I dont find your comment severe, I have some of the same concerns myself. Yet, after 3 lessons I dont want to jump the gun either, but rather keep a watchful eye. You know that often what an instructor sometimes says is not always what we hear and I try to keep that in mind.

Onto your comment on obtaining a book.. Are you suggesting the Alex Moore book?. The write up claims it is not easy to read, yet the ISTD book is not easy either, and after some study was able to use it as a guide... Now not a technique guide but it has helped with timing and step groupings.

I've had Alex Moore's book for years along with two by Victor Silvester. One day I will get around to buying the ISTD book. I doubt if anybody could learn to dance from a book. And to understand any book on dancing one would need a little more than a beginners knowledge. But as a reference it is essential. For instance tell me the difference in the rise on the first step of the Waltz, and the first step of the Foxtrot.Or you could look up and see exactly where the lady is supposed to lower on a Backward Walk .This is where a book comes into its own.

"Or you could look up and see exactly where the lady is supposed to lower on a Backward Walk .This is where a book comes into its own."

Might want to re-read your sacred book... the lady does not lower on a backwards walk, because a WALK has NO RISE AND NO FALL.

A step with fall will have a lowering, but the passage you are referring to won't tell you how to do it, because it is DESCRIBING A DIFFERENT ACTION THAN THE ONE BEING DANCED.

You also might want to buy the ISTD book that everyone else is reading, before you venture into another argument about the official technique. I think there are things Alex said better and more completely, those are his personal views which were not entirely accepted by the society.

"This of course brings me to more thoughts and concerns... If we have an instructor teaching us incorrect technique perhaps we should take a closer look at our instructor, which we have not made any serious financial committment to as of yet. If you cannot trust the advise given to you from an instructor, what do you have??"

Unfortunately, you could be studying with a world champion, and still have a teacher who is teaching you wrong technique. It's just a matter of degree.

Probably the best thing to do is to look at the teacher's current students. Do they look like they are making progress against their goals? Is the balance of having fun vs. banging head against the wall in frustration the one you want?