Do you ever get frusterated with your partner, coach and dancing in general? Do you ever feel like you've stopped making as much progress? I'm feeling slightly frusterated with my goals! Do any of you ever feel this way, or is it a sign I should quit dancing altogether

Of course other people feel this way, it's a normal part of the process. I've been at this point -- and beyond -- more than once in my dancing life. Sometimes it's just a natural part of the learning process, and sometimes it's a signal that it's time to re-evaluate what you are doing, with whom, and why.

Here's a little anecdote: one time a few years ago I said to my teacher "I think I've finally reached the point when most people just give up and quit." He just laughed at me good-naturedly and said "you've reached and passed that point so many times already you might as well just keep going." So I have, but along the way I've changed styles, coaches, partners, and my own reasons for dancing several times. I don't think there's anything wrong with this, either: dance is part of life, and as such is a growing process. Nothing is easy all the time, and things change all the time.

Good luck to you. Just think back to why you like to dance in the first place, and see if that's enough to keep you going.

I agree with Laura. Frustration is a normal part of the learning process. So, unless you've truly lost interest in dancing, I'd say, don't quit!

It might help if you could pinpoint the cause of your frustration. There are probably some specific problems that are "infecting" your whole feeling about dance. I don't know how long you've been dancing or what your goals are, but here are some ideas:

My teacher told me that there are three parts to the learning process that get replayed over and over as you progress. When you start learning something new or are beginning to take your dancing to a new level, it's difficult and frustrating and you can feel like you're dancing worse that you were before. Then, you "get it" and can do it well as long as you focus and concentrate. Finally, it becomes a natural part of your dancing. So you move on to a new level and start the three-step process all over again.

So your frustration might be a good sign if it means that you're starting to take your dancing to a new level. In that case, just live with it, practice more, and have faith that it will pass as you progress. (I find looking at past tapes of my dancing helps me realize how far I've come.)

But if you're at the plateau stage, and you feel like you're just continuing to dance at the same level without progressing, maybe you need more of a challenge, to learn something new and advance your technique in specific ways.

Also, are your goals very long-term, like to win a comp at a level that's realistically several years away? That's great. (I joke with my instructor that I have my eye on a national championship in the over-80 age group 'cuz it will take me that long to get there!) But it can be frustrating to work toward a goal that's too far away, so it can help to break it down into interim goals. What do you want to accomplish in the next six months? What do you need to do to get there? What do you want to accomplish in your next lesson?

To perk up your enthusiasm (and also get some additional help), you might ask your coach to refer you for a one-time lesson to an advanced professional s/he admires. That person could assess your dancing and advise you on what to address next to get you toward your goals. Or attend a dance camp, if you can. You'll be exposed to lots of different kinds of dancing and different teachers and have a great time, too!

Good luck! Let us know how things work out.