Speaking from my own experience, heels do tend to throw you off balance until you get use to them. I started with a 2 inch heel and have worked up to a 3inch heel. I think balance is something that takes time. When I started dancing i couldn't do a spin or a turn without wobbling, now it is second nature. I also found that at the beginning, I transferred too much weight to my heels so I would fall off balance. I think that was due to lack of strength in my legs. I think you will find your balance will improve along with your dancing.

Ladydance. In our Sunday newspaper was an article on the harm that wearing high heeled shoes is causing. In Latin in particular it is essential to have a good leg line. There is nothing that shows it off more than a high heeled shoe. We see on tapes and in competitions the high heel and the ladies follow suit. What probably isn't taken into consideration is that those couples who train 7 days a week are most likely to be wearing high heels for less time than the rest of you ladies. It is possible that they may wear them only when on the demonstration or competition floor. Which is a lot less than you who wear them day in and day out. The article says that hip problems knee and ankle as well as back problems can come from the shoes you are wearing.
And once again. Stand your shoes on an even surface, a table will do. Does one or both of your shoes lean outwards. Men , it is not so obviouse. But look at the sole of your shoes. Is there more wear on the outside edge of the sole than there is on the inside. It should be the inside. So I have been told.

I find it a little hard to believe that the inside of the sole should have more wear than the outside, This would suggest a pronation problem. I thought the foot was 'designed' to transfer weight from the heel, up the outer side the foot on to the ball of the foot (this is normal walking).Check your footprints. My physio suggested orthotics to encourage my feet to do this, and since i've worn them, i've had much less knee trouble. But i'm not an expert. It's an interesting topic.

"I find it a little hard to believe that the inside of the sole should have more wear than the outside, This would suggest a pronation problem."

For ballroom dancing, you need to be slightly pronated, generally keeping your weight over the inside edge of the foot.

We could also describe it as slightly knock-kneed, or more commonly in dance language "knees veering in".

However the wear on the back of the heel should be somewhat to the outside (or severely if someone is making the mistake of using latin turnout in standard)

I practice my steps without a partner all the time. For some reason, I've noticed there are some ladies that don't like to do this (my wife being one of them).

I think that if you can do your basic steps without a partner, your balance problems will disappear. The reason is simple. You have to maintain balance to do them without a partner because you have nothing to hang onto. You will then find that you dance more confidently with a partner, because you are only relying on the partner for signals. You are doing your own part of the dance.

Also, before you worry too much about getting patterns correct, talk to your instructor about how to properly take a backward step in a smooth dance. There are exercises you can do to get this right, and it's not as simple as you might think. If he/she says there's nothing special in going backward, IMMEDIATELY find another instructor. If they say you are not ready, I disagree, but I will have to defer to their judgement. I don't think it's ever too early to learn the basics.

Once you can go up and down the ballroom floor backwards, effortlessly, the rest will be a cake walk...OK...it won't...but getting the backwards stuff down will make the rest easier.

My views would differ from Eric. Dancing on your own (at least as a man) is much easier than dancing with your partner. A man should have pretty well perfect balance on his own, since he has full control over all his movements and knows exactly what's coming next. With a partner, there is a balance of the couple. This is much more difficult to achieve unless there is perfect harmony between them and the man's lead is perfect. Bascially your partner will influence everything (this applies to man or woman)including your balance.
Dancing alone is a good idea for working on timing and rhythm, some technical things, like use of the feet, shaping and sway. But all this will be modified when your partner is with you.
On Eric's other point - why do we so rarely see ladies dancing on their own?

Phil, with all due respect, there is no such thing as "the balance of the couple."

Each partner is responsible for his or her own balance, repardless of the dance or the figure. There should be no point at which one partner is supporting the other.

If your steps when dancing alone differ greatly from those when dancing with your partner then you're doing something incorrectly.

jj

I found that a DVD on technique basics that demonstrated balanced movement really has been a help to me.

I also joined a gym and told the trainer what muscles I found tired too quickly dancing. So now I work my weakest areas carefully and systematically to be better.

A third thing is already mentioned: dance alone.

I break from housework to do just a minute or two of attempting basic steps with perfect balance and form. When driving, if I stop for a stretch, I take a minute to do a basic step with perfect balance and form. When I study, I take breaks, and I attempt basic steps with perfect balance and form....

I probably don't get more than 30 minutes in a day but it has made a difference that my instructor noticed!

I'm just a beginner and my hubby and I hope to become good at what steps we know. It is fun!

I'm inclined to agree with parts of what both Phil and jj are saying here. I would say for sure that it is easier to practice steps alone to smooth out technique, timing and balance. There may not be a true "balance of the couple," but there is a huge difference between practicing alone and with a partner. It's not so much balance as it is fluidity and moving as one. That feeling takes a lot of time and practice. However, it is important for the man to practice alone because to be able to lead, the steps and sequences should be second-nature. I, too, find that my wife doesn't particularly find it enjoyable to practice on her own. Too often, she just says she is going to follow my lead anyway, but I can tell when she hasn't practiced much, we kind of hesitate or get "stuck" in a rigid mode, rather than moving smoothly. Observers will still say we looked good after a routine or a social dance, but I can tell when it wasn't quite right.

Phil. Think about it. If the wear on the sole of your shoes or shoe is on the outside then what angle is your foot in relation to the floor. Take step two of a Natural Turn in the Waltz, or step two of a Reverse Turn. How about the first step of any of the above. Go to the outside of the sole of your shoe. What a disgusting mess. And your knees also would be out.