I am a new user of this site. First off, thank you for this invaluable resource. I am also a beginning dancer - 4 months from my first lesson and a rabid consumer of private lessons, group lessons, books, tapes, dvd's, Fred Astaire movies and anything else I can get my hands on. (BTW, I am 50 and writing from the states.) I've got a great kick out of reading these forums, not the least from the persnickety exchanges between "anymouse" and "quickstep". I am beginning to suspect they are actually one guy getting a charge out of stirring the pot. Anyway, here's what I use the tapes/dvd's for: I am at the stage where just remembering the steps to a particular figure is challenging. With a recording, I can easily refresh my memory with a moving picture. I can also observe (but not learn) a model's technique. My instructor has to tell me whether my execution is anywhere near on the right path and, if it is not, what to do to correct it. I don't think video is without value nor do I think it is a substitute for instruction from an experienced teacher. It is another tool to help me reach my goals, namely: to have fun and to dance socially with confidence as soon as I possibly can. There are no competitions in my future. I am the bread and butter student. People like me who have ever tried to write down a step on the back of a cocktail napkin immediately after class so as not to forget LOVE video.