Dancing on carpets in a room without mirrors?

[UKStudent21]

Dear All,

I am simply here to ask you all for some advise due to this dilemma I have so please hear me out.

I am in a relationship with a wonderful girl living in Canada. Unfortunately for me I had to come back to the UK for a few more months to finish my degree so I only stay in touch with her by phone.

Anyway, as an avid player of the guitar, I was pleased to hear my girlfriend decided to take up private lessons with an instructor back in Vancouver. All was well, however, in the last lesson my girlfriend told me she mentioned wanting to take salsa and asking the instructor if he knew any good teachers near by.

The teacher mentioned that she was in luck because the one dance he knew well was salsa, and he was an instructor at some local dance school....ok, no problem.

Things started getting weird though when he mentioned that the lesson would take place at his home studio (where the guitar lessons take place)where there is apparently a carpet floor and no mirrors.

Now I am no expert on dance, but surely this is very difficult to learn on. is it? I am completely supportive of my girlfriend being independent and I dont want to be seen as being some overprotective psycho, but this was just something strange for me. Can someone please tell me if this is in fact odd? Because if it is then I will warn my girlfriend (who found it odd too).

Any comments would be greatly appreciated?

Thank you for your time

[englezul]

Dear All,

I am simply here to ask you all for some advise due to this dilemma I have so please hear me out.

I am in a relationship with a wonderful girl living in Canada. Unfortunately for me I had to come back to the UK for a few more months to finish my degree so I only stay in touch with her by phone.

Anyway, as an avid player of the guitar, I was pleased to hear my girlfriend decided to take up private lessons with an instructor back in Vancouver. All was well, however, in the last lesson my girlfriend told me she mentioned wanting to take salsa and asking the instructor if he knew any good teachers near by.

The teacher mentioned that she was in luck because the one dance he knew well was salsa, and he was an instructor at some local dance school....ok, no problem.

Things started getting weird though when he mentioned that the lesson would take place at his home studio (where the guitar lessons take place)where there is apparently a carpet floor and no mirrors.

Now I am no expert on dance, but surely this is very difficult to learn on. is it? I am completely supportive of my girlfriend being independent and I dont want to be seen as being some overprotective psycho, but this was just something strange for me. Can someone please tell me if this is in fact odd? Because if it is then I will warn my girlfriend (who found it odd too).

Any comments would be greatly appreciated?

Thank you for your time

Just send her to a studio where there are REAL lessons. I mean the combination guitar/salsa privates is a little cliche for me.

[Twilight_Elena]

Carpet and no mirrors? That's no dance studio. The very least there should be hardwood floors! Maybe she should take lessons from him at the locan dance school he mentioned.

T_E

[UKStudent21]

Thank you for the advice :)

I will be sure to enrol her for some proper lessons and will probably get her a new guitar teacher too. It just seemed odd for me and i'm glad other people agree.

Thank you for your time

[yippee1999]

Yeah, it does sound sorta odd, or at the very least, not very professional of him. Not so much because it's in his home per se... some other teachers may also have "training" areas set up in their homes, but due to their being carpet, a different location with wooden floors would be more optimal.

[UKStudent21]

Yeah, it does sound sorta odd, or at the very least, not very professional of him. Not so much because it's in his home per se... some other teachers may also have "training" areas set up in their homes, but due to their being carpet, a different location with wooden floors would be more optimal.

I concur, I have no problem with it being at the teachers house, or at least I wouldn't have had I not known about the carpet floors and no mirrors.

I really just wanted to find out whether dancing on carpets was actually a normal thing or not because I dont actually dance myself, although I do have lessons booked for when I return to Canada next month!

Anyway, thank you for your input.

[Chris Stratton]

I will be sure to enrol her for some proper lessons and will probably get her a new guitar teacher too. It just seemed odd for me and i'm glad other people agree.

You are going to pick her lessons and teachers?

[UKStudent21]

No, I will recommend my guitar teacher and i'll help her find a proper dance school in the area. I want her to get her money's worth for the lessons and to be safe and enjoy herself.

[Twilight_Elena]

Sounds about right to me. :D You should direct her to our forums so that she can participate in our discussions as soon as she starts dancing.
Good luck!

T_E

[waltzgirl]

Dancing on carpet is not only odd, it can be dangerous. It's easy to twist a knee or ankle if the carpet grabs your shoe too much, especially on turns.

[UKStudent21]

Thanks for all the advice, I must say you are all very pleasant members on this forum and I thank you all for your input. Everything has now been sorted and I owe a great deal of appreciation to the people who responded. May you all have a great day :)

Regards,

Michal

[Hart_House]

After you have successfully danced on carpet without mirrors, try dancing on a ladder without windows on a windy day.

[pr]

Welcome Michal! :D

Salsa is the dance I enjoy the most so it's a great choice! ;)

[pielcanela]

I agree, while is not that uncommon for a teacher to teach from her/his house, a good floor is a must, carpet ??? this teacher has obviously little regard for teaching proper dancing if he is willing to do it in carpet.

While sure the basics can be taught on it, once spins which is an integral part of a dancer come about, as other people mentioned, it is right down dangerous. You hear a good number of dancers complaining of knee pains, even when dancing in proper floors, add a high traction surface and you have created a combination that can severally hurt you.

I teach in a carpet room in the local YMCA because that is the only place that is available and I purposely steer the class away from any spins for their own protection, once they get good enough to learn spins or complex turns, we will have to find another place, even a tile hallway, as long we stay away from the carpet