dance to help move you from the easier "Two Step and a little Tango" Phase 3 dances towards more pure Tango dances. And watch how Tom and Doris, with their serious faces and staccato movements, give it that classic Tango look. An all-around great dance!

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

06/01/2025

OK, here's the final showcase of the dances taught at San Diego last November (we didn't release it publicly at the time because Pamela and Jeff Johnson wanted to teach it New Year's Weekend in Florida).
It's "Maybe" by Dawn Mee, danced (and taught) by Tom Hicks and Dawn Mee.
For those who missed Tom and Dawn's teach, Tom mentioned that he likes to lead (or "help") his partner whenever possible. Watch how he leads/helps Dawn through the Three Threes, and how he gently "catches" her after the Cross Body / Lady Spiral. But helping her rather than impeding her requires precise timing (which Tom taught and helped us practice).

It's details like this that make attending these festivals so very worthwhile!

So, here's "Maybe". Enjoy!

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

02/01/2025

Here's a lovely little Phase 3+1 Foxtrot from 2003 "Dream A Little Dream III". If you know waltz but are new to foxtrot, this is the dance for you! I love that we have Phase 3 Foxtrot, as it allows dancers to practice foxtrot timing, enjoy all that great foxtrot music, and gradually work into the more complex foxtrot figures. This is a great example of that.

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

01/01/2025

Top 5 dances for December, 2024. We're pleased to see there are two Christmas dances ("Here Comes Santa Claus" and "You Make It Feel Like Christmas", both by Bill Bingham) on there! People do like Christmas dances! The Nolen's new Phase 4 waltz "Somewhere in Time" is #1. And we're clearly not the only ones who love "Fly Me to the Moon", as it's #2. Rounding out the top 5 is the fun, fun Cha "Sugar, Sugar in My Life".

Happy New Year to all of you!
Paul and Jean

01/01/2025

Happy New Year! In the spirit of New Year's Eve Balls, here's the Schmidt's wonderful Phase 6 Waltz "Send in the Clowns". Everything a waltz ought to be - exquisite music, outstanding choreography, and beautifully danced by Tom Hicks and Doris Ho. Raise a glass to our wonderful demo dancers, and to this wonderful activity! Happy New Year!!

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

31/12/2024

Here's another classic - "Dance", a mixed-rhythm Phase 3+2 from back in 1975. By the way, that sound in the background is not the squeak from an old cassette player 😉. Tom keeps birds, and sometimes they help him cue...

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

29/12/2024

The Garzas are back! Here's their new Phase 4 Quickstep/Two Step "Pencil Quickstep". It's been taught at WASCA and Fontana and seems to really be catching on. As usual, Rey and Sherry look like they're having a blast! Check out what Sherry does during the Circle Eight! And those "S**g Steps". What a kick!

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...

28/12/2024

Here's another Phase 2 Waltz illustrating how beautiful even beginner dances can be when danced well. This time it's "Somebody Else's Moon" (Phase 2+1 by the Parkers), danced by Tom Hicks and Dawn Mee. Watch and enjoy!

Educational video for those learning Choreographed Ballroom Dance (aka Cued Ballroom Dance or Round Dance).Some of the videos on this channel may be blocked ...