Really bad dance lessons

[DanceMentor]

(before we begin, let's be clear that we can't name people)

So I'm sure you can remember some really BAD dance lessons you received. Maybe it was before you became a good dancer, or maybe you didn't know much about the person before you took from them.

I was just watching a video online discussing the Chasse where the "ch" sound was pronounced with the same pronunciation as in "chase", and the instructor was wearing jeans.

In another one I saw, the instructor was saying, "you are going to do like this", and "then you do like this", and that was the extent of the description which was used something like 30 times throughout the lesson.

Can you think of some bad lessons you saw or took?

To be fair, let me say I used to be a pretty bad teacher myself, and can only wonder what people used to think about me. I have some old videos, and I squirm if I try to watch them.

[fascination]

certainly I have seen my fair share of instructors who have had a nano-second of training trying to do their best to be teachers

I have also had plenty of lessons that were bad either due to my disposition or the instructor's

for the one's over which I had control, if I had it to do over again, I would have probably insisted that more of those involve less talk and more dancing or simply have ended those lessons....I have not had a lesson like that in nearly a year though...which leads me to think that those sorts of lessons simply don't have to exist...certainly I still have lessons that are more or less frustrating and more or less fun, but, since the dancing is paramount, it is just time to be quiet and work harder.... but usually they are just good now...and I think if that ceases to be someone's experience for a prolonged period of time, it might be time for a change, either temporarily ...or permanently

[nucat78]

I can think of two specifically.

1 - Teacher "had" to throw a bunch of higher level steps at a class of rank beginners. I thought she was doing it just to show off.

2 - Teacher had no concept of any other way of dancing a step aside from what he had been taught at one studio.

[jwlinson]

Usually our bad lessons are due to either I'm tired/out of it, she's tired/out of it, or the teacher's tired/out of it.

[jwlinson]

certainly I have seen my fair share of instructors who have had a nano-second of training trying to do their best to be teachers



I have yet to experience the "six-week wonders," but I've heard plenty of stories.

[NURDRMS]

had a coaching session recently with a world-class latin instructor that left me wondering why I even tried to dance...his instruction was so far beyond what I could even comprehend that he ended up just moving parts of my body around, trying to show me what he meant. I felt like a store-window mannequin.

[mamboqueen]

was your teacher present for this?

[NURDRMS]

yep; luckily he was able to explain in subsequent lessons most of what the coach was getting at.

[Nik]

How about teachng a bad lesson? Like when your student has no desire to listen to anything you have to say and you feel like you're just banging your head into a brick wall?

Teaching is work and sometimes people just DO NOT feel like working.

[waltzgirl]

I had a series of group lessons with a newish instructor that culminated in a group performance. She wasn't a bad instructor, but this was the first group performance she had choreographed, and she badly misjudged the level of her students. She choreographed something that she would have enjoyed dancing, but it was too much, too complicated, and not enough rehearsal time. The performance was a disaster!

[fascination]

How about teachng a bad lesson? Like when your student has no desire to listen to anything you have to say and you feel like you're just banging your head into a brick wall?

Teaching is work and sometimes people just DO NOT feel like working.
agree...a bad lesson is a bad lesson and it isn't always about the teacher:D

[suburbaknght]

My first private lesson in standard. The coach wanted to work on frame and, while I still remember a lot from that specific lesson, what stands out was how he had really bad breath. Despite that, he became one of my favorite instructors and if I was still in the same geography, I'd be with him twice a week.

[Spitfire]

When I took lessons for the first time, the instructor I took them from was good at it, but too often she acted as though she thought she were my mother or baby sitter, bossy type. It was one of my reasons for not wanting to continue with her when my set of lessons were finished.

[etp777]

Some lessons I learn more than others, but my only really bad lessons were definitely all my fault. Just wasn't at right place mentally to learn that day. I'm a big fan then of just dancing. Try to ignore fact that I'm dancing with pro, ingnore fact it's a lesson, just try to dance. Sadly, doesn't work all that well most of the time, can't stop thinking. :P

[Slowly I Turn]

How about teachng a bad lesson? Like when your student has no desire to listen to anything you have to say and you feel like you're just banging your head into a brick wall?

Teaching is work and sometimes people just DO NOT feel like working.

We wanted a video of our instructors teaching a Dance 1 class to help us remember the steps. We watched it in amazement as 90% of the couples were all over the place trying to perform a relatively simple move. They were asked if there were any questions and it was a "deer in the headlights" response. (Hope you're familiar with that term) It was so funny because we are often struggling in the same manner. Sometimes I don't know how you instructors maintain your composure.

[hereKittyKitty]

I remember my early days of dancing standard, I had some really bad lessons. We didn't know who the best standard teacher was and the best possible person we could take from at the time was on hiatus from teaching. Before you knew it, I was rolling my shoulders back, arching my back and being told to put my arms forward.:rolleyes:Glad that didn't last long.

[fascination]

I would never never never want to go through my first 6 months of standard...oh...m...g...horrific....felt awful...massively frustrating...two stubborn people...not good

[jerseydancer]

We had few bad lessons with a visiting world class teacher. He normally coaches world champions and acted like he had no interest working with us at all. I think that we are not going to take lessons from visiting coaches for quite a while after this incident.

[fascination]

or ask around for who doesn't think they are the second coming ;)....I can tell you for instance that victor and anna are two of the nicest unassuming people you would ever want to meet

[jerseydancer]

or ask around for who doesn't think they are the second coming ;)....I can tell you for instance that victor and anna are two of the nicest unassuming people you would ever want to meet
I love Victor and Anna dancing very much, and I have heard a lot about how sweet they both are. We may give it a try sometime in the future.

The visiting coach was from Europe and highly recommended by many dancers, however, everyone has mentioned that he has very odd style and it is hard to understand him from the first time. But we could understand everything he was explaining, because we have seen his tapes and his student tapes. He just was not interested (I am excluding "just tired" because he was very animated when teaching our teachers right after). I just felt that I would benefit much better taking lessons from our regular teachers, 1. Our teachers show care and interest during our lessons, 2. Financially the price of his lesson was 3 times the price we normally pay – this just was not worth it

[fascination]

gotcha...my only point is one that has been made many times; excellent dancing doesn't always equate to excellent coaching or kind human being...and there are enough around who are all three...

[jerseydancer]

gotcha...my only point is one that has been made many times; excellent dancing doesn't always equate to excellent coaching or kind human being...and there are enough around who are all three...
I totally agree with you here. The bad part about those lessons was we did not really learn anything. We could just hand the money and go home that week, that would be absolutely the same

[samina]

Have been fortunate...no really bad lesson experiences.

My biggest complaint with a group lesson was the night an instructor became foot-numbingly long-winded, with almost no dancing for two hours. Hardly makes for good story-telling.

Never any really bad private lessons...not counting my own personal frustrations with self.

[fascination]

I totally agree with you here. The bad part about those lessons was we did not really learn anything. We could just hand the money and go home that week, that would be absolutely the same
bummer:(

[lcdancesport]

I had a couple once and it was a nightmare. We have an intro special at the studio, they did it as a couple with another teacher, but without me knowing, signed up for it again, but for just the boyfriend this time. The girlfriend sat on the side of the ballroom, notebook in hand, and watched.

First lesson- Pretty good, started basics, she kindly asked a couple of questions. The end. She even told the BF he did well and deserved cookies when they got back home. No joke...

Second lesson- Okay. Continued with basics. Still has the notebook out writing everything down. She asked me to move closer to hear so she could hear. She told me what he couldn't do at home when they practiced.

Third lesson- Disaster. Warmed up to music. Lady told me to turn down music, she couldn't hear me. Lady raised her voice telling me BF didn't know such and such pattern. I told her we're warming up, just let me work with him. Lesson started, we worked on patterns, he was doing well but looked paranoid and kept looking at GF. She started YELLING at me saying he didn't know how to lead such and such pattern. I said, I am working with him, could you please just watch and let me teach. She gets up, demands BF to talk to her over in the corner. I leave the floor, get owner, burst into tears and said this lady is going crazy. Owner goes in ballroom, the lady has her shoes off saying "BF doesn't know this!!!" Owner asks her calmly to do her part by herself. *deer in headlight*, storms out of the studio. I continue with my lesson, BF does great. Owner calms down lady, she apologizes to me at the end.

I still see them at social dances, but the poor guy never dances with her because she likes to study everyone else. Never in my life have I met someone like her. Very very abrasive and scary. Luckily I was a newer teacher then and have learned.

[BeccaDances]

I used to have an Instructor with which many of our lessons could be called bad lessons.... he was moody, temperamental, and he really liked to cuss at me when i didn't do it perfectly the first time.... I have a new Instructor :D He is really nice!

[j_alexandra]

My first six months of private lessons were an object lesson in What Not To Do: a recurring pattern of my ignorance/teacher's frustration. Fortunately, he is the kindest human being on the planet, so he put up with them and with me, and had faith that I would, one day, break through. I now know that I was learning, even then, but it sure didn't feel like it at the time, and I tried to quit more than once. He wouldn't let me. For which I will forever be grateful.

Haven't had one that bad since -- until this week, when I had the mother of all stinker lessons. I was tired and tense when I got there. Not a good way to start. Things went downhill fast, were circling the toilet by the end of the lesson. Couldn't move, couldn't keep time, couldn't stop blaming myself. :headwall: It has taken me three days to get to the point where I can watch the video and see that some of it wasn't really as bad as I thought.

However, other lessons I learned that day were equally important. They mostly have more to do with my head than my dancing, but also to do with fuel. When I run out of fuel in a lesson, I tank so fast you can hear the wind whistle behind me. I think fatigue and hunger have caused me more bad lessons than everything else put together -- ignorance, fear, tension, shyness, lack of practice, not warming up, you get the picture. Any suggestions about how to prevent/cure this are most welcome. BTW "eat first" is a no brainer; I always eat first.

[Nik]

Sometimes I don't know how you instructors maintain your composure.

Years of experience. :) I remember when I was a little younger and had a shorter temper, I raised my voice at a student since we had been doing the same step for an hour and I just didn't understand why she couldn't do it. She quickly told me off and after saying sorry to her, "my fuse" went from short and covered in gasoline, to extremly long and soaked in water.


I totally agree with you here. The bad part about those lessons was we did not really learn anything. We could just hand the money and go home that week, that would be absolutely the same

We have a coach who is very rude, very offensive, calls us names and curses constantly, spends most of the lessons telling us how much we suck and have no idea about dancing, and.... I love her and will take every oppurtunity I can to have lessons with her.

Even though you might feel like you had an awful lesson, you can always find positive things from it. I have been in lessons where I can obviously see the teacher has no interest in teaching. What I do is start asking technical questions, instead of just running through routines, kind of force him to teach you, ask him to explain things in more detail, ask him to show you, get the teacher interested in teaching you.

The worst thing to do is come to a lessson and when asked what you want to work on, you say "Rumba". Instead, prepare some questions for the teacher and then start asking away. It will get them much more involved if you actually have some specific things you want help with, or want to go over, instead of just dancing your routine and then saying fix it.

[NonieS]

My first private lesson in standard. The coach wanted to work on frame and, while I still remember a lot from that specific lesson, what stands out was how he had really bad breath. Despite that, he became one of my favorite instructors and if I was still in the same geography, I'd be with him twice a week.



LOL i had a lesson once where my coach walked in and said, "by the way, I'm really really sorry... I just ate some mango salsa.. it was delicious, but I am afraid my breath might stink a little!!!"
Boy was he right!!!! LOL but at least we laughed about it!!

[emeralddancer]

I had a lesson that right when I got near my pro his breath smelled of onions. I said something, he blew it off. After lesson he was like you are right I just had a whopper with onions. LOL Cracks me up.

Bad lessons are always 99.99% of the time my fault. there is that .01% it is pros. But meh ..... We have come to a place .... I get frustrated with my own dancing or rather inability to dance well or understand what he is teaching me, and he well...giggles.

So like tonight sucked. told him I sucked. He was like well if you have been good at something. I am like well yeah I am the master at it. I could teach lessons on it. How to suck at dancing 101. Hahaa ...

He calls me his ТАНЦЕВАЛЬНЫЙ КОРОВА - jokingly of course. LOL (hey I gotta laugh about it as it is true, can't get angry with truth!)

Anyway ... I must be his most abdominal student ever ... Thank goodness for his patience.

[dancepro]

I must say that I have been pretty lucky with my lessons.

I have had a few bad once.

The one that comes to my mind right now was with one on the "old" greats. He used to smoke a cigar, now that he smoked was not great but that wasn't really the problem. When he taught, he would either have the cigar in his mouth or in his hand. I didn't really like it when he had the cigar in his hand, as during the lesson that cigar would be waving around and getting really close to my body. Well during one of our lessons with him, he was talking to my partner and I was standing behind my partner. I was looking down and suddenly I smelled something burning, I looked up and smoke was coming from my partners sleeve. Needless to say I panicked a little and got the cigar away from him. Well the teacher basically burned a hole in my partners shirt:(. Not a good day.

That reminds me of another story.

I was having a lesson with another of the "old" great men. This teacher was very much shorter then my partner and shorter than me. I danced an Open Natural turn with him and kicked him in the "family jewels":(. He had to sit down for the rest of the lesson. The week after we had another lesson and he refused to dance with me. Well, after about a month he had forgotten and he danced with me again. :p

These and many more things happened within the first 2 month of working with them. :) I felt like a bull in a china shop. Luckily I better with time.

Dancepro

[fascination]

what wonderful memories!

[fascination]

My first six months of private lessons were an object lesson in What Not To Do: a recurring pattern of my ignorance/teacher's frustration. Fortunately, he is the kindest human being on the planet, so he put up with them and with me, and had faith that I would, one day, break through. I now know that I was learning, even then, but it sure didn't feel like it at the time, and I tried to quit more than once. He wouldn't let me. For which I will forever be grateful.

Haven't had one that bad since -- until this week, when I had the mother of all stinker lessons. I was tired and tense when I got there. Not a good way to start. Things went downhill fast, were circling the toilet by the end of the lesson. Couldn't move, couldn't keep time, couldn't stop blaming myself. :headwall: It has taken me three days to get to the point where I can watch the video and see that some of it wasn't really as bad as I thought.

However, other lessons I learned that day were equally important. They mostly have more to do with my head than my dancing, but also to do with fuel. When I run out of fuel in a lesson, I tank so fast you can hear the wind whistle behind me. I think fatigue and hunger have caused me more bad lessons than everything else put together -- ignorance, fear, tension, shyness, lack of practice, not warming up, you get the picture. Any suggestions about how to prevent/cure this are most welcome. BTW "eat first" is a no brainer; I always eat first.
I have learned that most of my problems on lessons are mental...and I have also learned that if I am dieting, the one time when I must eat is an hour before a lesson...or the blood sugar drops and a person with far less internal fortitude pops up...and I wish I hadn't learned this the destructive way:rolleyes:

[Bella]

Can you think of some bad lessons you saw or took?


Hmmm, I can't recall a bad lesson due to the instructor's incompetency. I've always had knowledgable pros. A "bad lesson" for me is a result of my frustration and/or an interjection of... other things. Meh.

[Laura]

My worst lesson consisted of going to a teacher that my partner at the time wanted to see, and that teacher spent the first 10 minutes of the lesson trashing the teacher who I had been going to for a couple of years. Considering the differences in training and competitive experience, I felt the teacher we were seeing had no call or cause to be so rude about the one I had been going to. It really ruined the lesson for me. I have an "I'll try anyone twice" attitude toward coaches, but in this particular instance I never went back for a second try.

[cornutt]

I've had some bad lessons, but they've usually been my own fault... generally because I've just come from work and am having trouble changing mental gears. Only once or twice can I think of a bad lesson being on account of the instructor. Once my regular instructor wasn't feeling well and halfway through the lesson she had to stop. And once she grabbed me the wrong way while I was going through something, and I wound up on the floor and tweaked my knee. One time I was taking a foxtrot lesson with a visiting instructor who only taught International, and I only dance American, and we just couldn't bridge the gap. And I was in a seminar once where the instructor just went way too fast -- out of 30 or so who started the class, only two were still hanging in an hour later.

I've had some lessons that crashed and burned for unrelated reasons. Last year, during one of my regular lessons, my instructor was repeatedly interrupted to take care of studio business matters. After about 30 minutes of that, we decided to chuck it and she didn't charge me. There was one memorable group class interrupted by a tornado warning. Once, when I was visiting a studio in Houston, I got caught up in a group class that contained two students who were completely, utterly clueless. The instructor wound up having to spend pretty much the whole class with them, and the other four of us in the class taught ourselves.

There was one other memorable bad experience in Houston. I went to a group class that was supposed to be followed by a practice party. The group class had one more men than women... and I was that man. Well, that would normally have not been too bad, except for one thing -- they didn't rotate! After doing about half of the class by myself, I tried to politely ask the instructor at one point if there was supposed to be rotation. I was pointedly ignored, but another instructor eventually came over and did the last twenty minutes or so with me. However, I got a bad vibe from the class instructor for the rest of the class.

At the end of the class, the class instructor glared at me for a moment and then disappeared into the office. I went over to the re freshment area for some water. I was sipping my water when the instructor came back, with another guy who identified himself as the studio owner. He informed me that "this isn't a pickup joint" and that unaccompanied males were not welcome, and that I would not be permitted to stay for the practice party. Well, okie-dokey. Only problem was, I'd already paid, and the gal at the desk had not informed me that there was a couples-only policy when she took my money. Nor did the studio's ads state so. Well, we argued about that, and they finally agreed to refund the portion of the admission that would have gone for the practice party. Needless to say, the next time I went to Houston, I found another studio.

[Wolfgang]

Instructors throwing advanced moves at newcomers to 'show off' is par for the course.

Bad lessons....well, I guess it depends on how you look at it.

At one studio, there's an instructor who would rather be boiled alive than show anyone even just one foot placement they did not, as per their syllabus, pay for at least 3 times over.
And he will talk up a typical salesman storm *****footing around the issue when asked directly 'How do I do this?'.

I've come to accept the fact that men always outnumber ladies in every and all lessons/classes and that I will be dancing with the 'perfect air partner' for at least part of the lesson.

There's one place where they mainly teach one type of dance (can't mention which one, that would make it too recognizable) and the whole venue is kind of...odd.
Suffice it to say that the instructor and I have, umh, let's call them...cultural differences.......
One time I was chastised for screwing up one of 'his' steps, whereupon he proceeded to show me how it's supposed to be done: by doing the exact same thing I had just done.
Needless to say, I only go there if i'm VERY desperate to get out of the house and have NOTHING else to do.......

[samina]

I have learned that most of my problems on lessons are mental...and I have also learned that if I am dieting, the one time when I must eat is an hour before a lesson...or the blood sugar drops and a person with far less internal fortitude pops up...and I wish I hadn't learned this the destructive way:rolleyes:

great insight. i can imagine that's been very helpful.

[samina]

I've come to accept the fact that men always outnumber ladies in every and all lessons/classes and that I will be dancing with the 'perfect air partner' for at least part of the lesson.



Good for you -- makes group lessons happier experiences.

In most places, it's the women who generally must surrender to this fact. I know I just take it in course now and consider it equal opportunity as any other (save with the pro) to practice the pattern.

[etp777]

I've come to accept the fact that men always outnumber ladies in every and all lessons/classes and that I will be dancing with the 'perfect air partner' for at least part of the lesson.


Ha, I do same thing. Course, not like anyone finds it strange, since I'm in there dancing with an air partner most every day anyway. Pros and owners occasionally give me a hard time about it. :)

[Wolfgang]

'Happy' isn't necessarily the word, but there's nothing I can do about it, so I just roll with it the best I can.

What still puzzles me sometimes is when the unthinkable happens and there are more ladies than guys, some (sometimes all) of the 'extra' ladies up and leave when they realize they would have to either sit out a rotation or do the air partner thing.
Which is especially strange if this happens at a very expensive dance studio where those selfsame ladies have paid through the nose several times over for attending said classes.......:confused::confused::confused:

[anp73ga31]

There was one other memorable bad experience in Houston. I went to a group class that was supposed to be followed by a practice party. The group class had one more men than women... and I was that man. Well, that would normally have not been too bad, except for one thing -- they didn't rotate! After doing about half of the class by myself, I tried to politely ask the instructor at one point if there was supposed to be rotation. I was pointedly ignored, but another instructor eventually came over and did the last twenty minutes or so with me. However, I got a bad vibe from the class instructor for the rest of the class.

At the end of the class, the class instructor glared at me for a moment and then disappeared into the office. I went over to the re freshment area for some water. I was sipping my water when the instructor came back, with another guy who identified himself as the studio owner. He informed me that "this isn't a pickup joint" and that unaccompanied males were not welcome, and that I would not be permitted to stay for the practice party. Well, okie-dokey. Only problem was, I'd already paid, and the gal at the desk had not informed me that there was a couples-only policy when she took my money. Nor did the studio's ads state so. Well, we argued about that, and they finally agreed to refund the portion of the admission that would have gone for the practice party. Needless to say, the next time I went to Houston, I found another studio.

you have GOT to be kidding me! thats insane!

[samina]

He informed me that "this isn't a pickup joint" and that unaccompanied males were not welcome, and that I would not be permitted to stay for the practice party. Well, okie-dokey. Only problem was, I'd already paid, and the gal at the desk had not informed me that there was a couples-only policy when she took my money. Nor did the studio's ads state so. Well, we argued about that, and they finally agreed to refund the portion of the admission that would have gone for the practice party. Needless to say, the next time I went to Houston, I found another studio.

That is just *bizarre*!!!

Was this a small independent studio? I can't imagine it was a franchise. Just boggled by such a strange attitude...

[fascination]

you have GOT to be kidding me! thats insane!
astonishing to me too....under what rock has that place been hiding?...a dance studio is one of the few places I few safe going to alone

[tanya_the_dancer]

I've come to accept the fact that men always outnumber ladies in every and all lessons/classes and that I will be dancing with the 'perfect air partner' for at least part of the lesson.

Men outnumber ladies??? :shock: I thought it was the other way around most of the time.

[etp777]

yeah, varies by area, and by level (consensus ono board seems to say that silver and later women drop out and the ratios change). But here, women outnumber men something like 98% of time. least means I always get to dance in classes. :)

[Hank]

My worst lesson was from a visiting coach with an international reputation. He spent almost the entire hour talking, and I danced for maybe 5 minutes. I learn by doing, feeling, and receiving feedback in the moment, not by listening to a lecture.

Worse yet, his verbal descriptions did not match his body action. I believe that he learned to dance as a child, by imitation. Then, as an adult, he heard someone else’s words, and assumed they matched his body action, which was already ingrained. Him trying to teach me to dance was like me trying to teach someone to walk. Whatever words I would choose would be a contrivance, completely unrelated to the way in which I actually learned to walk as a toddler.

[j_alexandra]

I have learned that most of my problems on lessons are mental...and I have also learned that if I am dieting, the one time when I must eat is an hour before a lesson...or the blood sugar drops and a person with far less internal fortitude pops up...and I wish I hadn't learned this the destructive way:rolleyes:

Even if not dieting, I must eat an hour before a lesson, or (beautifully said, fasc) "a person with far less internal fortitude" shows up. :mad: It took me a while and a number of bummer lessons, to discover the perfect pre-lesson food for me: pbj on wheat. But sometimes, it's not enough.

I have no lessons upcoming for 2wks; at least they can't be *bad* lessons. Am apprehensive about even stepping into the studio after that last one. Still, I suppose I should get back on the horse, so to speak. Well, when I get back from Oklahoma.

[Chiron]

Even if not dieting, I must eat an hour before a lesson, or (beautifully said, fasc) "a person with far less internal fortitude" shows up. :mad: It took me a while and a number of bummer lessons, to discover the perfect pre-lesson food for me: pbj on wheat. But sometimes, it's not enough.

I'm the same way (and I love a pbj, pbh, or just pb sandwhich). I always eat before a lesson and I'll frequently pack snacks incase I feel my blood sugar dropping.

[Chiron]

I have had only one lesson I would really characterize as bad... It was the only time I've found myself watching the clock hoping for the lesson to end. There was a visiting coach well known internationally for dancing standard and they were giving a group class on foxtrot. The studio had advertised it as a technique class for ballroom and it should be applicable to smooth as well as standard. There were a few different couples that signed up, most were bronze smooth dancers and my partner and I were the only standard couple. At the begining of the class the teacher put on a foxtrot and asked people to dance so they could get and idea of where people were. Most people did an american foxtrot around the room except for my partner and me who danced my standard foxtrot routine. They made some comments about what they saw and did mention the fact that one couple was doing internation which is "quite a bit harder". They then started working on technique and used american partnerns to demonstrate.

I would have been fine with this except they picked some of the more advanced american bronze paterns (which I had never seen before) and they only gave a quick demo which I had to try pick up the patern from. I spent over half the class trying to figure out the paterns and how to give a barely tolerable lead to my partner. Once I figured that out I was then stuck trying to play catch up to incorportate the technique. The problem with this what they were teaching was building on what they previously taught when I was still trying to figure out what the pattern was. I think I would have been ok if they had picked simplier patterns or explained the patterns a little bit instead of assuming that the standard couple also knew smooth.

[cornutt]

Was this a small independent studio? I can't imagine it was a franchise. Just boggled by such a strange attitude...

Correct, not a franchise. It was rather bizarre because the decor was like something out of Austin Powers -- velvet furniture everywhere. The place definitely had a cliquish vibe. Not only was everyone paired up, but I observed that people didn't talk to anyone other than their partners very much.

IIRC, it was in a strip mall in the Pasedena area (with heavy velvet curtains over the windows, natch). The last time I went looking for it, it wasn't there anymore.

[samina]

huh. maybe you stepped into a weird ballroom parallel universe...

[fascination]

um...lol...is there a non-weird parallel ballroom universe?...and do we really want that? ;)

[QPO]

It is in our neck of the wooeds...

I have to say that some of the men dont help themselvs either. Went to a dance on Staurday night and there were both men and women sitting down and when I asked one of the ladies why and she says well they only want to dance with the young ones!

Obviously dancing is not what they were there for then.:evil:

Men outnumber ladies??? :shock: I thought it was the other way around most of the time.

[cornutt]

um...lol...is there a non-weird parallel ballroom universe?...and do we really want that? ;)

Even by the standards of the weird universe, that place was weird. :shock:

[Wolfgang]

I can count the number of times I've been to dance lessons and/or classes where the ladies outnumbered the men on the fingers of one hand.
Over the past 3 years or so, which is when I started taking such lessons.
Regardless of venue.

This gets much , MUCH worse, of course, when going into the real world, meaning bars, nightclubs and similar 'uncontrolled' environments.
5 guys for every girl, 15 guys for every cute girl is about standard.
Worse still when the Rodeo's in town.

I love the comment that "this isn't a pickup joint".....:lol:

Umh...Reality Check for that instructor:
The vast majority of straight men go dancing to meet women.
Be that at the bar or at a studio.
That is reality.

And I have the very distinct impression that this is by no means limited to men, there's a goodly number of ladies who are using dance classes and studios as a sort of 'dating service'.
Which is understandable, meeting half decent people is tough and you have to make the most of even the tiniest scrap of opportunity that a chance wind blows your way.

As for the 'dancing only with the younger ones' comment, this cuts both ways.

[Shelu]

I had a teacher for the entire two lessons booked that went over my hip flexers....torcher!!!!

[WaltzElf]

Umh...Reality Check for that instructor:
The vast majority of straight men go dancing to meet women.
Be that at the bar or at a studio.
That is reality.

And I have the very distinct impression that this is by no means limited to men, there's a goodly number of ladies who are using dance classes and studios as a sort of 'dating service'.
Which is understandable, meeting half decent people is tough and you have to make the most of even the tiniest scrap of opportunity that a chance wind blows your way.

As for the 'dancing only with the younger ones' comment, this cuts both ways.




Yes I never understood this. There's a studio locally that I've been to that had an instructor give a harsh talking to an engaged couple that dared to kiss in greeting when they met at the studio.

I understand that there are some people (almost always students) who are so committed to keeping their dancing and “personal life” separate (a joke in itself) that they might potentially feel uncomfortable when confronted with the simple fact that sometimes sparks will fly when a man and woman dance together, but for a dance studio to make any person or couple open to that opportunity feel uncomfortable themselves to protect the delicate sensibilities of student A seems ridiculous.


The original point of ballroom dancing was courtship, after all. Encouraging sterility does nothing for the atmosphere of a dance studio.

[LatinDancer006]

My worst was from a visiting coach at AM. My pro talked me into taking a lesson with this coach to help clean up our routine for the showcase. All he (coach) did or wanted to do was tried to change our routine, a routine that I had paid a previous coach to create and really liked. But his changes didn't even make it look any better. It just looked like what he himself would have danced. And I wasn't buying it. I later found out that my pro never had a couching lesson from this coach or knew much about him other than what the staff at AM told her. I no long take go to this chain studio, but it still frustrates me when I think about it.

[Another Elizabeth]

We had a coaching lesson scheduled with a very famous pro who had recently been very publicly dumped by his partner under embarrassing circumstances. My partner got very ill, and called the studio to say that he was not coming because he couldn't get out of bed, but no one picked up the answering machine messages. So I was alone for the lesson unexpectedly, without knowing where my partner was. The pro was absolutely nasty about dancing with me at all, and he reeked of alcohol. Unpleasant all around.