Scroll down for dancing schools I know and for links.
For many people, dancing is something they had to keep up with for a year when they were 14 years old, as part of their 'social education'. At that age, my parents encouraged me to go as well, but I couldn't be persuaded. I didn't feel like joining 'that puberal stuff'. But still, it always felt like a disability to me, not being able to dance. At a party, it always comes in handy to know how to move your feet around.
In September 1989, already at the age of 22, I finally plucked up enough courage to join the local dancing school. At first, I didn't really feel at ease. I didn't see any familiar faces, and my dancing wasn't always that smooth. No fear, there was always plenty of ladies, so I got every opportunity to practise, practise, practise. Originally, I had planned to try and keep up with this for one, maybe two years. But after a few years I was totally hooked: I just couldn't do without.
So I stayed dancing ever since. From an absolute beginner I slowly moved on to become gold star. From there I couldn't climb any higher (I never cared much about going into dancing contests), but then there was always some lower group I could join, only to find myself rising from their ranks to gold star once again. There is always a need for men on a dancing school, so they were always more than happy if you would volunteer to come and dance in yet another group with a remainder of ladies. 'To assist', they call this.
At some time, I even danced with four different groups. (If you think that is a lot, you should have seen the guys who assisted more than 10 ladies.) All this assisting allowed me gain a lot of routine. I learned to dance with ladies in all shapes and sizes: young, old, short, tall, fat, skinny, flexible, stiff, docile, rigid, absolute beginners, top class, and everything in between. Finally I even learned the one thing I always found to be so difficult and is yet so very important for a gentleman: to give a good lead. All the experience I gained serves me very well nowadays. No, you cannot learn how to dance from a book. Dancing is something you just have to do. Over and over again.
Pieter and Maria Hogervorst were my teachers for 8 years, then suddenly the axe fell for dancing lessons in Berkel en Rodenrijs. I immediately went looking for other dancing schools, and ended up at De Klerk's in Rotterdam. This school wasn't comletely new to me, my sister had been dancing there for a number of years already. Despite my experience in dancing I started all over again, at 'Basis A'. A lot of people cried out: 'What a waste', but I know better. For there isn't a better way to strike up new acquaintances than in a group of beginners. And every group of beginners finally ends up as a group of top dancers. That may take a few years, but I'm in no rush. Climbing up that ladder as quickly as possible is not my goal, but enjoying the things I do is. To me, dancing is just a fun use of leisure. A hobby in which I can live my life to the full. When I'm dancing, I'm just having a good time. A time without fatigue, without pain, without sorrow. I can recommend it to everyone.
| Dansschool De Klerk
Schiestraat 16-18 3013 AH Rotterdam Phone: 010-4048200 |
De Klerk is the dancing school I currently dance at. I went there in September 1997, something I still don't regret. Because the atmosphere is friendly, students are guided well, there is an excellent dancing floor, and they are having a dance night almost every week.
| Dansinstituut Meyer et Fils
Henegouwerlaan 53B 3021 CS Rotterdam Phone: 010-4773277 http://www.meyeretfils.nl |
Meijer et Fils is the school of dancing teacher Ger v/d Velden and his wife. The dancing floor is good, but unfortunately not that big.
In the past, this school gave dancing lessons on locations outside Rotterdam as well. One of these locations was parish building 'Willem Huijgens' in Berkel en Rodenrijs. Here I made my first dancing steps. I only danced for a couple of times in the main establishment in Rotterdam, to catch up any lessons I missed.
| Dansstudio Five Star
Pieter en Maria Hogervorst Phone: 078-6840084 Mobile: 06-10394449 http://www.dansstudiofivestar.nl
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Pieter and Maria Hogervorst are giving lessons in Ridderkerk since 1998. They have two rooms available, one small, one relatively large, both with a good floor for dancing.
Before this, there was a long period of lessons given by them in parish building 'Willem Huijgens' in Berkel en Rodenrijs. At first this was a service of Rotterdam-based dancing school Meijer et Fils. When this dancing school wanted to quit activities outside of Rotterdam, Pieter and Maria took a chance and continued giving lessons on their own. September 1992 was the beginning of Dansstudio Five Star. A relief for a lot of students (myself included), they were able to continue their lessons on the same old location.
But alas, in September 1997, right after having celebrated their first lustrum, it was curtains for dance studio Five Star. The number of new students was disappointing, and there were problems with the nuisance act license of the building. Finally, at the end of 1998, the entire parish building was pulled down. That was the end of a building with a long tradition of dancing lessons.
But fortunately not the end of dance studio Five Star. Pieter and Maria have made a succesful restart in Ridderkerk.
| Dansschool Van der Meulen - Wesseling Laan van Meerdervoort 50B 2517 AM Den Haag Phone: 070-3459494 http://www.dansschoolvandermeulen-wesseling.nl
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I stopped by for a dance on this dancing school a couple of times. A good, spacious ('L' shaped!) dance floor.