Thanks. My brother lives in Banstead... so yes the train journey(s). I live in Greater Manchester and am desperate to find a decent class. Would like to move back south, then if nothing else I could pick and choose from the pros classes.

In the Bromley area. I'm actually hoping to move closer to where she teaches . . . it's a long shot, but I've applied for a job in Oxford Street as my company is going to be branching out to there . . . so if I get it, it will do my dancing the world of good!

Best teachers up North are Paul Taylor and Margaret Redmond to the best of my knowledge.

That's so cool, plus it's like a 10min max train journey from Victoria.

And that'd be so cool for you Becca!

Exactly! London is my favourite place in the world . . . well, after Blackpool of course!

I hope that you are successful with the job application, and therefore your dancing will improve too.

That is really true .
Karen's class is so good and so much fun

wow love your plans of moving closer Your life will be great

Thanks! Can only hope, still haven't heard anything back from my application though.

So I guess that for now it's just waiting for my next lesson!

Thanks. Do you know where they teach? I live in Grtr Manchester, work in West Lancs/Merseyside.

Fingers crossed for you Becca!

my teacher's been teaching for at least 15 years and is a director of the studio. He's more than over qualified to teach little old me!!

Margaret teaches in Crosby, so only twenty minutes from me, and Paul teaches right next to Everton footie ground.

I don't know how easily accessible they are to you, though.

Yayy. I'm a Pimlico girl! So yes, Victoria convenient for most places!!!

Haha, and the McDonald's within the station just HAS to be the fastest in the world!

But I'm sure if we all had unlimited funds etc, we'd all want to have lessons with pros that have inspired us to dance in the first place, such as Becca and Hanna K as an example.

Both are very convenient, especially from work. Thanks.

Both of them have examples of the most amazing competitors to their credit . . . Paul's son Kyle is the most incredible young Standard dancer I've ever seen. His dancing is so unbelievably mature. I can only dream of reaching standards even a fraction of his.

And Rachel Heron, trained by Margaret, is one of the most beautifully talented Latin ladies in the world today. I adore her, I idolise her and she inspires me so much. I can only hope for the day that she will return to the competition floor, she is missed greatly!

I aim to be taught by either of these coaches within the very near future. Let's hope they can work their magic on me!

That's very true. I'm hesitant to get one off lessons because I don't know how much I'd get out of it. I'd love to go to Erin and Matthew regularly but I'm a poor student!!!

You would take a LOT away from going to a top competitor.

I remember before my first lesson with Hanna, I'd been dancing for three years and was still pretty much an absolute beginner. After my first lesson, my whole perspective changed and I realised things that I'd never have even had a clue about had I not been taught by her. Especially where she corrected my mistakes where I'd been taught incorrectly.

That was the turning point for me, instead of walking through routines at a second rate medallist school and not actually knowing how to dance at all, to really being able to become one with the music and create something that could be considered as art.

Once Hanna had developed my basics to a suitable standard, it gave me months of practise all set up ready for me, and even if though I can't manage the lessons regularly for obvious reasons, as long as I continue to practise my fundamentals the way that Hanna has coached me, I know that I can only continue to improve.

Practise is so important.

It changed my dancing life completely. It's well worth it, so go to Matthew!

I'm apreciating just how fabulous Erin is after hearing loads of stories about crap dance schools. I've been dancing for nearly a year and I've learnt so much!

Pingman while your calculations may well be correct for the amount pro dancers earn you have to remember that their careers are limited and once they are not able to earn money from dance many of them do not have second careers to fall back on.

Vincent and Flavia's group classes are £7 and hour and their private lessons are £40 for 45 mins but that will probably go up for new pupils and rise for permanent pupils next April. It might sound a lot of money but people having private lessons are generally competing and therefore the cost is split in half by the two halves of the partnership. I therefore end up paying £20 for 45 mins which is pretty reasonable considering I have gone from never dancing to making national finals in 18months - definitely worth the money!!

Wow, that's pretty impressive!!! I sooooooooooooo need a man...

I really really want to learn to dance but I have never done it in my life before. I am 23 - do you think that is too late to start learning to dance?

Plus one other thing is that I dont have a partner that I can go with - do you have to go with a partner to the group classes?

I live near waterloo - does anyone know the closest dance school for complete beginners that I could go to?

23 isn't too late to start dancing, it's never too late! The beginners class that I started about a year ago had people up to about 60 there, it's never too late to learn to dance You shouldn't have to have a partner either, you'll be able to go on your own!


Wow, that's cool! *is jealous*