~I feel OK in group classes, but it seems to me our lessons are focused on figures and techniques without learning how to dance to a song on a dance floor.
I also forgot to mention that it is normal to feel this way in a group class. Group classes can only cover dance patterns as there are really too many people in the class to cover technique. This is because this is something that has to be apporached differently to every couple. Some couples have difficutly with timing, others with footwork or lead/follow. There are just too many variables with this material to cover in a class.
I suggest private lessons in supplementation to your class work. Keep in mind that you don't want to go into private to learn more patterns, you want to approach it in a way that will help you and your partner dance more comfortably with each other in the patterns that you have already learned. That way your instructor can focus only on YOU and what YOU need and not what the class needs as a whole. Most people complain about the pricing of private, but when you are learnning twice as fast and dancing more easily, it is worth the sacrifice.
