All fair comment. I do have my studio of choice. It's the mama bear of the 3 bears tale. Going to the others for extra time / practice. Still having fun. D lack confidence but coming along

An update on last years post..........
I have continued with injury interruptions since last March and thoroughly enjoy it!
I've continued going to multiple studios (now five) and find them all to be beneficial for their instruction and for their availability to provide options on different nights.
Also for the variety in partners for the chance to check to see if I can actually lead by taking a figure from one place to another.
I have a couple of partners to take lessons with and attend two studio dances weekly for practice.

I've progressed to being able to made it through 9 or 10 different dances I'd say with some modest level of proficiency in 5.

Taking Bronze 1 and 2 classes now. Doing up to 12 hours a week when able (and uninjured).

I do need both knees replaced and have a bad back so am compromised but can still manage most of the time. Lost 4 months completely and dipped my toes back in for a couple months before getting back at it.

Certainly glad to have started and intend to continue as long as possible.

It's seems to be a throwback activity from a different age.

All the people I've met are gracious and polite. From all walks of life and all ages. I understand some of the comments made in response to my post of last year much better now.
One unanticipated note. I now tell friends what I doing and they all think I'm just grazing for women..............Is that a common response?

In reply to your question (One unanticipated note. I now tell friends what I doing and they all think I'm just grazing for women..............Is that a common response?), Gene Kelly said he took up dancing to meet girls.

Other people have mentioned this, but remember the old joke: Tourist in New York to native—"How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" Native's answer—"Practice." If you don't practice it doesn't matter how many lessons you take. You're wasting your money. That's when you find out (preferably with continuing advice from an instructor) what it actually takes to make your body do what your instructor teaches, or what someone at a party showed you, or what you learned from a video. A general rule of thumb in dancing is that if you are having to work hard, you're probably doing it wrong. Practice also helps you remember the details, both in your head and "muscle memory."

Sounds like you have found a system that works for you. As for friends thinking you are "grazing for women", nothing you can do about that. North Americans have weird ideas about dancing. My husband was talking to co-workers and they were amazed and appalled that he dances with other women at parties. They continued to be shocked at the notion that I have a competitive partner and that I go to comps with him! Several of the women said they would love to learn how to dance but their husbands won't and they won't allow them to dance with other men. I have tried to explain that dancing, while intimate, is not sexual. Men are very threatened by dancing and will always try to make it unseemly.