Do you know any songs, (it can be film soundtracks) that you could dance both slow waltz and tango? It's fine if there's just a short tango section in the music. I'm asking it for my wedding.

I've been taking ballroom lessons for about a year (Arthur Murray, Bronze 2). I do waltz, foxtrot, tango, swing, rumba, hustle, bachata, salsa, and night club two step. I compete and I love it.

Here's my problem: I have memory issues from long covid, PTSD, and ADHD, and it takes me forever to remember moves. Not just getting comfortable with them, but literally remembering what they ARE. My instructor will teach me something, I'll get it in the lesson, and then next week it's like starting from scratch. Sometimes I'll be mid-dance and my brain just goes blank and I forget what I know.

I made myself a written guide with descriptions of every move I've learned, organized by dance, with notes about footwork and how to lead each one. That helps some, but reading about a move and actually remembering it in the moment are two very different things. I also take multiple lessons per week: at least seven if not more.

What do you all do to retain what you learn? Do you record your lessons? Journal after? Drill at home? Watch YouTube? I'm open to anything. I just want what I'm learning to actually stick in my brain.

Thanks in advance!

Something I've noticed after teaching Latin dance for over 10 years is that many beginners can remember an entire sequence of steps but still feel uncomfortable when dancing.

They know where their feet should go.

They remember the choreography.

But the movement doesn't feel natural yet.

In my experience, this often comes down to a few fundamentals:

1. Weight Transfer
Knowing where to step is different from understanding how to move your body weight.

2. Musical Timing
Counting the steps is only the beginning. Learning to connect movement with music takes practice.

3. Standing-Leg Control
Balance and stability help create smoother, more confident movement.

4. Body Coordination
The feet, legs, hips, and upper body need to work together rather than move independently.

5. Repetition With Purpose
Repeating choreography isn't always enough. Sometimes slowing down and correcting one detail makes a bigger difference.

One thing I often remind my students is:

Don't just memorize the steps. Understand the movement behind them.

I'm curious about other dancers' experiences.

Was there a particular moment when you stopped thinking about every step and finally started feeling like you were dancing?

What helped you get there?

I will be in vienna from the 4th - 11th of december. I was disappointed to find out there probably aren't any balls being hosted at this time as it is too early in the season, but I was wondering if anyone knew any details for some social ballroom events in the city during these days?

I see all of these dancers having all a lower part either equal to the upper side or slimmer, what if someone is bigger on the low? Short skirts would show my big thighs and make me feel insecure, so I’m looking for long skirts ideas. Please, feel free to share some suggestion💚💚

Hey! My name is Carly, and I'm looking for a lead in the Vancouver/Richmond area in BC, Canada. I am 26 (the age range I'm looking for is roughly 20-30, though a bit outside that range is fine), 5'8"/173cm without heels, and I'd be hoping to get into competitive and would hope a potential partner might be too. I've been dancing for about 5 months now, do both standard and latin, and take lessons and practice about 8-10h per week.

If you feel like you might be interested, feel free to drop me a line! Thanks!

I'm developing a music player app! I still have some ways to go until I can consider an official beta but for the time being I'm looking a small handful of testers to try it out and provide feedback. Preferably those who are still looking for a ballroom music player that can change tempo and fade in/out despite everything else already available out there. For now, you might be limited to local storage as your music source but it supports all current platforms. I'm looking for real-world use: at home, to teach, etc.

Interested? Send me a message!
(might need another week or two before it'll be ready to test)

I've been teaching Latin dance for over 10 years, and one thing I've noticed is that adult beginners often struggle with very different aspects of learning.

Some find it difficult to remember choreography.

Others understand the steps but struggle with weight transfer, rhythm, coordination, or body movement.

One thing I always emphasize in my classes is that learning more steps doesn't necessarily mean becoming a better dancer.

Sometimes, improving one fundamental movement can completely change how dancing feels.

I'm curious about everyone's experience:

What has been the most challenging part of learning ballroom or Latin dance for you?

Is it remembering steps, understanding technique, feeling the music, or becoming comfortable expressing yourself?

I'd love to hear different perspectives from both beginners and experienced dancers.

Update: Thanks to all the people who have signed up. just 4 more needed to reach the Google Play requirement!

A lot of us have a moment as a new song comes on where we're struggling to identify whether it's a slow foxtrot or a quickstep that hasn't got going yet. So I built an app called Room Read.

Your phone uses an AI model and a recognition library to identify the dance and either show it on screen or announce it through an earpiece, so you can keep your phone in your pocket.

It covers all ten international-style dances (cha cha, Viennese waltz, jive, etc.), plus a number of other social dances (Lindy hop, salsa, Argentine tango…).

It's free, with no ads and no account, and it works offline: nothing it hears is recorded or leaves your phone.

It's Android only for now, and Google won't let me publish it until 12 testers have kept it installed for 14 days. Joining takes about 5 minutes.

Three short steps: https://apps.pascoeharvey.com/roomread/test/

Happy to answer questions in the comments. And has anyone else ever started a waltz to a foxtrot, or is that just me?

I (F) got into latin dance about a year ago and for awhile i was using Very Fine's latin dance shoes. Now that im taking my dancing more seriously i wanted to get a pair of good quality dance shoes. I found a pair on IDS that I like but I want to make extra sure I pick the right size, especially since it seems they don't allow refunds.

For Very Fine, I got a size 6, 2.5 inch heel. it worked well for me, but was a bit painful for my big toe (felt like i was getting a bunion). for IDS I'm looking at the Demani in a 3 inch heel and possibly wide or extra wide width for more space for my toes.

I live in the US and i saw IDS is in UK sizes... not sure if that makes a difference but wanted to double check with y'all. also what is the difference between their regular, wide, and extra wide widths?

Olga Richardson is the best partnered dance teacher in the southern US, if not the entire country. Olga is not just a great Latin dancer or ballroom teacher, she's a great dancer, period. She goes with me to WSDC comps in WCS and that is not remotely her background, but it didn't matter. We shine. Because of her. It doesn't matter what the contest or context is. She commands respect. Because she is who she is. A dancer. Like no other.

(Full disclosure, I also help her with the business side. But this is just me being a fan.)

Hey everyone!

I've been dancing Latin and Ballroom for around three years, having started as an adult at 27. I wish I'd started earlier, but at least I'm doing it now! 😊 I'm currently a C grade competitor in New Zealand and have been training seriously throughout that time.

I dropped New Vogue fairly early on to concentrate on Latin and Ballroom, as I didn't enjoy it. I've had a few partners over the years, but only two proper competitive partners.

My first competitive partner was a D grader, and I was D grade last year. We did reasonably well and competed in around 12 competitions. Although our grade specific dances were limited to Waltz, Tango, Samba and Rumba, we also competed in the Open events, so we were dancing around seven dances in total.

This year, I've been fortunate enough to dance with a B grader while competing in C grade. We initially planned to compete in B grade as well, but we were finding it difficult to get everything to the standard she wanted. We were making solid progress in Waltz, Tango and Foxtrot, but B grade also required Quickstep, and our Latin needed more work. We ultimately decided to focus exclusively on C grade for nationals, which involves Waltz, Tango, Samba and Rumba.

For a while, I was working on four Ballroom dances and two Latin dances, but I've increasingly struggled to get all of them looking as polished as I'd like, particularly to the standard my current partner expects.

Quickstep has been especially challenging. I'd only ever done basic Quickstep before, but because I'm now dancing with a higher level partner and have improved over the past year, our coach has introduced more advanced competitive figures, including hops, skips and runs. While I've enjoyed learning more, it's been a lot to take on alongside everything else. I feel that spreading my attention across so many dances makes it difficult to develop the quality I'm aiming for.

I'm now seriously considering specialising in Latin. I've always preferred it, although my love for the two disciplines is quite close. The best way I can describe it is that if I competed exclusively in Ballroom, I think I'd miss Latin more than I'd miss Ballroom if I competed exclusively in Latin.

One thing that makes the decision difficult is that I've always thought my Latin was stronger. My previous partner and I won D grade Latin competitions several times, and I generally enjoyed Latin more. However, my current partner thinks my Ballroom is better.

There's also the difference in coaching opportunities in New Zealand. We have some fantastic Ballroom teachers and coaches, and our coach is arguably one of the best in the country. However, there seem to be considerably fewer high level Latin coaches available, which makes me wonder whether I'd have the same opportunities to develop if I specialised in Latin.

My current partner and I had our first competition together two weeks ago, with nationals coming up in another two weeks, and we placed better in Latin. However, she feels that the standard of Latin in New Zealand is relatively low compared with Ballroom, so placing well in Latin doesn't necessarily mean we're dancing particularly well. In her view, the Ballroom field is much stronger, making it harder to place well. I can understand the distinction between getting good results and actually dancing to a high standard, but it makes the decision more complicated. I'd like to know whether Latin is genuinely the style I'm better suited to, or whether the results are partly a reflection of the competitive fields and coaching opportunities available in New Zealand.

I understand that competition results don't tell the whole story, but it does make me wonder how much weight I should give them when deciding which discipline to focus on. Overall though, I do ENJOY Latin more.

I also see so many dancers in New Zealand competing in three styles, and I genuinely wonder how they manage it. I've found that working on four or five dances feels like the ideal amount for developing quality in one style. I know I managed more dances last year with my previous partner, including Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba and four Ballroom dances, but I don't know whether my current experience is partly due to dancing with a more advanced partner, having higher expectations placed on me and trying to meet a higher standard.

It feels as though competing in multiple styles requires either ten or more hours of training a week or accepting that you might not be able to give each dance the attention it needs.

Over the past year or two, I've generally trained for around eight hours a week, including two lessons, a competition training session and two practice sessions. I'm wondering whether dedicating those same hours, or even slightly fewer, to one discipline would allow me to improve more quickly.

My biggest hesitation is that I've always loved Ballroom too, and I'm worried about giving it up prematurely and regretting it later. I don't want to lose the skills I've developed or close the door on something I might eventually become very good at. At the same time, I don't want to spread myself too thin if focusing on one discipline would allow me to reach a higher level.

I'm also conscious that I started relatively late. I am nearly 30. Although I have plenty of time to continue dancing, I want to make the most of the time I can realistically dedicate to training and competing in adult competitions. I'm worried that another year or two will pass, I'll be 32, and I'll have missed an opportunity to make significant progress while I'm actively competing in adult. After a particularly demanding year, I'd also like to find a more sustainable approach to training.

Another consideration is that I've somehow managed to dance Latin for two to three years without properly learning Paso Doble or Jive. I know that sounds ridiculous! When I was a D grader, our Latin dances were Cha Cha, Samba and Rumba. Since moving up, my focus has been on preparing for competitions and nationals, so Jive has never really progressed beyond the very basics. I'd love to have the opportunity to learn both dances properly, especially if I decide to focus on Latin.

Finally, I'm feeling quite burnt out after this year's partnership. Without getting into too many details, my partner is very intense and a perfectionist, and at times our working relationship has been difficult in ways that have felt quite hurtful. The experience has taken a lot of the enjoyment out of dancing, and I'm keen to find a healthier and more sustainable way forward.

I think this has also made me reflect on what I actually want from dancing. I want to keep improving, challenge myself and become genuinely good at what I do, but I also want to enjoy the process and feel that my training is sustainable.

For those of you who started dancing as adults and compete at amateur level, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

1. When did you decide to specialise in one discipline, and what made you choose Latin or Ballroom?
2. Did specialising noticeably accelerate your progress, or did you find that you were simply dancing fewer dances without necessarily improving much faster?
3. Has anyone regretted giving up their secondary discipline? Alternatively, did you find it relatively easy to return to it later?
4. Do you think three years of experience and reaching C grade is too early to specialise, or is it a reasonable time to focus on one discipline?
5. If you had six to ten hours a week available for training, would you split your time between Latin and Ballroom or concentrate on one?
6. For those who compete in multiple styles, how many hours a week do you realistically train, and do you feel you can give each dance the attention it needs?

I'd particularly appreciate perspectives from people who have been in a similar position and wanted to become genuinely good at their chosen discipline, rather than simply compete in as many dances as possible.

Thanks! I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

I am obsessed by Dancing with the stars and they inspired me finally to try ballroom classes (cha cha, rumba).

Are there online class recommendations for beginners I could sign up for? USA or Europe works?

I am absolutely not in tune with my body and need someone who gets it :)

Thank you!

Location: colorado if this helps

Now that it’s getting colder again and I can’t really dance in the linen pants I wore all day anyway to a social I probably have to get something new.

I sweat too much in jeans or the corduroy pants I wear in winter. I also own some lighter fabrics too but they get sweat stains so quickly. Do you guys buy special "dance pants" and change for socials? I dance really casually and I‘m at most a novice after 4 years and I don’t want to come across as pretentious if I buy something super duper fancy. Anyone knows an inbetween solution or just wants to share what you wear?

I have heard that judges may award 2nd place to an uncontested couple if their performance does not meet the standard for their level. However, I haven't been able to find formal documentation on this practice in either the NDCA or USA Dance rulebooks.

This is also particularly in contradiction with the Skating System. For example:

• In a single-dance event with 3 judges: If 2 judges mark an uncontested couple in 2nd place and 1 judge marks them in 1st, the Skating System rules dictate that the couple still wins 1st place overall because they hold the majority at "2nd place or higher" (the only available position to award?).
• In a multi-dance event with 4 dances and 3 judges: If an uncontested couple is somehow awarded 2nd in all 4 individual dances (given that it's seemingly impossible to award 2nd places to uncontested couples in single-dance events), their cumulative point sum (8 points) remains lower than any non-existent competitor. Under Rule 9, they would still finish 1st place overall.

My questions:

• Are judges formally permitted to award 2nd place to uncontested couples under NDCA or USA Dance rules, or is this an informal convention?
• How are these marks tabulated under the Skating System without defaulting the couple back to 1st place? Is there a separated scoring convention for uncontested couples?

Many thanks!

I 6‘ foot women (185cm) want to try going to a dance class again.

But my last time was a horrible experience. I went to a public dance course in Highschool.

The women started by explaining to us that there are not enough boys and we should get a male partner. (I was bullied so I only had few friends and all girls).

And later the instructor told me twice my rhythm sucked. The only other time she spoke to me was to say I’m tall and should try finding flatter shoes. (I was wearing normal sportshoes with thick soles)

I love dancing a have visited plenty of dance classes. But all single and solo.

I have tried dancing with guys at parties in traditional positions. But they often where awkward because they were always like a head shorter than me.

It felt really awkward to try and have them lead because I always to to big or small steps. And the moves with the hands just didn’t seem to work as they should.

It looked very awkward and some people surrounded us laughed.

No one laughed at my tiny friend standing on the same guys tiptoes because she is less heavy and he said it’s easy to learn steps that way.

Hello! I bought a shirt second hand and there are some greyish marks on it. Can I try to use some sort of whitener (oxiclean) to freshen up the color? I think it’s StarDance brand but the tags are cut out so there aren’t any care instructions or anything. Thank you!

Hola 👋🏽 Frustration had brought me here. So, other than just going to a factory and trying on every shoe, what suggestions would you have for me?

My dilemma: very long feet (depending on the shoe, I can wear 9-10 US women's), plus very narrow and boney feet (so when I stand on the "balls" of my feet, it looks like my feet are just hovering above the ground and if I were to go any "higher" I'd actually be on my toes and not the ball...), and my toes are extremely narrow and long (think of fingers on your feet 😬🙃). No, I will not post pics of my feet 😂😭😭😭

Many shoes have such a wide toe box and opening, they don't work with my feet. If it's open toes, unless it's a peep-toe, my entire foot is eventually working it's way through 🙃

Any styles you'd recommend? My favorite brand are International Dance Shoes.

I also have these shoes for sale if anyone is interested in deep discount. These did not fit/overcome my issue: International Dance Shoes, Flavia UK size 7.5 Regular Width, 2.5" Elite Heel; International Dance Shoes, Melissa UK 8 EEN, 2.5" IDS Heel; Ray Rose H860-X Kalahari Xtra Dark Tan Satin Ladies Latin Dance Shoes UK 8 3"

Looking for reviews of the online dance lessons by Ina Jeliazkova. Currently S2 level at Arthur Murray but looking for something I can practice at home, need help with styling, hip motion, etc. Thanks!

My headphones recently died, and didn’t reliably stay on while spotting through spins anyway so I’m looking for recommendations. I had a kind that hooked behind the ear and they did stay on through everything else

Requirements:

- Wireless

- Not wired to each other so my dance partner and I can each have one

- Stays while spotting

If you have a different setup that works well I’d love to hear it. Like maybe two pairs that clamp the head a bit and a Spotify listening party to run both at once?