...consisting mostly of kids who dance better than you can be well and good, provided you're not waiting three hours between when you're supposed to dance. On the other hand, such things are very good practice for larger competitions where there are, say, more than 2 couples dancing in your category. But hey, first out of two is better than second out of two. [wry grin] Though we got fifth out of 5 couples in our Bronze latin....since we forgot what we were doing and started mixing dance styles every which way. Oops. Heh.

But, on the plus side, I discovered a fabulous place to get ballroom dance shoes extremely cheaply and quickly - ballroomdancingshoe.com. My latin shoes were falling apart, and I thought, "Well, poop. I can wear my old skanky ones which make me fall, but at least they're not broken...but I wonder if there's any place online that sells dance shoes that would get here in time..." And a google search later, that website appeared. The shoes arrived 3 days after ordering, no shipping cost, and they fit beautifully. Hurrah!