The ABC hit show “Dancing with the Stars” has brought a lot of attention to ballroom dancing. Many people may think the furious feet of those on the dance floor is a level they could never reach, but Denny Lennon, the owner of Chattanooga DanceSport, says that anyone can learn to dance.
Chattanooga DanceSport has been in business almost five years now, and Lennon has been dancing for over 20 years. He started with one of the franchises and moved up quickly, earning lots of certifications and dance titles both around the area and a few nationally. In the late ’90s he realized his interests lay elsewhere and he wanted to branch out. Lennon moved back to town and taught lessons until the business began to grow so much that he was able to open his own place.
“Any kind of couples partnership dancing that there is, we can teach. Anything you see on TV with ‘Dancing with the Stars’ or if you see a YouTube video that has Lindy Hop or Shag or anything … we try to stay up on the newest dances that come around,” Lennon says.
In the franchise Lennon was with, he had to stick to teaching the main 10 to 13 ballroom dances, but now he’s able to investigate new dances, learn them and see if there’s a place to use them in the studio. Lennon says they get a lot of calls for salsa and Argentine Tango, which is taught every Sunday by a group that rents out the studio.
Ballroom dance classes offered at DanceSport include waltz, East coast swing, West coast swing, salsa, cha cha, tango, Argentine tango, fox trot, rumba, hustle, merengue, quickstep, mambo, samba, and many more.
Lennon says there are many uses that ballroom dancing can be put to, and in a way, the dance has mood altering affects.
“People come in when they are feeling bad, and by the time they leave, they are feeling great,” Lennon says. “It gets endorphins flowing because it’s physical activity.”
Since the only people Lennon likes for teachers at his studio are those with a real interest in people, ballroom dancing offers a human connection element.
Lennon says, “You can teach anybody to dance, but you can’t teach that personal connection, one-on-one.”
He has also seen a lot of people get into ballroom dancing to help with weight loss, arthritis and even fibromyalgia. He says they cater to whatever physical limitations and capabilities a person may have, and to whatever they want to learn. He says they even have wheelchair dance classes.
The social networking aspect of ballroom dancing is another reason people come, he says.
“We have so many people from different areas of life … a lot of them are business people, lawyers, doctors and all walks,” he says. “We have a social party every week, and can have 15 to 30 people come and dance for a few hours, and dance with each other and learn how to lead and follow with someone other than their partner or teacher.”
Through this, a lot of friendships have developed over the years which lasted even when students decided to stop their lessons.
DanceSport has many competition students like the ones seen on “Dancing with the Stars,” and they do showcases twice a year. One of these students is a 14-year-old who was a national champion in the Smooth division two years ago and is preparing for a competition at the end of this year in the Latin division.
Lennon says they also accommodate the wedding couples that want to learn routines. The time it takes to be able to proficiently ballroom dance depends on a person’s ability level and how often they come in, he says. There are no long-term contracts, and people pay as they go, so, it is up to what the person wants in skill level as to how many lessons they take.
“There’s always more to do in ballroom technique and style. It never ends. There’s always somebody who knows more, someone whose done more, and we try to bring those people into the studio every three to five months so we can stay current with what’s really happening out there,” he says.
With just 10 lessons, Lennon says, the couple might not be the best looking ones out there, but they can move around the floor and have fun with it, which is the main thing.
Most students use ballroom dancing as a hobby, he says, but even for the competitors who think it’s a job, he wants everyone to feel like part of the family when they come in the door at DanceSport.
“There’s no negativity allowed in the ballroom,” he says. “There’s never any high pressure here. If you take one lesson, we love you. If you take 100 lessons, we love you. It doesn’t matter. You come as often as you want, as seldom as you want, and we never make people commit to long-term obligations because it has to be fun.”
Ballroom 101 is an eight-week class specially designed for beginners and provides an overview of ballroom dancing for anyone with “two left feet.” This class will be held Monday nights beginning May 2 to June 27.
Visit www.chattanooga-dancesport.com for more information.