Has anyone here taken/currently taking/or planning on taking ballroom or social dancing lessons? I started earlier this summer to get me out of the house while my sons were away. I'm learning East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, and Tango. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and finally decided to do it after I saw the Tango scene in Scent of a Woman with Al Pacino. I wouldn't turn him down if he ever asked me to tango with him!!

Margarette

Actually I think you are taller than he is.

Margarette... nobody cares about that type of dancing anymore. Its boring and passe... that's exactly why everyone is going to clear the floor at the next wedding you do the Tango at. LOL

I don't get it. So few people bother to learn that ( including me ) but we all stand back and marvel at someone who does it right. Good for you. Class never goes out of style. If I wasn't born with two left feet I'd join you!

Best,

Tim

Cliff, I don't care if I'm taller than he is...he's AL PACINO!!!

Tim, when I signed up for lessons, the instructor explained the difference between "ballroom" and "social" dances. Ballroom is just what you say...mostly reserved for weddings and "society" events. As for the two left feet...well, I must say that I wasn't born with a whole lot of grace, but I'm able to handle myself fairly decently on the dance floor. I even had the owner of the studio ask if I'd be interested in doing some competitions. I think that's just a ploy to get me to spend more money with them, though. Anyway, if we ever have the good fortune to meet, we will go some place to go dancing and I'll show you how easy it is. Hey, if I can do it, anyone can!!

Margarette

Seriously, I wish you the best. I love modern dancing, which is really fairly mindless moving to the rhythm. The reason I love it is because it covers up the fact that I cannot dance to save my life. I was in a couple of musicals back when I was doing community theater, and they hated trying to choreograph me as mush as I hated it. I just don't have the coordination for good dancing like you are speaking of. I do wish you the very best and I hope you love it.

20 years ago after my divorce I started contra dancing, because the dances were mostly female, but soon one snagged me, and I hung up my dancing shoes. Good hunting Margaretta.
Al

Unfortunately, Al, the women severely outnumber the men in these classes(which is just the opposite from what I'm used to dealing with), and so far, only one of the men there isn't already attached to one of the female students...and he seems to have eyes for one of the other female students!

The main point is that I'm having fun(except for West Coast Swing...I don't know what the heck I'm doing in that class!!)! I took my 15 year old to one of the "guest parties" and talked him into signing up for the introductory class. I kinda made him to that because spending $10 for the introductory class with him allowed me to get about $100 in lessons free!

Who knows? Maybe...eventually...at some point in the future....I'll get up the courage to go out by myself and meet someone who knows East Coast Swing. Yeah, and I might win the lottery, too!!

Margarette

"I don't see nothing wrong, with a little bump and grind."

Okay I do. I have seen a slight growth in interest in couple dancing again (thanks to the swing fad and You Think You Can Dance). Me and my best friend both want to take lessons to fine tune what we attempt to do. We both have dance backgrounds.

It is a lost art though.

John Edward the 'psychic' is a dance instructor and he can also arrange for your family members who have passed to watch you practice.

Is that add-on cost extra?

I don't know, if they show up I think it would be rude of John to ignore them. I do admit you may lose a step or two with John saying "was it with your chest or head? Chest or head?"

Great choice . . . social dancing is upcoming

Prior to taking up dancing, I would have dreamt of having two left feet. After many lessons, many awkward moments on the dance floor, and more grace and tolerance than dozens of ladies should have to offer a beginning dancer, I became reasonably competent on the dance floor. The East Coast Swing, Cha-Cha, and Waltz are all favs -- and best of luck with the Tango.

Oh, and one of those graceful, tolerant partners I met on the dance floor? Eventually, she became not only my dance partner but the other half of my life as well. I met the future Mrs. Stone at a dance at Knott's Berry Farm some years ago.

Enjoy!

Leland

Tonight is my first attempt at dancing in a "social situation"! Once a month, the studio has these "after dark" functions in which only a few people get to go with the instructors to a club to dance...same number of guys and gals. They think my skill level is such that I can now be invited to these. I remember the lines from "Hitch" where Eva Mendez is in the restaurant with her friend and the friend says, "but I thought you said he tanked" and she replies, "yeah, but he did it with flair!" If I'm gonna tank tonight, I hope I do it with flair!!

Margarette

Margaretta
Break a leg dear, and don't let them squeeze you on the first dance.
Al

I'll give ya this...dancing in a social setting is WAAAAAYYYYY different from dancing in the studio setting! I kept telling myself that all I had to do was follow his lead. I had a lot of fun, and I'm now looking forward to the next 'after dark'!! Of course, what would be ideal would be if I could gather up enough courage to go out by myself to go dancing. Maybe someday! Yeah, and someday I might win the lottery, too!

Margarette

One of the (many) regrets of my life has been that I never took dancing lessons. I saw that Pacino scene, and I was awestruck. Heck, I'd settle for being able to Tango like Gomez Adams.
Keep us informed, maybe I'll get inspired and sign up for some lessons myself! Best wishes with this!

M

I've been to Argentina...they Tango...I mean they freakin' live to Tango, cool folks.

I did competitive Ballroom and Latin Dancing in my younger years and was relatively good at it. In the last three years of competing we practiced an average of two hours a day. Eventually you get tired of it. Social dancing is much better if you want to dance to relax. If you wanna get all worked up, stressed out and go insane.....compete.
I started dating my current wife because of dancing. We went out to a club with friends and she wasn't really in the mood to chat or whatever, in fact her friend (my friend's wife) had to beg her to come. About an hour into the night, the first words she actually spoke to me was "I like this song, we use it in the Salsa class" I said "oh, would you like to dance then" and she responded "if you can even do the basic of the Salsa I'll buy you a drink". I thought this is was to easy, did a 15 second "skit", stopped and said "I'll have a tequila" She said "after the dance" and the rest is history.
You will meet great people because of dancing and have a lot fun. Just see it out for 18 months and don't quit before you have done it every week for 18 months.