Answer:

Absolutely not. For your private lessons, your instructor serves as your dance partner. In group classes, you dance with the other students in the class, and rotate partners constantly. If you have a partner, it is a wonderful way for you to share something together, and to practice together when you are not in the studio. But if you do not have a partner, dancing with your teacher is the fastest, most effective way to learn. And who knows? You just might meet the dance partner you are looking for in one of the group classes or practice parties.