I have a short question,
Bailango: Is the #1 instructor self-employed, employed or self-employed within a franchise chain?
They used to be employed. Now most are like contractors. They are expected to earn their own way through privates and group lessons I think. Somewhere around mid-2000s is when I think these studios started reducing the employee count until they shut down.
In Germany, the core business of the #1 dance school is the ten ballroom dances. But everything else from hip hop to Argentine tango is offered, provided it is profitable.
It is the same here. It was the same here.
There are almost no chains here,
There are chains here. But I don’t know anyone who went to the chains. I am not sure how healthy their business is. The space they have is very small compared to #1.
but the school is a member of an association, whether in popular sports or dance sport. At least the owner has acquired his teaching license from one of these associations.
Ballroom instructors here are always certified I believe.
In order to teach hip hop or TA, available #2 and #3 instructors are hired.
Same. They have some kind of arrangements. Either side can initiate it.
What they then will teach afterwards is what we disdainfully call ballroom AT.
I only know of international standard Ballroom Tango and American smooth Ballrom Tango. And AT. None of they mix anywhere as you can imagine. And yeah, I heard of Finnish Tango but no one dances it here
Technically, the lessons from these instructors are certainly not bad. But above all, the spirit is missing. Interestingly, the advanced training courses for ballroom instructors are often held by real Argentinian tango teachers who otherwise sell social TA in their own #2 studios.
Very first private I signed up for AT was before I danced first step. It was taught by a ballroom instructor in #1. We only did walking. Not in partner hold. Only walking around the floor. I don’t remember why I took that. It has slipped from my memory like it never happened. The ballroom instructor didn’t know AT, that’s why perhaps she only taught the walk.
Much later some times she started dropping into salsa socials that I used to go to. By that time I was a decent salsa dancer. She was a good ballroom dancer but not so good salsera. I would ask her to dance, but it was akin to dancing with a beginner. After a gap of almost 15-16 years I saw her at salsa again earlier this year or late last year.
There was another ballroom instructor that started at the same studio. After the studio shutdown, she bought the naming rights and started another one by the same name. In a hired space (by a hour) with only one floor. This was a few years before Covid. She started dancing tango and would drop at tango class of the instructor i liked. Whenever I partnered with her in the class, she wanted the left arm hold to be a certain way - more extended like in ballroom. I only seen her once after Covid and not at a milonga.
Most Argentine #2 teachers themselves studied at conservatories and academies in BsAs.
Yes they start with established names locally. Also take a lot of lessons with well known visiting BsAs instructors and visited BsAS for intensive immersive training. We have a lot of traffic from BsAs. A lot of people also go there. Half of our instructors are Argentinians who cut their teeth teaching in BsAs. We do have a lot of instructors.
