Halloween has arrived a little bit early this year at the Quick Quick Slow Ballroom Dance Studio. We've got skeletons trying to learn the foxtrot, ghosts attempting to tango, and Frankenstein lumbering his way through the salsa. Zombies and vampires are wandering around looking for people to feed on, and witches are brewing potions we'd rather not talk about.

Unfortunately, that's not all these creatures are interested in doing. They've heard that many of you are busy planning Halloween parties, and they're also eager to share some of their favorite dances with you. We tried to tell them that we usually focus on ballroom dancing here on the blog and that that's what our readers are interested in reading about, but they won't listen. And since we're rather fond of keeping our brains inside our heads, we decided not to argue with them. All of that to say? We're taking a break from ballroom dancing for a moment and looking at some popular Halloween dances instead. Who knows; maybe one of them will spark a fun idea for your next Halloween party.

The Skeleton Dance

Looks like the skeletons won the bone toss so they're up first. And their favorite dance is ....? The Skeleton Dance! Ever since it made its debut in a graveyard back in 1929, skeletons have been enjoying hopping and bopping and flailing around to this little number. And with all the bone elongating involved, it's proven to be not only a great cardio workout for them but a great stretching routine as well. Throw in some instrument practice and some playground games, and you've got a dance routine that has a little bit of something for everyone. (For those who might find this dance to be a little too difficult, here's a simpler version. Anyone can do this one!)

The Monster Mash

Next in line? Frankenstein! His favorite dance? The Monster Mash! Popular since 1962, this dance routine takes its cue from another popular dance called "The Mashed Potato". Basically all you have to do is lift your heels off the floor and twist on the balls of your feet. Lean from side to side, lift your legs at the knee, and throw in a few "monsterish" arm movements and voila! You're dancing like your favorite green monster! (What did you expect? After all, this is Frankenstein we're talking about. Dancing really isn't his thing. Just ask the salsa instructor if you don't believe us.)

The Thriller

Rounding out the list, the zombies are convinced that this post about Halloween dances wouldn't be complete if it didn't include their favorite dance. So the last up? The zombies! Their favorite dance? Thriller, of course! Inspired by a music video made back in 1983, this dance has been turning people into zombies for decades. Want to give it a try? It's simple; just grab a group of friends and practice walking around like you're dead. Be sure to swing your arms stiffly from side to side and walk like your legs are made of wood. Before you know it, you'll be scaring people too.

The Halloween dances mentioned above may not be part of our regular line up of classes, but we do offer a variety of ballroom and latin dance classes instead. If you're interested in learning some of those, contact us. We'd love to help you master them.