Home News Tribune Online 11/16/06

(I've taught for Brandis in Edison, NJ...if you know of any one in NJ, let them know about Brandis.)

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" isn't just a ratings hit; according to several Central Jersey social-dance instructors, the show, which pairs professional dancers with celebrities in a dance competition, has spurred viewers to put down the remote and try some fancy footwork themselves.

"There has been a general uptick in interest, that's for sure," said Brandis Riba of Clark, whose Brandis Dance Theatre hosts ballroom, Latin, swing and country-and-western classes at the VFW Post 3117 in Edison. "I've seen guys that maybe would only hang out in sports bars all of a sudden coming in. I heard they watched the show in sports bars. That's very funny to me."

"It's cyclical. Every year, when it comes on, that's when I get a lot of phone calls," said Carteret's Jose M. Aleman, who teaches Latin dance in Carteret and Metuchen. "It has been a boost for business, to say the least."

Michelle Garced, who with her husband, Emilio, owns and operates Arthur Murray Franchised Dance Studios in Highland Park and Green Brook, agreed.

"It's huge," she said. "The last big wave that we had was in the Hustle era . . . and that was 30 years ago."

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