Sure, salsa is good — with chips.

But what about on the dance floor? With last year’s swing dancing craze came a world of other dances, and central Iowa is taking part in the action.

As places like Boheme and Val Air Ballroom and organizations like the Ballroom Dance Company and the Central Iowa Barn Dance Association are providing dance lessons, the variety of dance steps that can be learned are endless.

Valerie Williams, dance instructor at Iowa State, is widely involved in teaching others different kinds of social dances such as the fox-trot, tango, waltz and salsa.

Since 1976, the Ballroom Dance Club has offered beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons as well as practice sessions.

The lessons for beginners are Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and Fridays at 6:30 p.m.

The intermediate lessons are Tuesdays at 8 p.m., and are followed by the advanced lessons at 9 p.m.

Practice sessions are on Fridays and go from 7:30 to 9:45 p.m. in room 196 of the Forker Building. For more information on the Ballroom Dance Club, call 294-1009.

The Ballroom Dance Company, a performance-oriented group that competes throughout the year, also offers three levels of lessons and teaches a unique form of international style ballroom dance. For more information call Carl Mize at 294-1456.

The Scottish Country Dancers give lessons on Scottish country dancing Monday nights from 7 to 9:15 p.m. in the Forker building, and Fridays from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Octagon Center for the Arts. For more information, call Holly Fuchs at 233-2140.

During the weekend of May 8 and 9, the Scottish Country Dancers will sponsor a concert and workshop featuring East Coast fiddle player Elka Baker and pianist Liz Donaldson.

Other social dance lessons, including beginners swing, are offered at the Octagon Center, 232-5331.

The Tango Salon, which specializes in the Argentina tango, meets every other Thursday at the Boheme, 2900 West St., with lessons at 7 p.m. and open dancing from 8 to 10 p.m.

On opposite Thursdays at the Boheme you can find swing lessons and dancing.

“We do it simply because it is unique and people request it,” Boheme manager Tiffany Spears said.

The Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines has Ballroom Dance Night on Wednesdays and Swing Night on Thursdays.

Six-week dance lessons are in session for both styles right now, but a new set of lessons for ballroom dancing will start Apr. 7 that teach the fox-trot, waltz, tango and cha-cha. Everyone is required to have a partner and the fee is $35 per person for the whole six weeks.

Beginning Mar. 15, two beginner classes and one intermediate swing class will be available at Val Air Ballroom. Call 223-6152 for more information.

Mar. 27 at 3 p.m. there will be a free Argentina Tango workshop in room 196 of the Forker building, and Apr. 24 there will be a day-long workshop on salsa and cha-cha sponsored by the Ballroom Dance Club.

Mar. 21st, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First Baptist Church on 200 Lynn Ave., the Central Iowa Barn Dance Association will host a family dance with barn dances and other folk dances for kids and their favorite grown-ups. Cost is $2 per family.

Whether you’re big or small, single or taken, young or old, somewhere in central Iowa there is dance for you, so check it out.