sorry you feel attacked. However, the very idea that you can compete in a whole new technique in 6 weeks is so absurd that I can't even begin to address this in any other way than 'what kind of teacher would let his student do this unless it was for the $$$s?'

Perhaps you might see the motivation to do this as less than pure on the part of your teacher.

Mamboqueen, don't buy into this kind of conversation...it goes nowhere and no one can convince anyone of anything, and just gets nastier and nastier as time goes on. Conversations like this got way out of control on DanceScape and that's part of what killed that board.

Anyway, I hate to discourage people from doing what they really want to do...if you're going from Bronze Rhythm to Bronze Latin and you just want to get out there and give it a try then sure, use the next six to eight weeks and go do it. I mean, if you really want to, then why not? However, if it were me, I'd actually give it about six months, but that's just the way I tend to look at things. You'd need the time to really get going on the Latin technique, and to explore and understand differences. Then there's the whole business of creating and learning routines. I'm one of those Pro/Am dancers who believes that you should be able to dance your routine on your own, to the music, as if you were competing -- no matter what style you dance in. In fact, right now I'm working on learning my Pro/Am Smooth routines. I go into the studio to work on them on my own, outside of my lessons. It's good for me because it makes me really realize what I do or do not understand about what I'm supposed to be doing and how I'm supposed to be doing it. It also gives me an opportunity to dance to all different pieces of music, and so get really comfortable with what I'm doing.

Thank you, Laura. I appreciate your opinion and advice. I will probably wait a little longer before trying the latin in a comp.

I say go for the latin tomorrow if you feel like it. There really is not much difference between what passes for latin and rhythm technique in low level competitions, and six weeks of serious work could well put you ahead of the field in terms of understanding what difference there is. If you were to do it, I'd say stick to very simple routines the first time out, so that 90% of your work can be technique. This should earn you a respectable result, but even if the judges aren't good enough to tell flash from accuracy, you'll at least have gotten a lasting benefit from the preparation.

Just by way of perspective, I regularly watch people compete with only about 6-8 weeks TOTAL dance experience. They don't attempt to do tons of material, but a lot of them look as good doing the things they have concentrated on as other people with years of unfocused experience.

Thanks so much for everyone's advice and support. I'll take a lesson with the instructor, and submit a late entry if we turn out to click. And yes, we certainly would be winging it, I don't think too much choreography was intended for this particular comp/partnership.

As for the conflict that's been raging on this board, self-righteous attitudes are one of the reasons I've been so turned off by competition since I started dancing, and haven't done it yet. No matter where you are in your dancing or what you feel about it, there's always someone who voices their holier-than-thou-art objection to everything or anything you do. Kudos to everyone who dances for fun and love over acknowledgement. And thanks again for all your help! :)

A wise man once said "Everyone has their own dance'.

I interpret this to mean that dance is different things to different people.

To me, it means an hour a week with someone who pays complete attention to me, who holds me in his arms, and makes me feel like I was young again. Is this so bad?

I have never wanted more from dancing than this.

I do understand why some folks choose to dance at a higher level, though. I really admire them, for they are the dancers that we look at and want to be like! Putting in all the time to do it correctly, making time in their lives for a hobby that takes so much effort to do well... how can you fault someone for trying so hard?

In my business, people like me are called dilletantes, and are not regarded very highly by the people who devote time and money to getting good at their chosen hobby. The 'dabblers' are the 'cash cows' and they are treated well, as any meal ticket is (!) but not considered real. Guess that is me.

Well, I choose not to see that. To me, when my partner tells me to spend money or time doing lessons or a showcase, I imagine that he is looking after my interests and that makes me feel even better about myself.

Let the serious dancers try to convert us all. I learn a lot from the discussions about technique, enjoy the bantering about who looked good and who didn't, and I am happy that they are so happy. I think that the moralizing tone from some of them is really an attempt to communicate and express their sincerity, not object to you or your dancing.

AMEN! To grateful. A lot of people should learn from your posting!