How It Works

As you will have noted in our “Is This For Me” section, our St. Catharines students are made up of friendly, enthusiastic, “average” people just like yourself, and like you they have many questions about how this all works. Here is an explanation to help you get started.

At our new dance school branch in St. Catharines, we create a fun atmosphere for complete beginner adults to learn to dance. We’re excited to bring this new social activity to the Niagara Region! We make it easy to learn to dance because we focus on what’s important – having fun! We understand that starting a new hobby like dancing which requires mind and body coordination can be intimidating. We don’t worry about whether or not you get the steps straight away because we know that you’ll get them eventually. We don’t lose sight of the enjoyment that dancing should bring, that’s our top priority. If you don’t have an enjoyable experience in our dance classes then we haven’t done our job. By the end of the class we want to inspire you with the infectious joy of dancing.

Please visit our About Us page to learn more about our school’s culture, mandate and instructors. For a detailed explanation of what to expect from our St. Catharines dance classes please continue reading below.

Determine which type(s) of dance appeal to you

We currently offer adult Beginner Swing Dance lessons in St. Catharines. As the school expands in the Niagara Region, we’ll start to offer many other types of classes as well. Please read through our Types of Dance section to determine which style(s) of dance will appeal to you the most. The classes are all fun and Beginner friendly but your personal musical preferences will make some lessons particularly attractive to you over others. However, if you’re not sure what type of dance you’d enjoy the most that’s not a problem – we offer the first class FREE for every type of dance and we encourage you to try out each type of lesson to help you decide your best fit.

Decide which class(es) best fit your schedule

Visit our Dance Lessons page to see our St. Catharines Schedule and Locations. Some days of the week might work better for you than others, or some locations might be conveniently located based on where you live or work.

Register & sign up for a free class

Click the Registration button or the Try a Free Class button. Both of these buttons will take you to a form that will welcome you to take your first class for free. You are not obligated to continue taking lessons after that first class. We genuinely want you to test it out to make sure that it’s the right thing for you. If you are uncomfortable with completing the online registration form, you are welcome to just show up to try a free class anyway.

Try your first class – free!

At Bees’ Knees Dance we enrich people’s lives through the joy of dancing and it’s our passion to teach adults with absolutely no experience how to dance.

The classes are equally fun and informative if you have some prior dance experience, but we particularly take pride in creating a welcoming environment for the complete novice.

What To Expect at the Dance Class

Before the lesson begins

Students are encouraged to arrive a few minutes before the start time of their first lesson. They can meet/chat with the instructor or the other students, hang up jackets and bags, get settled. The first class is always free, otherwise students may pay for the class either before or after the lesson begins. Lessons are on the Pay-As-You-Go system except for Amateur Musical Theatre which is choreography based and is payment by month.

Beginning of the lesson

Each lesson will vary but in general the classes are structured as follows; greetings & introductions, warm up, introduction to footwork or new concept, the lesson proper, review of material, lesson cool down. Either before or after a warm up the instructor will conduct a very short introductory ice breaker so that everyone can learn each others’ names before the actual lesson begins.

The warm up consists of everyone forming in a circle with the instructor in the middle doing very simple movements. The students follow along with the movements to start getting their blood flowing and the feeling of the material.

Then the actual class will begin at which time the material will vary depending on the type of dance class you are taking. For partnered dance classes the instructor would begin by teaching the basic footwork or with the solo classes they’d begin by slowly starting into the first dance move or concept. Everything is taught in a patient, welcoming, un-rushed way so that all of the students are able to follow along comfortably.

At the end of the lesson the instructor will summarize the material covered that day. Also there is often another circle, similar to the warm up, where the teacher leads everyone through simple movements and everyone leaves the class on a high note.

Additional Information About Partnered Lessons

(ie. Swing Dancing & Rock n’ Roll)

Advancing levels

For partnered lessons, if you have questions about advancing levels please see the information listed under that particular Type of Dance. Otherwise, please Contact Us for more information.

Rotation

We rotate partners in all of our partnered dance classes. Please remember that classes are designed to welcome both individuals who would like to attend alone, or also friends, partners and family members who would like to attend together. Everyone will have a chance to meet one another and you’ll have a chance to dance with everyone in the class. You’ll learn much more quickly this way and if you do have a partner who you came to the class with, by the time you reach them again in the rotation you’ll be able to impress each other with the progress you’ve both made.

More questions?

If you have additional questions, please check our FAQ section as you might find your question and answer listed there. Otherwise, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to hear from you. You’ll find our contact information on the Contact Us page.