With recent dancing shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars it seems everyone wants to learn to ballroom dance. Ballroom dancing, one of the more elegant social graces, has largely faded from the American lifestyle over the past 50 years.

So, it's a good thing that these shows have helped renew interest in the art form. If you're one of the many that would like to enrich their lives by learning to ballroom dance, you're in luck. There are a few high quality dance instruction courses that have hit the market recently, which I'm going to introduce here. Both are DVD packages that teach you the major styles comprising ballroom dancing. In my opinion they're excellent values that will save you a lot of money by alleviating the need for studio dancing lessons, which can get very expensive. And you'll get to learn in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a partner and a little free space.

The benefit of learning at home is something that can be appreciated by most. Who wants to make embarrassing missteps and silly mistakes in front of glaring strangers at a dancing studio? I'd prefer to do the learning in private and then "put my best foot forward" in public after becoming proficient in ballroom dancing.

Learn and Master Ballroom Dancing is an exceptional DVD instruction package sold by Legacy Learning Systems. In case you aren't familiar with them, this company is well-known for its high-quality educational materials. With each of their numerous self-study courses they employ instructors that are recognized experts in their field to guide you through the learning process. Furthermore, the video quality, teaching aids, and diagrams featured are always of the highest caliber. Their ballroom dance course is no exception.

The course consists of 13 lessons DVD's, a 75 page instruction book, 6 dance-along music CD's, and great online student support. The instructors, Mark Short and Jaimee Simon, are well-known and respected throughout the ballroom dancing world. They do a very good job at presenting the lessons in an engaging and clear manner. All of the major styles are covered: swing, foxtrot, waltz, tango, cha cha, and rumba. The video clip included here is a good introduction to the course and the competence of the instructors.

International orders are accepted along with extended payment options.

Louis van Amstel is no stranger to ballroom dancing. He's associated with the TV series Dancing with the Stars as a choreographer and dance instructor for the celebrities. His Let's Dance course brings you expert instruction with 8 DVD's and 1 dance-along music CD. Eight dance styles are covered: waltz, foxtrot, tango, cha cha, jive, rhumba, samba, and salsa.

At times there seems to be a little more focus on the sexual chemistry between Louis and his partner Irina rather than on the dancing (more so than with the Learn and Master course). Although Irina is a talented dancer, she plays no part in the instruction and functions more as a prop. This also is decidedly different from the Learn and Master course, in which both dance instructors give direction to their female and male students. However, the instruction is top-notch and you'll definitely learn the dances. The course is available for instant download in wmv format, but also includes the VOB files so you can make your own DVD copies. You have two options for downloading the courses: all eight courses together or by picking a group of three at a time.

International orders are accepted as well.

As I said before, it's great that many are wanting to learn to ballroom dance.  The benefits of doing so are numerous:

• It's and excellent form of exercise.  And not the boring kind of exercise that going to a gym is - dancing is fun and invigorating!
• Learning to dance will give you a very satisfying sense of achievement and accomplishment - an intangible benefit that does wonders for your confidence and mental spirits. 
  
• It will certainly impress your friends and family, along with any ladies or gentlemen you might have your eyes on.
• It will improve intimacy and romance between you and your spouse/partner. 
  

So, whatever form you choose to learn to ballroom dance (paid lessons or self-study courses), I hope that you'll take up the challenge - you'll be very happy that you did. It has certainly been a blessing in my life.