Janet,that's why we taped our lessons I found I was concentrating so much on what the teacher had just said that I would miss the next couple or more sentances, I was amazed at how much I missed. Tape,play back and make notes the same day . I would do this after our lesson while we had fish and chips in the nearbye cafe.

Wow, that's a bargain compared to ice dancing lessons! Where do I sign up ;)

Several years ago 60 Minutes (or one of the others. I can't rember which)did a story on this.

They placed undercover people in studios in Florida. Students (average age around 75 I guess)were promised individual professional dance partners. Gentlemen in there 40s or so were given about 5 hours of training then placed in a red blazer and unleashed on these seniors as professional dancers.

Where the studios really bilked the student was signing them up for expensive bus tours to competitions. These bus tours were little inhouse circuits.

We had a senior move to Victoria from Saskatchewan who had been hooked into one of these scams. She called me up looking for lessons and said she wanted to go to competitions. When I interviewed her over the phone she insisted she was a gold level dancer having won all sorts of gold ribbons in competitions.

I took her to our club for an evaluation. She literally was unable to do a basic in waltz. She had been bilked out of $1,000s of dollars every year by a circuit scam just like those in Florida.

I contacted her family here and told them what had happened to her. Then we got her into some group lessons at a local community centre where they only took $8 an hour off her.

She might have enjoyed what she was getting in Saskatchewan but IMO those teachers should be in jail.

OB

OB. We use to belong to the Nanaimo dance club.

cd,

Nanaimo's a great ballroom community.

Island Fantasy Ball is a favourite of mine.

We went to Snowball this past weekend. It was a disaster though not the fault of the organizing committee. Seems the Hyatt Regency pulled the rug (er floor) out from under them when another better paying convention came along. They were offered the following weekend but the top dancers and judges are on a circuit. As a result they got a special exemptionand moved the event to the River Rock Casino stage which is 500 sq. feet undersized.

It was very dangerous and performances were timid. In the Viennese final 3 couple went to center at the same time to do flekerls. One reverse and they all smashed into one another. The American girl was elbowed so hard across the back of the head her knees buckled and her partner had to hold her up for serveral seconds.

Reason I mention this was in the Quickstep final every couple just hopped around the stage sideways except Zillion Wong (Nanaimo) and his partner. Good for them.

The rest of the event was like watching demolition derby or bumper cars.

OB

I"ve always liked that description of ballroom comps. "Bumper cars in chiffon."

Here Here Hip Hip Hooray, the sound of logic. The bitter aftertaste of poor quality lingers long after the sweet taste of low price has dissipated.