Ballroom Dance Teacher

Finding the right ballroom dance teacher is tough. Not every teacher will be the right fit for you and not all teachers are meant to teach.

Finding The Right Teacher For Ballroom Dancing

So, how can you find the right ballroom dance teacher for you? Let’s look at some methods to finding the right match.

Know yourself

First, know yourself. This means you should think carefully and honestly about how you learn, how you respond to being taught and how much you already know.

If you learn by doing make sure you get a teacher who will show you how to do steps, but also give you plenty of time to practice them as well. A teacher who is caught up in hearing himself talk or watching himself move might not give you the time you need to learn by doing.

If you haven’t been a student in some time, think about how you learned. Were you a student who did well with the stricter, more focused teachers, or did you respond best to teachers who humanized themselves and were friendly and approachable? The characteristics that you decide are important to you should be those that you look for in a teacher.

How much do you already know about ballroom dancing? Some people are by nature a bit more explanatory about everything. If you already have some knowledge of ballroom dancing, or have danced before, you might not enjoy this more explanatory method of teaching. To you it might come off as condescending.

If you can watch a class before signing up, pay attention the teacher’s style of teaching and make sure it jives with what you already know about yourself and your learning style.

Know the teacher

Second, you should know something about your teacher. Ask these questions:

• How many years of dance experience does the teacher have? How many of those years of experience are in ballroom dance?
• How long has the teacher been teaching? What kinds of classes does he or she teach?
• Has the teacher competed before? What kinds of competitions? Is the teacher a champion in anything?
• Who taught the teacher? The way a dancer was taught will resonate in how that dancer teaches other people.

Finding out the answers to these questions is important. If, for example, your new ballroom dance teacher has only danced for 2 years and has no competitive experience that might give you pause. Of course, if you’re a beginner and you have no interest in learning anything more that a few basic moves, that kind of experience might be fine. But if you’re interested in becoming good enough to compete, you might want to find a teacher with a few more dancing and competing chops.

As you go through the process of asking the right questions and finding answers to your questions, don’t think that you are being rude, or intrusive. You should know answers to these questions before you take dance lessons from a new dance teacher. A good student is informed at all times, after all.