Many of us believe that ballroom is easy to learn but hard to perfect. I have no comment about the first because almost everything is easy to me, but yes I agree with the latter.
If you want to know about technique, every textbook includes a checklist; however, as an amateur lady dancer, alignment, sway, amount of turn are not that important (but of course if a lady can mind the details the dance will be more elegant) because we are to be led. Beginners find that footwork is impossible to achieve and that they got their legs tangled if they mind to do that correctly. Well, my view is that footwork is the exaggeration of the natural movement resulted from the correct weight distribution; therefore, if you can 'walk' properly that will not be a problem at all.
That gives me an insight- what really matter is to move exactly you are required to. To move precisely, you need to pay attention to the body balance and the weight transfer. When you focus on how your body moves, you will find that body position indeed plays an essential role. Since our physical body can balance itself by the contraction and expansion, lengthen and tighten the uncontrollable muscle threads without passing through a message to our conscious, once we position our arms or legs in a causal position, the other parts of our body will automatically be adjusted- sometimes such adjustments could be too subtle be recognized.
Now can you see why it is important to have correct postures? It is because if we positioned ourselves good, the other parts could be done AUTOMATICALLY. It makes every sense to say the equilibrium is important but still there is an unsolved problem for us- how to get this equilibrium? It is in fact not mysterious as it sounds, the simple truth is to maintain the CBM and a firm but not as stiff frame.
Surprising enough, when we are to walk while keeping the CBM and an upright spine, most footwork would be tuned to its natural but right way. For instance, forward step on beat 1 in waltz will naturally be heel-lead because it is an instinct to put forward a step with the heel when you can't see the way you are going. Try it yourself and you can tell extending the leg to make a pointed toe while your weight is all put on the rear foot makes a greater effort, which means it is itself very uneasy. So... If you find that remembering the steps is difficult, then let your body remember it!
There is only one question left. Since ballroom dancing is a partnering dancing, it doesn't matter how well you do, it only matters how well the two of you do, so if you want to dazzle on the floor the couple need to co-operate well. Even a lady keeps the perfect posture dancing with the correct foot positioning and precise alignment and have a good musicality, the picture will not be awesome if the gentleman does not hold a good frame nor dance uglily. Vice versa- even a man does everything right, a lady who does follow well will make the whole dance awful.
I am not saying that practicing alone is unimportant, I actually mean the otherwise. Practicing without a partner is all what you can do. If your and your partner's solo are both perfect, getting together will only double the charm. To gentlemen, a good understanding of dancing enables the dance full of confidence and no hesitation; to ladies, a good understanding of dancing ensures the dance goes as smooth as can be especially in freestyling.
Well, I come to a conclusion that, ballroom is not hard to learn because ballroom only demands you to work hard, which is not hard to me. I love dancing too much.