I was about 2 nearly three when I started Ballroom and Latin, but I guess that was because I have dance teachers in the family!

Of cousre your going to be not brilliant when you start but it just a natural progression through all the stages!

I started ballroom when I was 22. Before that I had done rollerdancing for a few years. I wasn't very good or very bad, but I learn fast and did pretty well for a beginner.

I started ballet when I was 5 years old and danced intensively at the city school of ballet for about 6 years. I also did gymnastics for two years. It wasn't until I was 19 years old in my sophomore year in college that I started ballroom dancing, though. I was a quick learner because of my ballet background, but I still had some difficulties like everyone else.

tango

Technically speaking, I started dancing at about age 10, because my parents made me. I "escaped" after 2 years, and avoided dancing like the plague for close to 30 years. Then some friends started twisting my arm, I tried it, and found I loved it. So I'd say I "started" at 40. Since only those who started as "young whippersnappers" have responded so far, I thought I'd provide a little balance.

R

P.S. One of my current instructors started learning when she was about the same age as when I started

I started dancing with ballet when I was 5. When I was 9 or 10 I moved on to jazz dancing and gymnastics. At around 13 I started doing hip-hop, and at 15 I also took up tap. That's also about the time I started doing musicals, so I danced in a lot of chorus numbers. At 18 I added modern dance to the mix.

I didn't start ballroom and partner dancing until I was 19, but because of my dance background I picked it up rather quickly. I've been ballroom dancing for about 6 years now. I still do ballet and jazz on occassion, but ballroom is currently my focus.

Hmm, when I seriously started dancing? About 23 years old, I think. I didn't really start ballroom dancing until I started grad school. I had taken a few smaller lessons in undergrad, but there wasn't any club or anything where I was so it never really got followed up. At my grad school though, there was a club (nice big one, too) and a bunch of clubs at other area colleges and universities, so there was plenty to do when I came here. Good or bad at the start? Eh, probably about the same ability as any other guy who's just starting to learn to dance. The smaller lessons I had earlier on, and book I owned already, may have helped me out a bit when I started so maybe I was a bit better than average as a newbie. I don't really know though.

--
James Marshall
marshall@astro.umd.edu
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall

I started at 18, turned pro a bit later and have been instructing ever since.

~LB

The question everyone should ask themselves before starting each day: Quo Vatamus

I was 16 and I was horrible
(Still am! But at least I have fun doing it )

I was 23 when I started ballroom dancing. My intention was a career in dancing - not as an instructor but as a performer. I had never been introduced to the world of dance before this (no ballet or jazz or anything), so I thought ballroom dancing would be a good intro. I began at an Arthur Murray studio in January 1980.

During the first 6 months of my dancing, I attended 2 classes 5 nights/week and took private lessons once a week. I danced socially on weekends, so you could say I was literally dancing 7 nights a week. I was hooked. Right now, my dancing averages 3-4 nights a week.

In June 1980 I was invited to become an instructor. I thought that would be interesting, and it might get my foot in the door as far as a career was concerned. Well, being a dance instructor was not my "cup of tea." I gave it up at the end of the contract and have been happy as an amateur dancer ever since.

How good or bad was/am I? We are our own worst critic. I leave that question to my instructors and my peers. When I dance, I dance from the heart. When it comes to personal style, I dance what I feel.

Regards, Hoofer

I am 16 now and I started dancing on my 16th birthday (April 6) (my grandmother gave me dance lessons for my birthday) and I loved it so much I continued dancing, I've been at it for about 7 months now.

Luv, Kisses and Cookies,
~*Bri*~