Another one for the competitive set (especially for ladies who stone their own costumes)

Are there any ways to get decent stones at a reasonable price? Obviously, we all ant the best quality possible, but the prices really add up quickly.

OTOH, cheaper quality stones can look so... cheap.  

Is there a middle road somewhere?  What do you do to get stoned on the cheap?

Another one for the newbies.

Any tips or pointers for how to get the perfect fit for court shoes?  Any particular styles you like?  Why?

To be honest, I am not  fan of court shoes.  It's hard for me to find a shoe with a comfortable toe box, if I follow the usually fitting recommendations.  Are there any nice court shoes out there with a more rounded toe box?  Pointy toe box = bunion city, soone or later, IMHO.

Any ponters, ladies? (pun acknowledged  )

The idea for this thread came from another PDOer who mentioned having been told that she and her partner made as much progress in a few years as many couples make in twenty years.

This got me thinking. I think  most of us would love to hear that we were making exceptionally quick progress in our dance studies.  But the question I have is HOW to get those kinds of speedy results.  More lessons? More practice? Better coaches?  Or does it all come down to natural ability?

What do you think?

Walk is the best exercise for the core?  Hmm.  Must be some sort of special walking -- making sure to keep the core muscles engaged, maybe?

I can't see a leisurely stroll helping much. *confused*

Has anybody found a comprehensive calendar?  It looks like the info is in bits  and pieces all over the web. 

A quick google gave me this:

http://dcdancenet.com/competitions/

Same here.  I have't heard of any dance socials that excluded non-members.  The strictly social dance studio would have a private outing a few times a year (at a dance club or dinner club,) but I haven't heard of  "members only" dances.  Usually, it's the more the merrier.

Exclusive events seem awfully rude to me.

Which explains why so many teams have to solicit donations of costumes and shoes.

Even though I understand what's being said, I  have trouble wrapping my mind around pro-am being a partnership.  I do think that, as one progresses to higher levels, it gets closer to being a real partnership.

I also think that keeping clear line between teacher and student an be a very god thing for both of.  Partner sounds a bit egalitarian for my taste.  It's a fundamentally unequal relationship, no matter which way you look at it.  The teacher is in the position of authority.  The students holds the purse strings.  And I don't think the two cancel each other out.

It's an unbalanced relationship.  I like the idea of using terminology to remind everyone of that.  But I'm strange that way.

I response to the question as originally posed, the answer is neither.  I'd rather not have a teacher that bestows undeserved praise OR one who yells.

Someone earlier in the thread (QPO?) mentioned having a coach that uses different teaching techniques with different students.  To me, that sounds like a teacher who's on the right track. Not every student learns the same way.

Therefore my great respect. They must have car washing hard during the weekends . J.k.

On the other hand, my team (well, last team) did shows free...and provided pro shows. But we have memberships fee, and I think that the other team is completely free.