Paseo Ballroom - Dancing Lessons

There is no one sexier than a good dancer...

Located on beautiful El Paseo in Palm Desert, the Paseo Ballroom Dance Studio teaches a variety of classic and modern dances. Under the tutelage of Dance Master Tanya Phillips-Fordham you can choose the Viennese Waltz, ChaChaCha, Rumba, Samba, Salsa, Bolero, Night Club Two-Step, Swing (East and West), Disco or the Argentine Tango!

"I remember listening to Eddie Van Halen on Rockline," said Tanya. "Eddie was asked by a listener, 'I'm a drummer. How can I improve?' Eddie's answer was, 'You should take dance lessons!' I chuckled out loud because dance is moving to the beat of the drum. And it is a goal of mine to get people up off their feet and start moving to beat of their inner drum."

Tanya Phillips-Fordham

Tanya Phillips-Fordham began ballroom dancing in 1992 and learned from a distinguished list of masters including Larry Frasure of Los Angeles, Ron Montez of San Diego, and Dwayne Dehart of Palm Springs. She entered Ballroom Dance competition in 1996 and competed throughout Southern California including Los Angeles, San Diego and Newport Beach as well as the Las Vegas Holiday Competition and was asked to be on Dick Clark's New Year's Eve Special.

Another memorable moment for Tanya was an Argentine Tango Tanya danced with Rudy Hernandez in 'A Celebration of Dance' at the McCallum Theatre. Recently, she has been asked to teach dance on the Carnival Cruise Line and later this year will be teaching dance on The Princess Cruise Line.

Tuesday	3:30pm	Ballet ages 11-16 (younger students need permission)
Wednesday	6pm	Beginning Ballroom $10
Thursday	5:30pm- 7:30pm	Dance Academy (pre-requisite required)
Thursday	7:45 pm	Same Sex Dance Class For Men
Friday	6pm	Same Sex Dance Class for Women
Saturday	6pm	Beginning Ballroom $10

Tango:
Born in the slums of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century Tango also controversial due to the level of passion danced between two people. In the US Tango became all the rage before WW1. Rudolph Valentino performed a sesual Tango in the silent film "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Tango is characterized by a closse hold, a low center of gravity and an emphasis on Contra Body Movement. Movement in Tango is Stealthy, almost cat-like and has an unmistakable staccato feel.

Waltz:
Originated in the 18th century from the word "volver" meaning to turn or revlove. It evolved from a German and Austrian peasant dance called the Landler, and was the first widely popular dance to feature a closed position. Because of closed position the waltz was denounced as scandalous and immoral.

Foxtrot:
Began during the turn of the 20th century new breed of dances quickly evolved like the Turkey Trot, Monkey Dance, the Horse Trot, the Grizzly Bear as Ragtime grew a young dancer named Harry Fox did his version of trotting on the stage of the Ziegfield Follies. This fast jerky trot became the hot new thing in New York. When Foxtrot traveled to England, the jumps and high jinks of the original were ironed out. Now is a smooth elegant dance.

Viennese Waltz:
Began in the early 1800's where Austrian composers such as Johann Strauss and Franz Lanner increased the number of measures per minute in their Waltzes. The faster music required dancers to have greater technique and endurance. This dance was thought of appropriate for married women to dance not for maidens. Despite the controversy the Viennese Waltz continued to be extremely popular in Europe and America until the WWI. Viennese Waltz has an air of magic about it.

Other Dances Taught at Paseo Ballroom:
ChaChaCha, Rumba, Samba, Salsa, Bolero, Night Club Two-Step, Swing (East and West), Disco and Argentine Tango.

Private Lessons by Appointment Only.
Special Group Rates, Wedding Packages and Party Planning available.
Phone: 760.776.8250