Very simple: I know nothing, absolutely nothing, about your sport. Someone very close to me has dedicated a huge part of themselves to this, and I want to learn everything possible. Anything will help. Thanks soooo much.

I am not dedicated to this world in competition, but I can give what insight I can. What specific questions do you have regarding ballroom or latin dancing? I take lessons from a dance studio and have been for the last year. I have always loved dancing, but these are the first formal lessons I have taken. I enjoy it so much that it is a passion for me. I can't see my life without dancing, it is a good release from the daily grind.

Well, I would like some information about latin dance in a compteitive sense... how it's judged, what they look for, basic terms... but the truth is that I need to learn why you love it. Taking a superficial interest in someones' passion doesn't do much good. Understanding WHY it's their passion is far more valuable.

Thanks.

That is understandable, but what is my passion for dancing may not be someone elses passion. I love dancing cause it is great exercise and an awesome stress reliever for me. When I relax and have fun with it, it is also some of the most freeing times for me. Not concentrating on anyone or anything else but the music, and letting the music take me away for a while. I don't want to compete cause I hate knowing that all eyes are on me. As long as it is in a relaxed atmosphere and some people may be watching others not I am fine, but when I know people are critiquing me or most are watching me I get nervous.
I have done a few events with my studio where there is a judge there that critiques the moves. As far as professional or amatur competition I can't tell you what they look for. I know they look for technique, which is sometimes the hardest thing for me to get. The are classes at my studio called latin technique which teaches how to move you're body to show the latin motion. It is a lot more than just making sure you hips move.

I hope this helps some, but I am sure it isn't answering all your questions. As far as why this is the person's passion that you are involved with, only thing I can offer is to ask them. They know the reason better than anyone else. Just let them know you are interested in learning about what they do.

I'll try to explain why I love dancing — actually, I'd never thought of it as a passion before. There's 3 aspects, as far as I can see.

(1) There's the visual beauty: Your partner makes beautiful steps, and you can just watch and think how beautifully she moves. Admittedly, most dances are more about ladies making pretty moves while the lad just does the basic steps, but I'm not complaining
Also, there's the knowing that what you're dancing looks beautiful to others: I know many people like to dance near a mirror.

(2)There's the beauty in the movements. I'm not talking about how they look, I'm talking about how they feel. There aren't many other situations where you can try to make the sexiest hip movement possible and top it off with a flick of the hand, without feeling inhibited. Dancing is one of the few 'sports' where the movement is an end unto itself, where you don't have to wait for a desired effect. There's also another feelgood factor to do with movement: your partner moving in you arms is a wonderful feeling

(3) There's the fixed set of rules. Improvisation can be very scary, but in dancing your choice of movements is limited but still very large. It gives you the security of a framework, which makes you feel safe.

So for me, dancing is about making beautiful movements, feeling and seeing their beauty, and knowing that I can't possibly be blundering, whatever I do next. But the first 2 points are by far the most important to me, because I never cease to enjoy beauty. The added value of dancing, is that I'm *participating* in the creation of beauty, not merely watching. Same reason people sing along or play an instrument, instead of just listening to music.

I made this post long because I lack the time to make it short, to paraphrase Pascal. Sorry.... I hope this helps, a bit.