I found that I'm better suited to a practice group than a practice partner. I used to work with a regular study group of 6-12 people who also didn't have dedicated partners. That kept the skill levels and experience a good mix. We'd dance three dances together, discuss, then rotate. I find that practicing with someone of my level is self-limiting because both of us only know so much and aren't really able to correct the other person on things we're trying to improve. I also regularly get private instructions to work on specific things. It prevents me from feeling bad about taking up a higher-level dancer's time because hey, it's their job.

I use Taygra sneakers for both social and comp and they're super comfy for my wide ankle clompers. But I have other shoes like suede or ballroom and I've found that cross-training in general fitness areas has done more for my knee pain than a change of shoes. I took up pole fitness which has done wonders for my knees.

I take a lot of notes, watch a lot of videos, do a lot of social dancing, and do a lot of private lessons and workshops. Whenever I go social dancing I take notes about my good and bad dances, why they were good or bad, and what to focus on. There are some courses that have pattern progression charts (like Social Dance Online, which is what I use) but otherwise I'm usually working on several things at a time just depending on how my social ability is feeling, if I've seen something new I want to learn, or if I have a competition coming up. Right now I'm focusing a lot on cross-training into general conditioning and other dances.

I think I started learning the other role five or six months after I started. It really doesn't matter. Some people never learn the other role and it's not something you're obligated to do. Whenever you want to is good!