Free Beginner’s Dance Class
by admin on March 2nd, 2012
filed under Ballroom Dancing, Beginning Group Dance Classes, Erin Pick, Group Dance Classes, Health and Ballroom Dancing, Latin Dancing, Salsa Dancing, Swing Dancing, Types of Dances
EXTRA! EXTRA!
Free Beginner's Class at Pick School of Ballroom Dancing in San Francisco
Would you like to try one of our beginning dance classes for free?
Simply fill out the email form on this page of our web site with your information and which class you would like to try and we will email you back to confirm!
What could be easier and more fun?
Dance Lessons will be at 1532 Taravel Street, San Francisco, CA 94116
Special Note: This offer is for first time students only and for just 1 class during the 1st or 2nd week of the session only!
Make your choice from one of the beginning classes below starting:
- Monday February 27th 2012, 7:00-8:00pm: Beginning 1 American Waltz
- Monday March 26th 2012, 7:00-8:00pm: Beginning 1 American Rumba
- Tuesday, February 28th 2012, 7:00-8:00pm: Beginning 1 West Coast Swing
- Tuesday, March 27th 2012, 7:00-8:00pm: Beginning 1 American Foxtrot
- Thursday March 1st 2012, 8:30-9:30pm: Beginning 1 Swing/Lindy Hop
- Thursday March 29th 2012, 8:30-9:30pm: Beginning 1 Swing/Lindy Hop
- Friday March 2nd 2012, 7:00-7:45pm: Beginning 1 Argentine Tango
- Friday March 30th 2012, 7:00-7:45pm: Beginning 1 Argentine Tango
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Hear what one happy customer had to say about Erin Pick (pictured below), professional dancer, instructor and owner of Pick School of Ballroom Dancing:
“This is an easy review to write. When it comes to dancing and teaching, Erin Pick is the best in the West.
Her monthly rotation of classes covers a wide array of Ballroom and Latin rhythms in both the American and International styles.
It is a super experience and many of her patrons just continue on month and month. Erin loves people and loves to dance.
And the prices are reasonable. Even if you are a novice you will fit right in.
Don’t by shy about trying out a series like the salsa or foxtrot. You will not be sorry. Her coworkers are also excellent. No doubt about it. You cannot miss with the Pick School of Ballroom Dancing.
It is one addiction I do not want to lose. I have attended her classes for several years and have no regrets. It just gets better.” – Jeff C. Mill Valley, CA Posted on Yelp: 8/10/2011
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We hope you’ll join us for a FREE Beginner’s Class at Pick School of Ballroom Dancing in San Francisco soon!
Click here to learn about BALLROOM STYLES!
Click here for CLASS DESCRIPTIONS!
Studio Location: 1532 Taravel Street San Francisco, CA 94116
Studio Phone Number: 415.752.5658
Beginning 2 American East Coast Swing
by admin on May 23rd, 2011
filed under Beginning Group Dance Classes, Group Dance Classes, Swing Dancing, Types of Dances
Sign up today for Pick School of Ballroom Dancing’s Beginning 2 East Coast Swing class that starts Monday night, May 23rd from 8-9pm!
If you’ve taken any American Swing you know what fun it can be to “swing it” on the dance floor with your partner.
American East Coast Swing today at Pick School of Ballroom Dancing
The American East Coast Swing is a fun one that we’ve all seen in the movies many times. Ever picked up a copy of “Swing Kids”? — well one of the original dancers from that movie is still swingin’ and he’s eighty!
That’s how infectious and fun the swing is to do.
Our beginning 2 group class will pick up right where the beginning 1 group class left off and provide you with new steps and techniques to keep you out on the social dance floor even longer than before!
Who can resist a new move that shows off your partner and gets you that look of approval from others now eager to dance with you since you know even more than before?
So grab those dancing shoes and come join the fun in downtown San Francisco in the Beginning 2 American East Coast Swing group class.
Below are some popular East Coast Swing artists and songs to get your feet a-tapping:
- Elvis Presley: Don’t Be Cruel, Hound Dog, Johnny B. Goode
- Glenn Miller: In The Mood, A String of Pearls, American Patrol
- The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Jump Jive An’ Wail, This Ole House, Rock This Town
- Music from Swing Kids: Bei Mer Bist Du Schon,
- Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers: Why Do Fools Fall In Love?
- Bette Midler: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
- Jumpin’ At The Woodside: Life Goes to a Party
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: The Boogie Bumper, Go Daddy-O
- Jive Bunny & the Master Mixers: Glenn Miller Medley, Swing Sisters Swing, Swing the Mood
- Dwight Yoakam: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
- Kenny Loggins: Footloose
- The Monkees: I’m A Believer
- Harry Connick, Jr.: Come By Me, Recipe For Love
- Bill Haley & His Comets: Rock Around the Clock
- Michael Jackson: Rockin’ Robin
- The Swingfield Big Band: It Don’t Mean A Thing; Sing, Sing, Sing; In The Mood; Little Brown Jug, Chattanooga Choo Choo
- The Coasters: Yakety Yak
- Sam Cooke: Twistin’ the Night Away
Click here to go to our registration page and sign-up now! 
Pick School of Ballroom Dancing
415.752.5658
Swing It!
by admin on April 8th, 2011
filed under Ballroom Dancing, Beginning Group Dance Classes, Erin Pick, Group Dance Classes, Health and Ballroom Dancing, Swing Dancing, Types of Dances
American East Coast Swing & Lindy Hop Beginner Classes
Starting…
Mondays
April 25th, May 2nd, May 9th and May 16th
7-8pm
Swing It!
Join us for some great music, great dancing and great fun!
Click here to go the Pick School of Ballroom Dancing Swing page.
What is American East Coast Swing?
The six count American East Coast Swing grew out of the less formal eight count Lindy Hop and has been tickling dancer’s fancies since the 1940s.
“You can start the East Coast Swing with either a rock step and then step side, step side or a step side, step side and then rock step.
The normal steps can be substituted with a triple step or double step “step-tap” or “kick-step” instead of a single step. This is commonly used during songs when a slower tempo makes the single step difficult (an example progression would be “rock step, triple step, triple step”).” Wikipedia
Often the East Coast Swing can be combined with steps from the Lindy Hop for even more swinging fun on the floor.
So what is the Lindy Hop?
Named for Charles Lindbergh’s Atlantic crossing in 1927, the Lindy Hop is based on the Charleston and evolved in Harlem utilizing the extremely popular jazz music of the 20s and 30s. Click here to learn more…
This beginning class in American East Coast Swing & Lindy Hop will get you up and moving to the music with both dances and some wonderful figures to start you swinging with style!
Click here for a Beginners coupon for group classes and get started today!
Tango Technique Rx
by admin on March 15th, 2011
filed under Argentine Tango, Ballroom Dancing, Ballroom Instructors, Group Dance Classes, Workshops
Argentine Tango Workshop Coming in April!
Rose Vierling
Do your ochos need oxygen?
Cruzada lack crispness?
Basic walk a bit wobbly?
Well, then you’ve come to the right place!
Argentine Tango instructor Rose Vierling will be offering an outstanding Argentine Tango Workshop!
Sunday, April 17th from 1-3pm at
Pick School of Ballroom Dancing in San Francisco
Technique is extremely important for improving general dance level & partner connection. No partner necessary! This workshop will focus on individual technique and partner connection and will consist of a variety of exercises both solo and with a partner. A must for all levels of dancers… beginners through advanced! Rose will be giving her students special drills to help them improve their technique.
Students preregistering will only pay $30/person
Students paying at the door only pay $35/person
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Rose is a graduate of the Ballroom Dance Teachers College (BDTC) and is DVIDA certified and continues her silver and gold certifications under Diane Jarmalow, the founder of BDTC.
Since beginning the art of Argentine Tango dancing 10 years ago, she has studied with many Argentine Masters including Oscar Mandagaranda and Georgina Vargas, Carlos Gavito and Jorge Torres.
Rose has performed at events from the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival to the 49er Half-Time Show and she and her partner, Jesse Dishart, were both principle dancers in Christy Cote’s LiberTango Dancers.
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Join us in April for this outstanding opportunity to improve your Argentine Tango technique at the Pick School of Ballroom Dancing. Click here to preregister.
Can Ballroom Dancing Be Healthy?
by admin on March 11th, 2011
filed under Ballroom Dancing, Ballroom Instructors, Erin Pick, Group Dance Classes, Health and Ballroom Dancing, Private Dance Lessons, Types of Dances
Every time we turn around someone or something is telling us we need to be more healthy!
Ok, we know, we know – don’t eat junk food (Time to ration those Wendy’s chocolate frosties and midnight Del Taco runs 
), drink lots of water and walk at least twenty minutes a day.
But what if ballroom dancing was the perfect way to stay healthy?
What if we didn’t need to beat ourselves up about missing yet another workout because we just couldn’t get motivated.
Well, we’re in luck because ballroom dancing is a great way to
stay fit in body, mind and spirit.
According to Kathryn Radeff, E-How Contributor, “It lifts the spirit, strengthens the body, stimulates the mind, and according to researchers, keeps you healthy as you age.”
Mike Brown in his e-article, “Dance To Improve Your Health and Strength”, says, “The second simple reason for learning how to dance is self-evident: aerobic exercise. Any experienced body-builder knows that cardiovascular exercise is a necessity in order to gain muscular size, improve circulation, and prevent injury.”
Miranda Hitti in “Dancing Your Way To Better Health” offers us this advice, “Dance can challenge your mind as well as your muscles. At least one observational study has shown sharper minds with ballroom dancing.”
Dance for Health!
What more could we want?
And what are we waiting for?
Ballroom dancing utilizes the brain for learning steps and mastering music, the muscles (in different ways than we’re used to!) and brings out the joy in our hearts to do something fun and exciting.
Which means ballroom dancing is a healthy habit we can stay with year in and year out!
I don’t want to say how many times I’ve started out with the best of intentions, January 2nd, to make and keep a fitness routine?
By March 1st that resolution is paling and the grind of every day life has taken its toll on me and my fitness routine.
But with ballroom dancing we can be healthy and have fun at the same time and isn’t that a lot easier to stick to over the long run?
Check out the Beginners Start Here page and see what dances catch your interest.
- Do you want to “swing it”?
- How about a steamy tango?
- Always fantasized about being a waltzer?
- Fred and Ginger fan – try the foxtrot!
- Salsa your thing?
Click here to go to the Pick School of Ballroom Dancing Master Calendar… for group classes or try some up close and personal exercise and take a private lesson with Erin Pick!
Email today to start a new ballroom dancing fitness routine and get on the road to a healthier you!
About Ballroom Dancing…
by admin on March 7th, 2011
filed under Ballroom Dancing, Ballroom Instructors, Erin Pick, History, Types of Dances
Interview with Erin Pick, owner of the Pick School of Ballroom Dancing, SF, CA
By Roxanne Minott
SF Ballroom Dancing, Examiner
INTERVIEW WITH ERIN:
1) How did you become involved in ballroom dancing?
“My mother Rhona Pick opened a dance school in the Richmond district in 1962. She was a Standard & Latin Professional dance competitor. She became a United States Champion and represented the United States in Blackpool, England, one of the biggest dance festivals in the world. She retired from competitive dancing in the mid-70’s but continued to run the Pick School of Ballroom Dancing. She retired in 2006. At this time, the building in the Richmond district was sold and I moved the studio to the Sunset district.”
“I started ballroom dancing at 8 years old. My mother, along with her partner Roy Hinton and teachers in the school, Gene Jennings and Derek Lewis, gave me my basic foundation in dance and I went on to compete as an amateur, then as a professional and in Pro/Am competitions. I earned my teaching credentials with the Imperial Society of Teachers, through which I became a Licentiate in the International Standard and Latin dances. I also earned my teaching credentials with Terpsichore, a dance association through which I became an Associate in the American style Smooth and Rhythm dances.”
2) Which dances present the most challenges in teaching your students?
“Every student is different. Some students find the Latin/Rhythm dances more challenging and some find the Standard/Smooth dances more challenging. Teaching basic movements correctly is challenging in every dance. Steps are usually easy to pick up but correct technique takes practice and patience.”
3) What do you enjoy the most about being a ballroom instructor?
“I enjoy watching students who have never danced before develop into beautiful dancers. There are individuals who come to the studio thinking they will never be able to dance and several weeks later they are dancing. The benefits of ballroom dancing are not only physical but mental. Observing students working both their bodies and minds simultaneously is what I truly enjoy.”
4) What personal traits are necessary in order to be an effective ballroom instructor?
“One must first have patience. In addition, one must have the ability to present information in different ways, adapting to the needs of that particular student. A willingness to continue one’s education in Ballroom/Latin dance enables you as a teacher to give the students your best. Most importantly, love of the art of Ballroom/Latin dance will be revealed in your teaching and be passed on to your students.”
Want to see this article on Examiner.com?