Champion Latin & Ballroom Dance teachers Lorie Flanegan and Madelyn Crosby want to get Vestavia moving.
Both teachers discovered Champion Latin & Ballroom in the same way but at different times, thanks to Groupon.
"I have been dancing my whole life but my boyfriend at the time bought me a Groupon for us to dance together," said Flanegan. "Right before the expiration date I showed up with him and [owner] Sterling [Burroughs] saw that I might be talented and asked if I wanted to teach. That is how it started about four or five years ago."
Crosby has a similar story of discovery.
"My passion for dancing began when I lived in South America for four years," said Crosby. "There I was introduced to the rhythm dances, and I came into the studio about three years ago with a mutual friend of ours and fell back in love with dancing. A couple of years later I was in the same situation as Lorie, I got a Groupon from my husband and I ended up leaving him at home after the second or third lesson and Sterling saw that I also might be talented."
Both Crosby and Flanegan want the community to know that Champion Latin & Ballroom has a laidback atmosphere where it is fun to learn.
"Most people are afraid to come by themselves and that shouldn’t be the case," said Crosby. "You don’t have to have a partner to come dance. Just come on in. Everybody is nervous coming to dance for the first time and there is no need to be. It is not the high stress environment people think it is, it is a lot more laidback and fun and casual."
The studio offers a plethora of different options to learn how to dance.
"We have introductory packages for beginners that are a really good way to get starte,d because it gives you the opportunity to see our group classes and our private lessons and determine if you would like to do both or if you just one to do one or the other," said Flanegan. "Some people really like to combine them because you typically learn the steps in the group classes and then fine tune them in the private lessons."
They also offer enjoyable options for groups of friends, clubs or organizations.
"Another popular thing we do is what we like to call “Grouples," said Flanegan. "This is a class for a group of couples or friends who want to come in and learn. This is a private group class that can be as many couples you want or as few as you want."
They even offer exercise and fitness classes geared toward dancers.
"We offer stretch and exercise classes as well," said Crosby. "Our stretch class is kind of like yoga but geared more toward dancers to stretch your muscles used for dancing. It lasts about 40 minutes. We also have a tone class that really works on your core, legs and arms."
Champion Latin and Ballroom is located at 2531 Rocky Ridge Road. Call 392-2447 or visit championlatin.com for more information about classes.
