FAQ For New Dancers
I am new to ballroom dancing, how do I start?
The best way to start is to find a ballroom dance studio where beginner group lessons are offered. There are many such studios or even individual instructors around local areas, and all you have to do is to either check any studio website or call the studio or instructor to see what classes are currently running and choose one you'd like to attend.
How does a group lesson work?
Usually, a group lesson or class will focus on only one dance at a time, and a class could run once a week usually for several weeks until all promised steps are taught. Some studio will run several such classes of different dances in a week, so that one might choose to attend different classes each week.
Do I need a partner to take a group lesson?
The answer is generally "No", since most group lessons will focus on basic steps by individual first and when you need to practice with a partner, the instructor will pair you with a lady or gentleman. However, you would expect to dance with different partners in rotation. The instructor will teach men's steps and lady's steps separatedly, but all people in the class will have time to practice their steps either individually or with a partner.
Are pravite lessons with a instructor necessary?
The answer is "Yes" or "No", depending on individual or situation. Generally speaking, if you're totally new to ballroom dancing, you'd be better off sticking to group lessons to learn some basic dance steps. It would take weeks or even months to learn enough dance steps of a few different dances to become a decent or competent social dancer. Such a learning process will give you time to get familiar with dancing basics before you ever need to learn some serious dancing skills.
But if you are serious about getting better in dancing or your goal is to compete in ballroom competitions, then you would need some private lessons to learn or polish your dancing techniques, which are not always taught by teachers in group lessons.
But remember, private lessons are expensive, usually costing 5-10 times of a group lesson, especially those offered by some well known teachers or world class dancers. You would waste your money on such lessons unless you are already good or you intend to compete. Also, private lessons are generally not for learning basic steps of any dance, which could be done in group lessons, but for techniques and choreography (for show or competition). So, consider such lessons only when you need to. Even if you do consider taking private lessons, consider only the limited number of lessons for your purpose and let your teacher know in advance either how many lessons or how long (weeks or months) you are going to take such lessons. There are some teachers however who would make you take private lessons for as long as possible, as their way to maintain regular income. But as a student, you need to make your decision based on your own interest.
About Ballroom Dancing - Wikipedia
More ballroom dancing information here: Wikipedia Pages.