I take some exception to the " all " in atlanta... having worked with many for many yrs, there ARE those who have a higher standard..and yes.. there will always be those that toe a different line...

That's great, Terence. Care to name a studio which doesn't behave as I described?

jj

I know 2 teachers that work out of Eddies studio, also have friends who own studios on the S. side of town ( one is Mezcolanza )... add to this, i know many independant teachers who rent space that only take " by the lesson " students .

According to its website, Mezcolanza seems to offer no ballroom classes or instruction. Only one studio on the southside does and it lists only one professional (whom I know).

I've been to Eddie's studio; it's pretty hardcore pro-am. I don't think that I saw more than two couples there in four months. Also, the "floor" does not accommodate ballroom.

jj

I think your reference was about teachers ?... and anything that can be danced from the syllabus of latin and standard is considered ballroom dancing.. why ? .. because it was danced ( and still is ) in ballrooms .

of course , it has to be partnership and fall under the social " banner " .

One should not isolate salsa.. T/Arg , C and W etc. .. they all have teachers just like the ballroom and can fall into good or bad practices .

Even if you apply the term " studio ", other than chains, the variety of teachers who practice good conduct far outweighs those that do not ... and thats not to say that chains do not practice good conduct.. just different business practices .

As to Eddies, they do teach amer. smooth AND Intern standard .

My reference was to "studios and professionals."

". . . anything that can be danced from the syllabus of latin and standard is considered ballroom dancing."

While this statement may be technically true, in common usage the term "ballroom" means Standard.

I made no comment about the content of instruction at Eddie's. I merely pointed out that the studio is not friendly to amateur couples and that its floor sucks for learning Standard.

" . . . the variety of teachers who practice good conduct far outweighs those that do not . . . ."

The variety, perhaps; the number is another matter.

jj

Oh, and by the way... the one you know on the s.side, was trained by me.. ast to Mez... she teaches cha, rumba, merg and bachata ( and, the best salsa dancer in the area ) a very good friend of mine

Whom you may or may not have trained doesn't change the fact that the studio in question has only one teaching professional.

Go ahead and quibble about my use of the term "ballroom." Virtually no one other than yourself would identify any of the dances that you listed for Mezcolanza as "ballroom." Also, the term "ballroom" appears nowhere on Mezcolanza's website.

jj

The point was.. you said " ALL ".. Prof. your exact words.. , . and, as to Mezco.. why do you make a distinction ?.. she is STILL a dance teacher irrespective of the genre

PS.. i only mentioned the other school out of interest ( but apparently it wasnt )

Why distinguish between ballroom (Standard for you) and the other dances? One word: applicability.

Although they may have a competitive level, most Latin and club dances can be enjoyed almost anywhere: clubs (duh), parties, dances, etc. They generally don't require a great deal of space and are very popular among all age groups.

Although the popularity of Standard dances may be increasing (debatable), you would be hard-pressed to find any place in the US outside of a studio dance or competition where you could perform them, socially or otherwise. Accordingly, students are restricted in their opportunities to do so. Single students (those without amateur partners) are additionally dependent on their professionals. This dependence makes them subject to abuse.

This situation has no relevance to the dances that you listed because there are generally plenty of partners available. I have heard many women complain about being unable to find partners for Waltz, Quickstep, etc., but I have NEVER heard ANYONE fret about not having a partner for salsa or any other club dance.

jj