Go to the Texas and For Dancers Only pages at www.DanceMeTonight.com. You have my sympathy -- my spouse was the same way until he noticed how much fun I was having! Give it time and maybe he'll come around. You might get some of your male dance partners to approach him with the subject -- gently!

Don't take this personally... but...

North Texas is not one of the world's cultural hot spots. And this kind of dancing really requires a critical mass that you only find in the cities.

Personally I would die of boredom living there. Even in southern CA not much is happening. Unless I had strong ties to the area (e.g. family, sig other, lots of friends, etc.) I'd start laying plans to leave North Texas. Being eager to learn dancing (or any other intriguing hobby) there and not being able to is not an efficient use of your lifespan.

All the best,

Dave G.

ps: please tell us you didn't vote for G.W.B.

Thank you sri for sharing the information.
I will be looking into them.
katy

Someone from Texas who isn't into country music? How is the possible ?

Seriously, some of the country dances are the same as the ballroom dances (waltz, cha cha, east coast and west coast swing), and there is a really strong dance community in the Dallas/Fort Worth area (probably really far from you, but maybe worth a weekend trip?).

Is there any way for you to find out if there are people in your community who also like to dance? Could you try holding a social dance? Or maybe find enough people who want to take a lesson that you could have an outside instructor come in to give a weekend full of lessons?

--Belle (just back from the UCWDC World Championships of country dance, fourth in novice division at only our fourth competition, thankyouverymuch!)

Peggy,

I'm probably the only one in Texas who isn't really into Country music or dance.
But.. that does give me a few ideas.

Sri,
Thanks again for the web site info.
I did find a few places that were closer,but not close enough.

[This message has been edited by lauran (edited 11-28-2000).]

I'm in Wichita Falls,Texas (North Texas)
Unless theres a group I don't know about around here.I don't have a studio close.
Oh sure,I Could find a place In Oklahoma,Or In Houston or even Dallas But,all are well over 2hrs.away. And since the pesky landlord and utility companies insist on being paid,I can't leave work early,which also opens a big can of worms of reasonable conflicts.So I really need somewhere close by.

BTW,The only problem I have so far with the videos is they show the guy parts and not enough of the girl parts. I understand the concept of "leading" but,unclear how I'm to know exactly when or which way he'll turn.
I can't find a learning partner because all the guys I know,(but don't hang with)Think
Ballroom dancing and the like are "sissy stuff" Bare in mind these guys think dancing is bending their knees, bouncing in one place and pointing outward with fingers at their sides.
Laura

Hi Laura

Learning to dance will be one of the best things you can do, it will not only keep you fit and healthy, but you will thoroughly enjoy it!!

You dont need a partner to learn, however, find yourself a good teacher where you can get a combination of individual lessons and group classes. It is always better if you can do both.

In your individual lessons find a teacher who can give you the feeling and correct many problems before they arrise.

Use the groups to reinforce what you have learnt and to learn step patterns and also to get the feeling of dancing with different partners.

Find dance parties which you can attend, as the more often you dance the better it is.

Basically you are learning a muscular training, like riding a bike once you get the feeling it is fun.

Look in your local telephone diretory or contact IDTA or ISTD to find a list of qualified teachers

C_Kid,

That would be nice,But I wouldn't even know where to begin.
I would have a hard time sponsoring anything.
That would cost quite a bit of money. What with rental of a hall,Ads, not to mention a permit, plus music and someone to tend to that. Oh and by the way I don't dance just real well. I figure any who did show up would assume I'd know something about dancing.

Is that too lame?

Lauran

Wow so many replies! I haven't been able to check back in a while.
At the risk of making this too long I'll try to reply to all messages.

1)Dave. No, I don't take it personally. If you don't live here It could seem boring.
My only shame is that Wichita Falls is the summer training camp of the Dallas Cowboys a.k.a. LOSERS!

Which part of the country are you from? I used to live in the boonies and still found a studio which 1 1/2 hours away. Sri is probably right, one can find a ballroom studio within reasonable driving distance.

Cal Pozo's and the like are probably okay to start you going specially if you don't have immediate access to a studio. You can familiarize yourself with few basic steps and the terms used in ballroom. However, tapes are not substitute for live ballroom instruction, so, if you find a studio try to have them "tweak" whatever you've learned from the tapes. The tapes I have seen do not show the proper proper mechanics of executing a dance step which could result in injury or a bad technique that would be difficult to unlearn in the future. A good foundation would go a long way once you get into the more advanced levels.

Welcome to the exciting and fulfilling world of ballroom. Good luck in your search for a studio.