Dance Instruction

Web sites

• An American Ballroom Companion
  An American Ballroom Companion presents a collection of over two hundred social dance manuals at the Library of Congress, from circa 1490 to 1920. It includes the full text of the documents, as well as 75 video demonstrations of the dances.
• Arthur Murray Dance Studios
  Franchise dance studios with locations in downtown Pittsburgh, Monroeville, Wexford and McMurray.
• Ballroom Dance Group
  You can learn some basic Waltz, Fox Trot, or East Coast Swing steps and patterns with the Ballroom Dance Group's free Learn Online page. Or you can download video clips or audio clips to help you get started.
• Dancing for Busy People
  Uses the Community Dance Program (CDP) method of providing dances using simple basic terminology that they define here.
• The Dancing Master, 1651-1728, An Illustrated Compendium By Robert M. Keller
  See dance instructions, plus tunes, for the that time period, generally in England, as well as a method for comparing the different dances. If you really want to play this music, though, you might want to check out the book.
• National Dance Association
  Contains a list of publications, and information about the organization.
• USA Dance
  Formerly the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association
  The nation-wide organization of competitive, college and social Amateur Ballroom Dancers in the United States. Their website can put you in touch with a local chapter.

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Pittsburgh Region

• Ballroom Dancing at Arthur Murray
  Located in McMurray and Monroeville
• Bell School of Irish Dance
  The Bell School of Irish Dance offers weekly traditional Irish dance classes for young boys and girls ages five and up to and including adults. It has locations in the North Hills and in Greensburg.
• Burke School of Irish Dance
  Certified by the Irish Dance Commission in Dublin, Ireland, the Burke School of Irish Dance provides instruction in traditional Irish Step Dancing at weekly lessons held at the Irish Centre of Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill. Classes are offered for boys and girls, ages 5 and up, and teenagers.
• Calliope
  This folk arts organization offers classes in music, dance, and crafts.
• Carnegie Performing Arts Center
  A Dance School Where Performance Counts! Located in the metro Pittsburgh area, (300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie PA, 15106) CPAC offers Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater, and Modern dance classes for both children and adults. PLUS three live stage performances. Call 412-279-8887.
• Centro Flamenco de Pittsburgh
  A cultural organization whose aim is to increase awareness of and teach Flamenco culture in the Pittsburgh area.
• Coal Country Traditions
  Coal Country Traditions (CCT) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting and preserving traditional music and dance, particularly that of the south-western Pennsylvania region. Coal Country Traditions sponsors dance classes in Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Salsa, Appalachian Clogging, and Argentine Tango and regular dances in Swing, Latin, Argentine Tango, and Vintage/Ragtime dance.
• Community College of Allegheny County
  Offers dance classes in its noncredit, lifelong learning courses
• Dance Alloy Theater School
  Taught in a creative, non-competitive environment, Dance Alloy Theater School brings thirty years of teaching experience to the Pittsburgh community. Open to students of all ages (from 3 on up) and abilities (from the novice to the professional), class offerings range from the traditional dance styles including modern, jazz, creative movement, hip hop, ballroom, and ballet; to body sciences such as Pilates; to culturally diverse dance and movement classes including Afro Modern technique and Middle Eastern Dance.
• Dance Workshop by Shari
  Dance Studio serving the south hills of Pittsburgh. Instruction in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and acro for all age levels. Award winning competing and performing troupe.
• Irish Centre of Pittsburgh
  Describes all events, classes, and performances at the Irish Centre as well as links and events to all local irish organizations.
• Khafif Middle Eastern Music and Dance
  Performance company teaches dance classes in Pittsburgh and WV, as well as around the country.
• La Roche College Academy of Dance
  The Academy is designed for students in grades 6 through 12 and is intended to train and educate young minds and bodies in the Vaganova and American ballet techniques and traditions.
• Laura Lynn School of Dance
  Laura Lynn School of Dance is a locally owned and operated dance school that provides the people of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, and surrounding areas with professional dance classes and lessons at competitive prices. Offers Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Pointe, Modern, Preschool, and Adult classes.
• M&M Dance Academy
  Beginning dance classes in jazz, tap, ballet, gymnastics in Monroeville PA.
• Pittsburgh Tangueros
  A Corresponding Academy of La Academia Nacional del Tango de la Republica Argentina, the Pittsburgh Tangueros offers classes in the Argentine Tango, as well as weekly dances.
• Pittsburgh Youth Ballet Company
  PYBC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and is the performing part of PYB. It is comprised of the Senior Company, Junior Company, apprentices and trainees. The purpose of the PYBC is to give young dancers the opportunity to work with renowned teachers and choreographers, to secure the licenses to perform great choreographic works, and to provide dancers with professional performing experience.
• The Sewickley School of Performing Arts, Inc.
  Education in dance, acting, & voice with a professional faculty.
• Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance
  The Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance offers certified instruction in traditional Irish stepdancing to children & teens, including a Tir na Nog, or creative movement class, for pre-schoolers from the age of 4 years. Classes are held weekly in Dormont and in Johnstown, PA. The Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance is sanctioned by An Coimisiun le Rince na Gaelacha, Dublin Ireland.
• Southwest Ballet
  Offers classes for ages 2-adult in Carnegie, PA.
• Tracie Yorke Dance
  An urban dance studio located in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood specializing in flexible adult dance instruction in contemporary and traditional styles from around the world.
• USA Dance, Pittsburgh Chapter
  USA Dance's mission is to expand the dance education of beginner Ballroom and Latin dancers and further promote the positive effects of dancing to youth, singles, couples, social, and competitive dancers of all experience levels. It is open to all who wish to participate at any level.
• Zafira Dance Company
  Zafira is a Pittsburgh-based world fusion bellydance ensemble that offers bellydance classes.

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