Why is Ceroc different to other modern jive groups?

The Ceroc Network
Ceroc is not run purely as someone's hobby - although everyone in Ceroc is probably addicted to dance! It has a highly organised franchise system that means there are Ceroc classes in most major cities. You can learn Ceroc in Aberdeen and then drop in to Nottingham or London and find the same welcome, the same moves and format and, most of all a social network that welcomes you at any stage, complete beginner or advanced.
Teaching - standards and consistency
There are many good jive classes about - some have excellent teachers some have enthusiastic dancers who want to teach. But only in Ceroc are all teachers qualified by lengthy training, using a recognised formula to teach hundreds of moves in the same way. This consistency of teaching makes Ceroc one of the easiest dances to learn.

Tips for beginners

Social etiquette - asking for dances, how, and who to ask
Asking for a dance at Ceroc is not like approaching someone at a nightclub - you will hardly ever be refused. Beginners can advance more quickly by learning to do this. As a record finishes, stroll onto the dance floor and position yourself next to a good dancer and ask them for a dance! The quickest way to learn is to dance with more experienced dancers, so be bold. Many experienced men prefer to dance mostly with beginners - they don't have to worry about exotic moves to create an impression! Conversely, many experienced ladies know that spending time with a beginner is a good investment for dances later on, so everyone's happy! As much as possible, resist the temptation to dance with other beginners or just one or two people - you will learn most quickly by doing the same move with a variety of partners and especially with more experienced partners.
Get help from the taxi dancer - 16 Beginners' Moves
Taxi Dancers are there to help you - make use of them! Get to know the 16 Beginners' Moves and ask if you're not sure. Soon you'll feel confident tackling the more challenging intermediate moves. When you've been coming to Ceroc for a few weeks, the taxi-dancers are less likely to approach you to help you with your style in case you want to build up confidence on your own, but you can always ask them. They're there to make sure you feel comfortable with all the basics and you can always approach them for help or advice. The 16 Beginners' Moves are: First move, Side to side shoulders, Yo-yo, Hatchback, Catapult, Octopus, Basket, Manspin, Shoulderslide, Wurlitzer, Ladiespin, Armjive, Comb, Step across, Pushpin, Half windmill; and the five variations are: 1st move pushpin, Armjive pushpin, Short comb, Side to shoulders (let go), Yoyo pushpin.
Cerocshops
There's nothing like a Cerocshop to turbo-charge your learning curve. Intensive one-day workshops with small groups of people, Cerocshops not only give you much greater insight and confidence into the moves but they contain specially selected moves that will enable you to tackle the many more challenging variations that are built upon them. You can take a Cerocshop at any time there are places available, but a couple of weeks after starting is an excellent time, and doing an Intermediate Cerocshop shortly after starting the Intermediate classes will give the knowledge to persevere and make the more challenging moves fun.
Listen to the music!
Dance flows from the music - or should! Feel the music, the rhythm, in your body and make your body move to it. It's better to do simple moves in time with the beat than complex moves that miss the music. Some styles, such as Blues, are more about interpreting the music itself than about stringing together a series of moves - this approach makes for an interesting dance!
Respect your partner
Dancing is interactive rather than solitary. Part of the enjoyment is ensuring your dance partner is having fun, so give them encouragement, let them know you're enjoying dancing with them, and try to adapt your dance style or moves to theirs. Men look best on the dancefloor by showing off their partner - if the lady looks good, so will the man. Choose moves that she enjoys and does well. Give her the limelight and make her feel wonderful. Respect that her body is her own and check before you throw her into an arm-wrenching move, breathe garlic over her in an extended comb, or bounce her head off the floor in an unconventional aerial move. Throwing her into a seducer while you drip sweat from your forehead onto her face as she clings to your soggy teashirt will hardly endear her to you, however skilful your moves, so be considerate - shower before Ceroc and make sure you smell fresh, take spare clothing for frequent changes if you get hot, and freshen up often during the evening.
Respect those around you
If the dancefloor is crowded be sure to choose your moves and flourishes with consideration to those around you. Mid-dance collisions may help you and your fellow dancers to qualify for free hospital food, but just kicking lots of ankles will enable you to lose friends quickly.
Eye contact and smile! You wouldn't go for a drink with someone and never look at them. Looking at your partner reassures them that you are enjoying dancing with them and also make the dance look better. A quick look and look away repeated is probably better than a fixed manic stare. Make the eye contact quite deliberate. With close moves like a comb or hallelujah there may be a temptation to look away if the man is wearing one of those gruesome jumpers. It's that moment of closeness, a brief intrusion in your body space, but that's all. Have a few fixed expressions (saucy or humorous) ready for such times. Looking away in distaste will totally ruin the move.
No thumbs or jelly arms
There's a tendency at first to hold on for grim death. As you get more confident and balanced you will realise than quite a light hold is all that is usually necessary. It's both more manoeuvrable and more pleasant. It is very rarely that thumbs should be used, so if you find you have been dancing for a few weeks and still hold on with your thumbs, make sure you break yourself of the habit before you have an accident and break your thumbs! Different amounts of tension are appropriate for different dance-styles and moves, and generally the lady should try to match the tension the man offers her, but whatever the style or move, a 'jelly-arm' will make it harder to dance.
Make your partner look good
Focus attention away from yourself. It makes the dance look like a partnership. The man's focus especially should be on making the lady look wonderful - it's the easiest way to dance well!
Warm your muscles up
Try to start off dancing with less energetic moves - your muscles need time to warm up. Men be sensitive to whether an individual partner has had time to warm up before putting her into a particularly strenuous routine.
Clothing, and changes of clothing
It's easy to get hot dancing. Take a few changes of clothes so it's easy to stay socially acceptable! You may also want to consider the suitability of different types of clothes. Loose trousers or trousers that stretch well, bras that don't fall off, smooth soled shoes that are good for spinning. If you do a lot of aerial moves you may find shoes with a moderately smooth sole but with some cushioning, such as trainers, protect your feet for landings better than an ordinary leather sole. Customised "jazz" shoes have this together with a split sole for maximum flexibility. High heeled shoes look nice, especially for Latin dances such as Tango, but they are harder to dance in. There are a number of specialist dance shoes distributors such as Katz Dancewear.
Many ladies like to enjoy high spinning skirts to add style to their dance - you might want to make sure what you wear underneath is appropriate and matching. If you wear jewellery, remember it may get caught or cause an injury - rings and bracelets should be warn with caution (and consideration for your partner) and even watches are best taken off for some types of moves.

Improving your spins

Most beginners want to improve their spins. Spinning is actually easy as long as you obey some simple rules and practice regularly.
The general rule for which foot you turn on is simple - always put your weight on the foot in the direction of the turn. If you are turning to your right, put your weight on the right foot, and if you are turning to the left then the weight should be on your left foot. (There are many exceptions to this rule,so go with what feels comfortable.) The weight should be on the ball of the foot and you should feel the floor pressing back up towards you. Never let your body rise up as you spin (only ballet dancers go up on point). Keep your upper body level. Keep some tension in your arms and mirror your positions on each side. If one arm is extended and the other in close then your centre of balance is to one side and you will go off balance. Try tucking your arms in to your body in the direction of turn. You can find more about spinning in a Cerocshop, where a basic technique is taught. On the other hand, if you have learnt how to spin using another dance style there's probably no reason not to stick with what feels comfortable.
Look at your partner, or straight ahead. It's easy to get dizzy or disorientated when spinning and turning otherwise. If you keep your head up and focus on a fixed point in the room, or your partner, then there is less chance of this happening. Men - try to alternate the direction of turns and spins somewhat to help avoid making your partner dizzy.
Spin from the hips - twisting your shoulders will knock you off balance without giving much turning motion. Men - allow the ladies to turn under their own steam. If, on the other hand, you are spinning your partner (ie letting go), give her a good push to spin against. Keep the energy low and aim for smooth acceleration rather than throwing yourself into it.

Tips on aerials, airsteps and jumps

These moves are best learnt from a qualified teacher. A few are taught at Ceroc, but the more adventurous ones will form part of a specialised session.
Clothing & jewellery are important considerations. Be sure you wear clothes that don't catch or come undone easily. Jewellery, belts, watches and items that can catch are to be avoided. Suitable clothing includes shoes that provide some degree of cushioning (such as "jazz" shoes) while allowing flexibility and a sole hard enough for normal dancing.
Social etiquette on the dancefloor
Airsteps can add colour to your dance routine but can easily become "show-off-ish" or even dangerous on a crowded dance floor. Many moves are designed for cabaret rather than social dancing. Choose a time at the beginning of a session or at the end when the dance floor is empty or quiet to practice them - injuries can be serious! Just because the space around you is clear as you lift a lady into, say, a superman or a washing machine (shoulder high aerials) doesn't mean that someone might not unwittingly dance into the space before you put her down. Other dancers cannot be expected to anticipate how, or where, your move will end.
Who was that stranger I saw you drop on her head?
If you intend to include aerials in your dancing, it's best, for safety's sake, to practice the particular move in slow motion first with the partner you will be dancing it with. There are many similar moves in this category, even going by the same name and signal, and injury can occur if assumptions are made. Even if an experienced dancer asks you to include a move, it is better to refuse or to go through the move slowly first, off the dancefloor, than risk injury.
Balance and proportions
Although some moves are suited to very strong men with very light partners, the main requirements for most moves are balance, timing, momentum and an ability to spring. In most lifts, the man merely continues the momentum of the lady in order to extend her spring. Her weight is secondary. What is more important when it comes to different shapes and sizes is proportion and centre of gravity. Someone with long legs and a short torso will have a different centre of gravity to someone with shorter legs and a longer torso. The way of doing the move will often involve re-balancing to allow for this and so most aerial moves are best done with regular partners.
Teachers running aerials workshops include Chalky Whyte (Edinburgh), Andy & Rena (Jump 'n' Jive) and Simon & Marilene (Jive Bug). The National Aerials Championships are held at Beach Boogie annually on the Isle of Wight.

Tips on dips and drops and seducers

Jive is mostly danced to music with a strong eight-beat. As you get used to a particular record you will be able to judge where the "breaks" in the music are to add dramatic touches to your dance routine. If you have a good ear, you can also count the bars and so predict where the next break will be. Breaks are taught at some of the specialist Ceroc Style workshops and also by other teachers such as Nigel Anderson of Jump 'n' Jive.

Tips on 'Dirty Dancing'

This style of dancing is based on the movie of the same name and actually includes several types of routine - from fast Mambo-based ones to the rather raunchier moves seen earlier in the movie. The challenge is to make the dance look sexy rather than tacky. Dirty Dancing workshops are held by several dance groups including CerocMetro, Rebel Roc and also Nigel and Nina of Jump 'n' Jive. There is also an excellent training video called Swayze Dancing - where Patrick Swayze (who qulaified at several top dance schools), various dancers, and Swayze's mother Patsye (a well-established dance instructor in her own right) take the viewer through various routines and moves.

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