Well, you know I found refuge in Argentine tango. And my most important influence and long-time coach was the former prima ballerina of the famous John Neumeier Company, a native Argentinian. And no, we didn't become a couple after all. She left the company simply to survive physically: comminuted fractures and cortisone are standard practice at the top level up there.
I’m not sure about the odds - I know of a few professional ballroom dancers who came out of the collegiate system, for example - but I agree the ballet career paths are better defined. Not better, mind - just better defined, at least until you get into the politics of getting parts and such.
And from ballet to the Argentine Tango world: Stefanía Colina & Juan Martín Carrara.
Kind of like ballet students looking up the ladder at the professionals, soloists, and principals. Except, the general public knows about this ladder for ballet, and the ballet community knows how much work people have put in even before doing prepointe. We need that kind of recognition for ballroom.
Kids’ ballroom is also heavily dominated by group classes for exactly this reason, at least at studios that have strong kids’ programs.
Depends very much on the kids’ ages.
Ballet somehow manages to brainwash students that ballet is the only real form of dance. And it seems like in the US, most women have taken at least a little ballet at some point in their lives, so the general public is brainwashed. This does not seem to be the case in Europe.
I have to kind of take this back. I know a couple of high school girls who are trying to become instructors in the kids’ studio they have taken classes at for years. This studio is likely to have a succession event within the next five to ten years, so this might be a good time.
I want to point out one issue that may be related to this.
Just curious, how many busy weeks a year does she have on average?
At the time we discussed this, probably most weeks. Now, maybe less, because she doesn’t seem to try as hard to stay fully booked.
I agree it’s unusual. Some teachers are lucky to get half as many hours. They still take home more than the average ballet dancer.
45 minutes. Some kids will come in early. She works some weekend days.
She has switched the primary studio she teaches in to one closer to her home, so she doesn’t tend to spend idle hours at the studio.
Yes, floor fees are significant.
She makes it work by working really hard, being naturally inspiring to her students (especially the girls), and generally being attentive to the needs of her customers - understanding and accommodating their situations. I’m sure having a U.S. amateur title doesn’t hurt. And, of course, others can see how good her students are.
For the benefit of those who haven’t owned a subchapter S corporation, I note that there are plenty of expenses one ultimately pays out of corporate revenue that a normal employee doesn’t have to pay out of a take home salary. For example, when I was a sub S, the corporation paid a corporate state tax, and because I acted as a contractor to the corporation rather than a salaried employee, the sole proprietorship (contractor) layer paid for the employer half of social security tax as well as the employee half, health insurance, and usually the maximum retirement contribution (25% as I recall), as well as computer equipment used for the job. My S corp did not retain much in profits - I didn’t usually have any other employees, and when I did, I was not trying to make money off of them - so maybe 3/4 flowed through to the sole proprietorship, of which maybe half - less than half of the original gross - made it to my actual take home after personal income taxes and such. So the corporate gross should not be compared to personal income before or after taxes.