Unlike most of the studios we spotlight, The Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn in Renton, Washington, is an adult Social Dance Studio. They offer dance lessons in a variety of Ballroom, Country, Latin and Swing Dances as well as Line Dances. During the week there are lessons every night and some in the daytime. Friday nights provide a chance to have fun and dance. The night starts off with a dance lesson from 7 to 8 p.m. to get things warmed up. Then from 8 to 11 p.m., you can dance to a variety of music that works with all the types of dance taught during the week.
Dave Serfling. the Owner of the Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn, believes their studio is different from other studios because they teach dancing for fun, not competition or performance. Their dance lessons are mainly done in Group Classes. This keeps the dance lessons fun and social. Additionally, they do not use high pressure sales to sign anyone up for long term contracts. The classes run 6 weeks. Then they start new ones. Dave believes that if people have fun and enjoy the class, they will automatically sign up for more and there is no need to 
pressure anyone to join. They do offer Private Dance lessons for those that are interested in that type of learning environment. But, again there is no pressure to buy a large quantity of lessons.
According to Dave, he has had many proud moments. However, there are two that are the most common. The first one occurs when students go on further in their dancing and decide to compete and then they tell everyone that they got the bug for dancing from him and how he made it so much fun to dance. The second one occurs when students come to his classes or other classes at the Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn as single adults to learn to dance and end up meeting their Special Person. Before long they get married and they are so happy they came to the Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn. This one happens a lot!
In his opinion, the biggest mistake new dancers make is thinking that they cannot dance. Dancing is a sport and it takes time and practice, more for some and less for others. They always forget how many times they practiced all the other sports in which they have participated in their past and expect to just walk onto the floor and dance in 10 minutes. Sometimes you can but that is only the beginning of the dance. Then, you will want to learn how to add new turns and moves to the dance.
Rockin’ Horse’s goal every year is to let more people know they where they are and what they do. This will not only increase their student numbers but it will also get more people involved in dancing. It is a fantastic way to socialize, exercise and feel good.
Dave started the studio after teaching for 10 years at many Parks Departments, Colleges, Community Centers, Athletic Clubs and Senior Centers. He wanted a place to bring all the different people in all the areas together and when he found the building that used to be a Square Dance Hall he knew it was perfect for his studio. It is huge and it has worked great for all the dancing they do.
The Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn has been in business since 1988 (28 years). They have a great website with a big schedule of classes and you can register online, call in or come in, meet us and register in person.
A more thorough listing of their classes includes Ballroom Dance Classes – Foxtrot, Jitterbug, Waltz, Quickstep, Tango; Latin Dance Classes – Salsa, Cha Cha, Tango, Rumba, Merengue; Country Dance Classes – Country Two Step, Country Round Dances, Country Swing, Western Waltz; Line Dance Classes – Lesson, Step Sheets, History of Line Dancing; Swing Dances – Single Step/Jitterbug, Double Step/Retro Swing, Triple Step/East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Country Swing; Nightclub Dance Classes – Hustle, Nightclub 2-Step. I had no idea there were this many choices! There is definitely something for everyone! Wow, I sure wished I lived in Renton, Washington.
The Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn also offers dance cruises. Their next cruise will take place during the week of February 18th to 25th in 2017. They will be visiting the beautiful Mexican Rivera including Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. They have been leading “Dance Cruises” since 1992 through the Western, Eastern and Southern Carribean, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, Canada and Alaska. This cruises sound wonderful! Who would not want to cruise to one of these fantastic places and be able to dance to your heart’s content?
If you would like more information about The Rocking’ Horse Dance Barn, their classes or their cruises, visit their website at learn2dance4fun.com, call them at 425-255-9211 or email them at dave@learn2dance4fun.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, Pin them on Pinterest, Google them on Google+ and connect with them on LinkedIn.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Dave Serfling of Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn.
I’ve either taken dance lessons or attended many of the Rockin’ Horse Dance Hall for over seven years. Dave is a fine instructor and provides a wide variety of dance music at the open-to-the-public Friday Night dances. It is a no-alcohol dance hall, so no drunks acting like they can dance. During the Friday night dance class (right before the public dancing begins), there is frequent rotating of dance partners so everyone gets a hands-on experience (dancing partner). I highly recommend the Rockin’ Horse in Renton, WA.