How did you find your dance teacher(s)

[pygmalion]

Somehow we lost your first post, AnnieMarie. :cry: :oops:

So I'm re-posting this just for you. How did you find your dance teacher? :D

[SwinginBoo]

So I'll repost my response.

I literally bumped into him...he asked me to dance...I said I don't know how...he said I'll teach you...so we kept dancing...we fell in love...and the rest is history.

Yes, Jenn my boyfriend has been teaching me. We have our little snits and quarrells, but it's part of the fun. Whenever we're having a little spat during a dance he leads me into a lindy circle and we make-up. It's just our thing. We never let it get out of hand because after all it's just dancing and it's what brought us together. It's been great for me. He's been dancing for 8 or 9 years and has taken many lessons and workshops -- even from Frankie Manning. So I have my own personal teacher. Also, with the time we spend together we're always coming up with new moves and tricks. It's awesome. :D

[AnnieMarie]

Awwww....thanks:) I mainly do CW dancing...so... I was taking a workshop at a dance convention about two years ago and took a class from these wonderful instructors. I heard they were moving to my area.

It took me about six months from when they moved to start taking lessons with them. They teach about an hour from where I live...but only 30 minutes fromwhere I work.

Just recently I started taking private lessons, and I'm already feeling some improvement in my dancing. I have been working mainly on my two-step and my WCS. I have lots of other things I am looking forward to learning.

(I cosolidated on my original posts.) Thanks for reposting. :D

[pygmalion]

Yay! I'm glad both of you put your posts are back, AnnieMarie and SwinginBoo! :D

Important stories, because they're personal, but also because I bet they're a lot of people out there who don't know how to find a good teacher and think the only way is to go to the yellow pages. There are lots of other ways.

I found my current teacher because it was meant to be. Seriously, I've been blessed. I was going to one primarily social dance studio for about a year when I realized I'd outgrown what they could teach me (since I wanted technical excellence)

So I searched the web, and found my current teacher's website. The teaching philosophy he stated seemed like a perfect match to me. When I met him, I knew I was right. He was just what I was looking for. A stickler for excellence, if not perfection. An independent teacher, with a lot of experience working in franchise studios, and running his own. So he understood where I was coming from. I'm truly fortunate. :D

[AnnieMarie]

Sometimes I feel the odd man out. So many on here take lessons at a studio. Mine are all at the nightclub...including my privates. (My instructors created a really nice space in the lower level though. The club is a converted Sports Illustrated Racquetball club.)

I love going to dance conventions. You get to learn from many different people from all over the country/world. Something about these instructors just clicked with me at this workshop. Everything is fun..including all the hard work in my private lessons.

Thanks for reposting this. I was sad when my post was lost.

[dancersdreamland]

I generally find dance teachers by researching the yellow pages and then visiting studios. After I find someone I feel I can "mesh" with, then I pick that studio.

I also use referrals from friends and fellow dancers and attend various workshops and conventions.

[pygmalion]

Sometimes I feel the odd man out. So many on here take lessons at a studio. Mine are all at the nightclub...including my privates. (My instructors created a really nice space in the lower level though. The club is a converted Sports Illustrated Racquetball club.)

I love going to dance conventions. You get to learn from many different people from all over the country/world. Something about these instructors just clicked with me at this workshop. Everything is fun..including all the hard work in my private lessons.

Thanks for reposting this. I was sad when my post was lost.

I was sad when you r post was lost, too, especially since you'd just gotten started. Thanks for not giving up. And thanks for sharing your unique view. The reason I started this thread was so people could see the variety of ways to find a good instructor, so your view being different is an asset. It definitely doesn't make you odd man out. 8)

[anntennis]

First, I just checked a few free or almost free "first" lessons in various NYC studios, and my current Swing teacher was the instructor. I found my Standard teacher trough going to competition web sites and identifying the best results and finding the studios, where the teacher is. Than I left a message in the studio, my Standard teacher called, and I am taking lessons with him for 3 months now and am very happy with him.

Of couse, looking at comp sites, I needed teaches close to home- NY or NJ, and there are a lot of good teachers in that area.

[Laura]

I found mine on the internet. On an old dance chat board, to be precise :)

[etp777]

Mine got assigned to me randomly by studio manager while I was sitting on phone in airport waiting for a flight running late. :)

[danceronice]

The studio itself? Oddly enough, it can all be traced back to Star Wars. (Bear with me.) I have a couple of friends who have been dancing, AFAIK, since college. We met through a listserve we all belong to that's for fans of Star Wars (it's weirder than that but it would take too long to sum up, let alone explain.) When I moved near Boston for work a couple years back, I was doing ice dance (test-stream only; I'm too old for competition) and I wanted to take some ballroom to help me get a hang of the dances on the floor. They recommended this studio to me.

How I ended up with specifically the two pros I dance with now? Sheer stupid good luck disguised as bad luck. My former pro did me an enormous favor by letting that "temporary" thing turn into permanent with my current pros. (And no, I'm not sucking up to them because I know there's a better-than-average chance they're reading this. Okay, a little. But they are the best. Well, everyone who teaches there is great. I've given out the studio website and phone number more than once.)

Crowning irony: this year I'm blowing off going to the con where my Star Wars group gets together because I wanted to add two more competions.

[fascination]

perhaps the hiatus is just making me nostalgic...but here goes:

when dh and I were 19 and 23 respectively and very much in love, we stumbled upon a big band playing in the purdue memorial union during my winter formal...and we were the only ones up there listening to them...we agreed that when we were old we would learn how to dance to the big band stuff...then in march of 2004 I began to panic over what to get dh for his b-day and suddenly I realized that we WERE old and still couldn't dance...my boss at the time was a ballroom dancer and she pointed me to a wonderful independent studio ... from june -december of 2004 dh and I took about 2 lessons a month w/ the female owner on saturdays...in that time there was this short fellow who could waltz like nobody's business who was the only other teacher who worked on saturdays, I thought he was kind of goofy looking and was already thinking of a different teacher for some privates on my own...well, I talked to my boss and she said: "if you want to waltz you need to waltz with "M" b/c he is the best...plus...you'll like him...he's deep"...and the rest my friends, is history...we started in jan of 2005, competed for the first time in june of 2005 and I hope that there will be many more chapters to come

[etp777]

lol, kinda goofy looking? I guess it's solid enough you can get away with that now. :) Love the story though fasc.

[fascination]

well...he used to slick his hair back and wear those doggone black and whites...and well...ya never would have known...anyhooooo...off on vacay tomorrow morning ...waves

[etp777]

Have a blast fasc.

[fascination]

meh...just biding time til the next lesson ;)

[fascination]

and thanks ...will be back on the 3rd

[samina]

I found my Standard teacher trough going to competition web sites and identifying the best results and finding the studios, where the teacher is.
Oooo...now this is one smart chica. Very impressive. Good for you!

[samina]

I was at my health club. Knew there was a ballroom program but never met the instructor. Saw him running on the treadmill one day and just knew right away who he was...how many eastern european, perfectly groomed & beautifully postured men are there in central jersey, y'now? :)

But really, I had a strong sense of premonition that whoever this person was, he was going to play a significant role in my life. And I would say that has definitely become the case.

I signed up for his group salsa/merengue/chacha class, and eventually the class dwindled to nothing due to bad weather and it was just me. He said we could have a private lesson instead of a salsa lesson if I wanted...what would I like to do? And that's how it started, with a little waltz.

I was unemployed at the time and had no money, but eventually I started eking money for lessons out of grocery money and such. And that's pretty much how it went until late last year when I was in the position to invest a little bit more. We've been competing for about a year, now.

Recently his partner has come into the mix as a coach. It's such a good & comfortable fit with both of them, and I adore them personally...I feel only serendipity & very good fortune could have brought such a nice connection such as this. :)

[Terpsichorean Clod]

I found mine on the internets. On an old dance chat board, to be precise :)
FTFY ;)

[soshedances]

I'm a college student...saw my school had a ballroom dancing club and decided to try it, since it was something completely different. Got hooked, started competing, and the rest is history. :-)

[Purr]

perhaps the hiatus is just making me nostalgic...but here goes:

when dh and I were 19 and 23 respectively and very much in love, we stumbled upon a big band playing in the purdue memorial union during my winter formal...and we were the only ones up there listening to them...we agreed that when we were old we would learn how to dance to the big band stuff...then in march of 2004 I began to panic over what to get dh for his b-day and suddenly I realized that we WERE old and still couldn't dance...my boss at the time was a ballroom dancer and she pointed me to a wonderful independent studio ... from june -december of 2004 dh and I took about 2 lessons a month w/ the female owner on saturdays...in that time there was this short fellow who could waltz like nobody's business who was the only other teacher who worked on saturdays, I thought he was kind of goofy looking and was already thinking of a different teacher for some privates on my own...well, I talked to my boss and she said: "if you want to waltz you need to waltz with "M" b/c he is the best...plus...you'll like him...he's deep"...and the rest my friends, is history...we started in jan of 2005, competed for the first time in june of 2005 and I hope that there will be many more chapters to come

What a great story!

[Purr]

I was at my health club. Knew there was a ballroom program but never met the instructor. Saw him running on the treadmill one day and just knew right away who he was...how many eastern european, perfectly groomed & beautifully postured men are there in central jersey, y'now? :)

But really, I had a strong sense of premonition that whoever this person was, he was going to play a significant role in my life. And I would say that has definitely become the case.

I signed up for his group salsa/merengue/chacha class, and eventually the class dwindled to nothing due to bad weather and it was just me. He said we could have a private lesson instead of a salsa lesson if I wanted...what would I like to do? And that's how it started, with a little waltz.

I was unemployed at the time and had no money, but eventually I started eking money for lessons out of grocery money and such. And that's pretty much how it went until late last year when I was in the position to invest a little bit more. We've been competing for about a year, now.

Recently his partner has come into the mix as a coach. It's such a good & comfortable fit with both of them, and I adore them personally...I feel only serendipity & very good fortune could have brought such a nice connection such as this. :)

And another good story, it must have been meant to be.

[QPO]

By accident. I had heard of them but never had been to one of their classes, went with a friend to a social night and enjoyed the environment, been there about 14 months now and very happy

[Standarddancer]

World of mouths...referral...

[Indiana_Jay]

How did you find your dance teacher?

We never misplaced her!