The reputation of dance teachers

[KevinL]

There have been several threads relating to bad experiences with dance teachers, and I'm wondering about the general reputation of dance teachers. I'm not asking about specific teachers, of course, but what is the general reputation of someone who says they are a "dance teacher"?

The reputations of lawyers and used car dealers are pretty unanimously slimy, but it isn't possible that they all really are slimy, is it? It also can't be that all dance teachers are slimy, if indeed that is the common reputation.

To get past the general reputation, why do people continue to use teachers who they have decided are slimy? Most people obviously don't continue with slimy/unethical teachers of course, many move on when they realise that a teacher doesn't have their best interests at heart. There are several threads about this so there is no need to repeat a litany of bad experiences here.

What is your opinion about the general reputation of dance teachers? Since most people reading this forum are already dancers, what do you think is the gereral reputation of dance teachers among the non-dancing public?

Kevin

[pygmalion]

What the hey! I'll go first. :lol:

I had no preconceived idea of dance teacher reputations before I started dancing -- maybe because I was the first in my social circle to take up ballroom dance? I'm not sure why.

But, by the time I had been taking lessons a few weeks, I had gotten the scoop on every teacher in the studio. People talk. Unfortunately, the people at that studio had very little exposure to the non-studio dance world. So the "scoop" I got was mostly based on people's perceptions of teachers' "niceness" or how fun they were. There was very little useful input in terms of how good people were at dancing or at teaching.

Out in the real, non-studio, world, even here, there's a lot of information circulating about teachers. It's still subjective stuff, but at least there's information out there.

The vast majority of the independent instructors here have a very good reputation. Some are known for excellent competitive/technical dancing, others for fun/social dancing, but almost all are known for being good at what they do. I don't think they could stay in business otherwise.

The franchise studios are a different story. Because the studio environment is kept very closed and most of the students stay in-studio for everything, few franchise studio customers have any objective criteria by which to evaluate their teachers. I know that's not true at the franchise studios in some other places in the US, where the franchises are a proving ground for serious high level competitors, but it's true here. (That's not to say that the franchises here have bad teachers, necessarily. Some are quite good. Some are abysmal. Many of the students just don't know the difference. :? )

[tj]

In Seattle, a significant amount of the male salsa instructors have some slime on their reputations - mostly about them hitting on their students (some worse than others, Lol!). Certainly more than the instructors that I knew in Denver.

There are also stories about how unprofessional some of the instructors are (e.g. during a lesson criticizing the competition), and quite frankly, some of the instructors shouldn't be instructors. :shock:

At the same time, there's some excellent instruction to be had. The trick is to know where you're at, how/what you can learn, how/what you need to still learn, and where you want to eventually be.

At the end of the day, I think it's highly subjective. Plus it depends on the talent level of the student as much as the instructional ability of the teacher.

[etchuck]

I guess if you want, there is the Feather Award, given to the best dance teachers. Unfortunately there is not one specific location or a known public procedure for how one is awarded or nominated, but there is at least some level of recognition for good teachers.

Otherwise, it does boil down a bit to word-of-mouth. Ask people who take classes with them, but make sure these students also tell you what they think are the limitations of said instructor (so that this person has really thought about what works and doesn't work with that person).

[Adwiz]

I read the this topic introduction as meaning "where do dance teachers stand in society's view?" rather than how are dance teachers recognized.

We tend to put different occupations either on a pedestal or in the gutter. They are generalizations completely independent of facts or reality, based entirely on other people's comments, rumors and inuendo. Used car salesmen, lawyers, firemen, police officers, clergy, fighter pilots and doctors are among those with the strongest reputations. Mention one of those occupations and most people will immediately have a pre-conceived idea of that person's character, for better or for worse. Unfair but a fact of life.

So where do dance teachers stand in the great scheme of things?

It's probably unfair to ask dancers because we know them too well. It's like asking a group of lawyers what the reputation is of lawyers in general. The result would be quite different from that of non-lawyers.

Frankly, before I started dancing I had never given dance teachers enough thought to even put them in any mental category. I suspect that may be true of most non-dancers.

[KevinL]

I read the this topic introduction as meaning "where do dance teachers stand in society's view?" rather than how are dance teachers recognized.

This is actually the question that I was asking, just much more clearly written.

Thoughts anyone?

Kevin

[pygmalion]

Yup. That's the first answer I gave. At least in my predance world, they had no standing.

[squirrel]

Here, instructors have different reputations, some good, some bad... some are known as highly professional, others are famous for being 'too interested' in the opposite gender and even using their dance skills to get what they want, some are fun to work with, others are awful socializers...
Still, a common feature in the thinking of many people here (especially older people...over 30) is that dancers are 'easy'... from 'that' point of view... and it is not quite pleasant, especially for those who are into dancing and no more... but I guess these are just prejudices... and one cannot do anything to change them...

[salsachinita]

At least in my predance world, they had no standing.

Same here, more or less. I think I may have even put them in higher pedestal (ie. master of matial art/higer education teacher) because my very first dance experience as a child were with ballet teachers (whom I thought were fairies :shock: ).

Now that I've seen &m heard it all, I think they are mere mortal as the rest of us. Imperfection and all, abeit their talents.

[hobrien]

Thats so qute, you thought they were faries !!!!!

--

A lot of male dance theachers do have a certain Don Juan sence about them (just the male ones of course).

What about all your opinions on female dance teachers we cant leave them out.

I dont know any female dance teachers personally, that stick out in a social sence, just one who is particularly good mover, its a private goal of mine to just be able to do the moves she does, and I am pretty much there now. I am trying not to lose my manlyness in doing so but just to gain the flexibility.

:bandit:

[pygmalion]

Oh yeah. A lot of the guys at a former dance studio used to assume that all the male teachers were gay. I think it was something about them dancing together and/or doing the follow's part. *shrug* Homophobia is a funny thing. And the fact that most of the male teachers at that studio happened to be gay didn't help any. :lol: