Hi! I’m Elsie, the Sunday dance instructor at Mr Dance Club. You’re right, there are two Elsies in our place.

My role is to teach the steps, variations, and routines to students--both men and ladies--who arrive in class either regularly or on a drop-in basis. Preference is given to the International style of dancing for Latin and Standard dances, although social dances such as mambo and salsa may be included. Actually, salsa has become an International dance, although social styles of this dance prevail in the dance world.

Most students who come for lessons are either new or fairly new to ballroom dancing, therefore I feel that students should be taught just enough to be able to get up on the dance floor, to dance and to have fun. They shouldn’t feel that they have to dance with all the correct technique, as these lessons are intended to be social, not competitive. Most dances will cover beginner variations, although intermediate variations may be included.

I have been teaching ballroom dancing at Mr Dance studio since 1991, originally in a hall on 1st Avenue near Commercial Drive, and later at Astorinos at its current location at Venables and Commercial Drive. Beginning with about a dozen students in 1991 this number progressively grew to the 50 to 70 student range and remained this way for through the late 1990’s and well into the 2000’s.

The draw to these lessons is that students don’t have to come with a partner, and they may find one in the class, or later at the dance that follows. It’s great for couples as well. I have tried to make these classes fun, and to include lots of class time to practice the routines with partners to music. Each week features a review session from the previous week, and from weeks previous to this in that same dance. Each week a new variation or variations may be added onto the end of the routine so that the students will have something new to work on each week, not just review. In the event that something a bit more challenging is taught in the previous week it may not be best to add something new until that challenge has been met and somewhat mastered. As a rule of thumb I try to ensure that between 90 and 95 per cent of the students are able to dance what is being taught before adding anything new. This is to say that no set number of variations must be covered in each lesson. Instead, what is covered depends on how well the students manage.

Whether students come alone or come paired Mr Dance is a great place to get started with their ballroom dancing. For a small entrance fee they can get in on a free dance lesson, free coffee and tea, and some great hospitality. Over the years I have heard people say that Mr Dance is the friendliest ballroom dance place in Greater Vancouver (now Metro Vancouver). Is there another ballroom dance place like this around town that is as friendly, and as popular, which is open year round? If you’re reading this for the first time then please come and find out for yourself. If you’re already attending Mr Dance on a regular basis, don’t you agree?

By Elsie Erickson Dance Instructor