Everything You Wanted to Know About Elm City Waltz

Who should come dance?
Everyone! Elm City Waltz aims for an eclectic mix of dances and dance music to bring smiles to the faces of people from different dance communities. We welcome dancers of all backgrounds: ballroom dancers, folk dancers, vintage dancers, and anyone else with a positive attitude and a sense of adventure who wants to spin around on the dance floor. We welcome both experienced dancers and beginners (there's a special beginner lesson before each dance.) There's no competition here; it's all just for the sheer joy of moving to the music. And no partner is needed - we encourage dancing with a wide variety of partners during the evening and encourage experienced dancers to help the beginners out (we were all beginners once!)

What sort of dances do you do?
Waltzes, waltzes, and more waltzes. Also, waltzes. Okay, and we also mix in other couple dances - anything from polka and scottische to cha cha, Lindy hop, and tango. We play lots of slow waltzes because cross-step waltz is a local favorite, but we also include medium- and fast-temp waltzes suitable for different styles. We like eclectic music, so you might find yourself dancing to anything from a traditional folk waltz to a country western tune to Metallica. A couple of sample programs from our DJ'ed evenings may be found on our Program page.

What if I really, really, really want to do a....?
We take requests! If you've got a tune you really want to hit the dance floor to, bring it along (CD or flash drive). We'll play a few tunes by special request throughout the evening, as well as doing the best we can to mix in the type of dances you want to do - just ask!

What if I only want to do international ballroom/mid-19th century/international folk dance/etc.?
What are we supposed to say here? You can either sit out all the dances that don't fit your specific style (but that doesn't sound like much fun), or you can try something different. If you really, truly only want to do one specific sort of dancing, this may not be your kind of evening.

What if I am parched and faint with hunger after all that dancing?
We love dancing so much we want to keep you going for hours, so we provide free Scrumptious Refreshments along with water and Susan's Special Punch to keep your energy up. Contributions of non-messy finger food (avoid things greasy or things that shed - no Cheetos!) or small green pieces of paper to keep the Scrumptious Refreshments coming are welcome. We do not serve alcohol, however, (it's not that kind of punch) and ask that you refrain from bringing your own. Spin around a few more times in a fast waltz and you won't need a drink!

What if I don't like to dress up?
We have no official dress code, but we think that couple dancing is worth a little bit of effort, so we do encourage you to dress anywhere from festive (your definition) to semi-formal. But we aren't going to turn anyone away for not dressing right.

Why don't you have live music?
It's expensive to hire good musicians, and we wouldn't want any other kind. We're taking advantage of using recorded music to play a really wide variety of tunes which we hope you'll enjoy. When we can afford it, we hold special evenings with live music. The more people who attend our DJ'ed evenings, the more often we can afford a band!

What if I only want to dance with my spouse or my sweetheart?
We will forcibly drag you apart and make you take other partners! Just kidding! We encourage mixing but we don't force anyone to do anything, so if you want to dance with one person all night that's fine too. We usually have a couple of mixer dances during the evening in which everyone changes partners constantly, and we encourage everyone to participate in these to help meet other dancers.

What if I have a question that isn't answered here?
Feel free to email and ask. We hope to eventually have all the information you could possibly need (and a great deal that you don't) on this webpage, but we're still working on it.

You're joking about waltzing to Metallica, right?
Nope!