Any good instructional videos?

[MissyK]

My partner wants to learn the gold syllabus ASAP before he agrees to take more private lessons with me. I feel like he's threatening me sometimes >.<

Does anybody know of any good instructional videos for international style ballroom? Perhaps something with a syllabus?

Is it possible to learn the steps of Gold level using a video?

Thanks!!!

 

[bjp22tango]

What level dancer is your partner in International Standard?

Is he trying to Speed skate before he has put the skates on?

SOME things can be learned from videos, but the close body contact of International Standard and the subtle body leads cannot be picked up from a video.

 

[spatten]

There are a few tricky steps in Gold - I would not recommend trying to learn them from a video. Steps such as Fallway Reverse Turn Slip pivot, and Contra Check have specific techniques that really require hands on experience, IMHO.

I would use the tapes as a backup possibly. The tape series I am most familiar with is Dance Visions tapes by Victor and Heather. Again I would not consider them sufficient to really learn gold. Oddly enough I believe just studying the technique book is probably as insightful - if you are familiar with its terms and oddities.

 

[123N]

There is a set of DVDs called Art in Motion by Luca and Loraine Baricchi. You can see Broze, Silver, Gold and open figures on Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango and QS. Mirko Gozzoli and Lessia Betti also came out with a DVD called La Base. Both are excellent sources of information. You can get more info on these at different sites that sells Ballroom DVDs.

 

[twnkltoz]

I like Dance Visions's videos with Victor and Heather. However, at the gold level I would suggest that he can study them to learn his part (to save time in lessons) but as his partner I wouldn't do them with him unless he's awfully good and has a really excellent grasp of leading and body position. Once you have this understanding you can learn much better from videos, because you already know what the subtleties are.

I will reiterate the question though: how advanced is he? How good are his leading and technique? If they're not very solid he should go nowhere near gold.

 

[123N]

My partner wants to learn the gold syllabus ASAP before he agrees to take more private lessons with me. I feel like he's threatening me sometimes >.<

You should have him watch Luca's Art in Motion for sure. There is nothing like wathcing and seeing the World Champions explaining and giving key pointers on postures, poise, leg motion, spacial awareness etc. while going thru different figures. They make you want to dance and learn these figures.

In Luca's DVD, they start with simple figures like Bronze and Silver, and add more and more complicated ones like Gold and open stuff on top. There are also clips on Luca and Loraine performances at the end of the DVD. You can spot figures they tought in the DVDs in their performance, very inspirational.

The DVD format is better than VHS tape. You can skip jump directly to the figure or portion you want to see easier and faster.

 

[MissyK]

Thanks for the tips!!!

He's very good at leading, and he's a fast learner. So, I'm confident he'll be able to learn the steps.

We just want to know more steps before spending loads and loads on private lessons. Our goal is to be in the champion level sometime in the near future.

 

[cl5814]

Sorry for another blunt comment.....
If you are considering videos/DVDs then your instructor/coach/teacher is not the right person to teach you else you would've spend the money to learn from that instructor/coach without thinking about it. Find yourself a teacher that is worth spending the money...... BTDT

Maybe i should just log off DF right now......before i upset more people.....
I mean good though......