Students Represent Dance School or Vice-Versa

[peachexploration]

I've been noticing this alot lately in the Orlando area and wanted the DF's opinion. If people think you're a good/bad dancer, they try to associate you with a certain school in which they think all the better (or worse) dancers come from. I might add that that notion means absolutely nothing because I know many good dancers will be good no matter what school they attended (hence, pygmalion, who is a VERY good dancer) (Ha! Thought we weren't watching :wink: ). My question is: Aside from the style of the school you attend (hopefully, you maintain your own style ), how important to you is it that your students represent you as an instructor or the prestige/reputation of your school as a student?

 

[pygmalion]

hence, pygmalion, who is a VERY good dancer) (Ha! Thought we weren't watching :wink: ).

Thanks.

My question is: Aside from the style of the school you attend (hopefully, you maintain your own style ), how important to you is it that your students represent you as an intructor or the prestige/reputation of your school as a student?

Good question, peachexploration. I'll say this. When I was recently out looking for a teacher, I watched his students dance, not for flashy moves or even level of accomplishment. An experienced dancer will look better than a newbie, period. But I looked for signs of good dance habits being developed, the way the teacher interacted with the students, whether the students were enjoying themselves. Like it or not, I think that people will always have prejudices about a teacher based on their students.

It's probably not the best way to get information about a teacher, but hey, it's one way.

 

[pygmalion]

One more thing I should add here, peachexploration, is that almost the first thing my new coach asked me was who I'd been studying with.

It cuts both ways, I think.

What do others think?

 

[pygmalion]

I love this topic, peachexploration!

And then, at least in the ballroom world, there are certain studios where just the name of the studio is enough to tell you something about the student and the quality of instruction they're getting. There are definitely some prestige schools out there.

Not in Orlando, LOL. Here, it's more related to the specific teacher.

 

[peachexploration]

One more thing I should add here, peachexploration, is that almost the first thing my new coach asked me was who I'd been studying with.

It cuts both ways, I think.

What do others think?

You're right, it does cut both ways. Yeah, it's almost like, instructor wise: "Let me see "what" or "who" I'm working with" or student wise: "You've must have gone to "So-n-So's" studio?" When they say that to me and depending on the school, I say nope, they give me looks like "really." :shock: Its usually positive when they say that but it's interesting how people measure your abilities by the school you attend or the instructor you studied under. Anyone else?

 

[Swing Kitten]

I think the same can be said of any school or line of work. It's definately apparent in puppetry and theater.

Just like people who graduate from Yale are believed to have a certain attitude. It's not always true but then every now and then you meet someone and think "oh, that's why the stereotype exists!"

people are taught different ways of working and sometimes it really shows and it's traceable to the source-- it can be quite fasinating actually.

 

[KevinL]

My question is: Aside from the style of the school you attend (hopefully, you maintain your own style ), how important to you is it that your students represent you as an instructor

As a teacher, I think it is very important that my students represent me as a good, competent and fun teacher. Given a choice between two unknown teachers, if a non-dancer sees students from one school having fun, and students from another looking overwelmed and scared, where would they take classes? Besides, word of mouth is the best way to attract new students, and if my students say good things about me to other people, those people are more likely to take my dance classes.

or the prestige/reputation of your school as a student?

Luckily I don't have to worry about prestige because there aren't any prestigeous schools here! The Vermont Dancesport Academy is well-known (I guess) on the competative circuit, but around here most social dancers don't really care about that kind of prestige.

As to the reputation of any school, that is also very important. If the word of mouth is that a school has bad teachers, or is only out for the money, or to take advantage of their students, they are not likely to stay in business very long. (This point has been discussed in other topics, but I can't remember the titles.)

or the prestige/reputation of your school as a student?

Or was this meant to mean "as a student, how important is the prestige of your school"? To me, prestige is almost meaningless. It's the quality that counts, not the percieved value.

 

[peachexploration]

or the prestige/reputation of your school as a student?

Or was this meant to mean "as a student, how important is the prestige of your school"? To me, prestige is almost meaningless. It's the quality that counts, not the percieved value.

Yes, this is what I was asking.

 

[pygmalion]

The reputation of the school means nothing to me now that I can tell good teachers from bad, but prestige definitely affected my search for a school. There's no getting around word of mouth, I think. *shrug*

 

[d nice]

I prefer when my students all carry on my technical skills, but they will carry over what they work on. I've had students who have absorbed my material like a sponge. They worked hard, practiced, took lots of private lessons, and and put aside their ego and/or insecurities and actually learned what I had to teach. A number of them are champion dancers or good teachers in their own right now.

I've also had students who had no dedication, those that were lazy, those that were fearful and or resistant to my teachings, though if you were to ask them they would say they fit in the former group.

The truth is the only judge of how good a school or teacher is, is what they do in a class. The students really aren't a good judge for the most part. Some students come away being excellent, not because of the teacher but because of their own work ethic and ability to explore on their own. Their ability to take responsibility for their own learning.

Take some time if you want to become good, take lessons from different instructors, or visit numerous classes and find a teacher whose words make sense, one who uses drills that will help enforce the wwords, and if you really want to get good, look for the teacher that is kind of an [beep!], because if you really want to get good, you want someone who holds you responsible for your learning, won't let you take short cuts or give up. Someone who pushes you and challenges. A disciplinarian when necessary.

Now this isn't someone who abuses their students, but someone who is real and upfront. If you want your ego massaged you don't really want to be good, you want to feel good, a very worthwhile goal, but not the same. A firm teacher, one who won't blow sunshine up your keister, but one who can joke, is self deprecating as mush as they are critical of your own dancing.

Its a fine line, but you should be able to walk away from a lesson at times feeling happy at your progress and dancing and other times to feel slightly overwhelmed, and frustrated because they want more from you and you aren't there yet.

 

[pygmalion]

The truth is the only judge of how good a school or teacher is, is what they do in a class. The students really aren't a good judge for the most part. Some students come away being excellent, not because of the teacher but because of their own work ethic and ability to explore on their own. Their ability to take responsibility for their own learning.

This is true, but kinda tough when you're a newbie and at the fingers-do-the-walking stage of looking for a teacher. So what do you do? You ask around, make your best judgement, and be prepared to move on if you find a better fit down the line, I guess.

Now this isn't someone who abuses their students, but someone who is real and upfront. If you want your ego massaged you don't really want to be good, you want to feel good, a very worthwhile goal, but not the same. A firm teacher, one who won't blow sunshine up your keister, but one who can joke, is self deprecating as mush as they are critical of your own dancing.

Could I get a amen to this! This is exactly why (among other reasons) I left my first dance school. Too much sunshine and not enough honest critique, even after I demanded honesty from them many times. You can't improve if you're not getting the feedback. Grr.

My previous coach and my new one both have an excellent balance of positive and constructive feedback, and, truth be told, you can see it in their students. Their students aren't all good dancers, by any means, but you can see good habits developing and you don't see people doing sloppy dancing and being happy as clams with it. People are at least conscious of the dancing they're doing, for the most part. Works for me.

But you're right, d nice. I think a great way of judging a good teacher is to have several and be observant. In time, you'll be able to tell.

 

[tj]

One thing that has influenced me in the past is the underlying philosophy of an instructor.

There have been instructors whose attitudes about dancing are diametrically opposed to what I want to do/learn with my dancing. And I find that taking their classes aren't enjoyable for me.

So, for me, part of the equation is the underlying principles of what an instructor is trying to teach.