Even Mimi Wong, a very high level financial advisor that manages billions of dollars in assets can get caught up in the dream of being a latin dance dance star (at her age) regardless of the cost.
On a much lower level, I have a Pro Am friend that has some physical injuries and is worried about how much longer she will even be able to dance.
Her Pro partner is a very good dancer and is very fair with lesson and competition costs. She would like to compete at some higher level events, regardless of money, but she has to convince him to go with her and some other dancers. He would not think of raising his price of dancing to astronomical levels. Like most typical Pro Am teachers he dances with about 10 ladies at competitions. He has many dancing amateur ladies to keep happy. Most Pro's can't afford to put all their eggs in one basket and need to diversify their students.
Another example of a lady that spent loads of money on Pro Am dancing is Barbara Moore. She was a Playboy centerfold and financed her dance lessons with her artistic pornograpy websites. She was the US Champion Standard Pro Am'er for several years. She started late ( in her 30's), took lots of lessons, worked very hard, found an excellent partner (Igor), had great teachers, and had the time to practice and work on her dancing. She discovered that she had a talent for dancing--(one never knows when starting out how much talent or how their dancing will develop over time) and lived her dream of being a champion. She is a Type A personality, beautiful, in great shape physically, and did what it took to get to this high level.
Dance Beat website has an excellent inspiring article on her life and how she developed her dancing. She is the real thing and probably didn't pay 5 per cent of what Mimi Wong paid for her dance lessons and competitions.
Greed is prevelant in all types of businesses and government--just look at the headlines. There is good, bad and greed in life--it's just the way it is.
Ballroom dance victim stories make good gossip copy since most of the time it's older widowed ladies being taken advantage of by slick talking younger men.
