A Beginner's Checklist
In the end, if you really want to experience satisfaction during your time in ballroom dancing, you need to be involved in all aspects of studio life. Begin by attending weekly parties to get a "lay or the land" perspective on what's out there and start working on some short-term goals you'd like to pursue in the coming months. Then, when you're ready, jump into a group class, where you'll be challenged with patterns and principles that will take your dancing to the next level. And last of all, supplement what you learn at parties and in group lessons with private lessons which will target technique and problem areas that are specific to you and your partner.
That being said, it's not uncommon for students to skimp in one area or another, but just be aware that neglecting one particular aspect will have consequences on your how much and how well you are able to learn through the others. The following is a brief listing of some of the potential negatives you may face from leaving out one of these important steps:
- NEGATIVE #1
Students who focus solely on group classes and private lessons are missing the main event! Think about it. Why are you spending so much time and money learning to dance if you never have the chance to use it in an actuall ballroom setting? Why fine tune your dancing in private lessons if no one's ever going to see it. Students who do not use their dancing regularly at weekly parties and other ballroom events typically have very brief runs in the sport.
- NEGATIVE #2
Students who neglect group classes but do attend weekly parties and take private lessons tend to fare pretty well as far as their dancing is concerned. The problem with this setup is generally in the area of finances. Private lessons simply cost more than group classes and can easily put the squeeze on your pocketbook, and when life strikes with all of its cleverly hidden expenses, students in this situation quickly set their dancing aside. Bad finances can kill your ballroom experience and kill it fast, so be sure you budget according to your interest.
- NEGATIVE #3
Students who are never willing to invest in their dancing with private lessons inadvertently cap their potential in ballroom at mediocrity. They continue to absorb patterns but lack the technique and control to perform them skillfully, eventually cutting themselves off from more advanced patterns whose execution depends on the very sort of control that they have neglected to develop. Even so, if you must err in one of these three areas, err in not taking enough private lessons. Your dancing may not look as sharp and well-styled as those who have taken privates, but at least you'll still be dancing.
For the sake of illustration, let's consider a couple who wants to learn ballroom at I've Got Rhythm and have decided to fashion their approach around the advice given in this and previous sections. They begin by becoming regular attenders every Friday at IGR's weekly parties for $10 each per evening. That's $20 for an hour-long beginners lesson and two hours of practice time. Still concerned that they aren't getting the basics well enough, they decide to come Saturdays too. Since the second night is half-off, they end up paying $30 total for two hours of beginners lessons and four hours of practice time.
After a month of attending weekly parties, the couple has a pretty good idea what dances they want to learn, and they decide to join a mid-week progressive group class in place of attending a second weekly party in order to learn some more advanced patterns than those offered in the beginners group class at the weekly parties. The group classes run $10 each, but they also receive $10 in party bucks towards weekly parties, so their total weekly cost stays at $30 for an hour-long beginners group class, an hour-long progressive group class, and two hours of practice time per week.
They are regular attenders at group class for a few months before they begin to notice some problems in their partnership that don't seem to be working themselves out with continued practice, so they resolve to take one private lesson per week until the problems are resolved. They buy six lessons at a time to get the best price on privates, which adds another $45 to their weekly dance expense. But, as with their group class, they get $10 in party bucks with each lesson they attend, in effect eliminating altogether their weekly cost of admission to parties. Now the grand total for all their weekly dance activities adds up to $65 for an hour-long beginners group lesson, progressive group lesson, and private lesson, plus two hours of practice time.
Now some might say that $65 dollars is a lot of money to spend on dancing, but consider what you're taking with you. A couple might easily spend $65 on a decent dinner and one evening's entertainment, if not much more. And after the evening is over, it's gone for good. Invested in dancing, however, that same money would provide five hours of balanced instruction and practice at IGR, which stands to benefit a couple everywhere they go together for the rest of their lives. Does the price still seem a little steep? Now subtract your monthly fitness center fees and all those painful hours you spend working out, since five hours of fun fast-paced dancing per week will easily take care of those pounds you would have put on had you gone to dinner and a movie. Now add the priceless bonus of the marriage-building effect that dance often has on couples, and there should be no question. Is it worth $65 a week to learn to dance together? Definitely!
Still not sold? Well, guess what, $65 represents the ideal balance of one progressive group class, one private lesson, and one practice party per week and is actually on the high end of what you would actually need to spend to become a proficient dancer. Some couples might instead choose to take an additional half-price group class each week and have a private lesson once every four weeks, which would average about $49 per week. Others might stick with one group class and take a private every couple weeks, which would average about $47 per week. You have lots of options, but whatever you choose, try to be balanced in your approach. Check out our weekly cost estimator for help in planning your weekly dance expenses.
It's my sincere hope that these pages will be helpful in devising a plan for your future in dance and that they will set the pace for a very enjoyable and very successful journey in ballroom. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the number at the bottom of the screen anytime and we will be happy to help you.