According to Nino DiGiulio, the Owner and Executive Director of May I Have This Dance, Inc.® (“MayI”), in Chicago, Illinois, their studio is very different than the typical ballroom dance studio. They focus on the social aspect of dance. Seventy-five percent of their business is group classes where people do not need to bring a partner because they rotate. Everyone dances with everyone!
May I Have This Dance was created by master dance instructor Nino DiGiulio, who continues to serve as Executive Director and Lead Instructor. In 1993, Nino hit the Chicagoland social dance community by storm with his inspiring dance ability and engaging and thorough teaching style. Within three years his popularity made him the most sought after social dance instructor throughout Chicagoland, as well as nationally. This allowed him to share his passion for social dancing, etiquette, and music with thousands of people at a time.
In 1999, Nino welcomed other professional instructors and trainees to create a larger outreach with a unified vision and commitment to quality under the May I Have This Dance brand. With talent and integrity, this group had a huge impact on the local social dance scene, creating and offering innovative dance classes, private lessons, workshops, boot camps, and intensives. Nino also takes pride in training his instructors – seeing raw talent develop into some of the best dance instructors around, and making a life-long career doing something they love and touching other people’s lives. Currently, May I Have This Dance has a network of over 20 expert and professional dance instructors. The May I Have This Dance Instructor Certification program is among the most demanding, so be assured that their instructors are more than just great dancers, they are outstanding teachers!
May I Have This Dance focuses a lot on connection and how to lead or follow anyone. They also have several weekly dance parties open to not just their regular students, but the social dance community in general. They actually get many people from out of town who have heard of their studio. They come and party and dance with them! MayI teaches all the social ballroom and latin dances, salsa, country, and tango. But, they are most well-known and sought after for their deep expertise in the West Coast Swing and the Hustle.
MayI’s students range in ages from 5 to 95 and they all get along very well. Although most ballroom dance studios are very expensive, May I Have This Dance classes are very affordable. Their group lesson prices are the best in the area and their private lesson prices are among the most affordable. On top of that, some dancers just come to their weekly dance parties (with lessons beforehand) for only $10 to $15 per week.
They really focus and live up to their mission to enrich each individual’s life through the joys of social dancing. May I Have This Dance® believes that a Mission Statement should be an active and daily guiding principle to help serve customers, staff, and community with the highest purpose and integrity possible. May I Have This Dance® was formed with the inspiration stated in its Mission and will always hold this as its touchstone.
In order to achieve their mission, May I Have This Dance® has made a firm commitment to embody these core values in everything we do. Those core values are:
1. Welcoming Environment
They strive to create an environment whereby everyone can feel a connection to the music, their partners, new friends, the community, and to the fulfilling and exciting world of social dancing. Each individual will have the best experience when learning, dancing, and socializing in a safe and welcoming environment. May I Have This Dance® fosters this welcoming environment by hiring friendly, diverse, and patient staff members who are positive role models for all. Their students and patrons are encouraged to be patient with themselves and others, as well as tolerant of people’s different experiences, backgrounds, skill levels, and abilities. Because of their inclusive nature, unique team spirit, and emphasis on fun and social purpose of dance, we are accessible to everyone – from the complete b*eginner to the very advanced.
2. Quality Learning
May I Have This Dance® puts an extremely high value on the quality of instruction. Learning is dependent on many factors, including excellent content, methodology, and delivery. By being active in the local, national, and international dance communities, they stay current with the latest trends, styles, and the industry’s best practices. Their teaching methodology is based on proven educational principles which accommodate multiple learning preferences. They deliver this instruction in several flexible forms, all with the students’ success and satisfaction in mind.
Their professionally-trained instructors have unique strengths and diverse personalities, yet they all share a dedication to the same high standards and practices. The May I Have This Dance® staff members set an excellent example for students with their commitment to perpetual improvement, growth opportunities, and openness to change.
3. Genuine Passion
May I Have This Dance® is very passionate about what they do, the product they deliver, and the positive way they touch each other’s lives. This genuine passion drives the success and growth of their community. Integrity is another key quality they look for in their staff members. Their management style builds on this passion and integrity to foster open, direct, and caring communication practices among their staff and students. They encourage their students to stay active by keeping their prices very clear and reasonable, as well as allowing them maximum flexibility in their level of involvement.
May I Have This Dance® believes that they provide an experience where people can learn more than just dance steps, but life skills that can translate beyond the dance floor.
Nino says he really doesn’t have one moment that is his proudest. There are just too many to pick from. However, one area that always warms his heart and makes him feel good about what he does is when he sees an adult student that comes to them while they are in a bad place in life – not feeling confident or with general esteem issues. That student learns how to dance, connects with people, meets folks they would have never met in any other circumstances, and then develops a whole new social circle of friends. Also, learning the skill of social dancing literally and figuratively makes them walk taller. They have a skill that not everyone has, and one that brings them a lot of interpersonal rewards – rewards that are far more satisfying and valuable than any physical good or material item.
Nino also takes pride in training his instructors – seeing raw talent develop into some of the best dance instructors around, and making a life-long career doing something they love and touching other people’s lives.
According to Nino there is no specific dance that a beginner should learn first. It really depends on what you are interested in learning, what your goals are, what music you like to dance to, and what best fits your schedule. May I Have This Dance teachers and classes can break any dance down and make it easy and fun to learn, so the students shouldn’t be shy about enrolling in a “harder dance” first. Nevertheless, if he were to say which would, in general, would be the easiest to learn, they would start with Merengue or East Coast Swing and then maybe the Waltz or Foxtrot.
In their genre of dance, Nino believes that taking care of your partner is first and foremost. You need to always be in tune with and aware of where your partner’s body is going and how you can react so you move together, flow smoothly, and maneuver around other couples on the dance floor in a seamless way. Therefore, it stands to reason that the biggest mistake Nino sees dancers make is not connecting with your partner and trying to communicate your moves to them.
As always, Nino’s goals are to introduce and enrich more people’s lives with the Joys of Social Dancing, to expand into other locations, and to launch new programs.
May I Have This Dance was created by master dance instructor Nino DiGiulio, who continues to serve as Executive Director and Lead Instructor. In 1993, Nino hit the Chicagoland social dance community by storm with his inspiring dance ability and engaging and thorough teaching style. Within three years his popularity made him the most sought after social dance instructor throughout Chicagoland, as well as nationally. This allowed him to share his passion for social dancing, etiquette, and music with thousands of people at a time. When Nino’s business as an independent dance teacher grew to the point he needed to take on additional instructors, and needed a location as a home base, he decided it was time to open a studio. This also allowed him to run things as he thought best for their students and for the local dance community.
In 1999, Nino welcomed other professional instructors and trainees to create a larger outreach with a unified vision and commitment to quality under the May I Have This Dance brand. With talent and integrity, this group had a huge impact on the local social dance scene, creating and offering innovative dance classes, private lessons, workshops, boot camps, and intensives.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with May I Have This Dance, Inc. or Nino DiGiulio.
If you would like to know more about May I Have This Dance, Inc., check them out on their website at http://www.mayihavethisdance.com. Also, you could call them at 773-635-3000 or email them at info@mayihavethisdance.com. Don’t forget to “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or view them on YouTube.
