Based on your comments and question, I was wondering if you would be willing to fill out a survey about what you find important in ballroom dancing and what you feel you get from your classes? I am looking to get information from dancers to help me formulate a class that would be beneficial for either ballroom or tango dancers!

I hope you'll be willing to help me out! I am a dance teacher in Los Angeles, having previously danced with the LA Ballet. Let me know, and I'd be happy to post it up on here.

Thank you so much and keep exploring your dancing!

Dance, I'm not sure if you're inquiring this of me, the original poster, or BallroomChick who replied last. If it was for me, I'd be happy to. Anything that let's me think about, learn about or TALK about dancing is fine with me.

Thank you so much! I will post it up here, otherwise if you are comfortable I would be happy to email it to you it that is maybe easier to fill out, but I understand not wanting to post that! Regardless, here you go:

Survey for Tango and Ballroom Dancers


Are you a beginner or intermediate?

Male or Female

Are you a Tango or Social Ballroom dancer?

How long have you been dancing?

How many classes have you taken? Privates/ groups?

How much do you spend on classes a week? A month?

How often do you attend milongas or social dances?

How much do you spend per month on milongas or social dances?

Do you feel like you are progressing fast enough?

What is your greatest desire as a dancer/ student?

What is your greatest joy from tango or ballroom?

What do you feel like you need to work on?



Rate from 1-10 both
A. Do you get this from your classes now?
B. How important is learning this for you?


In your classes do you learn and focus on:

Finding your personal axis and how to move with it?
A. I get this in class now (1-10):
B. This is important to me (1-10):

Feeling the music by grounding in your walking?
A. I get this in class now (1-10):
B. This is important to me (1-10):

Using the mirror to see and understand your dancing?
A. I get this in class now (1-10):
B. This is important to me (1-10):

Walking with passion and control without a partner?
A. I get this in class now (1-10):
B. This is important to me (1-10):

Developing your own elegance?
A. I get this in class now (1-10):
B. This is important to me (1-10):

Develop confidence in yourself as a follower/lead before adding the partner element?
A. I get this in class now (1-10):
B. This is important to me (1-10):

Learn to listen to the music and have it move you?
A. I get this in class now (1-10):
B. This is important to me (1-10):


Based on your answers, would you as a dancer like to have a class on the afore mentioned elements?

Do you feel like it would benefit your dancing and feeling on the dance floor? (1-10)

Would you be willing to pay for classes designed to work on those things? (1-10)

How much would you be willing to pay?

Any other comments about your dancing and/ or the offering you feel like sharing:

When I have a chance, I'll do a copy/paste into a reply. I'm really enjoying this website and forum, but I wish we were able to private message each other somehow. Yes, I'm reluctant to post my email. Between work, family and my private email I have about 6 of them. The other option is to create a brand new one, just for things like this.

Are you looking for replies from others also?

I totally get it, things like email that are supposed to help make things easy can get so complicated!
I would be happy to have other people respond as well, the more info, the more interesting. This is a great website! Thank you again for your willingness to share with me!

Technique is important if one wants to dance properly, besides once you learn technique the dance itself is easier since you understand the whole process. If you plan to compete or do showcases/performance you will look very good on the floor.

We had a good turn-out for the class, including the couple who had seemed dis-interested. The first class focused on sway and rise and fall and stretching/strengthening exercises for the legs, ankles and feet. I did feel it the next day, which I didn't expect.

Can anybody tell me, why anybody should not learn the correct technique for any style of dancing that they may be learning.

I'm the one who started this because some friends wondered why they should learn technique. Ironically, they decided to take the class despite their early reluctance and we're all benefiting from it.

I believe if you're learning any skill you should try and do the best you can. I definitely feel that way in dance. I think some people are very comfortable being comfortable. It's hard pushing yourself, feeling awkward or even stupid. They may feel all they want is to have fun socially with their partner so why get stressed out? It can be viewed as accepting your limitations and going with the flow. Sometimes, that's fine. But to me, the only way I can improve, and be the type of partner others may want to dance with, is to do the hard, even boring work and improve. That won't happen without learning better technique.

I can't disagree with most of the poster's comments. However, I believe we need to describe more precisely what it means to get better.

Most dance syllabi have a structure that assigns some figures to beginner levels and others to more advanced levels. Generally, the technique that can be learned from doing elementary figures well transfers into easier learning of more advanced figures. This is certainly true in my experience. Also, having established a sound basic technique proper technique can be quickly applied to advanced figures.

I have also observed that the better my technique becomes, the more easily I can dance with a variety of partners. I am less affected by my partner's errors and I commit fewer errors. Additionally, I can often lead my partner through figures she has not yet learned completely.

It also seems to me that there is a strong correspondence between technique and body mechanics. I had a knee injury that took some time to heal. The knee would simply collapse unpredictably. When I resumed training I found that knee pain was always associated with some technical fault. Improving my technique has virtually eliminated all joint pain.

Finally, developing good technique requires strengthening one's core which then permits executing more advanced technique. As core strength is gained dancing becomes more effortless and less tiring.

Perhaps these thoughts will resonate with others.