Male or female teacher?

[MadamSamba]

Hey folks! Just wondering what everybody's thoughts are on whether to have a male teacher if you're female or a female teacher (and vice versa)?

I know the usual is male teacher and I think that's best for the majority of your lessons and personally prefer it that way _ just to get a feel for a male lead/mentality etc _ but recently I've been taking group classes with the most amazing female dancer I've ever seen...dammit, I wanna be her one day!! I find her classes dynamic and educational and, as a female, her advice has proved invaluable.

Because any competant dancer teacher will know both the male and female parts (and she does), I'm inclined to stick with her for group classes and wouldn't mind a few private lessons, but I'll stick with my male teacher as the main instructor. But it got me thinking, would anyone have a teacher of the same sex as their regular teacher? If so, what are the pros/cons?

[Sagitta]

It depends on how good the instructor is. I prefer to have a teacher who is of the opposite sex as I feel they usually will know their typical sex role a little better then the opposite!! However, for world class teachers/instructors/coaches it wouldn't matter. My only experience of such has been with Bill Borgida for lindy, and if he was around long enough, and I could afford him, I definitely would have used him as my coach!!

[d nice]

It depends on the skill of the teacher. A number of my male students constantly remark that they can lead things with me they can't with 99% of the other followers in our area.

The sex of your instructor only matters with how comfortable you are with them and yourself. Their skill at the role is what is primary.

Now there is a very legitimate reason for taking lessons group or otherwise from a same-sex instructor even if there is another opposite-sex instructor who is better at that role... They may understand your own role more indepth offering you all sorts of insight that you might miss otherwise.

[Taita]

Interesting topic....

My 2 cents...

For me, the answer is.... it depends on what you want. As good as a teacher is, there are some things they are not capable of teaching. For example, one of my coaches is an absolutely amazing teacher. I am always amazed at how he is able to demystify and explain things in the simplest possible terms so I can completely understand the lesson. However, even he has told us there are some things he simply cannot teach us. If my partner wanted to learn how to style like a sexy, feminine, woman, she would have to go elsewhere because he's not a sexy feminine woman. He could help us with just about everything else, but even he admits there are simply some things that he cannot teach, as a man.

[pygmalion]

Yup. Very good topic. I currently take lessons with two teachers, one of each sex. The male (opposite from me) teacher is my primary teacher, and helps me with connection, lead/follow, etc. My female teacher does as Taita suggests, and teaches me feminine styling/arm styling, etc. Although my primary coach is a GREAT teacher, he's just not a woman. So mimicking his styling will only get me so far. If I want to look feminine when I dance, I would prefer to learn styling from a girl, which is what I'm doing now. It's a good balance for me to have both. :)

[Sagitta]

I would agree there with you Taita and Pygmalion. The basics and good technique can be taught by an instructor of either sex. However, having the instructor of the same sex allows for greater styling learning opportunities. I actually like taking the same dance with two different instructors of different sex whereever possible. I am doing that now for salsa and salsa rueda. There is the issue of different styles for the basic (copea/guapera? -- don't know Spanish :( ) in rueda, which drive me a little nuts sometimes, but it helps out in the long run. :)

[Salsero_AT]

copea/guapera? -- don't know Spanish
the open basic step is called guapea :)

[Sagitta]

Thanks!! :)