I go to a studio where I learn new steps from a group class every week and then I also take a private lesson each week as well. I have "learned" quite a few steps in the group classes however once that class is over I pretty much have never used the steps again.
Being a female I don't get to choose which steps I'm danced thru with any partner. I like learning all the new steps but am getting frustrated at never using them! Am I just crazy in letting this bug me?
I think it would be rude to ask someone else to use the steps (especially if they dont remember them). I don't know if I should work on them with my instructor because I don't know if they are steps he would actually use in the competitions.
I used to write down the steps I would learn in a journal so I wouldn't forget them. Lately I don't even bother since nobody ever puts me into those steps. I love dancing and learning but I just want to get rid of the frustrated feeling. Any suggestions?

WHY do you keep going back week after week, and adding more material to your seemingly never ending collection ?

Does the word REVIEW mean anything ?..

"steps " in and of themselves, are not the answer to your, or anyone elses ,learning process . With every variation that you add, there are usually more complex techniques to be conquered( and for your partners )...

Should you ask your teacher ?. of COURSE you should,, you should demand that he consolidates what you currently have been taught .

As to what partners lead variety wise.. thats part of the social learning process .

The group classes are taught by one instructor who is different than the one I use for my private lessons. In my privates I am working toward competitions (bronze level since I have only been dancing for a year). In the group classes you rotate so I dance with different people. When I get to do a practice time at the studio, I don't know who is going to be there to dance with so it varies if the person did the same group class as I did. I would love to be able to take more private lessons but can't afford it at this point. So in a one hour session I don't necessarily have the time to work on all the steps I have learned along the way.

I guess I have sort of worked out my own answer. I guess I need to choose between the competition stuff and getting technique correct or go the social route. The competition way I will not be able to do as many variations but will (hopefully) do what I can better. The social way I would have more things to do but not necessarily the partner to do them with since I don't have a full time willing partner.

I guess I will keep writing down what I learn. I don't think I would be able to get to the caliber of being a teacher ( I would love to but can't devote enough hours and money to becoming one plus I'm probably too old for that anyway).

Thanks for the input!

Perhaps the group class is not the place for you. Some classes do teach steps only and it does seem pointless to learn them if you aren't going to use them. However, if you are learning all the steps in the bronze level, for example, it is important to learn them as a stepping stone to the next level. Do have a chance to dance with your partner(s) in the group class outside of class? Most men in social situations stick to what they know. However, if you let them know you're willing to give the new steps a go, they might oblige. Talk to your instructor, see what he thinks. It can't hurt and you are in charge of what you learn in a private lesson. If you want to run through the new steps, he should do it.

I am a "pack rat" as well when it comes to keeping notes on various steps for the different dances. I wouldn't be frustrated at all by having a rather large log of dance steps to refer to.
You never know when they could come in handy. You may someday be in a situation to teach others and it's always good to know a lot of steps.
In social settings, as it has been mentioned, you won't see a wide array of steps and variations. My wife, for instance, doesn't like to do the more complex steps in a social setting, as she doesn't want to "stand out" in a situation in which there is no need to.
If I can be at a place in which there is a chance to do at least every dance I know, then I am happy. I don't feel the need to try to dance every step and every variation I know. In fact, I usually have to refer back to my notes, because I have so many steps written down.
I don't forget the steps. I forget what steps I know!

I always like learning as much as possible. Even if you don't dance the full step anymore, parts of the steps will be relevant to other steps and it's just good practice.

I almost never dance socially and it can be months between working on a certain step but it all adds up to make you a stronger dancer.

I like learning the new stuff too. I was just using it for additional practice too. I hope it helps in making me a better dancer. It's just that some of the moves were really kinda fun and I wish I would get to use them!

Thanks for your input!

Lynnbin, I'm with you. Though I have given up to a large degree on group classes, I do still attend the occasional group coachings, and we will be taught great material. I get frustrated when the women I lead can't remember any portion of what they just paid to learn. But, on the flip side, I appreciate those ladies, my wife being one of them, who ask on occasion if I remember steps taught at one time past. I do my best to recall what it is they would like to work on. So do ask some of the men you dance with if they will help you out in that area. I keep notes as a part of my review process, and as Belle mentioned, every new thing you learn can become relavant. I enjoy those moments when I understand the relation of what I have learned to something new I encounter or recognizing that part of one figure is just like that other one I was taught some time back. And do have your teacher illustrate for you how to incorporate all that you learn, as Terence mentioned.