The consumer advice section has so many threads warning of scams that I start getting worried.

I am happy with my lessons. But I have been hearing a lot of the "You are a natural ballroomdancer - tall, svelte, just right." from the studio's owner. She mentioned upgrading me from social level to full bronze but after looking at my file said herself it would be too early.

We do about one new step every private lesson. My instructor insists I am a quick learner. She chooses the steps we work on based on what she thinks would be fun and what she thinks I'd enjoy dancing or what she enjoys dancing. For example we skipped streight to the grapevine after doing promenades with underarm turns "It's a very nice and fun step and you'll love it" ... she's right I do ;)
She draws in little boxes in the sylabus to add figures and sometimes suggests alternatives to figures because it gets boring if the man just dances the sylabus without adding a bit imagination of his own. She says if I want to learn to dance well, I need to learn to improvise.
She wants me to worry less about how nice the moves look at the moment and concentrate on leading decisivly. I think she has been starting to do "mistakes" - like continuing into a second running steps after the first when I wanted to do a simple basic step - to force me to take control, do my job
and lead.

Yes I got talked into doing a tango spotlight (showcase or whatever it is called). And its scary (and wasnt cheap 1150 euros for 30 lessons). But my instructor insists that I dance the more advanced steps during practice parties as well with other ladies to prove to her that we aren't wasting our time.

And every compliment comes with twice as many corrections of what I am doing wrong.

So it would be nice of you if you could just tell me that everything is great and I am lucky :) From various friends I have heard very bad things about some of the other local dance studios so I only have a limited choice of where to go to (at least I wont go somewhere where instructors are fifteen minutes late to a fifty minute lesson as a friend of mine had happen at the last studio she visited)

It sounds like your teacher is doing a good job with the leading lessons, and your steps are not that odd I often skip around with steps. The one thing I do for myself to make sure I dont get taken is 1. I only pay for 15 hours at the time...2. I make sure befor I have a goal every 15 hours.. 3. if my teachers want a big show number or something I hold firm on my 15 hours. you can get a lot done on in 15 hours. The studios should respect you and I wish every one who reads this will try my 15 hour idea, If a studio does not like it then leave go somewhere else. I have a friend who went in to a f.a. and if she did not buy 30 or 40 hours thay did not want to make her a program. 30 or 40 hours @ $70-$80 per hour :o ... way to much for me... 15 hours at the time $50 :)..

Bill, I tried sticking to a 20 hours program similar to what you suggested. So far I have had about 20 or 22 private lessons. But I got talked into that tango and buying more hours to concentrate just on that as a sepparate program.
Our studio normally does 10, 20 or 40 hour programs for social dancers though they are happy to do whatever you want.

John, our studio splits classes into: basic, social, bronze, silver, gold
with exams between them.
I have been trying to compare our sylabus with the one on this site and I think our social is somewhere around intermediate bronze.
The tango is for june. By then I should have nearly seven months of practice on my back. Not sure what that means experience wise.

Stravros. You have many questions which I can't answer.Bronze is realy only the first leval. If you have done a showcase on Tango you should be past bronze. I don't se how she can upgrade you to bronze leval If you don't take a test in front of an examiner. Good teachers never rush their students into new steps untill they have a good grounding in the basics. You wan't your dancing to be fun as long as you are learning the correct technique. Get a book and ask questions about technique to see if she knows her stuff.

hi staros,
i have been through the same "you are a good dancer" thing when i first started taking classes from an independent dance studio.
i initially took classes becuase i wanted to dance, but then got talked into signing up for more classes after the introductory programe.
its been 3 years now, and i'm still dancing and enjoying my self (i'm only 27 yrs old)
looking back through what i have gone trhough, this is all i can share with you all.

theres are dance studios (chain or independent) to teach dancing. but one shouldn't forget its a sales business as well. without it no studio would survive, and its the same in every business. i've had female instructors good and bad, some were very sincere and pushed me to my limit and others who used the sales technique. i have changed instructors if i felt were not good enough and not giving my moneys worth.

i think you and everybody should set goals for them selves and make a lis tof things what they want to accomplish with their dancing and speak to the instructor and stick to your plans and goals. and this website is the best
i too have set goals and made plans using this website cos it gives you an overall picture of ballroom dancing and the technique invovled and so forth.

its upto each one to see for themselves where do they fit in all of this. are they good in technique or just social.
once you set your goals and know whaht your capabilities are, you can then draft a lesson program for yourself.

the bottom line is , know what you want and how to get it. never compromise cos its your money and make the best use of it.
and understand teachers and studios try to make you feel important and play with your mind into making you feel bad to say "NO" to signing classes.
if you feel you are being pushed say no and draw the line and see for yourself how things get better

i've done the same, and now i enjoy my dancing.

if you feel your being rushed into doing soemthing you feel you are not ready, that means something is not right.

hope this helps

Just wanted to add that not every studio organizes and prices showcases the same way. Where I take lessons they do a showcase a couple times a year. It's run like a tiny competition; you can enter a solo dance or you can enter to dance a particlar dance at a particular level (i.e., bronze waltz) and may be dancing with other people doing the same dance. All it costs is a modest per-dance entry fee. You prepare for it during your regular lessons. It's not a big money maker for the studio, but they do make a bit by having a fancy dance with entertainment at the end of the day's showcase.