My reference was to "studios and professionals."

". . . anything that can be danced from the syllabus of latin and standard is considered ballroom dancing."

While this statement may be technically true, in common usage the term "ballroom" means Standard.

I made no comment about the content of instruction at Eddie's. I merely pointed out that the studio is not friendly to amateur couples and that its floor sucks for learning Standard.

" . . . the variety of teachers who practice good conduct far outweighs those that do not . . . ."

The variety, perhaps; the number is another matter.

jj

Oh, and by the way... the one you know on the s.side, was trained by me.. ast to Mez... she teaches cha, rumba, merg and bachata ( and, the best salsa dancer in the area ) a very good friend of mine

Whom you may or may not have trained doesn't change the fact that the studio in question has only one teaching professional.

Go ahead and quibble about my use of the term "ballroom." Virtually no one other than yourself would identify any of the dances that you listed for Mezcolanza as "ballroom." Also, the term "ballroom" appears nowhere on Mezcolanza's website.

jj

The point was.. you said " ALL ".. Prof. your exact words.. , . and, as to Mezco.. why do you make a distinction ?.. she is STILL a dance teacher irrespective of the genre

PS.. i only mentioned the other school out of interest ( but apparently it wasnt )

Why distinguish between ballroom (Standard for you) and the other dances? One word: applicability.

Although they may have a competitive level, most Latin and club dances can be enjoyed almost anywhere: clubs (duh), parties, dances, etc. They generally don't require a great deal of space and are very popular among all age groups.

Although the popularity of Standard dances may be increasing (debatable), you would be hard-pressed to find any place in the US outside of a studio dance or competition where you could perform them, socially or otherwise. Accordingly, students are restricted in their opportunities to do so. Single students (those without amateur partners) are additionally dependent on their professionals. This dependence makes them subject to abuse.

This situation has no relevance to the dances that you listed because there are generally plenty of partners available. I have heard many women complain about being unable to find partners for Waltz, Quickstep, etc., but I have NEVER heard ANYONE fret about not having a partner for salsa or any other club dance.

jj

JJ,
At our studio there is no promotional BS and level 1 group lessons are a very reasonable $120.00 per couple for nine hours of dance instruction. There is no pressure to take private lessons or even to come back again. Our instructors are all young and good-looking, except for me who does look good despite my 'middle-agedness' , but I'm merely a substitute teacher. We say 'good riddance' to the men who bully their wives and complain non-stop throughout the lessons. However, I feel very sorry for their partners who are trying very hard and want to dance very much.
When we were first starting out, I made my husband promise to give dancing an honest effort for a year. After that, he could quit if he didn't like it. Five years later, we're still dancing but I don't know if we would be if I had let him quit after six weeks.

LadyDance, three simple questions can determine the quality of a studio with regard to its treatment of students.

(1) Does a studio allow its instructors (staff or independent) to urge their beginning students to compete in pro/am?

(2) Does the studio encourage amateur couples to split up and each take individual lessons instead of taking lessons as a couple?

(3) Does the studio allow instructors (staff or independent) to discourage their single students from dancing with other amateurs?

If the answer to 2 or 3 is "yes" then the studio in question is one which beginners should avoid.

If the answer to 1 is "yes" then beginners need to be very careful. Pro/am does have legitimate applications but they are limited.

Also, some might say that studios have no control over what independents may do. Studios always have control over what they allow on their premises.

jj

I too fall into the category of middle-aged male, so many of my friends tend to be in that category. I'm in a little better shape than many of them, and I had previous exposure/training to dancing as a youngster, right up through to middle age. So I have an advantage for sure, but I have noticed that a lot of men struggle with their knees, backs, etc. because of poor core strength. I'm a little soft in the mid-section, too, but if I was feeling pain in the joints after dancing, I suppose that also would come into the equation of giving up on it fairly quickly. But I agree with a lot of the feedback on this topic. I do think the men look at ROI (return on investment)from the studios. It's another reason I do fairly well moonlighting on the side at lower rates. But if someone really enjoys it, I encourage them to go to a studio and continue on. I do it to promote dancing and advancement, not keep people out of studios. They are still the best place to learn the most.

dheun, you started this thread to discuss dance steps that we seem to forget easily. I think that we'd agree that it's also easy to forget the little things that we're taught about maintaining posture.

I once started a thread about the value of patience for a dance student. Impatience to learn figures on the part of their students can force some teachers to skip important training in the exercises which develop good posture (i.e. core strength), flexibility in the knees and hips, and steadiness in the frame.

BTW, I've found elastic knee and ankle braces to be very helpful for long sessions in the studio. I don't wear them for social dancing, though.

jj

Yes, it is amazing how often you have to stress that the posture, hold, balance, etc. makes all of the difference in the world. You have to go over those fundamentals constantly, as well you should. But, yes, for the beginners, that's probably the most common "forgetful" thing.
I also run into the "water pump handle" problem, where the man's left hand, for whatever reason, keeps going up and down with every move.