Shall We Dance: Eight Classic Ballroom Dances in Eight Quick Lessons

I got this book to use in addition to some dance classes my husband and I were taking. Though I wouldn't recommend learning to dance from this book (or from any book for that matter), this is the only book I could find that had the dance steps laid out clearly and simply. As a beginning dancer, I didn't want a complicated manual that showed fourteen different foxtrots. "Shall We Dance" was exactly the book we needed when we were having trouble remembering which step was which. I love that you can practice by holding the book between you, since it's laid out so that the leader's dance steps are opposite from the follower's dance steps.

When I first received this tiny book, I was a little disappointed by its size. I couldn't imagine that it would have much to offer. How wrong I was!! Although it is by no means comprehensive, it provided me with many technique tips that other more apparently comprehensive sources did not. For the beginner social dancer, it is an indispensible read.

The best feature of this book: the men's and women's dance steps mirror each other on the pages. Dance partners can hold the book between them and go through the steps together without someone having to read backwards! This pocket-size book has several great vintage photographs of dancing, mostly from classic movies. Plus in the right corner there's a tiny dancing couple which goes through their moves if you flip the pages quickly. The way it's put together it's a pleasure to read