I have seen many posts regarding height, but I have a different question.
Does body size preclude someone from learning to dance? I am overweight and normal height. My husband is normal size and height.
All of the women in this class (most have been dancing for a while) are very fit. While Ron and I will never dance professionally and will probably never dance outside of class, I am afraid that I am not suited for it due to being large. (This so akward to talk about)
Shannon

Shannon:

What better way to get in shape than dancing with your husband?!? Don't give up on it just because you feel like you don't fit into the size norms of your class. There's a reason those women are fit - they dance. I've seen many newcomer ladies that are heavier move beautifully on the floor.

What's important is being a HEALTHY size and weight. Never feel like you have to fit into social norms.

If you enjoy dancing you should certainly not give it up.

Heck NO! You should see Pepe Avellanada do the Milonga. His belly is as big as Texas and he's about 5 feet tall but he is one of the most celebrated tangueros ever.

No, we have several couples at our studio where the woman is larger than her partner and they dance beautifully. I was heavier than many in my group and they inspired me to eat healthy and exercise and I lost 12 pounds. My legs look better than ever because they are so toned. My overall fitness is much better as well.

Size absolutely does NOT matter.
What matters is that you want to dance with your husband. It can be a little overwhelming when you see people who are size "tiny" "small" and even a "medium" per se dancing socially and in competition. You and your husband may find that you enjoy dancing with each other and that is really all that matters. When I started with my significant other - we did it for social purposes for the two of us. JUST for the two of us. I was seriously overweight. Something happened in that learning process - and it wasn't because other people in the studio were fit or smaller which made me feel like a total misfit - we got past the doubts and continued our lessons. A year later - each of us had dropped over 25 pounds and we thoroughly enjoy dancing with each other still. Embrace your husband, smile and dance your heart out!

Dance classes should have all shapes and sizes, and it rarely has anything to do with skill levels. If your husband becomes a good lead, you will look good following no matter what size. Over time, as other posters mentioned, you will naturally lose weight from the dancing and feel stronger and more confident. Core strength is so important, and for those of us tap dancing with middle age, it is an area that starts to give way a bit. But it's certainly not a reason to feel funny about hitting the dance floor. Being "big" and sitting on the sidelines at a dance would be far more discouraging. Remember, this is fun. It's not a high school pep hop.

I wouldn't say that size (by which I mean weight, really) is usually much of an issue in dancing.

Much more important is the way that we carry our weight: our posture or carriage, and whether we support our own body mass properly (particularly from the upper body on turning figures), rather than using our partner for balance or support.

I watch a seriously overweight middle-aged man at a regular social dance I attend, and in fast-moving dances like Jive he is amazingly "light" on his feet, and moves with ease and style, while plenty of people who are as thin as rakes, move like planks.

Having said that: being overweight isn't healthy, and we should all take better care of our own bodies. Setting aside a few medical conditions (which are very rare in the general population), being overweight is the inevitable result of eating too much. The solution lies in our own hands, but dance is a good way to obtain gentle exercise - one ingredient in a healthy lifestyle.

As this is an area of my personal expertise I must say that dancing whilst being large and overweight can be done and done very well.
I am a successful independant teacher and when my regular Joe students see me dance and dance with me,they are amazed at how graceful and smooth I can be.
However you should be physically fit also.
I am 6ft6ins tall and 400lbs and I challenge anyone to go belly to belly with me (little pun) and dance as good as myself carrying the weigth that I do.
Of course stamina is an issue as well as shape and lines but you can still do it if you are fairly fit.
I must also say that the comment about eating too much is a somewhat simple minded point of view and should be ignored by people who have anything more than half a brain.

No it does not matter. What matters is that you have fun and learn something new, and have an activity that you both enjoy. So cast your doubts to the wayside, and just do it. You will find, as we did, that you feel better and better during and after each class. You will sleep better, your health will improve and you will be happy. My husband and I started a year ago, and while we havent lost tons of weight, we have toned, strengthened, become more flexible, our balance has improved and our blood pressures have dropped to normal ranges - (our doc monitors me monthly for a health issue) Our doc is very pleased with our health and recommends dancing to his patients. You just go for it and enjoy. You will be surprised at what your body can do!

The dancers in the class are fit, because they have been dancing for quite awhile. Dance is an excellent exercise. Being overweight does not mean you can not learn to dance. I have seen quite a few ladies and gentleman, who are overweight and dance quite well.

Dancing will definitely help you get your muscles in better shape and may reduce how much you are overweight.