Ballroom Education · Tips · Guides · News
Ballroom Tips and Guides From Amy
Practical advice for beginners, couples, wedding couples and competitors, plus news from the Minnesota dance scene. Start anywhere.
Quick Answer
New to dancing? Start with Amy’s free video lessons, then pick a topic below. Every guide is written for real dancers, from beginners to competitors, and the newest articles appear at the top of each topic.
Jump to a topic
Getting Started Practice and Technique Weddings and Special Events Minnesota Dance Scene Competition News Dancing with the Stars
Getting Started
New to dancing, or coming back? Start here.
- Your Private First Step Into Dancing: Why September Is a Great Time to Start
Your Private First Step Into Dancing Some articles are meant to be read straight through. This one is a little different. Because learning to dance… Read more: Your Private First Step Into Dancing: Why September Is a Great Time to Start - Can You Learn Ballroom Dance From Free Online Videos?
You can learn ballroom dance online well enough to understand basic rhythms, practice introductory steps and discover which dances you enjoy. Free videos can be… Read more: Can You Learn Ballroom Dance From Free Online Videos? - Going to Your First Ballroom Social Alone: A Twin Cities Beginner’s Guide
Going to your first ballroom social alone may feel intimidating, but you do not need a partner, perfect coordination or years of experience to belong… Read more: Going to Your First Ballroom Social Alone: A Twin Cities Beginner’s Guide - Why Ballroom Dancing Feels Mentally Challenging—and Why That’s Good
The ballroom dancing mental challenge can surprise new students. You may arrive expecting to learn a few steps and suddenly realize that your brain is… Read more: Why Ballroom Dancing Feels Mentally Challenging—and Why That’s Good - Returning to Ballroom Dancing After a Long Break
Returning to ballroom dancing after several months or years away can feel more intimidating than taking your first lesson. You remember enough to notice what… Read more: Returning to Ballroom Dancing After a Long Break - Empty Nest Dance Lessons: A New Twin Cities Routine After the Kids Leave
Empty nest dance lessons can give Twin Cities parents something enjoyable and genuinely new to anticipate after a child leaves for college, moves into an… Read more: Empty Nest Dance Lessons: A New Twin Cities Routine After the Kids Leave - Do Progressive Glasses Make Ballroom Dancing Harder? What Twin Cities Beginners Should Know
Some beginning dancers quietly wonder whether their glasses are part of the reason ballroom dancing feels harder than expected. They may feel steady while walking… Read more: Do Progressive Glasses Make Ballroom Dancing Harder? What Twin Cities Beginners Should Know - Can You Learn Ballroom Dancing With Hearing Aids? How to Hear the Beat, Counts and Your Instructor
Some adults hesitate to begin ballroom dancing because they wear hearing aids or have difficulty understanding speech when music is playing. They may wonder whether… Read more: Can You Learn Ballroom Dancing With Hearing Aids? How to Hear the Beat, Counts and Your Instructor
Practice and Technique
Small fixes that make a big difference on the floor.
- How to Dance With Someone Much More Experienced Than You
Learning how to dance with experienced ballroom dancers can feel intimidating, but your partner is probably not expecting perfection. A comfortable connection, a positive attitude… Read more: How to Dance With Someone Much More Experienced Than You - How to Practice Ballroom Dancing at Home in a Small Space
Many people assume they cannot practice ballroom dancing at home because their living room, kitchen or bedroom does not offer enough open floor space. But… Read more: How to Practice Ballroom Dancing at Home in a Small Space - Why Can’t I Find the Beat? The Song May Be Harder Than the Dance
Why Can’t I Find the Beat? The Song May Be Harder Than the Dance You know the steps. You can do them while your instructor… Read more: Why Can’t I Find the Beat? The Song May Be Harder Than the Dance - Practice Dancing Without Arguing: A Better Approach for Couples
Learning to practice dancing without arguing may be more important for a couple’s progress than squeezing one more turn into a routine. Many couples enjoy… Read more: Practice Dancing Without Arguing: A Better Approach for Couples - Outdoor Ballroom Dancing: How to Enjoy Twin Cities Summer Events Without Fighting the Floor
Outdoor Ballroom Dancing: How to Enjoy Twin Cities Summer Events Without Fighting the Floor Outdoor ballroom dancing gives Twin Cities adults a fun way to… Read more: Outdoor Ballroom Dancing: How to Enjoy Twin Cities Summer Events Without Fighting the Floor - Why Ballroom Floors Feel Different in Summer: How Humidity Changes Your Shoes, Turns and Balance
Have you ever arrived at a ballroom lesson or social dance and felt as though the floor had completely changed since the last time you… Read more: Why Ballroom Floors Feel Different in Summer: How Humidity Changes Your Shoes, Turns and Balance - The Ballroom Skill Nobody Notices Until It’s Missing: How to Navigate a Crowded Twin Cities Dance Floor
Most new ballroom dancers assume that feeling comfortable at a social dance depends on knowing enough steps. Steps certainly help, but there is another skill… Read more: The Ballroom Skill Nobody Notices Until It’s Missing: How to Navigate a Crowded Twin Cities Dance Floor
Weddings and Special Events
Getting ready for a first dance, gala or big night out. Planning a first dance? See wedding dance lessons.
- How Many Wedding Dance Lessons Do You Need?
A Simple Timeline for Twin Cities CouplesMost couples need about four private lessons for a polished first dance. Here’s how to estimate your number, when to start, and how to get the most out of every lesson. - Father-Daughter or Mother-Son Dance:
How to Choose a Style You’ll Both EnjoyThe parent dance often gets a song and no plan. Here’s how to choose a style that fits your song and your parent, how long to make it, and how to combine parent dances. - Waltz or Viennese Waltz: Which One Fits Your First Dance?
One of the first questions couples ask me when they hear the word “waltz” is which one. Is it the slow, floating waltz from the… Read more: Waltz or Viennese Waltz: Which One Fits Your First Dance? - Wedding Dance Lessons in the Twin Cities: Create a First Dance That Feels Like You
Your first dance should feel comfortable, personal and unmistakably yours. It does not need to be complicated, theatrical or perfectly performed to become one of… Read more: Wedding Dance Lessons in the Twin Cities: Create a First Dance That Feels Like You - Fall Gala Dance Lessons: Feel Confident When the Music Starts
Fall gala dance lessons can help Twin Cities adults prepare for the part of a formal evening that often creates the most uncertainty: the moment… Read more: Fall Gala Dance Lessons: Feel Confident When the Music Starts - Why You Remember Your Wedding Dance in the Lesson but Forget It at Home
You finish a wedding dance lesson feeling surprisingly confident. The music starts, the steps make sense and you can finally picture yourselves enjoying the moment… Read more: Why You Remember Your Wedding Dance in the Lesson but Forget It at Home
Minnesota Dance Scene
Where to dance, local traditions and dance in the news.
- 25 Years Later: How 9/11 Changed What the Ballroom Dance Floor Meant in Minnesota
There are dates that divide time into before and after. September 11, 2001, is one of them. Twenty-five years later, nearly everyone old enough to… Read more: 25 Years Later: How 9/11 Changed What the Ballroom Dance Floor Meant in Minnesota - Why Minnesota Still Loves Polka — and What It Can Teach Us About Ballroom Dance
Minnesota has a funny relationship with polka. You may not think about it very often. Then September arrives. Suddenly there are accordions. Bratwurst. Oktoberfest tents.… Read more: Why Minnesota Still Loves Polka — and What It Can Teach Us About Ballroom Dance - What the Minnesota State Fair Can Teach Us About Dance
Dance Has Always Belonged at the Great Minnesota Get-Together The Minnesota State Fair is not just a place to eat something on a stick. It… Read more: What the Minnesota State Fair Can Teach Us About Dance - Where Can Beginners Go Social Dancing in the Twin Cities? Your September 2026 Guide
There may be more places to dance around Minneapolis and St. Paul than many beginners realize. The interesting part is that finding a dance floor… Read more: Where Can Beginners Go Social Dancing in the Twin Cities? Your September 2026 Guide
Competition News
Follow Amy and her students on the competition floor. Curious about competing? See Pro-Am and competitive dance.
- Hawaii Star Ball 2026: What Our Pro-Am Results Really Mean
What an incredible week in Hawaii. Jerry and I danced four styles in one week at Hawaii Star Ball 2026, William and I took the… Read more: Hawaii Star Ball 2026: What Our Pro-Am Results Really Mean
Dancing with the Stars
What each week of the show can teach you about real ballroom dancing, from the dances and the judging to the rules behind them.
- What Counts as a Lift in Ballroom?
The Rule Behind the DWTS ControversyA judge’s lift call on DWTS Super Bowl Night set off a week of headlines. Here’s what a lift really is in ballroom, why competitions ban them, where they’re allowed, and whether one belongs in your first dance. - The DWTS Grind Starts Now: A 3-Time Dancers Cup Tour Top Teacher Explains the One-Week Challenge
Season 35 • Now the Clock Really Starts The DWTS Grind Starts Now A three-time Dancers Cup Tour Top Teacher explains why learning a ballroom… Read more: The DWTS Grind Starts Now: A 3-Time Dancers Cup Tour Top Teacher Explains the One-Week Challenge - Who Are You Rooting For? Amy’s DWTS Season 35 Opening-Night Favorites
Season 35 Begins Tonight Who Are You Rooting For? Amy has her Dancing with the Stars favorites — and her reasons reveal something interesting about… Read more: Who Are You Rooting For? Amy’s DWTS Season 35 Opening-Night Favorites - Dancing with the Stars Season 35 Starts Tomorrow! Amy’s Predictions + Meet the Cast
The Ballroom Is Back Dancing with the Stars Season 35 Starts Tomorrow! Sixteen celebrities. Sixteen professional partners. One Mirrorball Trophy — and Amy already has… Read more: Dancing with the Stars Season 35 Starts Tomorrow! Amy’s Predictions + Meet the Cast
Ready to Dance, Not Just Read?
The fastest way to put these tips to work is a lesson with Amy. Private lessons, group classes, wedding dances and Pro-Am, all across the Twin Cities.
Not sure what you need? Find the right lesson for you.