I definitely recommend some group classes at a good dance studio that has professional instructors if possible. The reason is you get to come early and stay a little late and watch the professions or real good amateurs practice and
teach. I don't mean to speak ill of YMCAs and College ballroom clubs. Quite often those group classes are taught by excellent teaches and are very good. I only mean to say that you will in general see much better dancers at a studio. If you have any talent, you most likely will quickly
surpass the others in your group class and may get bored or lose interest. When I was starting I found the dance studio to be very motivating.

Think of it like learning to play golf. Sure you can go to the local driving range and hit your practice balls along with all the other learners, but wouldn't it be better if you could go to a range where better people than you practiced? One
can learn a lot by watching.

Having jumped through silver and danced in some Pro-Am opens, I can tell you that technique, form and posture are much more important then you may believe. Steps are relatively easy to learn. You can tack on one or two a week in a snap, and it won't take long until you can dance a two
minute song at a dance party and never do the same two steps in sequence. However, if you learn the steps incorrectly, then even the Pros won't be able to follow you and you'll look terrible.

Private lessons are a necessity. You should ask for a syllabus and keep track of the steps you learn. Without a game plan, goal or target, you may just wander through the dance world. Mentally go through the steps during the week to get your brain thinking about the steps. You can really speed up your advance if you practice the simple
exercises at home like your posture, your lowering and compression, moving your torso, cuban motion etc. DON'T just go to your private lesson and then work on the form if you didn't practice at all on your own since last time you were there. You should do your homework between lessons!

Good Luck

I'd have to agree with LovelyIsabella. Start with private lessons. Most studios, at least around here, seem to offer a free introductory private lesson; it shouldn't cost anything to at least get some sort of feel for what it's like.

The first time I tried to start learning how to dance, I enrolled in a group class and didn't feel like I was getting it at all. That and a severe imbalance in the male/female ratio in the class (group classes around here almost always have too many men, and in the class in question several women dropped out after the first session) was enough to put me off the whole idea.

When I got the itch to try again, I went to one of the beginner nights at my local studio and was lucky enough to be snared into a free private lesson by one of the teachers. That made all the difference -- I felt like I learned twice as much in that initial one-hour lesson as in the four hours of group class. That was just under a year and a half ago and I've been hooked ever since.

That said, I've since observed that some people learn a lot better than others in a group class or workshop. Unfortunately for my budget I've found that group classes -- and I've since taken them at a few studios, so I'm pretty sure it's me -- just aren't all that effective for me in general. The only time group class material has really stuck for me is when I've gone over it with my teacher afterwards, and at that point I may as well have had the teacher show it to me to begin with. Other people can see a pattern once or twice and immediately do it themselves. (I envy those people.)

But even if you're great at picking up patterns, I also think that people who start off with lots of group classes tend to pick up some bad habits that are tough to shed later on. Especially their leading and following technique. In most group classes both partners know exactly what the pattern or sequence is supposed to be and there's no need to lead or follow it well. Some instructors try to emphasize lead and follow in their group classes, but without actually dancing with the students there's not much they can do at the beginning level.

In my opinion (speaking as a purely social dancer, I should say) learning the fundamentals of leading and following is astronomically more important than learning patterns, and it's the biggest reason to take private lessons right from the get-go as a beginner. I've been complimented for my clear lead more times than I can count, but only a few times for dancing a wide variety of patterns. On the flipside, as a leader I'd far rather dance with a good follower who doesn't know many patterns than with someone who knows lots of patterns but gives me nothing to work with.

Hi. Well, the way I started (and my budget is limited)...is by going to GROUP lessons-to see if you are really enjoying yourself and want to take PRIVATE lessons. Then, i'm sure any dance studio you go to will have a list of "packages".

Another inexpensive source of lessons may be at a local university. Often there will be a student group that offers large group lessons relatively cheap. Group lessons are good to start with until you know the basic steps and can dance the basics in good time to the music. When you can do that, then it becomes more helpful to get private instruction at a studio.

Some people find videos to be a good way to get basic steps down too.

Warning -- if you like music and like to move, you may become addicted!!!

--Belle

Ideally everyone needs a little of both. Private and group instruction. My suggestion is, and the advantage of private first as a teacher can get to what you want to do a lot faster than waiting for your dance to show up on the class rotation. Many times I have people who have finished the college groups who then come to private instruction and we spend often the first ten hours just undoing habits that were misinterpreted from the group lesson. Unless The teachers has time to be in everyones arms and feel their leads and follows. And can know eaech students learning pateern and habit the instruction is not complete. I have great respect for the group teachers who are able to communicate not only the joy of dance to groups of people but when they can add some technique I take my hat off to them. 0

jo

I think the most cost effective way to start is take a combination of both group and private classes. At a beginner or intemediate level, you can learn the steps and new patterns in group classes for a fraction of the cost of private lessons. You can then use private lessons to learn the proper techniques for these steps and patterns (good dance frame, body and foot positions etc.), and minimize bad habits.

Group classes also give you an opportunity to learn from others mistakes which is very helpful developing good lead/following skills. People who only dance with the same partner usually develop bad habits with one partner compensating for the other's weaknesses. Group classes are also a place to meet new people and possibly some new friends. If you take group classes, I would recommend taking them from a studio just to avoid large class sizes that are typical at University clubs.

Regardless of the type of classes you take, take the time to practice what you have learned. If you don't practice, you will not retain much from your classes. This makes your training a waste of both time and money. Studio's typically offer weekly practice dances to address this.

As you become more advanced and/or if you plan to compete, private lessons become essential. I now only take group classes if I want to learn some new patterns for social dancing.

Blair