Quickstart to Social Dancing (QuickStart Dance) (Paperback)

~ Jeff Allen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Beginners, Wedding Dancers, and those with single milestone dates can learn on their own effectively enough to just get by, saving hundreds of dollars in lessons for any simple social occasion or first dance presentation. This book is written as if Jeff is right there with the student giving a private lesson. With over 15 years of teaching experience he has anticipated what the student must encounter in their learning experience and is right there with a useful solution.

1. First in the Quickstart to Dance Series with Jeff Allen's breakthrough technique that is changing the methods that social dancing is being taught.

2. Lays down the foundation in the six major dances including: Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, Merengue, Swing, and Cha-cha to use on your own or to compliment your dance lessons

3. A virtual Bible for the bride and groom's first dance at their wedding. The only text in print that teaches how to prepare for and conduct the 1st Wedding Dance!

4. Perfect for the beginner and occasional dancer at weddings, resort vacations, parties, and cruises.

5. Using language for the laymen or non-dancer, the easy-to-understand physical references and directions make this title a must for the beginner reader/user.

About the Author

Jeff Allen is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island. He holds Membership credentials with the North American Dance Teachers Association, Inc. and the Pan American Teachers Association. He has competed in National and International competitions and turned professional in 1984 after winning the Gold closed level at the North American Championships. Mr. Allen's greatest pride is in the more than 30 Top teacher awards he has won keeping his position consistently in the list of top 75 teachers in North America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 117 pages
• Publisher: QQS Publications; 2nd edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965442314
• ISBN-13: 978-0965442312
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,054,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Decide  A Double Review, November 6, 2000

By	Diane Howard (Northeast, USA a dance instructor) - See all my reviews

My name is Diane Howard. I have been a dance instructor for over 10 years in the Northeast corridor. I take great exception to the negative reviews of Mr. Allen's book Quickstart to Social Dancing, especially in comparison to another book that I own by Mr. Stephenson called The Complete Book of Ballroom Dancing.

Here is why:

1. Quickstart guides the beginner and helps develop the most important basic dance skills in systematic and incremental fashion. Foundational skills like correct postural movement with a partner, rhythmic movement, and leg action both for the smooth, swing, and Latin dances are wonderfully described in Quickstart. They are either completely omitted or where included, erroneously described the so-called Complete Book!

2. Quickstart guides you through a primary development with easy to use physical instructions and analogies with a direct goal in mind. That goal is to be able to dance, WITHOUT ERROR, the most fundamental patterns in six major social dances. The Complete Book starts at stages beyond the beginner with a syllabus that assumes that a dance couple already KNOWS HOW to move together. They do not and will not simply by reading a syllabus, all competent dance instructors know this!

3. Quickstart does a terrific job in addressing these primary and necessary functions. The Complete Book leaves you to your own devices.

4. The Complete Book designed for the next stage of dancing, diversity in patterns, unfortunately is laden with serious error that the beginner would certainly not be aware of in their attempt to follow its syllabus. Quickstart does not pretend to be more than it is, simply the best guide for the beginning stages of your social dance experience.

Perhaps these are the reasons why Quickstart to Social Dancing seems to be applauded by dance professionals and others who are willing to provide their names and email addresses for correspondence. I know I recommend it to students and teachers alike.

By contrast, you cannot contact even one negative reviewer of Mr. Allen's books nor can you find any reviews by competent dance professionals on the back cover or web page of Mr. Stephenson's book. In his book, Mr. Allen provides you with his contact information for questions and further help. Mr. Stephenson's book leaves none and suggests that you go elsewhere. You decide!

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally ! A book on dancing I can recommend to non-dancers, October 17, 1999

By A Customer

Finally ! An instructional book on dancing that I can recommend to my non-dancing friends who are interested in getting started, but not sure if they want to commit to dance lessons. Quickstart To Social Dancing is easy to read, and full of information for the beginner dancer or those that have an `occasion' coming up that includes a dance floor. Unlike many of the `how to dance' book that are out there, Quickstart To Social Dancing does not deluge the reader with patterns and footprints that are intimidating to any beginner. As a competitive dancer, I found the physical analogies used to describe proper technique enjoyable and extremely accurate, and my instructor agreed whole heartily! Quickstart To Social Dancing provides an excellent foundation for 6 dances - Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, Merengue, Cha Cha and Swing - with an easy to understand presentation of the basics and fundamental choreography for each dance. The book includes a special section for wedding couples that contains some excellent suggestions and tips. This book has something to offer dancers of all levels and makes my holiday shopping a breeze this year! My congratulations and thank you to Mr. Allen - I am looking forward to reading the next book in the Quickstart series.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete & Comprehensive for Your Beginning, December 1, 2000

By	Manuel (An MD from the West Coast) - See all my reviews

I am an Orthopedic Surgeon and my wife is an RN who specializes in operating room procedures. My first experience with the book Quickstart to Social Dancing came in 1997 with the first edition that I understand has since sold out. We were getting married at that time and were faced with the scary prospects of having to dance at our wedding! A Sunday dance class was publicized through our hospital offered that suited our schedules - we jumped at the chance. The teacher (a well known professional) did something that was very interesting, he distributed copies of Quickstart to Social Dancing to all our new classmates. We were told that just like our schooling, "We would have a teacher and a text book." In addition he said, "You will soon find that learning to social dance and partner each other is generally an awakening because of its many misconceptions and fears. Mr. Allen does the very best job of dispelling these fears and presents a simple, concise, and cumulative approach to social dancing in his book that has previously been written!"

It is my intention here to echo these statements! We return to this website from time to time to order this and his other books both as gifts for my friends and for ourselves. This time we were going to order his book, Quickstart to Tango. We already own Quickstart to Swing and agree with those who have heralded this book as the most comprehensive book ever written about Swing dancing.

Quickstart to Social Dancing in it of itself, will definitely provide the most basic of dance choreography to allow for the beginner to learn by themselves - I have no doubt of this!! No couple, ENGAGED to be married, should be without this text! It is a great resource for wedding dancing but more importantly a complete resource for simple and wonderful dancing with a partner with the basics in the six major dances. We continue with dance lessons since our fearful beginning and understand more fully with admiration for Mr. Allen as to the choice of the choreography used in this primer. An example is the Foxtrot. In some texts, for example "Shall We Dance," by Manine Rosa Golden a step known to me as the progressive basic is used as its Foxtrot fundamental leaving the beginner at a total loss for turning corners and proceeding around the dance floor. To make these much needed change of directions the new dancer needs at least two or three more step patterns necessitating much more explanation. The idea of simplicity therefore goes right out the window!

The development of the box step and then at the end of the book in the section called, "Additional Dance Steps," where the explanations of the turning the box and making the box travel are given become useful for the Waltz and Rumba as well as the Foxtrot. Here you quickly realize that dance patterns are interchangeable amongst dances leaving the new dancer free to practice and execute with competence the timing and movement with partner each of the individual dances. This makes the word "Quickstart," a terrific study in comprehensive development of social dancing as well as a great marketing device that more dance instructors should use called, "Value Added," for their customers.

One of the first things I took issue with this book was the lack of, "Footprints on the floor illustrations." I asked my teacher and his response was firm and funny. Following footprints on the floor is like playing a game of "Twister," that is meant to produce awkward and robotically produced movement. The teacher actually demonstrated this type of movement and we all laughed - He also said he applauded Mr. Allen for not giving in to the notion that dance steps are just movements of the feet. We soon read that, "Dancing was the movement of the body directionally, and our feet were meant to accommodate and support that movement." Our teacher said Dance Pros everywhere have departed from the footprint idea because they become complex very quickly and change dancing from a physical pursuit to an intellectual one.

Quickstart to Social Dancing covers the beginning of the Latin Dances - Rumba, Merengue, and the "Hottest," old new dance the Cha-cha (You'll be able to dance to Smooth, I Need to Know, Dance With Me, and Let's Get Loud.). Mr. Allen makes an excellent comparison to the differences between the leg action and foot usage of a Latin dance as compared to a progressive dance. Until you have danced for a while you'll never know how useful the directions of keeping the unsupported knee higher than supported knee are.

There are fabulous tidbits of dance instruction throughout the book especially when you get to the section on Swing dancing. We have noticed that many beginners in the past few years have learned to dance the basic four or five figures shown in the Swing in a top heavy style - rather than the non- yanking pulling smooth methods you'll find in Quickstart to Social and then the 100 or more dance patterns you'll find in his book Quickstart to Swing.

Well I hope with my limited three years of dance experience I have wetted your appetite to discover the many gems that are included in this book - many that you'll not find elsewhere. They have certainly helped our dancing and put us on the correct path to the great enjoyment we have had!