I've also had a few lessons of salsa, an AT one with Vincent and did a few hours of Leroc (oh lord, never again!)

oh you lucky girl - Im sooo jealous. I would love to try the AT

I used to do ballet and modern in my youth. Then when I got a bit older (15/16 or so) I did ballroom. However, the school moved too far away and I gave it up. Much to my regret.

I can jive though. At least I could when I was younger.

Hmm. I did ballet from the age of 4 until 16 and then gave it up because I had so much other stuff going on and I couldn't afford the time anymore.

Did Irish dancing in primary school and wasn't too bad at it, but didn't like it enough to continue outside of school.

Been doing ballroom and latin since October 2006 and adore it. I started off with one class a week concentrating mainly on latin and now I have a latin class, a ballroom class and a private lesson every week. I've done cha-cha, rumba, paso, jive, salsa, samba, AT, VW, waltz, foxtrot, quickstep and tango. I've done less on the ballroom than latin but I've been concentrating on ballroom recently and am really starting to enjoy it. Think my favourite dances are waltz and paso.

Oh and I've also done 6 week courses on African dance and Bollywood dance.

So that's the origin of

ShakeUrBamBamsSeparately.

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh! That first one is horrible! Looks fake too!

The second one was really good though, although she could have chosen a more glamourous outfit - the stripey socks did NOTHING for me!!!

[quote=kazmson;20609617]Oh I can symapthise ..... finally managed to get my OH to take a class and now he's more addicted than I am.

Think AT might be a good dance to try for the more reluctant males out there - it's based on simple walking plus you don't have to wiggle your hips or doing anything too "showy"./QUOTE]
Thanks for that I might continue to needle him, then! I do think he'll enjoy it and not find it too difficult, I wouldn't make him try if I thought he'd hate every minute!

Is it okay to join a dance class at any time or will we upset all of the people who have been learning for longer? I wanted to start now as I figured there'd be quite a few New Year starters (especially as Strictly has just finished a series as well), but boyfriend is having none of it

xx

There is constant turnover in the classes with new faces coming and going. Basic steps constantly taught and revised. Part of the charm of social dancing is that every partner has a different personality and eccentricities of movement (including oneself), and part of the dance challenge is to understand asap the differences and adapt towards the best for the partnership.

Those learners who are dead serious and losing no time in their campaign towards ever more shiny medals are likely to have their own partners. They are also more likely to be having one-on-one lessons.

SCD has stirred up the ballroom dance scene in such glorious fashion that one could soon see the return of that delightful institution -- The Tea Dance. Such crumpet !

Disco
Ballet
Tap
Modern
Jazz
Salsa
Street
Freestyle
Latin &Ballroom

Over the years have done these
Latin&Ballroom is top for me though, Followed by Freestyle and I'm hoping to take up ballet again

Yeah persistance is always useful

There are a lots of different classes and teaching approaches. The class we attend ran a free introductory taster session....went along with a few friends who decided not to continue ...but we signed up for a beginners block and started from there. Other classes in my area are more "drop in" though.

As other folk have mentioned have a good look around and I'm sure you'll find a class that will suit you both.

Another option -
Sometimes at milongas (tango dance) the organisers provide a short intro lesson for absolute beginners just before the main event.....Our local one charges folk about £5 each. It can be a nice way to have a go and see if you like it without committing yourself to a 10week block. Afterwards you can always hang about, watch the dancing and have a drink.

(Don't know how useful this is but just in case http://www.tangoexpress.co.uk/tango/)

LOL

I find moving the left cheek easier than moving the right cheek



Am I really talking about moving my butt cheeks on the internet?

It's the Strictly affect...

I did ballet up to the age of about 11...I think my mum was trying to make me a bit more feminine, as I was a total tomboy! As an adult...I did jazz dance in "theatre class" when I was studying singing at music college, and did tap up to bronze medal. I loved tap, but had to give it up because I couldn't make the classes every week. As it was an examination class, we were learning new dances every week, and I was missing too much.

There are STACKS of Tea Dances! Just Google "Tea Dances" and Calendar and you'll get hundreds of hits.

JJ

Surely a tea dance would clash with work? My nan and grandad go to them in the afternoons.

xx

Back in the early eighties I was living and working LA, met a lady on a bus and we got chatting, she taught belly dancing and I joined her classes, I really loved it, still do it today.

Recently bought Erin and Karen's dvd slowly learning the routines, its great fun and a great way to exercise.

More thinking of tea dance on a Sunday which the Cafe de Paris in Piccadilly and the Waldorf Hotel in the Strand used to stage, but these were poorly attended when I went, possibly because the public who came from the DIY world of disco dancing felt confident about ballroom.

Would also seem a perfect time and place for a singles dance and intro. But to attract new patrons to tea dance basking in the afterglow of SCD, some measure of added teaching plus glamorous demo by pro dancers would seem helpful.

I did ballet at the age of 4 but after a while refused to go because the lady who was supposed to pick me up forgot to and i got scared and wouldnt go again!
After that I didn't do any dancing until I came to uni and I now do latin and ballroom and have done salsa.

Well I splashed out and bought a pair of practice dance shoes. They're just plain lace ups with cuban heels, and suede soled. I'll have to find a dance class now, cos I can't wear them outside!!

I did ballet for about 8 years from the age of 2, as well as tap and modern which i gave up at 11. I started freestyle dancing at about 10 but gave that up at 11 aswell. I then started flamenco- which i really enjoyed, but the lessons got cancelled but restarted recently which i really loved but has again since been cancelled. I have also gone back to freestyle dancing at 13 and am still doing it at 16 along with something called stage presentation which combines tap, modern, ballet and freestyle. I prefer the freestyle and can manage the basic ballet, tap and modern dance steps having given them up over 5 years ago. but i now help teach all the above styles and my friends at the dance school make learning and going to the classes even more worth while and I LOVE IT!!!

sorry for such a long thread and for rabbleing on!