Teaching dance is an altogether different animal from dancing. The best teachers gain as much or more satisfaction from helping and watching students develop as they do from their own dancing.

Dance appeals to different types of people for different reasons, and people who continue to take lessons gravitate toward teachers who provide what they want in a way they relate well to. If you truly think you want to *teach* dance in the future, I'd suggest studying the teachers around you now. Whenever you take a group class, make notes about what you liked, what you didn't like, and why. Come early, or stay late, to watch other classes. Watch how the teachers pace their classes. Do they teach beginning classes differently than more advanced ones? Who usually attracts a crowd? Ask yourself the same questions about private lessons.

Get together with fellow students for a bite to eat and talk about dance. What seminars have they been to? Who are they learning the most from? Possibly the most important question....who would they avoid and why? If you can, attend dance camps to sample lots of different teaching styles and chat with other students. Remember, these are the people who stuck with it. Find out why! Are their reasons for dancing now the same as when they started?

Great teachers are rare, and not confined to the ranks of elite professional competitors. The one I began with had a gift for encouraging complete newcomers to move past initial discomfort to attain enough basic skill for enjoyment. She emphasized communication and connection on a verbal and physical level from the beginning; partner dancing meant working *together* with mutual consideration and respect. Having danced both socially and competitively for years, she knew what we needed to learn first....and taught it to us. I think back on those classes as some of the most enjoyable I've experienced.

Lee,
Being a dance teacher is fun and rewarding but again sometimes its a huge bother. Before you commit to teaching I suggest you make sure your done competing all together. I am a teacher and as I read the other replys to your posting a lot of them are correct. You dont need much to teach. I was a "rising star" Or at least I thought I was, the studio I was taking lessons with hired me and my training went from proper dance training to grinding mindless figures from an almost insulting syllabus into my head, needless to say my progress as a dancer has suffered. While I do go somewhere else and am slowly begining to break the bad habbits I pick up when teaching I feel my situation is as it is because I work in a franchise. A small private studio is your best bet. They have to compete with the bigger Franchises so their training is better for both students and teachers.
As far as some of your questions go. As with anything salary is higher due to experiace and in this case certification. Every studio has different syllabi, my studio has 3 seperate syllabi before you even get near bronze. You could probably begin teaching as soon as you learn lead follow in the first 3 steps (basic steps, ie:foxtrot basic, promenade, left ad lib)in all the major dances. Some studios require certain certification before they even let you on the floor. To actually make a living teaching you really have to have a full student roster. I mean at least 35 teaching hours a week. Of course this takes time to atain. Good luck!!

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? Rella ?

[This message has been edited by Morella (edited 09-02-2000).]

Lee - Try West Virginia, Charleston and Huntington Area. I stayed there sometime ago and there seems to be a lot of interest in ballroom dancing. Few have tried but they were pretenders and unprofessional. The ones I know go to Columbus, Cincinnati or Kentucky and they are all upper levels who sparingly teach during parties.

I doubt you'll find much of your grocery money teaching beginner ballroom (I do), unless you are an employee of a large & very busy studio or an aggressive marketing genius (I'm neither).

In humor, almost everyone who dances dreams of teaching at one time or another - maybe thinking we can live from it, or play God, or maybe cover up our own lousy dancing.

Depending upon how serious one is as an advancing dancer, teaching can be bad for your own dancing (i.e., hold you back technically & training-wise). And of course, amateur comps are out.

Gently, I find the comment about mastering I-Bronze in Std & Latin in 9 months somewhat astounding. It takes most of us about this long to learn to lead or follow the patterns, but usually a lot more training to competently dance them in terms of movement, technique & body mechanics. I think if someone could really do this, maybe they should forget about teaching altogether and be pursuing a career in International & maybe the Olympics, as a rare & gifted dancer. Then they should kidnap & marry me of course(right).

Lee, I may not be the best to give advice but I too thought once about teaching dance -because I love this sport so much. I have been dancing for over 5 years and I have worked as a support person in a franchised studio. I feel the way to get a good training maybe with a well trained franchised studio. If you find a good one - fairly large to medium in student body - they will train you, help you with your students, go to many comps., and bring in top coaches. They have manuals, video tapes and experience to teach and train you. They will work with you and test you and bring in qualified personnel to test your level of dance. They will help you stay updated on the ever changing steps and techique it takes to progress. I know the studio hours are long (for teaching) and you have to find extra time for yourself. You just about have to live dancing 24 hours a day. There are many hours away from family which can sometimes put a burden on the ones left behind. And - I don't always agree with some of the teacher policies and regulations that are required by these national chains. I've seen many uphappy students because of the mishandling practices and demands made by teachers and studios. I believe I would talk to the studio owner where you attend now - or look more on the internet - or contact some of your local dance associations. The best thing is to look for the studio where you feel you get the best training and enjoy the people. Plus - I hope a trained instructor or experienced someone that has gone through this process will post you a message that have the best answers for you.
Good Luck.

Lee - i can't help you with your question re: teaching, but i did note that - at least at the time of your original post, you were in denver...where do you go, when you go out dancing? can you give me any ideas as to where to look/who to contact, for info on dances---especially non-weekend dances? we'll be in denver visiting family July 10-17, 2001, and expect to have our non-weekend evenings free.

The Washington-Baltimore area has a large number of excellent dance studios and teachers. From a business standpoint this may not be the best place to start a studio. The absolute best location for a social studio or teacher is an area with a medium to large population which is mostly blue collar with no other studio within 25 miles.
If you want to learn and then move on, the Wash-Balto area is excellent. Good luck.

At the outset Lee, and this is the blunt God-forsaken truth, you don't have to know too much or be an accomplished dancer to become a dance instructor. However, I must add, that will also reflect on the kind of clientele you interest. I have seen many 'instructors' lacking proper technique and ignorant of even the syllabus figures, and it is pathetic to watch them both teach and dance. Dancing, I believe, is not one field where a good teacher can outweigh the drawbacks of a bad dancer with poor technique.

Secondly, not all teachers are certified, nor does one need to be certified to establish ones own business. Along the way, many studio owners and teachers take more private lessons and get their certifications. If this is what you would rather do, then you should start right away. But as someone said a little earlier, B-W is not the best area to set up shop. The competition is intense and there is a good chance your endeavor may not take off. A small midwest town on the other hand...

Regarding joining a chain, I personally would dissuade you against it. They often teach their own syllabi and require contracts that forbid you from teaching in that area (outside their studio) for a certain period of time after you quit.

Let me offer something positive amidst all this. Join a good private studio, learn at least the syllabus figures and their technique in the dances that you want to teach. Then join one of many studios looking for instructors. Easier said than done, I concede, but I consider it sound advice.

Good luck, and enjoy.
Sri.