Advice to All Dancers

(This is general advice. We may post some techniques for specific dances under Dance Videos, but we suggest you use YouTube in the meantime.)

Where to Learn and Where to Dance
- Group lessons and private lessons each have their places. Have a look at some advice from the pro's.
- Putting private lesson prices in perspective: $75 per hour might seem expensive at first, but compare them with the $500 per hour you pay for legal advice. A dance teacher may have more training and experience than your lawyer. And most lawyers can bill more than 40 hours per week, while a dance teacher is very fortunate to be able to bill for 30 hours per week. And don't forget studio overhead. But you can sometimes reduce the cost by alternating weeks with another couple or other creative arrangements.
- General web surfing or broad-brush events sites may not yield the best dance venues and schedules. One good alternative is to either (a) surf to the sites of dancer-friendly bands, or (b) get on the email lists of those bands.
- If you dance in restaurants or clubs, don't be stingy or they can't afford to have music or a dance floor. Buy food, drink, and tip the band or DJ.

How to Learn and How to Dance
- "It's always the man's fault": Not just chivalry (though this doesn't hurt), but a fact of life because the man is in charge of choreography, floorcraft, etc. (remember the "For Men Only" page). So, ladies, cut him some slack.
- It takes more than just showing up to get the most from a dance lesson. Here's some more advice from the pro's.
- Smooth dances (foxtrot, waltz, country two-step, etc.) and polka move around the floor. So should you.
- Enjoyment of your dance experience can depend on whether the band plays interesting music, especially music at the correct tempo. One self-defense measure in the case of too-slow foxtrots is to do a "society foxtrot", i.e., stepping on every beat (sort of like turning a foxtrot into a waltz).