FAQ about dance lessons

In a private dance lesson, the instruction is entirely tailored to your wishes and conditions, and the pace is adjusted according to what you want to achieve and your progress. Unlike learning to dance in a group course, you have the teacher's full attention at all times and the opportunity to adapt the lessons based on your own needs. This means you learn much faster than you would in a regular dance class. For those who lack confidence in dancing, learning this way can be a great advantage — plus, no one else is watching, and you only dance with each other during the lesson. This creates a safer environment, which reduces stress and facilitates learning. During a private lesson, you can influence not only the content and pace but also the music. I have gathered a lot of dance music and always try to find songs that work well for you so that the music aids learning rather than complicating it, but you are of course also welcome to bring your own suggestions. It is important to me as a teacher that dancing will be a positive experience for you, whether you are learning for a specific occasion or want to be able to dance socially for years to come.

During a lesson, we go through the basics of the dance thoroughly before building upon them with more advanced elements. We cover the frame (hold), leading/following, various shortcuts to make the dance look as good as possible, and — if you are learning for your wedding — how to create a beautiful entrance and finale. I adapt the lesson to the time you have allocated so that you always walk away with as much usable material as possible. However, to become proficient, it is necessary to practice a bit on your own, at least as much of the dance you have space for at home.

My philosophy is to build the dance by starting with simple elements and then adding on step by step until you reach a level you feel comfortable with. The focus is on highlighting what works well and making the dance look elegant through simple means. Many people find it daunting to dance when they haven't done it before, so we primarily aim to keep the dance simple and instead focus on making it look as polished as possible, especially if you are learning for your wedding.

The main difference is that you only dance with each other and don't have to dance with strangers. The instructions are also completely tailored to you, the pace that suits you, and focused on helping you personally learn as effectively as possible. It is also much faster, meaning you need less lesson time than in a course. On the other hand, you will need to practice on your own afterwards for the knowledge to stick, more so than you might have needed if you attended a longer course.

If you feel that private lessons are expensive, you can start with a regular course, practice on your own, and then take one or more private lessons to polish your dancing. You can also do the opposite — learn the basics with me to boost your confidence before joining a course. If you are prepared to practice on your own, you can manage with less lesson time than if you only want to or can practice during the lessons.

An intermediate option is to find some friends and take a joint lesson. This makes it more affordable while still providing a secure environment, even though there is less individual adaptation for each couple. If you take a joint lesson, you can decide for yourselves whether you want to switch partners during the lesson to practice dancing with others, or if you only want to dance with your own partner. I have limited space for small groups, but two couples usually work quite well. If you are a larger group or want to practice more than just an occasional lesson, you might be able to find a venue that I can travel to instead.

Even if you only take a one-hour lesson, I always try to ensure we cover enough so that you can at least manage a full turn on the floor and look good doing it if you have an audience. We start with basic steps and simple turns, and also look at how to hold each other elegantly and various tips and tricks to make the dance look more advanced than it actually is.

If you can dedicate more time, we will be able to cover more. You will get more variations on turns and we look at different ways to move across the dance floor. If you are getting married, we also look at how to frame the dance with an intro and outro that can impress the audience. We also get more time for practice, especially practicing to music. You get the most value for your money if you take a long lesson of two hours, but expect to be quite tired afterwards if it's your first dance lesson.

If you want to learn "bugg" (a Swedish kind of swing), the setup is slightly different because bugg is a much freer dance. In that case, we go through the basic steps and some tricks for leading and following well, and then we build the dance with simple moves that can be combined in different ways. To make the dance even more fun, we can also add one or more difficult figures at the end, depending on your progress and wishes.

My philosophy is to build the dance by starting with simple elements and then adding step by step until you find a level you are happy with. Focus is on highlighting what works and making it look good with simple means. Many people find it stressful to dance for the first time, which is why we primarily keep it simple and focus on the aesthetics, especially for wedding couples.

It depends entirely on how much you want to learn and how much you are able to practice on your own. Most people who come to learn for their wedding take 2–4 hours of lesson time, divided into 1–3 sessions. The number varies mainly depending on how far in advance you start, how much you want to learn, and to some extent, how easily you pick up the dance. How you distribute the lesson time can also depend on when we can find time for lessons, e.g., if you can come here several times or if we have to focus on just one session. If you find it difficult to practice on your own, you can also book more lesson time to get more practice time.

With lower ambitions, many do well with just one lesson, while others prefer to take more frequent, shorter lessons or complement the two lessons mentioned above with an hour of fine-tuning. It is rare for couples to take more than three lessons in the waltz or foxtrot, but the option is always there for those who want more teacher-led practice, find a certain part of the waltz difficult, or simply want to learn more — or perhaps another dance.

If you take your first lesson well in advance of the wedding (several months before), it is recommended that you take (at least) one more lesson closer to the wedding for fine-tuning. There are some parts of the dance that you can practise also on your own, and other parts that can be practiced even if you have limited space at home, such as the dance hold, basic steps to music, and the intro/outro if you have them. Read more on the page about private dance lessons.

For those who primarily want to learn for social dancing or find it so much fun that they want to continue with more dances, we will find a setup that works for both you and me — whether you want to take a lesson every now and then when you feel ready, or if you want to start with several lessons close together in time. If you want to learn multiple dances, e.g., both the waltz and the foxtrot, I recommend starting with one dance and only starting the second once the basics of the first have begun to sink in. Otherwise, there is a high risk of mixing up the steps if the dances are similar in any way.

How early it's good to start depends entirely on your ambitions, your circumstances, and how much time you can dedicate to practice. It also depends on whether you are learning for a specific occasion, such as your wedding, and want to keep it simple, or truly want to learn the dance very well, or if you just want to gain enough confidence to dare to go out and dance socially.

If you are learning for a specific occasion like a wedding, you can certainly manage with a single lesson in the weeks before the wedding if your ambitions and time are limited. If you have more time and can start earlier, we will naturally have time for more, and the dance can become much better. If you start long before the wedding — for example, six months before — you also need to practice quite a bit on your own between lessons so that the dance becomes really good and you don't forget it. If you start very early, it is wise to also take one or more lessons closer to the wedding to refresh your skills and perhaps give you more motivation to practice.

<> If you know it might be difficult for you to practice on your own and/or you don't have a high ambition level beyond achieving a simple but elegant dance, it can be advantageous to wait with the first lesson until 2–5 weeks before the wedding so you don't have time to forget too much. If you take the first lesson far in advance, you can of course book lessons in the meantime — e.g., 1–2 a month — to ensure you remember everything. The closer to the wedding you take the lesson, the less you will forget, but the less time you will also have to practice. Just remember to get in touch in good time so that I'm not fully booked or away during the week you are able to take a lesson.

If you just want to go out and dance socially, it can be good to find an occasion where you can go out and test your skills and then adapt the lessons accordingly to gain motivation. Should you wish to continue taking lessons just because it's fun, you are of course welcome to do so as long as my expertise and time permit.

It often happens that people without a partner want to learn to dance in a safer environment than a regular dance course, or because their partner already knows the dance. Unfortunately, I cannot accept individuals for dance lessons. This is because I am the sole teacher and therefore cannot dance, teach, and supervise the practice simultaneously. If you lack a partner, or cannot bring the one you have, try instead to bring a friend or family member who can dance with you during the lesson.

Of course, that is perfectly fine. The only thing you need to consider, besides the usual, is whether one of you will lead (and if so, who) or if you want to switch roles during the dance. The latter is a bit more difficult, but can also make the dance more fun as it provides more variety.

There is a separate genre of competitive dance nowadays for same-sex couples, and there are many clips on YouTube for those who want to be inspired. Here you can find a clip of two men dancing the Viennese waltz at a competition. If you look closely, you can also see that couple no. 80 switches their hold several times, meaning they alternate who is leading.

There is no set schedule and I don't post available times, as they vary from week to week. Generally, I try to be flexible with days and times, and most things can be worked out as long as you get in touch in reasonably good time. Currently, I work/study from home and have very few fixed times booked. Thus, it's usually possible to arrange lessons during the day, evening, or weekends—but usually only after 12:00 PM regardless of the day. The safest bet is always to book Monday–Wednesday as I rarely have anything scheduled then.

During the summer months, I spend some time at a shared cottage in central Bohuslän and, if you get in touch late, I might be there or have a trip booked that cannot be moved. However, there is a possibility to take lessons there as well, though we would need to be outdoors due to limited indoor space. If you are nearby, it could be an alternative. I've done it a few times before and it works well as long as it's not raining or too wet outside. If I am at the cottage and you have access to a space nearby where we can dance, there is also a possibility that I can travel there, or go there on my way to or from the cottage.

Just contact me and we'll see what we can figure out.

I prefer to keep prices as low as possible for everyone rather than giving specific discounts, so there are no discounts for the number of hours that most couples book. However, it does happen that couples want to take more lessons, sometimes in other dances too, and for them, I have a rule that they get half price on lesson hours 7 and 8. If you take four two-hour lessons, you get half price on the last one. If you take eight one-hour lessons, it applies to the last two, and so on. This offer is valid for lessons within one year of the first. Read more on the pricing page.

If you still feel that dance lessons are too expensive, it might be worth checking out the large dance schools in Gothenburg, as they occasionally give lessons in wedding waltz for groups of couples, which serves as a middle ground between a regular course and a private lesson. If that is also too expensive and your ambitions aren't too high, you can always use the tips I've posted (in Swedish) to help those who want to learn to dance on their own.

I currently do not have official gift cards, but we can usually solve it anyway. If you, as the gift-giver, are also participating in the dance, we'll handle it so you pay after the lesson as usual, and you can create your own gift certificate if you like.

If you will not be present during the lesson, we'll arrange for you to pay me either before or after the lesson.

If there is interest, I will try to develop a gift card in the future. Feel free to let me know if you are interested, and I might prioritize it.

If you have a venue for this that isn't too far away and it works out time-wise, we can probably figure it out. Primarily, I prioritize couples who need help, and I rarely take on larger groups nowadays as it is much more demanding, but you are always welcome to reach out and ask.

Unfortunately, I am the only teacher in the company, so if I cannot make it, I don't have anyone else I can send. It has also been quite a while since I was active at the various dance schools around Gothenburg, but they are all good at what they do and most offer private lessons. Please search further for dance lessons in Gothenburg and I hope you get the help you need. If you find someone you are very happy with, feel free to let me know so I can recommend them to future students I cannot help.

Yes, absolutely. If you click here, you will find a form where you can fill in your feedback and submit it with a signature instead of your name. However, you will not receive a reply if you use this method. You will also find the link to the form in the footer of all pages on the website. If you have tips on how I can improve the business or the website, they are always welcome, even if time doesn't always permit immediate changes.

How early you want to start depends entirely on your ambitions and how much time you can dedicate to practice.

If you want to learn as much as possible, have high ambitions, and the opportunity to set aside time for your own practice, it may be good to start up to six months before the wedding with 1–2 lessons, and then take another 1–2 lessons for repetition and refreshing your skills 1–3 weeks before the wedding.

If you know that it might be difficult for you to practice on your own and/or you don't have a high ambition level beyond getting a simple but elegant dance, it can be beneficial to wait with the first lesson until 2–5 weeks before the wedding. If you take the first lesson far in advance, we can of course book lessons in between to ensure you remember everything.

If you're happy with a dance that is at least better than what you could achieve on your own, a lesson 1–2 weeks before may suffice. Just remember to get in touch in good time. During certain periods of the year, especially May, June, and August, many people want lessons.

Well... I don't teach choreographies from scratch, but I can help you with fine-tuning and practice if you already have your own ideas. I focus on making you feel confident with the waltz on the dance floor so that it works. It is demanding to also learn a choreography, and my experience is that it requires a lot of practice for it to look really good. Furthermore, you have to remember everything on a day when you have a lot of other things on your mind. I also strongly advise against lifts unless you already know you can manage them, as they require a lot of training to succeed.

If you still want to do something in that direction, I recommend starting with simple additions to the dance before doing something as advanced as a lift. If you already know other dances, you can "steal" simple moves from them and incorporate them — for example, letting go of each other while the leader spins the follower under the arm before returning to the waltz.

You can also try searching for American Waltz on YouTube to see if you find something you like there. Read more on the waltz page (in Swedish). Also see my tips on simple variations on this page (also in Swedish). If you find something in a video you want to use, send the link to me well in advance so I can prepare how to help you best.

Instead of a proper choreography, I teach an intro and an outro to the waltz to frame it all, so it looks polished without being too complicated. You can adapt both if you have your own ideas.

Start by searching the music lists available on this website. You can find lists for foxtrot music and waltz music. See here for other dances. There is also a search function for dance music for the waltz, foxtrot and bugg where you can search for your favorite songs. If you don't find your favorite there, or don't find answers to your questions, you can send me a link to the song on YouTube or Spotify, and I'll listen to it to check which dance it fits and how fast it is.

Generally speaking, most music played on commercial radio has a beat that fits well with bugg (quick songs) or foxtrot (slow songs). Waltz songs are rarer, though they do exist. Click the links to read more about waltz time (in Swedish) and waltz music (in Swedish).

If you plan to take lessons, I always recommend waiting to choose a song until after the first lesson. It's easier to pick a song based on the tempo you find easiest to dance to than to have to adapt to a potentially difficult song.

The main difference between the waltz and, for example, foxtrot is that the waltz has three beats per measure, while foxtrot has four. This means the basic step in the waltz is built on three steps, whereas foxtrot is built on four. If you try to dance to the wrong kind of music, the steps won't match the beat, and it will likely both look and feel strange.

If you want to dance a waltz to the wrong kind of music, I cannot help you with that specifically, but that doesn't stop you from finding a solution yourselves. If you come to me to learn the waltz, we will use waltz music during the lessons. If you then choose to swap it for something else later, that is of course entirely up to you. It's your wedding! The important thing is that you are happy yourselves.

This is not uncommon and can be due to a few different reasons:

• The person who created the list you found may not have listened to the song themselves, or might not be very familiar with waltz tempos, and has simply gathered the information from another source.
• The list you found might not be specifically about waltzes, but rather about music suitable for weddings in general, for example, because the songs have suitable lyrics.
• There are different versions of the same song, where one version might be a foxtrot and another a waltz. A classic example is Tennessee Waltz, which exists in both variations (you can see which ones on the search page). This often happens with dance-adapted covers made for competitive ballroom dancing. The original might be a foxtrot, but there may be versions of the song specifically arranged as a waltz, usually a slow waltz.
• There are also songs that work for both the foxtrot and the waltz, either because different instruments emphasize different rhythmic patterns, or because the song lacks strong emphasis on certain beats and clear patterns for where the "one" in each bar is. When two rhythmic patterns exist simultaneously, it might be that there are two waltz measures for every one foxtrot measure (1-2-3-4-5-6 over 1-2-3-4), or four waltz measures for every foxtrot measure (i.e., 1-2-3 on every beat of 1-2-3-4). This means that the waltz tempo is much faster than the foxtrot tempo, which can make the song difficult to dance to as a waltz. If I have listed a song as a foxtrot, it may also be because the foxtrot pattern is the most dominant and therefore the easiest to dance to. An example of the latter is Ed Sheeran's Perfect, which has a very fast waltz tempo and a more dominant foxtrot pattern. While it is possible to dance a waltz to it, it is difficult enough that I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.