FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions about ballroom latin dancing)

I have never ballroom danced before and feel a little shy about coming to learn to dance ballroom and latin. Will I make myself look stupid? Definitely not. Everybody who starts to dance is in the same position. Even the top professional dancers had to start somewhere as absolute beginners.  There are always new people like yourself turning up, so you will never be alone in your newness to dance.

But I have two left feet. How can I learn to dance? Everybody has two left feet to begin with even the most accomplished dancer. The whole point of having dancing lessons is to learn how to co-ordinate your body so you never again have two left feet.

Am I too old to learn to dance? Don't dancers start as little children? It is true that many top professionals did start to learn when they were very young, but you are not coming to dance the steps they do. You are going to learn the very basic, fundamental steps. You can start dancing at any age and continue to dance for life.

Do I need private lessons before I come and will the classes be for absolute beginners? You definitely DO NOT need private lessons before you come. The classes are for absolute beginners who have never danced a ballroom or latin step in their life. You will learn absolutely from the very beginning.

Do I need to come with a partner or could I just come by myself? If you come with a partner that is fine, but most people come by themselves. What happens is that there is normally a rotation of people without partners so you get to dance with everyone, but if you want to stay with the person you came with all night that is fine too.

Can I bring my own drinks? Sorry but there is a fully licensed bar which sells tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, snacks etc. It is quite cheap though.

How long does it take to learn to dance? Well that's a difficult one because everyone learns at different speeds. You will probably be learning the very simple steps for a few months. After that you will probably want to tackle something slightly harder and go up into the beginners class itself as opposed to the absolute beginners class. In the beginners class you will learn simple variations which are combinations of dance steps in each of the ballroom and latin dances. You won't learn them all in one week. Variations in one ballroom and latin dance are repeated each week for three weeks or more. So it will be a gradual process. Once you feel inspired to do harder steps, there are intermediate classes in ballroom and latin.

What should I wear to classes? Do I need to dress up like they do on Strictly Come Dancing? What shoes should I wear?The dress code is informal. This is certainly not Strictly Come Dancing so you will never see anyone dressed up like that unless you see professionals doing a cabaret or you go and watch a competition. The only thing to think about is what to wear on your feet. Trainers are not so good as they tend to stick to the floor. A normal pair of shoes would be fine.

Please send any more of your questions to paulsandwell@yahoo.co.uk so they can be used in this section of the dance web site. Thank you.