ice dance lessons in chicago area?

[AstarZ41]

I took a summer ice dancing class but now it's over and there are no fall classes offered at that rink. I checked a couple other rinks and they don't have anything either. :( Looks like my only option is getting a private coach but I'm only learning the basic dances so group lessons were just fine for memorizing the steps etc. So does anyone know if there are any dance classes offered in the Chicago area? I really want to continue doing it!

[TashaKat]

Don't discount private dance lessons, you can dance with the coach which is such a great and weird experience :) I only ever did private lessons for dance and really enjoyed them.

Good luck, which dances are you doing?

[SkateGuard]

It depends where you live. I have no idea south of I-90 (I'm a north 'burb person), but I would recommend contacting the Skokie Valley Skating Club. It's probably the strongest "dance" club in the area, and they may be able to lead you in group lessons. There used to be a low-level group dance class at my home rink, but our skating director decided to go on a cruise without setting half the LTS classes or the freestyle ice times....

However, do not discount private lessons at the lowest levels. I have never had a group dance class; I have always taken private lessons with my coach. We're both female, so I've been testing solo. There's a lot of good coaches, both male and female, and many are more than willing to take on a beginning skater, especially an "older" (over the age of 10) skater.

There is a dance test session on Sunday, so e-mail me privately if you are interested in going and seeing some of these coaches in action. I'll be there as well--I acquired a dance partner :) , so I'm going back and re-testing my prelims with a "hired hand" so I can compete this year. (My real partner needs to focus on the pre-bronzes and is out-of-state.)

Erin
we don't call him the "hired hand", but the other name is not appropriate for a board which allows non-adults :D

[AstarZ41]

Thanks so much for the info! I'm in the north too and I usually skate at Rolling Meadows and Barrington. Which rinks are with the Skokie Club? I'd definetly like to look into it and maybe even get a private coach. Except I have no idea how to find a good coach and make an arrangement with them. No clue how it all works. I only know the first four dances so far (Dutch Waltz, Canasta Tango, Rhythm Blues, and Cha cha) and I would like to test if I could, can you do it this early on?

[CanAmSk8ter]

Dance testing is like any other form of USFS testing- you can do it at any time (once you have the previous test done, of course, but that's not an issue for you if you haven't tested yet) but it's much more rigorous than the testing done at the Learn-to-Skate levels. The Prelim test doesn't come with high expectations of ability, but basic skating and partnering skills should be rock-solid. You definiately need to have a private coach and probably several months of private lessons at least before you'd be ready to take a USFS test. That's what I see on the East Coast, anyway; I assume it's similar all over. Then again, I've yet to know anyone in my region who's tested Solo Dances, so maybe things in the Midwest are different.

To find a private coach, I would highly suggest going to this test session to watch. See who has other students around your age/level (new friends!), see who interacts with their students in a way you think would work for you (but keep in mind that emotions run high on test day, and both coaches and students may be undergoing slight "personality disruptions" as I call them). Watch a couple of regular sessions at that rink too, and then try approaching a coach to ask if he/she has any time available. I wouldn't approach anyone on a test day, but it's probably a good idea to watch potential coaches teach first anyhow.

Good luck and let us know how it all goes! I'm a dancer too, and I've finally found the perfect coach for me after 10 years. It really is a long-term process.

[nja]

Skokie Valley SC has two sessions during the year, one on Sunday mornings at the Winnetka rink and one on Thursday evenings at Wilmette. Another club that hosts a dance session is Windy City FSC on Sunday nights at McFetridge. Chicago FSC also sponsors a session on Monday nights at Skokie Skatium. These are all classified as social dance sessions, but private lessons are allowed. If you are interested in continuing in dance, I would suggest that you do a few walk-on sessions and see how it goes. You should be able to get an idea of the people and coaches who attend these sessions.

**Please note....the above schedules are during the regular "school year." None of the dance sessions are running right now because the rinks are shut down for summer maintenance, but pretty much all of them kick in after Labor Day.