Some people want to feel comfortable
Being able to walk onto a floor — at a wedding, a party, on a cruise — and feel comfortable when the music starts. Confidence is a perfectly good reason on its own.
Private Lessons · Solo Students & Couples
Private Ballroom Dance Lessons in St. Petersburg
Ballroom and Latin lessons built around what you actually want out of dancing, rather than one fixed program everybody is put through. Come on your own or as a couple — the lesson changes with your goals, your experience, and what Ivan sees on the floor.
You’ll hear directly from Ivan.
Where a lesson really starts
First, why do you want to dance?
Ivan will tell you that one of the hardest and most important parts of teaching is working out the real reason somebody came to the studio. Until he knows it, he is only guessing at what the lesson should be.
Some want to lead or follow better
Often it is one specific half of the partnership that is not working yet. That is a very different lesson from learning a new dance, and it gets treated as one.
Some just want to enjoy it
To learn something new, to dance better with the person they came in with, or simply to have a good evening doing it. No further justification required.
Those are examples, not a menu — people arrive with all kinds of reasons, or with a dance already in mind, such as Salsa. What matters is that once Ivan understands why you are really there, building the lesson toward it becomes far easier.
Inside the lesson
A regular private lesson is 40 minutes
There is no fixed sequence every student is run through. Depending on who you are and what you are working toward, a lesson can take in reviewing the last one, new steps, technique, rhythm, leading, following, dancing to music, untangling something that is not working — and confirming what you are already doing right.
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You read your notes back
A lesson usually opens with the notebook from last time. Reading your own notes helps refresh what you worked on in the previous lesson.
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You decide together where to go
Should something be gone over again, or are you ready to carry on toward the next goal? Ivan asks rather than assumes.
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You write down what you learned
At the end Ivan asks you to write down what you learned. That page is what starts the next lesson.
At the end of every lesson Ivan asks each student to write down in their own book what they learned, and at the beginning of the next lesson he asks them to read those notes back.
Book Your Free Lesson
Your first private lesson is free and runs 30 minutes. Regular private lessons after that are 40 minutes, by appointment.
The part that is hard to get in a room
Feedback meant for one person
What needs changing, and why
Privately, Ivan can tell you exactly what is happening, why it is happening, and what to change — then you can go straight back and work on that one thing until it feels different. That loop is difficult to run in a room full of people.
What you are already doing right
Ivan also tells you what you are already doing correctly, so you know what to keep while you work on the parts that need changing.
None of this is about being corrected more. It is about being corrected on the things that are actually yours.
On your own, or the two of you
Private lessons work either way
Coming alone
You do not need a partner to book a private lesson, and arriving on your own does not put you into some different kind of teaching. The lesson is shaped by your goal and by what Ivan sees you doing — whether that calls for work on leading, following, confidence, movement, rhythm, or technique.
Coming as a couple
Couples get the same thing pointed at two people: the goal you share, plus whatever each of you individually needs in order to get there. Wedding couples and people who have simply decided to take something up together both book private lessons.
Never danced at all? That is the ordinary way people arrive. There is a whole page on what happens in your first lessons, and you can see every kind of lesson the studio offers if you are still deciding.
A real question couples ask
When one of you is further along
If one partner learns faster, or already has more experience, Ivan first looks at why the couple is having difficulty dancing together. His first move is not to slow the stronger dancer down.
The more experienced partner
Gets something worth their level to work on, rather than being parked while the lesson happens elsewhere.
The less experienced partner
Gets help with what they actually need, at a pace that is theirs and not borrowed from the other person.
The partnership itself
Leading and following can be worked on directly, so that both of you can use what you are learning together.
Choosing between them
Private lesson or group class?
A private lesson
Individual feedback, corrections meant for you, your own pace, and time spent on your specific goal. If there is one thing standing between you and dancing comfortably, a private lesson is where you can work on it directly.
A group class
A shared, sociable way to learn alongside other people, with a different style each week. An instructor cannot make everything personal in a room, and Ivan would rather not point out every small thing publicly — but a group class is a place to practice alongside other people and meet other dancers.
Private and group lessons can work well together. If you are not sure which to start with, call or text (727) 304-5904 and ask.
What students say
Written by students, not by us
Ivan is warm & friendly.
Everyone has been very friendly, patient, and supportive.
Good to know
Common questions
How long is a regular private dance lesson?
A regular private lesson is 40 minutes. The complimentary first private lesson is a little shorter at 30 minutes, which is enough time to try a few basics and talk about what you want out of dancing.
What happens during a private dance lesson?
It depends on the student and what they are working toward. A lesson can include reviewing the last one, new steps, technique, rhythm, leading and following, dancing to music, fixing something that is not working, and reinforcing what you are already doing well. At the end Ivan asks you to write down what you learned in your own notebook, and at the start of the next lesson you read those notes back — then the two of you decide whether to go over something again or move on toward the next goal.
Do I need a partner?
No. You are welcome on your own or with a partner. Plenty of people come solo, and you can still learn and enjoy it.
What if my partner and I have different levels of dance experience?
It does not mean holding the more experienced partner back. Ivan first looks for the reason the two of you are having difficulty dancing together. From there he can give the more advanced partner something suited to their level, help the less experienced partner with what they need, and work on leading and following so the partnership starts to function as one.
What is the difference between a private dance lesson and a group class?
A private lesson is individual: the feedback, the corrections, the pace, and the goals are all yours. In a group class an instructor cannot make everything that personal, and Ivan would rather not single someone out in front of the room for every detail. A group class gives you a shared, social place to learn alongside other people. Private and group lessons can also work well together.
Ready when you are.
30 free private minutes. No experience, no partner, no judgment.
You’ll hear directly from Ivan.