KAndre – probably depends on how the teacher runs the class. The main teacher in my area has everybody switch partners quite frequently – so you don’t have to show up with a partner already. Personally, I think this is better, because it encourages people to learn to lead/follow, rather than just memorizing a pattern that you do with the same partner the same way every time. The better dance classes will have you dancing with more than one person, IMHO.
Cool! I vaguely remember always leading when I learned the box waltz(?) back in jr. high for gym class (not co-ed).
Any suggestions on what to avoid?
I enjoy dancing, and have taken several classes from CW to salsa. I have been told that I lead well. The only problem is that I will dance for a while, then get distracted by other types of activities forget what I learned. It would be easier if I had a dance partner I could rely on. I am not real good at asking strangers to dance, but if I already know someone then no prob. I would love to try ballroom sometime.
I like to dance, although I don’t know how to dance well (specifically salsa and merengue). 
It is good, though, when I get a good partner willing to guide me and I can dance for a while with him. 
I can dance slower dances and ska/reggae alone, and often do. Aaah… I wish I could do that every night, good workout.
Hey Zap_Rowsdower, where’d you take your classes? Perhaps regular dancing could be arranged.
KarlGrenze, you’re absolutely right. It is a great workout, and since it doesn’t seem like exercise, that immediation reaction of “Exercise! Ick!” doesn’t kick in for me.
I love to dance as well. My husband, althoiugh not too big on dancing, is a sometime willing partner. We have a big family wedding to go to in December and he always promised to take a dance class with me. Now would seem an opportune time because the wedding will be a Mexican wedding with lots of polkas and cumbias. I need to have a partner this time; I’m tired of fighting over my Dad with my Mom. Poor man will have a heart attack.
KAndre I have taken my lessons at http://www.ssqq.com/ Usually there are more women in the classes, but they frequently change partners so you can get used to dancing with many types. However most of the classes I have been in the men out number the women, though they usually will pull more experienced women from other classes to fill in.
Nah, I was there, too (or at least 1986-89)…although we were more often at the Tunnel. My first intro to the club scene, as I didn’t turn 18 until Sept. 1986…
Here’s a funny related story…to make it to the head of the line and have the bouncers actually let us in, we found it helped to be dressed a bit on the eclectic side. One day I went out and bought this really cool (to my Midwestern sensibilities) dark purple shirt with little batik white stars all over it from a little Indian place in the Village. My roomie and I went out dancing, and were soon completely drenched in sweat…we grabbed a cab back to the dorm at about 5 am, and peeled our clothes off in the dark and crashed into bed.
The next morning I was quite dismayed to discover the amazing powers of batik dye transfer when I got up to take a shower…my entire upper body was dark purple with little white stars! I tried to take the shirt back, but the store owner just thought I was stupid, because doesn’t EVERYONE wash all their new clothes in a solution of cold water, vinegar, and salt before wearing them?
I assume it varies quite a lot, so look for a class that suits you.
I go to a fairly social class at my university, where non-couples is the norm, and only occasionally get really left out.
(I did notice that in the first few weeks there was a surplus of women, (who often danced with each other), but later there was a surplus of men. I don’t know why.)
Thanks, Zap_Rowsdower and Shade, Strangely enough, I feel a little reassured if there be a surplus of women, I’ll always have a dance partner!
I like dancing! I don’t know how, exactly, but it’s never stopped me yet.
I like Contradance and English Country Dancing and that’s about it.
But I also like more folksy music (i.e., less rock and roll and pop stuff) and I like the elegance of the English Country Dance. Makes me fell like Jane Austen.
I lurve to dance. I’m not much for dances that actually have steps, but just moving your body to music… I love it. It’s just a great means of self-expression, a way to feel the music and make it a part of your whole body. I don’t dance very often because I don’t really have anyplace to dance, as I’m only 19 (20 in about 2 weeks!) and the cover charges for under-21s at clubs around here are atrocious, plus I don’t really have anyone to go with… but any chance I get, I dance.
I LOOOOOOOVe Dancing, I teach it and especially teach line dancing.
You’d love my line dancing classes. I teach at a university, and the students are fond of saying (after a few classes and they’re thinking "THIS is “LINE DANCING???”).
This AIN’Tcher Achy Breaky.
I use hip-hop, techno and rock almost exclusively and any country I do use is more along the lines of what we used to call southern rock.
The dances themselves tend to be choreagraphed with sporty/hip-hop/jazz moves too rather than yer boring grapevines and heel touches.
We have a group up here that does the “traditional” line dances and we call them “boards with feet” 
Anyway, back to the OPs question. I love dancing so much that I’m leaving Alaska for Texas to move to where there actually IS a decent dance community, Anchorage’s has dwindled to nearly nothing.
Same here, CanvasShoes, when I teach them. I try to find more interesting and newer dances, to newer music. You won’t find me teaching Achy Breaky – no way in hell! I just wish the regulars at the club I teach at could handle more of the newer stuff…
I presume you would know about the Kickit database. What choreographers do you look for when you need new dances? I like Jo Thompson’s stuff, in particular.
For those who think line dancing is mostly of the Achy Breaky variety, think again. It’s gotten very big over in Europe, in fact – and there are tons of people doing line dance at the competitions over there. To plenty of types of music – country, techno, latin, and others.
Partly as something to do and partly to learn how before our wedding so we didn’t look like complete tools at the reception, featherlou and I started taking lessons a couple years ago and have had a pretty good time with it. We now know enough different dances and moves to actually look pretty good to the casual observer. In particular, we love the Latin dances – merengue, cha-cha, cumbia, salsa, mambo. Can’t say as we like bachata and we have yet to try a tango, but I’m game to give it a shot eventually.
We have an excellent instructor here, a world-class salsa dancer (he and his partner have won or placed in a number of international salsa competitions), who has done a very good job teaching us.
I’m told that I lead very well compared to many of the people in our classes.
Although we live in Calgary, home of the friggin’ Stampede (or perhaps because of it) I have taken the stand that I will not learn any country dancing, to the disappointment of my wife. I don’t have anything against the dances themselves, just the mere thought of doing anything that involves country music – not my taste at all, I’m afraid.
**Dread Pirate Jimbo ** I’m not a big country fan either, though I do have a couple of CDs. I never listen to it on the radio, but for some reason I really enjoy dancing to it. The dancing is fun, so I would say at least give it a try. Remember your wife will then owe you something.
I love to dance. I can do swing and I might remember some merengue, but usually I just go out to a goth club and flail around. Best exercise in the world.
Oh man, do I love dancing. Well ok, not just dancing, dancing to latin music. I don’t mind getting on the dance floor and jumping around to the latest techno or whatever, but put some latin music on and I’m there. Back in the day I loved dancing disco too, but unlike latin music, I found that to look good dancing disco you really needed to pratice with your partner. Not so with latin music. Even with a new partner, a little direction, a look down to make sure you’re both on the same beat, and you’re off. Looking like you’ve been dancing together for years.
I love the intimacy of latin dacing too, you’re holding your partner’s hand, your arm around her waist, and if you’re dancing merengue you’re working hard to put a shine on both your belt buckles, or slightly below that. But even on a generic salsa, you’re both there. And come on, the beat is so obvious, it’s easy to dance.
Oh yeah, and this applies to dance in general, I also love the feeling, after dancing song after song, of sweat dripping from my body, but not feeling tired or out of breath at all.
I adore dancing. I want to take ballroom dance classes, but Mr. Kalhoun doesn’t dance. And they frown upon bringing a female partner (why! What’s the dif?). I dance with my cats all the time. And I enjoy dancing and singing with my “hairbrush microphone” to Annie Lennox. On my coffee table stage.
I danced with Mr. Kalhoun once. I had to tell him that the key to dancing was to MOVE ONE’s FEET! He’s all upper-body boogie and no hooves. It’s a pity, really. He doesn’t hate it. Just no self-confidence.