"Instructional Videos"

In an effort to see what is out there I recently made the mistake of renting a dance video. Here are my thoughts after suffering through about twenty minutes of an "instructional ballroom dance video." :) As a public service announcement I beg anyone reading this to just put them down and either rent a classic worth your time or hire a qualified instructor. Other than being so incredibly boring you never want to dance again, they are just impractical. Instructors for beginner's dance on these videos are trying to communicate steps (which can be done) but tend to leave out anything that makes the dance unique or impressive. Styling, movement, connection, posture, emotion etc. are the things that make any dance worth learning and makes them different from each other, not to mention fun to do or watch! While they are probably well-intended I think the only product of instructional videos tends to be frustrated people who hate dancing because it is so boring. It clearly can be the most exciting, exhilarating and fun thing you can learn which is just so far from the clinical and intensely repetitive instruction you get in these things. In conclusion (and stepping off my soapbox, thank you :)) there are I'm sure, out there somewhere, notable exceptions but if you start falling asleep just turn it off and give me a call :)