I would like some advice from the dance teachers out there. I am very interested in switching my career path and becoming a dance teacher. I do not have aspirations of training olympic stars but rather teaching children and also adults for social dancing. I have been taking private and group lessons for about 1 year in both American and International styles and have done some competing in Int'l Latin & Std.

I know that becoming a dance teacher does not happen overnight so I want to understand what it is going to take to reach my goal. What certications do I need? How should I go about getting them? It has taken me about 9 months to reach Bronze level Int'l Latin and about the same for Std. How long do you estimate (roughly) it will take to achieve a level that is needed by a dance teacher? Any estimates on cost to get there? Is American or Int'l in more demand? Should I concentrate more on one or the other? Is it better to work at a studio or have your own private studio? Is there a rule of thumb on the minimum students you need to make a living at this?

I probably haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg on this topic. Any input you can give me would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much,
Lee

Please understand that I have no aspirations of being an Olympic athelete!! I am just interested in what it would take to become a good, social dance teacher. Hope that puts things in perspective...

Lee,
Personally I teach 55 - 65 hours a week. My lessons are all private except 3 and they last only 45 minutes each...except again those 3 hours are actually hours and they are outside my "major" studio. During the school year I coach a college team in International style which ups those hours quite a bit. For most dancers/instructors with an average amount experiance can make a healthy living off of 35 hours but again that depends on expieriance and training and certifications and so on and so forth. As far as running a studio I could tell you of a completely wonderful place begging for a good studio. That of course is a tad more than 35 hours..<:O) The longer you teach the higher you get in rank...with the college team I started ( as far as payroll is concerned ) as a teacher, the next year a coach and this year as a coreographer with that alone I could push my day job back to nights only 3 days a week and be a happy camper. Like I said it all depends on what you know, with any business.......I worked in management with huge corporations for years and with no real education I make a hefty amount of money in that feild compared to college graduates twice my age. If you want to know about that open market email me at wahgodess@aol.com

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? Rella ?

I would be looking at being a teacher in the Washington, D.C. area (north of DC in Maryland) although I am currently studying dance in Colorado. The area is growing rapidly. I am a female dancer but am learning both parts of dance.

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far. I really appreciate your insight. I know that this is not going to happen overnight but I am a very goal oriented person that needs to set a plan to put things in motion. Frank - I have by no means mastered Bronze 1 Latin & Standard! And I realize that I will not advance so fast to be a dance teacher next year! But maybe in 6 years, 8 years, 10 years...? That's the master plan I'm working on...

Rella - In talking to dance teachers and researching so far, I agree with you that steering away from a franchise is best. My vision is to run a studio or be a partner in a private studio some day. (I already have a 20+ year career in business and an MBA so my weakness is understanding the dance part and the business of dance.) I am also taking lessons at an excellent studio and am learning the proper technique from the get-go (according to ISTD) so hopefully I won't have to unlearn bad habits. One question I have concerns you comment of needing 35 teaching hours/week. I'm surprised it's that low. What percentage of that time is private vs. group teaching?

Thanks again for all the input. I'll check back again to see if anyone else has any advice to offer.

Lee

Better give more details such as the size of the community you live in and the number and types of studios in the area. Also, are you a man or lady? If you don't know both parts perfectly, continue to work on it. Good luck.

Lee--

I have worked in two of the major franchise studio chains...now (years later ...I am taking lessons from a wonderful, small, privately owned studio. Here in Kansas City, the chain schools are extremely aggressive about sales, but very lackadaisical about training. They have unbelievable turnover in staff. However, they do offer free training, which is nothing to sneeze at, even if it's not at the highest standard of technique. To some extent it boils down to...how much money do you have to spend? It is lovely to spend your early years as a student...dancing n the pro/am or am divisions...but if you really want to make dancing your career then eventually (and probably sooner rather than later) you will have to teach. There is just no way for a student (even the rare one that practices) to emulate the hours of muscle memory that pros achieve...and teaching requires so much more understanding of a pattern and the associated technique. It would be ideal to find a small, successful, private studio with a small staff and excellent training. But, let me tell you, studios like that don't grow on trees! So, take what you can get...start at whatever studio will have you..just to see how serious you really are about this lifestyle...because that's what ballroom teaching is...not a job, a lifestyle choice. So, try it out first with the least risk. If you love it, then you can go job hunting...
But if you want to teach...then get on with it! Remaining a student does not really prepare you to teach in any comprehensive way. If you want this as a career then you have to jump in sometime. What it will take you 6 years to learn as a student, you can learn in one as a teacher in a reputable studio. I think that in the US (at least certainly in the midwest), what makes a successful teacher is not necessarily their dancing...but often it is their understanding of their students...their ability to relate to others...and their attitude...I've seen great dancers that no one wanted lessons from, and poor dancers who are booked weeks in advance....find your niche You can do it, if you really want to. Good luck !!!---Mal

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.