Does the sex of the instructor matter?

i agree wich yall-both-male and female teachers are good and its a good idea to try them both,i was teaching salsa to some of my students and the ladies were getting pretty good at salsa-but i knew they were lacking the female touch for styling, i taught them some and they did good, but hey im a guy, anyway i asked a female friend of mine whos a hot salsa dancer in philly and has taking loads of classes in phila and new york to teach the ladies some styling, they luvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvved her , and i was so glad she gave them something i never could :D
 
I've been taking lessons from male teachers just because I want to learn to follow with a man when I'm dancing with him. That way, he can tell me how he feels and point out anything I'm doing wrong. These things get fixed as we go on with our lessons. He can also evaluate my posture and the way I express myself out on the dance floor. (but of course, anyone who's watching me dance can do that). :)

And like everyone implied, I think I would consult a female teacher for styling techniques when I need to. *shrugs*
 
My styling coach is tops! Plus, I'm working on learning the lead parts for an ISTD exam this year. and, since her students are primarily male, and she's a member of the USISTD, I can learn leading from her. Cool. 8)
 
Oddly enough, I've never had private lessons in Salsa. And that's what I've danced the most.
I think gender of the instructor is not so important as long as they are teaching what you are looking for right now. At the beginning, basic timing and lead and follow is most important. Down the road, styling and more advanced timing. Technique is not so different from rhythm and/or latin.
 
I think this thread must not be specific for a certain style. I had privates with a female teacher in salsa and in tango. The only thing I can say is: different channels are covered. You learn by watching a male teacher but you learn by feeling from a female teacher. (My swing teachers were male exclusively, dont ask me why.)
 
I take from a male and I enjoy that...I periodically get a coaching from a female on things that are trouble spots for me
 
I have taken instruction from both male and female instructors. I would say gender isn't as important as evaluating what you want to get from an instructor and making sure that your needs match what the instructor can provide.
For example, when co-teaching a group beginner class if we switch roles because my female co-instructor wants to illustrate something particular from a leader's point of view using me a follower confuses the class. Here, using a female student is perhaps more effective. So, the short answer is: IT DEPENDS.
 
I have had male instructors that worked on my 'leads' and who got me thru my initial learning stages. I have had female instructors that also worked on my leads and what not to 'give' followers (I also follow) - I competed with several of those females! I've also had gay instructors who were damn wonderful dancers, as well, as instructors. All were very good at what they did, and all were the most wonderful dancers! It's not about gender of the person - it's about me liking them as an instructor, and if they could get my body to do what they were instructing me to do! Bottomline - can they teach me to dance!
 
From an education standpoint, you haven't come across a good teacher unless you've seen a male teacher that can do the lady's part better than all the ladies around, and vice versa. Yes, gender matters if that's the only attention you can manage to get from the opposite gender. However, if what you are looking for is to learn to dance, then what the teacher knows and can teach you is what matters. And that depends on the individual teacher.
 
LordBallroom said:
Of course the sex of the instructor matters. Do you think all those cougars who come to learn how to dance would be enrolling nearly as often if they were dancing with other women? Especially if those women are significantly younger and more attractive? Yeah the sex matters. Unless you're a homosexual try dancing with someone of the same sex for a month and see if you continue taking lessons. (yes men do come to the studio to take lessons with one of our gay instuctors). If we're talking strictly from an educational standpoint then you really need both because they each offer a different perspective on techniques unique to each sex.
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try really hard to grasp the concept that we try not to say deliberately inflammatory things around here, because I am getting tired of mentioning it....
 
xstasy said:
Does anyone have a preference regarding the gender of the instructor for a female student? I've had two male instructors and have always thought I'd benefit more from a female because she could incorporate styling techniques as well.

In addition, does anyone know of a really good female instructor in NY? I have two in mind, but would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks in advance! :wink:
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What works for me is (female) is to have a male instructor for most lessons so that I have a better 'follow' response. Love my female instructor for styling and response techniques.
 
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