Classes at McNeil

Ballroom dance classes at McNeil High School are up and running. These are open only to High School students (& some parents, faculty, and staff who have been playing, too).

To receive announcements by e-mail when things change or special events related to the classes occur, you can sign up on this page.

Class details

This session (January/February 2008): Awaiting confirmation of the room, we will start on Wednesday, January 16. We are learning Foxtrot, Rumba, and East Coast Swing.

We meet on Wednesdays in the dance room, down by the gym, from 4:15 until 6. We do three dances each day, each for about a half-hour. Each 5-week long session we'll usually be learning a smooth dance (elegant with movement around the floor), a rhythm dance (think Latin), and another partnership dance which is differently fun or not-quite-ballroom. The classes are progressive, so if you try to start a session on week three, you'll be two weeks behind everybody else; but each session starts from the beginning, so if you start on week 1 of the next session, you're set.

Next session

The next session's dance have not yet been decided.

Cost & payment

The cost is $20 per person for the five week session. Cash or checks made out to Kung Fu Ballroom, please.

Questions?

If you have questions or concerns about classes, payment, or other aspects of the classes contact Debbie Urban (of the PTSA) at 335-1622.
If you have dance-related questions, requests for future classes, or comments for the teacher, contact Richard.

Additional fun

Austin Ballroom Dancers occassionally has a High School Night for students at local high schools. Local H.S. dancers get in to the dance at the member/affiliate/student rate (as usual), but their parents can come for free and watch their kids show off and have fun. We know about and invite students from programs at McNeil, Anderson, and LBJ High Schools; if you know about another high school program that would like to be invited, please let us know.

Most of ABD's dances are at Uptown Dance, on the southbound side of 183, between Burnet and Lamar (near Teacher Heaven). Here's a pdf map
Some special dances (usually those with a big band) are at the Austin Recreation Center, 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd (78701). See my directions and map; I recommend clicking on the hybrid view in the top right corner. Zoom in and click on the location on the right side of the page for directions.

Austin Ballroom Dancers has dances just about every Saturday night; H.S. students get in at the student rate ($4). This is a smoke and alcohol free environment for dancers of all levels and ages. They also offer classes, so if parents get jealous, the whole family can come to these. ABD is a non-profit, so their prices are about as low as you'll find outside of the student program.

Class History

What we've done so far.
Fall 2007 only had one session of 5 weeks and we did Cha cah, Waltz, and Nightclub 2-step.
In last year's classes (2006-2007) we learned these dances: