It wont help you people. But in Australia in the capital of one of our states. Classes held in this particular studio once a week. Anybody can come early about 6.30 pm and practice till the medal class starts at 7.15pm to 8.00
At 8pm a social class starts which runs from 8pm to 10pm two dances are taught and praciced. No need for a partner. The system runs this way. At the end of each dance the ladies sit down and the men take the ladies in rotation. At the conclussion of the Social dance which always runs overtime, there is no need to leave if you wanted a little more practice, music is playing all the time.The cost of the Medal plus the Social is $A10. The medal on its own is $A5.00 the Social on it's own is $8.00The teachers are fully qualified Dancesport teachers.

Not sure why you think all AM teachers are fully qualified dancesport teachers, some of them might have started as international dancers/students. Actually, AM is frowned upon by the international dance scene. AM teaches social dancing where as international teach competitive dancing. I have taught at both and AM studio and and international studio, AM do not allow teachers to focus on technique as mush as the teachers should that is the reason I left, I did not agree with charging my students an exhorbitant amount of money for half hearted lessons. They race the students through the syllabus. A lot of students stay at AM beacuse they enjoy dancing one of the benefits of AM studio is one can enter a comp and dance with their own teacher where as in international you need a dance partner to compete.

AM does "projections". They put a number of lessons on a sheet and break them down as to how many lessons will be used on which dance. This is to make sure that all your dances and goals get the proper attention. If you are just starting out, it's easier to allot the time because you probably only have 6 dances. I have 12 in my program so the time allotment is really quite a science.

However, in my 5 years with Arthur Murray, on only one occasion (and that was because I really, really WANTED to do so) have I paid for 45 lessons in one swoop. I have bought as few as 4 and used those on a one-lesson-ever-other-week basis for two months, taking every group class I could possibly attend in the mean time. There have been times when AM runs specials on lessons and even then I have rarely purchased more than 15. Just because they put their idea in front of you doesn't mean you don't have veto power because ultimately, YOU have control of your hand as you write the check and you can utter the word "no". The time I bought 4 lessons, the projection showed 60. I just told them that at the moment I simply didn't have the cash and asked how many I needed to buy to hold me over until the next special was going to be run.

Something else I understand: my teacher is expected to put a projection on that page. HIS boss REQUIRES it of him. My teacher tells me before we go into the office to chat with the supervisor that his projection is his wildest dream and he doesn't expect me to puke up the cash for the 45 or 60 or whatever lessons he has scribbled on the page and that he can work on my program with whatever decision I make. HE understands that most of the time, his wildest dreams won't come true and we'll have to work with what we have.

If you don't communicate with your instructor then, yes, it would probably be really easy to wind up feeling victimized.

... one more thing...

There is a lot that makes up the world of Ballroom dance: technique, social aspects, health benefits... the list is exhausting. I am amazed on these posts regarding AM at the degree to which people feel used by instructors. It DOES happen but far less if the student is candidly honest with the instructor and the franchisee about what they want to get from their dancing.

I have had experience with Independent studios and freelance teachers as well as with Fred Astaire studios. The Independent studios nickel and dime you to death with little consistency in instruction. Freelancers are good but not always the most reliable because you never know where they are going to be because they go where they get the cheapest floor time. I have had experience with only one Fred Astaire studio so my impression is a limited one. They were, in my opinion, unprofessional. It is one thing for us to beat franchised studios up on this forum, it is another thing entirely when a student from AM visits a FA studio and is faced with owners of that FA studio actually jeering and hurling insults at the AM student because of their affiliation with AM. That was just bad form and I hope for the sake of the FA franchises, it is not the norm.

AM costs an arm and a leg if all you do is take private lessons. Your money goes a lot farther if you take a private lesson and every group class you can find which is incredibly good practice AND attend the parties. The one and only FA studio I was in actually charged students a floor charge if they wanted to just practice. They had ONE group class during the week (which wasn't included in the program) and ONE party (also not included) That $600 my friend spent on his 4 lessons seemed to me like it didn't go very far because he had to pay for the group class AND the parties every week on top of that $600 and God Forbid he should want to practice at the studio!

It isn't like that at AM. At least not at my studio and the several others I have visited. I get my lesson and I can be in the studio almost all day long any day of the week that they are open. All the factors have to be considered. For me here in Southern California, Arthur Murray ROCKS!!!!!

I am somewhat familiar with AM having gone to many of their social dances here in Buffalo. I have only taken some "pick-up" lessons prior to the above mentioned dances and have never talked money or contracts with them. I did dance with a lady last week who was on contract for a lengthy and costly period. Her comments were that she basically paid to learn one dance with one partner the she was infatuated with, went to one competition and did well but later realized that her instructor was the only man that she could dance with. When she started going out to local dances or clubs, she could not dance with even the most seasoned leader. Her instructor ended up leaving the studio for another city and she was lost. She did say that the lesson she took were "the best $10,000 she ever spent". You draw the conclusions.

It sounds like she just signed up to learn and perform a routine at a Spring or Fall Showcase. When people sign up for only that, they only learn one fully choreographed routine. They don't really learn to lead or follow (or to dance very well) because every step is laid out and practiced over and over again. Its more like learning a long series of motions, with no real learning of the dance or its music. This is something AM offers, but there is so much more.

In response to a few comments about not really learning dance at an AM:

Many pro-am students find, to their dismay, that their 'coaching' does not prepare them to really know how to dance.

Pro-am coaches have to get the student 'on the floor' quickly and painlessly, so they often use 'tricks' to make the student leadable. Instead of having the student practice for hours on their own learning a heel pull, for instance, they'll simply 'dumb it down' so that they can be pulled thru a step; the student feels she is moving along very quickly and the teacher can get them to that lucrative competition quicker.

The showcase scam is similar - the student gets to 'perform'after just a few weeks or months, a 'routine' that is basically simple steps with the coach dancing around them.

Realistically, you cannot learn to dance simply by showing up for a one hour lesson and going to a group class and a social every week, although you will eventually become a social dancer that can sorta kinda do some things on the floor. The problem is, that logging the hours in a franchise is too expensive. Also, consider that many of the 'instructors' are barely thru the beginner stage themselves (but to a REAL beginner, who can't see much difference, they look like pros).

I dont know that I would call showcases scams. Ya know people dance for all different reasons, and get pleasure in a variety of ways.

Just recently I attended and was in a Fred Astaire showcase. While I watched the routines I pretty quickly picked up that they had great lines, a few good lifts but could not dance hardly at all in between the lifts and lines. Being an amatuar competiter with constant technique training my first thought was this is not dancing.... But then I observed more... The women were so thrilled with thier presentation, had great fun creating costumes and the pure excitement of the show. So then what makes this better then myself who can follow a lead, stay on balance..ect. My pleasure is just a different one.

I choose to spend my time in lessons for competition preparation, and dont normally do showcases. We were asked if we would dance the showcase, pulled it together in 2 weeks, using competition routines. The bottom line is dance is just pleasure, whatever that pleasure may be.

I have also witnessed people enrolling in AM showcase programs. Yeah, its expensive, but when they finished the performance they did not feel cheated in any way, ie. they got what they expected. When you get what you expect for your money, its not a scam. I'm not saying that all AM or FA teachers are totally honest about what the student should expect in his or her dance abilities after completing a showcase program. I am just saying that the teachers I have been associated with have been upfront and honest.

I am an AM instructor, all I have to say in response to all of these posts is that when I teach, there is one thing on my mind... YOU! Everyone keeps of bashing the farnchised studio's, let it rest.. I know great instructors @ Fred's and many independant studio's. They all think the same as me. People, you have an option. If you feel you are being cheated out of your money, then don't spend it. Search, get the results you want... Isn't that whats its all about? With all of these studio's comming up everywhere you have the option, explore your options. I know that AM has a cupon on our website for a first free lesson. Use is, if you dont like your experience then keep looking. When someone walks in the door looking to dance I have the oppertunity to give all the knowledge that I have to them. Thats why I teach, thats why I love my job. I hope this was helpful!!!