Salt Lake dance workshop ready to cha cha and rumba with Chelsie Hightower

Here's your chance to dance with a star.

Emmy Award-winning dancer and Orem native Chelsie Hightower will teach a Latin dance workshop in conjunction with DF Dance Studio in South Salt Lake this weekend.

"She's not only an incredible dancer, but she's also a really good coach," said Maria Ivanova, executive director for the studio. "She pushes people to the next level."

Hightower, who has appeared on the hit television shows "Dancing With the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance," will lead a two-hour, all-levels workshop Saturday.

"How often do you get to say you see your instructor on TV?" Ivanova said.

Although a master of many styles of dance, Hightower's "forte" is Latin dance because she has fun with the upbeat and energetic feel of the genre, Ivanova said.

Hightower also will be available for private lessons through the studio when she's in town.

The two types of dance that will be showcased at the workshop are the rumba and the cha cha. The cha cha is a quicker, more advanced dance, according to Ivanova, while the rumba is focused on hip movement that will benefit dancers on any level.

"The rumba is more of a slow, sensual dance where you can improve your technique," Ivanova said. "It's used by experts to focus on technique and by new dancers to start building that technique."

Dance is for everyone, Ivanova said, but one of the main challenges people face is that they often think of it as something unattainable.

"I have seen people come in, and in the beginning it's really intimidating," she said. "The first step is the hardest to take, … but everybody starts out somewhere."

Ivanova recalled that she's had people who come in for lessons tell her they've had a flier from the studio on their desk for six months but were afraid to try.

She said she doesn't buy into the idea that dance is only for an elite group of very talented, experienced dancers.

"You've just got to go ahead and try it," she said. "It gives them confidence, changes posture. It's emotionally very healing. … I really believe that dance changes your life."

Ivanova said those interested in the workshop do not need partners, and dancers as young as 10 are welcome to participate.

This workshop is the first initiative in a bigger plan, she said. She hopes to bring high-caliber dancers in as often as monthly to put Salt Lake City on the map as a place for competitive ballroom dance.

All are invited to join the dance community and become part of the socially beneficial environment, she said.

"I think that all art represents the human experience, but what makes dance different is that you do it with people," Ivanova said. "In our world where everyone is on phones, playing computer games, … people need to learn how to be social again."

—

Latin dance workshop with Chelsie Hightower

Nationally acclaimed dancer Chelsie Hightower will teach a Latin dance workshop through DF Dance Studio. Dancers of all levels, from age 10 and up, are welcome, and dance partners are not necessary.

When • Saturday, Aug. 29, noon to 2 p.m.

Where • DF Dance Studio, 2978 S. State St., South Salt Lake

Cost • $35 prepay or $40 at the door; more information at www.dfdancestudio.com