Rating: 
Summary: CHOCK FULL OF USEFUL, READABLE INFORMATION
Review: This book is NOT for complete idiots. . . it is for those smart enough to recognize the absolutely best introduction on the market to ballroom dancing, Latin dancing and disco-hustle dancing. As the author of the dance book HUSTLE, which has become a standard for that dance, I can tell you THIS IS THE BOOK TO LEARN FROM! It comes with a FREE CD picked especially to match the right music with the right dance. The author gives you everything you need to get started and then to succeed. Jeff gives you the motivation by letting you know all the wonderful advantages of dancing. He gives you the basic information, with plenty of close-up photos to help. There are lots of useful tips that will be helpful to social dancers of all levels. The author writes explanations that are clear and complete. Many short boxed notes call the reader's attention to important points. Other boxed notes lighten the reading with interesting "dance trivia" and cartoons. Two chapters on the history of dancing have enough information to satisfy even the most curious. If your big day is soon and you need help to make sure your wedding dance comes out just right, Jeff has just what you need. Turn to Chapter 4--Dancing Through Your Big Day. Very useful extras include a glossary, a list of references, a list of dance related websites, and an extensive index. The book is very thorough and very readable.
Add to this the low price, and you get a bargain not to be passed up.
Rating: 
Summary: For beginners?
Review: This is an excellent book. I danced in college and competed at the open bronze level but my husband had never danced and this book gave us both the skills to become better dancers. Everything is covered in this book, timing, body flight, technique, styling, and figures! This is a must have book for anyone who really wants to know how to ballroom dance! So many books are just lists of steps with no attention to styling and technique but not this one! Anybody can learn footwork patterns but that does not make you a dancer...this book has all the information you need to really dance! I just want Jeff Allen to write a sequel!
Rating:
Summary: The ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL Ballroom dance book!!
Review: This is an excellent book. I danced in college and competed at the open bronze level but my husband had never danced and this book gave us both the skills to become better dancers. Everything is covered in this book, timing, body flight, technique, styling, and figures! This is a must have book for anyone who really wants to know how to ballroom dance! So many books are just lists of steps with no attention to styling and technique but not this one! Anybody can learn footwork patterns but that does not make you a dancer...this book has all the information you need to really dance! I just want Jeff Allen to write a sequel!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Impressed by Level of Detail
Review: Wonderful! Another dance book to read. How many times do I have to read that the count for Fox Trot is Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick. With a title of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ballroom Dancing," I should have known there would have been more information. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was impressed with the level of detail. But being impressed, I was amazed at the level of attention to technique.
So many teachers concentrate on steps that no or little attention is paid on how to move. The noted Argentine Tango teacher, Daniel Trenner, said at the Tango Locura tango festival in Montreal "To dance Argentine Tango, you first have to learn how to dance before you can learn Argentine Tango. Some people try to get to Argentine Tango without going through dance." Trenner's comments apply to ballroom dancing as well. This book will help you get through dance.
The title can put some dance enthusiasts off. After all, what person is going to walk into a bookstore and say "Hello. I'm an idiot. Where can I find a book on dancing?"
Jeff begins the book with a history of dance. (Did you know women wear long white gloves in the 1700s to prevent the contact of flesh?) Throughout the book, there are tidbits of information in small boxes ("Bet you didn't know" and "Ballroom Bloopers.")
the book is divided into five parts:
I. Before the Ball
II. Before your Ball (includes a CD with all the dances discussed in the book
III. Two Becoming One: Creating the Dance Couple
IV. Fred and Ginger: Here we Come: The Smooth Dances
Waltz, Fox Trot, American Tango, Vienesse Waltz
V. This Stuff's Hot and Spicy
Rumba, Merengue, Samba, Cha Cha, Mambo, East Coast Swing, HustleExamples of details: Man's and woman's steps listed separately with exacting detail "step on the ball or heel of the foot. Lot of discussion on contrabody motion. For those not familiar with contrabody, consider the body divided at the waist. Each half requires flexibility so that each half can turn with the other. The book is like an "How to do it" instruction manual. The author stands behind his product by including his email address for correspondence. How many authors do you know that encourage their readers to call them? Beginners can read about the steps. But what about the music. No problem! The book includes a CD with musical selections of the discussed dances. You don't even have to go to a music store to buy CDs. This is NOT the author's first dance book. I reviewed "Quick Start to Tango" which covers American and Argentine Tangos. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ballroom Dancing" is a welcome addition to any dancer's reference library. You won't be an idiot after you read it! Michael Ditkoff has been dancing ballroom for five years and is a regular columnist for the "La Voz del (Argentine) Tango" magazine.
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