Raxa,
It is not easier for a man to find a partner. For some reason, the ladies are too anxious to reach the championship level and so most go the pro-am route. They want to compete but don't want to put in the practice time needed. In pro-am the have their lesson and the get a couple dances during each studio social and are ready to go. When I was searching for a partner, the ladies who were interested did not have the talent or drive. They just liked the idea of competing with no idea of the work required. Most of their teachers were members of the monster of the month club if that were not enough. If you are on the young side, see if you can attend socials and competitions put on by your local college dance club. Occasionally some of their members will continue to compete beyond college. The best way to find a partner is by word of mouth. Let all of your dancing acquaintances know you are searching. Talk with as many amateur competitors, both ladies and men, as you can for they always know who is looking. It's a small world.
I am reluctant to mention this but be aware, the ladies are usually considering a romantic connection when searching for a dance partner while typically none of the men are. A man will enjoy working and competing with a married lady and entertain no romantic ideas. Many ladies will reject a potential partner because he is married or for some reason would not be their choice for a life partner.
I wish you the best whatever you choose to do.

Ric from Ohio,
Are you looking for a practice partner???????
Dance Plus is an excellent studio. I've tried Arthur Murray (curious about the franchise and if they were better quality regarding competition) and Jimmy Rawlins (to put mileage on my feet cheaply) -- I've come to my personal conclusion that I'm happy with Dance Plus studio and my instructor(s).
I'm not sure I could recommend a specific instructor. You can always drop by and watch them teach or you can go to a Friday night party and dance with some of the instructors. (call first so they know what's going) They may put you with a certain instructor based on your goals -competition or social???
I(female) am now working with 2 male teachers - 1 primary, 1 coach and perhaps in another 2months I'll also request to work with a female for further polishing before the OH Star Ball.
Where are you currently? Let me know if you may be interested in a partner.
Thanks,
Raxa

Dave and Sri,
Thanks for the info. I understand what you're all saying regarding the high cost of dancing pro/am and unfulfillment. It's easy to go broke real fast. But I think for the first competition I do need to dance with my teacher so that I can worry about doing well and let my teacher handle all else. Right now, I'm dancing 4x a week sometime 5. (2group classes, 1 2hr party, 1 private lesson - sometimes 2) -- I 'm going to be overwhelmed at the least. And for the future, I have made attempts to search for dance partners on "dancescape's" web site. But I didn't get any responses so I deleted my add. It's much easier for men to find a partner than for women. )-: My add stated that I wanted to do competition and at the very least, I was looking for someone to just practice with. --Ok, here I'm going to seguay (sp?) into another reply directed at Ric...see what I write...(-;

I am with David on that one. Pro-ams are highly expensive, even closer to $2K including pro-fees, hotel accomodation and board, and of course ballroom fees. But they are a very good way to break in to the field of competitive dancing because your partner knows what he/she is doing and you are left only to worry about a) floor craft and leading your figures properly for a male or b) head and body position and just plain following the lead for the ladies (I might be oversimplifying a bit, but the idea is the same).

I must warn you that Pro-am dancesport does not get as much acclaim as do the pros or amateurs by themselves, which can be highly unfulfilling for a competitor like myself. Even competing in the five dance open gold, I was left feeling inferior to the other amateurs in the fray. Part of the reason for this is that anybody can pay a professional to dance with them but few amateur couples are good enough and impassioned enough to compete.

But, if you are just out to have fun, and money is a secondary issue, and your intent is only to break into the dance scene, pro-am is a good way to go. Practise well, train hard, and as someone else said, they are also beginners out there, so get rid of the jitters and put on a show.

And costumes are absolutely necessary in pro-am at the OSB, so rest assured that they won't frown on you for a nice ball gown or a tail suit.

Good luck and enjoy.
Sri.

Raxa,

You are in for a big surprise, Dancing pro-am is not cheap. You will have to pay to dance, pay your instructor to dance with you and for his lost work time while at the comp and finally you will have to pay to enter the ballroom. The studio will offer you a package price which will include all of the above. The reason they don't know the cost now is because the teacher costs are dependent upon the number of students each will be competing with. I realize that I will be angering a big group of "dancers" and studios by saying this but, pro-am has little use beyond the first competition, and it is very expensive. Costs can range from $400-1000+ depending on the number of dances you do and the number of days involved. When I competed pro-am, I found it the most unfulfilling part of my dancing experience. I won't tell you what the male amateur dancers refer to the lady pro-ams, only that the name fits perfectly.
My recommendation would be to find an amateur partner and begin competing in the amateur categories. This will show you how good your teachers really are. Be advised that very few US dance teachers are able to field good amateur couples. It is easy for a teacher to drag a new dancer through a routine and look as good as the other pro-am couples, it is difficult to teach a couple and cut the strings to let the world see how well they can do. Whatever you decide, good luck.

Raxa- Wow! What a comp to start with. It's the largest entried comp in the U.S., if not in the world. Good for you. This comp also marks the 20th year anniversary for "Championship Ballroom Dancing". You should have a decent number of competitors against you- not to get you more nervous, but that's great- don't forget, they are also beginners. Relax, follow your instructor, and enjoy. Take in the scenes-the vendors (tons of them), watch as much of the competition that you can- I find this a great learning experience, make friends by meeting others, etc. Remember that you are dancing on the same floor as the top U.S. pros are, and probably at the same time. What a rush. There will also be a collegiate comp going on that weekend, pop in to watch. And, don't forget Saturday Evening, when the top pros battle it out against each other. You might find yourself on T.V. when it is shown the following year. My wife and I are planning to compete in the amateur/amateur divisions. Maybe we'll see you there. Where are you from and who is your instructor? To end- have fun, enjoy, watch, learn, and shop during this week. I hope that I've helped.

In all fairness, since I'm not in a relationship right now, and I haven't had any dance partner aside from my teacher, I'm not the authority on the subject. BUT...

I think that chemistry is very important. This has to come across in your dancing. I don't mean that 2 people have to have that 'love at first sight' feeling to be partners. But you have to be able to pull off the sparks in your dancing. I think that people make friends with and hang around with people who are sort of like themselves. Take a look at your friends - they sort of dress, walk, talk etc similar to you to some degree. Also, you have to work with your partner daily. So who wants to spend a couple of hours a day with someone that's not like them?

Apart from the chemistry, I'm a firm believer in 'not mixing business and pleasure' so to speak. Getting involved emotionally with your partner just sounds real messy. Once you get on the dance floor, you have to leave everything else off the floor - the bad work day you had, you're mad at each other for something that happened 2 days ago. How can you focus on your dancing?All that negativity has a tendency to display itself in your dancing. And what happens when you break up? You end up having lost your partner and you've worked so hard at your dancing. Just thinking about it is messy. No thanks!! It's better to keep it at a friendship level only.

BTW, I don't consider myself on the young side for dancing - I'm 33 yrs old. But I've already put out feelers to help search for a partner. And until I find a partner to compete with or even just to practice with, I will continue dancing with my instructor. That's my only choice, isn't it?

Thanks for the reply and words of encouragement. I've been taking lessons for one year now with the same instructor. I live in Columbus, OH so the Star Ball is natural for me to compete in since it's right here. You've mentioned that I ought to watch as many of the comp as I can.
1) Do I have to buy tickets for each event that I want to see? Or since I'm a competitor I can get in for free. And is this true for Sat?
2) I am sort of overwhelmed because I haven't even seen how much it is to enter...that comes later I guess? But I have done some poking around and am aware of the price.
3) And since I'm entering with my instructor in pro/am, am I allowed to wear a costume? Or is it discouraged/encouraged? Or would I be disqualified?
More info on me:
I'm training with Dance Plus studio in Grandview, OH. The instructors are very good and they've all competed before. However, they only tell me what I need to know when I need to know. So, right now I'm reviewing heel-toe in smooth and cuban motion for latin. And for both -- head positioning and arms. So the questions I have are to be answered later in the Summer sometime. But I like to think ahead and know what's coming down the pike. Thus, I've posted the question about first time competition.

You have the correct attitude concerning the partner relationship. You will do OK. I have had 5 partners in 10 years and with only two did I have more than a brother-sister relationship. The closer the relationship, the more difficult it is to keep a proper perspective. Any age is the correct age to start dancing, remember, that if you don't start now in 10 years you will be 10 years older and still would have lost that time. I won't tell you my age, but I will say that occasionally We have to dance against people who are younger than our children due to the lack of competition in our age level. We may not win but we are seldom in last place.

Raxa - I'm from Ohio and thinking of switching to a new studio. I've heard about Dance Plus before but I am not so sure who are the good instructors. Is there someone that you could recommend? Thanks