General
Typically a new dancer will start as a social dancer, attracted to dancing by an enjoyed event with dancing, - witnessing a TV show - yearning for more "social" in their social life - or being talked into it by a spouse, friend or relative. A small percentage of social dancers later find that their love of dance compels them to become competitive dancers or DanceSport Athletes.

The vast majority of new dancers will remain social dancers all of their life and will reap many benefits from this activity. The most obvious benefit is that a competent social dancer is very popular with the opposite sex and in great demand at social events.

Besides the valuable social benefits of dancing, your participation in a regular program of ballroom dancing will produce significant mental and physical health benefits. Dancing is a great stress reliever. It builds confidence, alertness and a good attitude. It also has been proven to be a great physical benefit as it physically tones the whole body in enjoyable exercise. In summary, dancing will add a new and very beneficial dimension to your life.

Getting Started
So, how do you get started as a social dancer? The first step, determine if there's a USA DANCE Chapter in your area. If so, you can attend a chapter social dance, introduce yourself to one of the chapter officers and ask for help in getting started as a ballroom dancer. They will be happy to help you get started on the right foot and in a manner that will not cost you an arm and a leg.

Chapters have frequent social dances and most of them start with a one-hour dance lesson. Many chapters offer affordable weekly group dance lessons, especially for beginners. Those classes will be an excellent place to commence your dance training. You will learn rapidly and will have the time of your life while learning.

The Newsletters issued by chapters include useful information regarding local studios and independent dance instructors that offer group ballroom dance classes and private instruction for beginners.

If there is no USA DANCE Chapter in your community, do not despair! Many colleges provide ballroom dance classes as part of their continuing education programs. Also, the programs of many city or county recreational departments include ballroom dance classes. Some organizations such as the YWCA, Community Centers, Elks or Moose Lodges offer dance lessons to their members and guests.

Your best approach will be to seek out opportunities to take group lessons in the particular dance in which you are interested. The Calendar of Events and Entertainment sections of you local newspaper may provide information on scheduled dance classes and other dance events.

If your budgets permits, and you are so inclined, a local commercial dance studio will be happy to arrange a full program of private lessons, group lessons, weekly dance parties, trips to special dance events, etc. The local USA DANCE chapter and your new dancing friends are a good resource for obtaining information on pricing and quality of instruction, as these often vary from one place to another.

Selection of Your Instructor
Your most important decision after you decide to become a social dancer is the selection of your instructor. The instructors now working with your local USA DANCE chapter are a good source of qualified instruction.

Chapter Newsletters usually include a list of the local dance studios and independent instructors.

Ask each prospective instructor for a resume, including professional tests and examination credentials certifying the level of teaching qualification attained by that instructor. Such credentials, when accompanied by actual experience in teaching beginner dancers, such as yourself, offer a good measure of assurance that you will not waste your time and money learning things that at a later stage you will need to relearn.

Dance Styles
It is often a good idea to start with group lessons in the American style Bronze syllabus. This will give you a basic foundation for social dancing that will be useful all of your life. The odds are that after you become involved in group classes and witness dancing events, you will soon "pick" a favorite dance or dances in which to seek special training.

Partner Versus No Partner
Ballroom dance includes any dance performed with a partner. However, it is not necessary to have a regular partner when you first start dancing. Most group classes accept singles and you should not hesitate to commence without a partner.

However, if you already have a partner, it will be best that you learn together. You will quickly find that learning to dance together adds an entirely new and beneficial dimension to your relationship.

Private Lessons Versus Group Classes
Which are best? It depends on you and your budget. Private lessons are more expensive but they also provide individualized attention that can greatly speed up the learning process. On the other hand, group lessons are inexpensive and are a good way to try out a variety of dances and meet new friends.

Most beginner dancers find the environment of learning together as a group stimulating, challenging and lots of fun. Also, group classes provide social interplay and the opportunity to both meet and dance with other beginners. We recommend that you start your adventure into the new and joyful world of social dance by attending group classes with other beginners.

Some beginner dancers may feel the need for more privacy as they strive to untangle two left feet. In such cases, a few private lessons may give them the confidence to then join a group class.

If you are taking group lessons and find that you are unable to keep up with the group, miss some lessons or are having difficulty with a particular figure, it may be advisable to purchase a few private lessons and use them to catch up with your classmates.

Since group lessons tend to focus on steps and patterns rather than on technique, it is especially recommended that male students take a private lesson every few weeks and use that time to study the technique of movement involved, including how to effectively lead his partner through the figures taught in the group classes. Women will find that occasional private lessons help add style and grace to the movements they learn in group classes.

Contracts
Some studios and some independent dance instructors ask students to sign a contract for a specified number of lessons with a price that may include private lessons, group lessons, dance parties, workshops, dance weekends, cruises, etc. Just remember, none of it is free and you may not need or be able to take advantage of, or be able to afford all that is in such packages.

Back in November 1992, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning about the sales practices of some dance studios and suggested that potential problems can be avoided by comparison shopping for dance lessons. We encourage you to do that. To read those FTC suggestions, click: FTC-Dance Studios.

It is important that you not let this warning about contracts deter you from becoming a ballroom dancer. The best approach is to learn the basics of dancing without becoming involved in formal contracts. There are many excellent independent instructors and studios that offer dance instructions on a pay-as-you-go basis with no formal contracts. Seek them out and use their services whenever possible. USA DANCE will help you do that.

Key Elements
Becoming a good dancer always includes three key elements; expert instruction, practice and frequent use of what you are learning. If your training program does not include an appropriate amount of all three you will be wasting much of your time and money.

Take a few minutes each day to practice what you have been working on in class. 15 minutes each day in which you focus your mind and body on executing the figures will reinforce the learning process and give you the confidence to then apply those skills in a social dance setting.

Last, its vital that you attend a social dance at least once each week and put into use the things you have learned. Remember! " You use it or lose it!"

The Payoff
It will not happen overnight but as you learn and put into practice the things you learn in class your confidence in your dance abilities will increase and you will begin to capture the joy of dance. Soon dancers of the opposite sex will commence seeking you out and asking you to dance with them. You will have arrived!

A Special Request
Please copy this article and give it to all who are interested in learning to ballroom dance. Urge them to give it a whirl! Tell them that dancing will add zest and joy to their lives.

What sets apart the average dancer from the enjoyable dancer, the dancer you could dance with again and again without getting bored, the kind that leaves you thinking about the dance for days? Here are my top seven, the intangible qualities that distinguish the person who is a dancer in every sense of the word. Though many of these qualities overlap, and it is often difficult to separate one from the other, these qualities are the keys to a deeply satisfying social dance experience.

Connection. Partner dancing of any kind is a conversation. A conversation requires the input and teamwork of two people. You can't have a conversation if only one person speaks while the other listens. Instead, a conversation requires a constant give and take, call and response. Connection means a responsiveness to the other person, creating a dance that compliments the two of you. It also means forming a connection with the other person, being open to their interpretation of the music, their style of movement, their personality on the dance floor. This acceptance and trust is required of all dancers, from beginners to professionals. It is the glue that holds the dance together.

Lead & Follow. Leading and following are each unique skill sets that require much knowledge and practice. Leading well requires attention to the technical details of the dance, including the precise placement of the body and its parts, correct timing of the leads, and a constant creativity to connect the movements together to create a cohesive dance. Following, on the other hand, requires a deep responsiveness, an acceptance of the lead, technical precision in the angles of the turns and spins, and a unique interpretation and styling within the moves that are led. When the leader and the follower are committed to their roles in the partnership, there is an electric energy that flows between them. But this can't happen without the basic framework of the dance: the basic structure of the steps and the music as well as the techniques required of both leader and follower.

Body Movement. No two bodies move the same. The body movement of each person - from the ankles and feet to the knees and hips to the ribcage and shoulders - are like the uniqueness of a fingerprint. Blindfold an experienced social dancer and have them dance with five different people that he or she has danced with on a regular basis, and he or she will be able to identify each one immediately based on their body movement. Though technique can teach a dancer to move their body smoothly, they will still develop their own unique style of movement based on their level and type of training, previous movement experience, personality, and tastes. Though an experienced dancer may change his or her body movement to a certain extent based on their mood and the feel of the music, he or she still maintains a unique style of body movement that may be remembered by their partner long after the dance is over.

Musicality. If partner dancing is a conversation, then the song that is playing is the topic of the conversation. The music provides the tempo, sets the mood, and inspires the moves, the syncopations, and the styling. It allows two people to come together and explore its elements together, each sharing their own bodily interpretation of the music. As with body movement, each person has a unique interpretation of the song that can't be replicated, not by another person nor by the same person with the same song at a later time. Each dance is (or should be) a spontaneous creation in response to the richness and complexity of the music. This comes not just from knowledge of the music, but from a deep love for the music that comes from constant listening, adoring, exploring, and meditating.

Building. You wouldn't reveal intimate details of your life to a person at the very beginning of a conversation, and the best dancers don't do so at the beginning of a song. Music also follows this principle; songs don't begin with the most exciting parts at the beginning and then slow down at the end. Music builds. It starts out with a few verses and the first chorus and introduces itself, little by little, hinting at what is to come. In many salsa songs, for example, this developing and building happens until a minute and a half to two minutes into the song, when the music explodes and all that was hinted at lets loose and reveals itself. This is where the musicians break free and improvise, and the music starts kicking. These principles that apply to conversation and music also apply to dancing. The enjoyable leaders don't pull out a bunch of fancy moves as soon as they start dancing, trying to impress their partner with the number of moves they know and how fast they can spin their partner. Instead, they get to know their partner and the music, and build in intensity as the connection and the music build.

Expression. Every choice we make in life influences as well as expresses who we are. Dancing is no different. The way we dance - from our body movement to our musicality to our connection with others - expresses our personality and our values. In turn, our movement and musical choices also influence us and become part of who we are. It is this merging of body and mind, dance and identity, that makes dance so exciting and satisfying. The creativity and self-expression that allows us to know ourselves as well as others is a unique aspect of any spontaneous creative or physical endeavor. Dancers who are trying to impress an audience or who are too self-conscious of their appearance fail to connect with their partner in a cooperative act of expression. Instead, it is the honest dancers that are a joy to their partners and their audience.

Enjoyment. There are many qualities that come together to create the enjoyable dancer, but the ultimate requirement is the enjoyment of the dance, the in-the-moment quality that makes time stand still and fly by all at the same time. The ultimate purpose of pursuing the study of social dance - from the techniques of leading and following to the understanding of the music to the practice of moves and combinations and syncopations - is the maximum enjoyment of dancing for its own sake. This only happens when the dancer looks beneath the outward "cool" factor of salsa or tango and instead pursues the deeper aspects of connection, physicality, musicality and expression. That dancer is not motivated by fame or attention or bragging rights but by a deeper attraction to molding a unique creation with another person that can never be repeated. This one-of-a-kind unique experience is the joy of the truly enjoyable dancer.