INTERNET

Dancing Online

By Catherine Rondina

One-two-three, one-two- three. . . Have you always wanted to trip the light fantastic but were a little shy about your two left feet? Or maybe you just never found the time for lessons. Well, the Internet may be the answer. With a few simple taps on your keyboard, you’ll find yourself dancing in cyberspace. Just take the mouse in one hand, your partner in the other and waltz your way onto these Web sites.

www.ballroomdancers.com will have you dancing cheek-to-cheek in no time. This neatly presented page offers everything from product information to foot positions. Put your best foot forward at The Learning Center, which has everything from Posture to Lesson Of The Month. You can even assemble a complete dance outfit by visiting the Costumes link. Their most unique feature is the What Do You Want To Do Today? option. From a drop screen selector, you can choose from 13 activities, such as Try Out This Week’s Dance Variation or Take An Online Dance Lesson.

www.squaredancing.com is the place to swing your partner round and round. Most of the relevant information about this site can be accessed by clicking on the Links option. This will take you to an amazing stock of data from every corner of the world. The Square Dance Info link gives you sites from Germany, France, Norway and Belgium. You can find lessons, clubs conventions and festivals. There’s even a Caller/Cuer Info page that enables you to learn the lost art of square and round dance calling.

www.letsdancesalsa.com features the teachings of Latin choreographer Marlon Silva. Known as the “red-hot chili pepper of dance instructors,” Silva’s site offers a glimpse at the world of salsa and a chance to buy his DVD’s and videos online. Click on Free Salsa Dance Lesson for a peek at how Silva uses his building block teaching method to get you dancing like a pro. To learn the lingo of salsa, hit the Salsa Moves Combos and note that the best thing about salsa is, you don’t need a partner!

www.shira.net brings you to the home of Middle Eastern dance, hosted by belly dancer Shira. This detailed site covers all the bases when it comes to this ancient dance form. Shira offers her visitors everything from history and technique to music and teachers. Click on the Belly Dancing Information link for advice and how-to’s. This section also gives you a link to Finding Teachers & Performers, which includes Canadian references. There’s even the link Shopping For Belly Dancers for all your purchasing needs.

www.tapdance.org will get your toes tapping with this resource site. Here, the world of tap is well documented via three main categories: Events, Reference and Support. Under Events, you’ll find Places To Tap, which includes a link to Canadian info, plus the Special Events link, which lists worldwide happenings. In the Reference section, you’ll be delighted with the bounty of interesting links, such as Tap In Film and Who’s Who In Tap. Don’t miss Healthy Dancing in the Support portion, which helps dancers avoid or deal with injuries.

www.totalswing.com starts with a tribute to those cool cats who made swing the thing. Their Homepage has an opening screen called This Week In Swing History, which gives you a brief entry on some of the top music makers. Stop by the What’s New link for a look at swing music and dance events across the globe. Click on the Music icon and select from an alphabetical listing of artists, biographies and more. The Articles link has Book, Essay and History files that are a must for those interested in the archives of this dance style.