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'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.

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.

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"

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!

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?

I really want to learn the Viennese waltz, but I can't seem to find any instructors in the Philippines. I want to prepare for my trip to Austria in the future. Would you guys know anyone/any school I can learn from?

Usually my feet doesnt hurt after dancing but the last 2 weeks, the balls of my feet have been hurting

I do about 2 to 4 hrs a week of social dancing as a follower.

The shoes have about 80 hours on them. But they are cheap ones from Amazon.

Could it be the shoes?

Hi, I just moved to Milan for grad school and was hoping to find a ballroom dance club or community but struggling a little to find something for my skill level. I was on the UK university circuit as a pre-Inter before this and have been dancing on/off for a few years now as both leader and follower. I definitely don’t want to do just social dancing, but I’m not looking for a really serious partnership and my technique needs work. So far I can only find beginner social classes or coaches who train existing couples, is there anywhere that does more technique or competition-focused group classes? Can be in Italian too, but ideally on the more affordable side (proportionally for ballroom anyways lol) for a student. I do Latin as well but ballroom is what I love most. Would be super grateful for any advice 😊

Hello, I'm looking to join an event in the early parts of next year and I am needing a partner to do dance training with and specifically, the way that ballroom dancing works. Unfortunately, there are no classes near me and I would much prefer to have private lessons with someone rather than with a large group. Is there anyone in the Dundee Perth area? Who may be interested? Yes, I am a guy looking for a female partner to do the dancing with. There are multiple private teachers nearby. Just I have no partner to go with.

I know nothing about ballroom! But I’ve been watching Dancing with the Stars and after tonight’s episode I am wondering how common are partner related injuries like hitting someone in the nose/face?

How are they handled? Does it cause tension or is it just an accepted part of the sport?

I've been weightlifting and doing general fitness stuff for a few years and just started ballroom lessons about two months ago. I figured my leg strength and stamina would make picking things up easier, and honestly the endurance part is true. I don't gas out during lessons anymore. But the mechanics are wildly different. In lifting you brace hard and lock things down. In ballroom you still need that core control but everything else has to stay fluid and mobile. My lats and traps are tight from years of pulling work, and my teacher keeps telling me to relax my shoulders down and back instead of pinning them. It's a weird mental shift to be strong but loose at the same time.

Footwork is the other thing. I'm used to planting my feet and driving through the ground. Floating across the floor with any sort of grace is a whole different skill set. My calves were actually sore after the first few weeks from the constant ball-of-foot work.

Did your prior training speed up your progress, or did you spend just as much time unlearning tension patterns? I'm trying to figure out if I should dial back my gym days a bit to give my body room to adapt to the different movement demands, or if the strength base is worth keeping as is.

I’ve been dancing for about 3 years and I’ve being taking my lessons and participating in events like a good student.

When it comes to the dance levels, is there some kind of test or certification I need to take to prove I’m bronze, silver, gold etc.?

I’d imagine if you start competing you’d need to show your qualifications for your category. Or is that not a thing?

Anyone have any novel solutions they've tried for securely holding the competition bib numbers on your clothing? Hard to believe we're still relying on safety pins in the 21st century. I cry a little every time I poke a new hole in my very expensive smooth jacket and was wondering what alternatives have been field tested.

I have some super strong race bib magnets on the way that I'll take for a test run.