How, when and where do folks learn the dance steps and routines from the videos (especially the Variation of the Week) that are available through Ballroom Dancers.com?

For example, do you and your partner view the video and then try to replicate it? Use the print presentation of steps? If so, does the man go through just his steps, or both his and the women's steps (ditto for the woman)? Integrate the video and print presentation as you implement the steps? If so, how? And, how do you integrate the variation in to your existing steps for the particular dance? How many sessions are usually required?

Do you learn at home or at a dance of both places? If at home, where? Living Room, Recreation Room, Garage, or …? Are mirrors helpful?
When do you do the steps to music?

If at home, do you dress informally, or, at least part of the time, dress as if you were going to a dance? Does the woman wear the heels she usually dances for part or all of the learning (heels would change the height of the woman and effect the way she moves)?

Does anyone use Backward Chaining. This is a behavioral method in which the past component is learned first, then the one before is learned next, etc. Doing so builds on practice and competency as one proceeds through the sequence – exactly the opposite to the usual case of Forward Chaining.

We learn most of our new moves from tapes. I study the tapes and pick moves that I think we would like and have a clear lead. I try to learn my part and than I am able to lead, when I start working on the new move with my wife in our practise sessions. We become comfortable with the move in our practise times and than use it when we go dancing. If it is working okay we just keep doing in when we are out dancing. if we have problems with it, we work on it during our next practise time.

If a particular lesson includes a lot of steps, I pick out part of it to start with. Frequently we just take parts of the lessons. We also mix and match the movements with things we allready do.

Nice thing about tapes is man can get a head start and than be able to lead, when the lady starts working on the move with him.

My previous partner and I
did lots of our patterns
off of tapes and got a pro
to help clean it up after we
practiced them. Used some of
David and Olga's patterns in
comps. Most of the tapes are
from D.Vision. We saved lots
of lesson time and $ by using tapes.
However, it is not that easy
to master using tapes or dvds. It
took me few years to get the
hang of it. Having standardized
patterns help, plus having a
manual to supplement the tapes.
Reading, understanding, and
implementing the manual takes
time too. It helps if your
parner can understand and learn
from tapes or manuals too.

You will notice that any good
teacher can read the manual or
look at a tape and show you
how do the dance pattern or technique very quickly. It is mainly lots
of practice and training to get
used to this type of learning.
It helps if patterns are standardized
like in Int. Latin and Std.

My teacher and I just worked
through all the syllabus patterns
in Int. Latin (except Paso)--it took about 6 mo.--once a week. I will
probably go now to a higher
level pro to fine tune my technique.

It would help if you could get
small clips of each syllabus on
dvd with bookmarks. It would
save lots of time and money.
There is nothing worse than
fooling around winding and
rewinding tapes during lesson
time.