CHUMCHOTANZE

A one-man dance school on the Thun side of the Bernese Oberland

CHUMCHOTANZE is the couple-dance school of Ruedi Wenger, who introduces himself as a dance teacher and Rock'n'Roll acrobatics trainer. His course room is at Aeschlenstrasse 4 in 3653 Oberhofen, and the site places the school in Thun and the Bernese Oberland. Alongside regular group courses, the site states plainly that it also offers "Tanzkurse für Hochzeitspaare oder Privatunterricht" (dance courses for wedding couples, or private lessons). It is a small operation with a single named teacher, published prices and a long list of towns where it will also teach.

The whole site is in German, and it does not say whether lessons can be given in English. A couple who does not speak German should write first and ask.

What a couple can book

The site describes three routes that matter to a wedding couple.

Private lessons. Private tuition costs CHF 80 per hour, and the price is stated as per person or per couple. The site specifies that 1 hour means 55 minutes of teaching. Private lessons are the natural format for a first dance, since the site says instruction is individual and open to beginners and advanced dancers, including people who have already taken courses at other dance schools.

Group couple-dance courses in Oberhofen. A group course runs for 8 lessons and costs CHF 160 per person. Standard courses are on Wednesdays and Latin courses on Thursdays, each with two time slots: course 1 from 19.00 to 20.00 and course 2 from 20.15 to 21.15. You can join at any time ("Jederzeit einsteigen"), so there is no waiting for a new term. The site also announces new small-group courses in Oberhofen for 3 to 5 couples, for beginners and advanced dancers in various dances.

Courses where you are. Under the heading that the school also comes to you, the site says that if you are enough couples, you rent a room (or use a home) and Ruedi Wenger teaches you there. One passage sets the minimum at 5 couples and another at 4, so confirm the number when you ask. For a wedding, that could mean gathering the couple, parents and friends into a course near home. The site does not say this can happen at the wedding venue itself, or on the wedding day.

The dances and the method

The site offers courses covering over 90 dance figures. Its standard list is Fox, Discofox, Jive, Blues, Rock'n'Roll, Boogie-Woogie, English and Viennese Waltz and Tango; its Latin list is Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Rumba and Cha-Cha-Cha. The figures are taught step by step, from the easy ones to the difficult ones, from slow to fast and from simple to complicated.

The main argument for learning is practical and fits a wedding well. Once you have automated the basic step and learned and practiced the figures, the site says, you no longer think about the step, and can concentrate on your partner and give them a smile. That is a sensible goal for a first dance: comfort rather than a show routine.

There is also a daytime senior course every Tuesday from 10.30 to 11.30 in Oberhofen, with all dance styles on request and ongoing entry, which could suit parents or grandparents who want to be ready for the wedding. And at the Sunday dance in the Eventsaal Rössli in Uetendorf, the site says one hour of dance tuition is offered, from 12.30 to 13.30, followed by dancing from 14.00. Courses listed for Meiringen and for Aeschi bei Spiez are marked as currently not running.

The teacher

Ruedi Wenger's training is set out in some detail. Until 1978 he was a football coach (Fussballtrainer B). From 1979 he took courses and seminars in Rock'n'Roll acrobatics and then competed in tournament dancing, with several podium places. He holds the J+S Leiter 3 qualification in gymnastics and dance, trained as a judge and chief judge in Rock'n'Roll acrobatics, and was head of the tournament office (Ressortleiter Turnieramt) of the Swiss Rock'n'Roll association. After that came further training in Fox, Discofox, Foxtrot, Jive, Blues, Rock'n'Roll, Boogie-Woogie, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Rumba, Cha-Cha-Cha, English and Viennese Waltz, Tango, Lindy Hop and Tango Argentino.

The site also lists videos of him dancing with various partners: a Rock'n'Roll acrobatics show, Fox basic steps, Rumba, Discofox, Bachata and Fox-Tango, some recorded at local dance venues.

Area covered

Besides Oberhofen, the site lists courses also in Thun, Steffisburg, Spiez, Interlaken, Meiringen, Frutigen, Münsingen, Uetendorf, Hilterfingen, Gunten, Merligen, Schwanden, Reichenbach, Latterbach, Worb, Konolfingen, Langnau, Belp or Bern. For a couple marrying on Lake Thun or elsewhere in the Oberland, that is a teacher who already works across the region. The site gives only the course address and does not describe how to get there by public transport or where to park.

Terms, vouchers and booking

Registration is by mobile phone on 079 458 89 89, by SMS, or by email to ruedi.wenger@bluemail.ch. Gift vouchers for a course or for private lessons can be ordered the same way, which makes a voucher a practical wedding present from friends.

The conditions are short. Students are asked to bring clean shoes. In case of illness or accident, on presentation of a doctor's certificate, the course fee can be reclaimed after a waiting period of 6 months, with 80% of the remaining balance refunded. Vouchers are not refunded but can be given to someone else. No other cancellation rules are published.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site does not describe a dedicated wedding package: how many private lessons a couple usually needs, whether Ruedi Wenger builds a choreography to your chosen song, or whether he advises on music. It gives no teaching language and no travel details for Oberhofen. Those are questions for a first call or email.

CHUMCHOTANZE suits couples in the Thun area and the wider Bernese Oberland who want a teacher with a long competition and training record, clear prices and the option of bringing family and friends into a course close to home. It is less suited to couples who need lessons in English confirmed in advance, or who want a polished wedding-dance package with a set format and a studio in a city center.