Myself and a handful of friends have just disovered the joys of ballroom dance. Several of us really want to improve our dancing, but unfortunately, we don't know of a dance studio or private teacher in the area, and probably couldn't afford to take lessons if we did. Any advice on basic things we can do to refine our technique and learn new dance moves? This site has been great, but it still seems to be a work in progress in a lot of areas.

Hi
Going to a class (a group class would be more appropriate at this stage) is the best thing you can do, but failing that, you can work from instructional videos.
My main advice would be
DON'T worry about fancy steps. Get the basics right and learn the 'feel' of the dances - including good posture. If you have good control and understanding of the basics, you will find the 'fancy' stuff much easier and you'll be a better dancer.
Believe me - the steps are easy. Looking good at all times and dancing smoothly and effortlessly as a partnership - THAT'S the difficult part