How to teach dance and be a mom?

[Statlady]

Fist, a little background on me. I've been a dancer most of my life. I think I started ballet and tap lessons at the age of 4 and danced off and on until I was 14 and got really serious about it. I did mainly ballet, jazz, and folk dance. I took my first ballroom dance class in college. I danced a lot in college (up to 20 hours per week)--mostly folk dance, but also a little ballroom.

I got married in 1998. I got a Master's Degree in statistics in 2002. I worked full-time for the next four years at three different jobs while my husband was in medical school. In 2006 I came to the conclusion that I really didn't enjoy being a statistician. Around that same time (Sept 2006), I started taking private ballroom dance lessons and fell in love with dance all over again. I started thinking about how much I would like to become a ballroom dance teacher. In November 2006, I quit my job. In December 2006, I got pregnant with twins and was essentially on bedrest for the next 8 months.

Last October I started my lessons up again. Now my twins are 5 months old and I'm 29. I don't intent to work full-time ever again nor do I intend to work at a desk job ever again. But to be a dance teacher . . . . just seems so exciting to me. I don't think I've ever been as passionate about anything in my life as I am about dancing. The other day I was at an EC Swing group class. A guy walked in late and asked me to dance. Since he missed the instruction, he asked me to show him what we were doing. It wasn't very complicated--just a basic kick variation. After he got the hang of it he said something like, "You should be a teacher! I think they're looking for more..." It was just an off-hand comment, but it got me thinking about teaching and I've sort of become obsessed with the idea. I don't really want to start working outside the home until my kids are at least 3 years old (or maybe 2), so I'm not talking about doing anything in the near future. But, it's always good to have a plan, right?

At my current studio, the majority of the teachers (if not all) work full-time from 1:00pm-10:00pm M-F. Something like that would never be an option for me. I mean, I'd really like to see my kids during the week. I imagine, however, that full-time employment is somewhat rare in the world of teaching dance. Since I'm not currently qualified to be a dance teacher, I would probably need to get hired by a studio that offers paid training. At my studio, they typically hire people with very little ballroom experience and train them. I'm no expert, but the teaching at my studio appears to be very good.

So, my question is for those of you who are moms and dance teachers, or those of you who know moms that are dance teachers. How do you make it work?

[danceislove]

A very strong support system!

[nucat78]

I know 3 fulltime dance instructor moms, but they didn't start teaching until their kids were old enough to fend for themselves (all divorcees prior to becoming DIs, BTW).

Not much help, just a datapoint...

[Statlady]

I know 3 fulltime dance instructor moms, but they didn't start teaching until their kids were old enough to fend for themselves (all divorcees prior to becoming DIs, BTW).

Not much help, just a datapoint...


Do you happen to know how old their kids were when they started? I'm just curious. And, hey, I'm always glad to have another datapoint, so thanks!

[nucat78]

Do you happen to know how old their kids were when they started? I'm just curious. And, hey, I'm always glad to have another datapoint, to thanks!

Late pre-teens to early teens based on comments the DIs have made and the kids I've met. Basically old enough to not need a babysitter as long as mom was home by a reasonable hour. Or to put it another way, they were at an age where parents were nice to have around, but not too much ;)

I wish you luck - I love to tutor / teach and I'd love to teach dance. Of course, I'd have to actually LEARN dance first. I do know a Poisson Distribution when I see one though...

[rjcbear]

I know of a DI that is a full time instructor and she has a 10 year old and he does most of her teaching while the kid is in school and I think she is done by 6:00 so she can be home with her little one. She has a strong family support from her family.

[Joe]

You could work as an independent and just work the hours you want. Your husband is a doc; you should be able to rely on his income, if not his schedule, while you teach.

[Statlady]

You could work as an independent and just work the hours you want. Your husband is a doc; you should be able to rely on his income, if not his schedule, while you teach.

Wouldn't it be hard to drum up business as an independent teacher? You're right about being able to rely on my husband's income . . . eventually. Right now he makes slave's wages as a resident. He wants to do a fellowship next which makes a little more, but not a ton. It will be at least another 4 years before he starts making good money.

Really, though, I don't care about money. I'd rather be poor and happy than rich and bored. 'Course, it's easy to say that when your spouse is going to be a doctor . . . :)

Right now we don't live near any family, so child care would be a problem. When my husband starts fellowship we may be moving back to Salt Lake City where our families are, which would make child care much more manageable. Heck, we might even move in with my in-laws for a year or two . . . live-in babysitters!! ;)

Being mom is very important to me. I want to be the one to raise my kids--not some daycare worker (no offense to those of you who use daycare!). That's why I'm struggling with the idea of doing something that would potentially take me away from them so much.

[waltzgirl]

One of the problems you might run into is that most studio-based training programs are time-intensive. The one I'm most familiar with expected students to be in the studio taking/observing group classes almost every evening, plus lots of other training time.

If/when money is not as issue, you might want to see if you could train privately with a teacher (whom you would pay). You would probably learn faster than as part of a training group, and then might be hired by an independent studio.

[Chris Stratton]

One of the problems you might run into is that most studio-based training programs are time-intensive. The one I'm most familiar with expected students to be in the studio taking/observing group classes almost every evening, plus lots of other training time.

Yes, I suspect that would be an issue when trying to get started. In contrast, someone already established in the business in terms of skills and name recognition can teach just a few hours a week, if that's what best fits their situation while children are young.

[Statlady]

One of the problems you might run into is that most studio-based training programs are time-intensive. The one I'm most familiar with expected students to be in the studio taking/observing group classes almost every evening, plus lots of other training time.

Exactly. That's how it works at my current studio as far as I can tell. It's paid training, but you have to be there full-time.

If/when money is not as issue, you might want to see if you could train privately with a teacher (whom you would pay). You would probably learn faster than as part of a training group, and then might be hired by an independent studio.

In order to learn enough to be a teacher, wouldn't you have to pay the normal hourly rate, for several hours a week? That could add up to . . . over $1300 per month! I don't think I'll ever have enough money to justify something like that! That's almost what I paid for an entire semester of college (well, in theory--I was on scholarship).

[nucat78]

Being mom is very important to me. I want to be the one to raise my kids--not some daycare worker (no offense to those of you who use daycare!). That's why I'm struggling with the idea of doing something that would potentially take me away from them so much.

Well... I think you really have to look into your heart. Perhaps the cost-benefit analysis will indicate that you need to delay training/teaching for a few years. But there's a finite risk if you delay also - God forbid, but illness or injury has derailed careers other than dancing - so I'd certainly keep looking for options.