Ellen, thanks for the advise. My girlfriend has already decided that when we are not getting a step that she will ask the teacher to dance it with her or to show me how to lead it. She too doesn't always get it right. Last week she insisted that I was doing the step wrong even though we do a simular step in several other dances. You are right. I need not to accuse her of doing the step incorrectly. And my girlfriend needs to understand that I may not get it right away (or at all). It may take me a couple of lessons to get the step (if I will get it at all). She can not expect me to be at her level for years. As I advance, so does she. I will say that learning new steps has not been taking as long as in the past.

When we go to socials, I do encourage her to dance with more experienced dancers. I understand that she needs to keep up her skills. But to tell me that she is an advanced dancer and that I was holding her back and that it was no longer fun to dance with me made me feel like I wasn't a capable dancer. One thing that has come out of this is that when we go to socials, I will ask other women to dance and if my girlfriend is sitting out it will no longer be my concern.

I understand there's a level of frustration dancer with a less skilled dancer. But if a more skilled dancer does not help a lesser dancer then the lesser dancer will never improve.

Last year we took a workshop on the dances of the Ragtime era (1910 to 1917: One Step, Maxxixe, and Tango). The instructor was great. He said one thing I will always remember: If a step doesn't work, or you make a mistake, you stop, laugh about it and start over again.