STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

beachgirl · Kenneth Cole

Dance Instructor?

Kelly · Hermes

what kind of dancing would it be? The fact that you haven't ever danced before, but that they will train you in 2 months and that they actually want people who don't know anything...kind of scares me. I've taken ballroom/latin/swing classes for a long time, and the studio that I go to now, it seems like my instructors have a very good career. But that's because they've been dancing since they were pre-teens, and have won competitions, judge international competitions, etc. They are well-known in the community and in the sport, so they get respect from everyone and therefore have good careers. But at a studio I went to when I very first began in grade school (Arthur Murray), they taught some girl to dance in a few weeks and all of the sudden had her teaching classes. She wasn't good, and even students could tell because she seemed unsure. She had no real credentials, and no real reason why she should be an instructor. I knew more than she did!

What I'm saying is, if you are really interested in this and would be doing it for fun, then I think you could get into a place, like Arthur Murray, and it could be a fun job. But I don't think you could make a career out of it at all, and if I were you I would only do it on the side - for fun. Not for money or a career.

Elle · Hermes

Being a dancer and/or instructor isn't normally a career that you just decide to do, so honestly it sounds like a tough row to hoe. How tough depends on the setting it will be in (gym? studio? ballroom?) among other things.

What ages and styles would you be teaching?

FWIW, I do not think that an 8 week training session, no matter how intense, is going to give you enough knowledge or practice dancing yourself to enable you to teach well. In most situations teaching dance also means that you'll be choreographing performances - hard to do if you do have lots of experience dancing and performing yourself.

It sounds like you have a specific area in mind, but if you'd be willing to explore a slightly different path I think you could teach little ones, like 3-5 yrs. I did Ballet/Tap combo classes, and it's really more about being entertaining enough to hold their attention for 45 minutes than it is about being a 'dancer'.

beachgirl · Kenneth Cole

I would definitely want to teach kids, I would not feel comfortable teaching adults with so little experience and background. I did used to dance when I was much younger, but it has been a while. Teaching kids, anything really, but dance in particular, is always something that I thought would be a great job for me. I just never thought it was a possibility. I came across this while looking for other office type jobs, and applied on a whim. The studio is very well known and respected, and when I let them know my apprehensions, they said that they don't mind my not having a lot of experience because there is a certain way they want the dances taught and performed, so, a lot of times if people do have experience, they have found it hard to first un-teach anything that doesn't comply with what they want, and then re-teach it their way.

It definitely wouldn't be an advanced class or anything like that. I'm guessing it would either be with kids, or with beginners looking more for a fun way to exercise, rather than with anyone who would be looking to compete or possibly make it into a career.

Hopefully that makes more sense now! It's not something I take lightly, or something that I'm just going to decide to do on a whim.

-- Edited by beachgirl at 18:59, 2006-06-08

Elle · Hermes

I didn't mean to come off as snarky or imply that you're doing this on a whim - what I intended to say was that most teachers are seasoned dancers themselves, and are 'in the business' so to speak. I myself was a 'home grown' teacher - ended up teaching at the facility where I myself had grown up dancing. That's the way most places find teachers - they've know someone or of someone, one of their current teachers has someone who they used to dance with, etc. Very word of mouth and reputation oriented.

Hmm, I'm down with having a teaching philosophy that they want someone to jive with, but un-teaching their teachers so they can re-teach them? It sounds weird to me, and is not something I would consider a normal practice for a facility.

I guess I still don't understand how there could be a certain way they want the dances taught and performed - are they using the same dance year after year? Do they have a curriculum you'd teach off of?

Also, I'd consider the beginner teen classes the hardest by far to teach - in my experience most are obsessed with being 'cool', really wish they were good and get frustrated when they have a hard time with things, continually socialize in class, and occasionally even mouth off. It requires a pretty serious intimidation factor, and the respect is hard-won.

I feel like a huge meanie, but them advertising and planning to train non-professional dancers/teachers sounds wrong, wrong, wrong. You could end up operating under extrememly strict rules, some of which may or may not be what's best for the students. They also might pay you much less than the going rate would be for a professional dancer/teacher. It also makes me wonder why they aren't hiring professionals in the first place - can they not afford to pay them? Have the professionals left because of the pay/forced curriculum/etc?

Where are you located, abouts?

-- Edited by Elle at 19:26, 2006-06-08

beachgirl · Kenneth Cole

Elle - you have a PM =)

poptart · Coach

Just wanted to second what Elle says. I wouldn't want you to get into a situation where you could be personally liable if a dancer were injured or something. (Just thinking worst case scenario)