Terence. I only know what I am told by somebody who has lessons from the leading coaches that are teaching today. The list is a veritable whos who in the dancing world.
I do believe that those with comp credit keep up with the latest trends.
The young lady, if you look back did not want to learn something that she would later have to change.
We have just had our Championships which was combined with the World Amateur Latin. It was pointed out that one of the Modern couples regularly come from Finland to Australia to have lessons with Anthony Hurley who now lives here. They are brother and sister which would makes it a bit easier I think.

The majority taking beginner lessons from a world class coach has no reference on which to draw... it takes yrs of experience ( at a prof. teaching level ) to even understand some of the concepts ( which all do not hold water ).. discernment comes with age and experience, and, I stand by my original statement, that there are numerous teachers that can hold their own, particularly for a beginner level student .The proof is in the quality of work turned out .

Also, take into account the different styles being taught by several of the current top coaches.. from the "Italian" to the "English" style concepts ..... different trains of thought, both with merit .

Its just another way of describing the " wheel ", everyone thinks theirs is better ! .

Terence. You could go to a six week wonder and be taught the correct way how to do a Closed Change. I would play it safe and go to a person who has a World ranking if it were at all possible. It would be difficult to be taught wrong by somebody who themselves were having lessons from the best. With our young lady friend it would be better to be safe than sorry don't you think. If I read her thread right she would like to know exactly the mechanics involved.
On a step forward lower the toe to the floor immediately and as the weight arrives over the supporting foot flex the knee and so on and so forth.
Remember part of that Chinese Proverb
Make me do it and I will understand.

Thank you Polished, You seem to understand exactly where I am coming from.

I have fallen head over heels in love with waltz. I know I am not the athletic dancer who is likely to go out and set the world ablaze, my goals are more modest.

I want to do the basics exactly right.

I want to work with a teacher who will take the time to get my basics right.

I think I am going to ask our local teacher about private lessons. I may discover that she is willing to take the time with me, and perhaps she knows what she is doing well enough for where I am at this time.

But when I rode dressage, every couple months the instructors would switch students for a lesson or two, and having new eyes on us and new expressions of how to go rightly sometimes broke us free of a habit and created a new and better habit.

This is one major reason I decided to look into instruction. Perhaps I am still too new to the dance to get the highest level of benefit from the teacher I may find in Houston, but the occasional lesson could provide me with weeks of practice.

This has been an interesting discussion and I appreciate the input I have received.

Greetings Kaiara,
You need to find a teacher who is dedicated in producing the goods, one who is interested in the development of talent of others. As an advice you can practice walking forward and back, its boring but it will help you on your dancing, you need to develop neath walking action.

"neath walking action"

Is this a typo? or another term I need to learn?

Actually, I do spend a bit of time doing walking forward and back, and working on clear weight changes.

I try to do at least some of this daily because it does help with dance. Our instructor mentioned it in class.

Hi,
Weight change is just one aspect of it but if you practice your forward walks it will help develop neath basic action. Choreography is easy but the mastering of the craft is hard and walks is a part of it. Well according to my source and its true, In most figures a single walk forms either the initial or ultimate step. this step is done governs the whole quality of your dance. It links the figures.

Are you talking about the practicing of sending your weight from the weight bearing foot and using that leg to power the movement to the other foot as the weight is transfered?

I work on this every day, I find it a very good general exercise in body awareness and that strengthening this as a habit improves dance in general.

A building block that I want to internalize until it never fails to be there.

Hi again,

Also the reason why we mater the walk is that its the base of all dances.

I'm not sure which part of town is closest to you but I have had lessons from several instructors in Houston that I consider to be good teachers. Philip at the Fred Astaire Studio on Memorial in the Town & Country area, there are a couple of instructors at Dance Arts Studio on 1960 North (281-397-9500) and There are several good instructors at Cypress Dance 832-475-9142 and Enrique at the Dance Train Houston 713-771-7330. Hope this helps.