When people say they are going to an independent, what it basically means is they are going to study with an individual teacher of a level equivelent to those who own/manage the chain studios. Instead of having lessons from an assistant teacher, they are taking lessons exclusively from the master teacher - usually for the same hourly rate (or often less). I know several owners of chain franchises who themselves teach competition students at rates and quality identical to independent operators - for these students the chain aspect is non-existent and the owner is functioning as an independent teacher, but those who walk in the door without knowing what to ask for get the far less cost effective chain program.

It's not really the chain people are complaining about - it's being assigned to an assistant teacher at a rate equal or higher to that for which a far more qualified teacher is available. Most independent operators are every bit as bad about this if they employ assistant teachers - and as you point out, perhaps even worse since there may be looser standards for those assistants.

Fed up, you can believe what you want but people aren't making things up regarding their experiences with pricing and sales tactics. I've taken lessons and done Pro/Am at a chain school for about 1 1/2 years, then at a different chain for a few months, and then again from an independent teacher for 7 years, so it's not like I've not seen both sides of this argument.

You brought up buying car: when people shop for a car they educate themselves first as to features, safety, suggested retail price, and usual invoice price (the price the retailer pays the factory) before they go buy. They can get this information from various magazines like Car & Driver or the Kelly's Blue Books. They can get this information on the internet, too. Except for these boards, where people post their personal experiences, there are no magazines etc. where people can educate themselves about buying dance lessons.

And finally: yes, you can put a price on dance lessons. My price is $65/hour from a former National champion who has well over a decade of teaching and competing experience. I don't have to sign any contracts, I don't have to buy lesons in a block in advance, I'm guaranteed that I'll get the same teacher week in and week out, I didn't have to sign a non-fraternization agreement, and most of all I never get called into the manager's office and told that if I wanted to prepare for the next level I'd have to sign a new contract for even more lessons. All of these things happened to me at the two chain studios I took lessons at in the past.


That said, I will agree with you that chains aren't ALL bad. I got very lucky with one of the chains I took lessons at: after having my teacher changed on me twice, I ended up with someone who has since gone on to be a US Champion and World Finalist. I took from him until he left to be an independent elsewhere, where he could partner with whoever he wanted (at the time the management was trying to enforce a rule saying that teachers could only partner with other teachers from the chain) and where he could charge less per hour to his students but still earn more per hour for himself.

Chains trade on the far from completely true claim that a well structured program can create a roster of fully qualified teachers. In contrast, independent individual teachers trade only on their own personal reputation, often by word of mouth with no serious attempt at advertising compared to that used by the chains. When you study with an independent individual, you know exactly who your lesson will be with, and your teacher is fully empowered to negotiate any aspects of the business terms with you; when you sign a contract with a studio the fine print lets them change your teacher, and you will probably not get close enough to the person who makes business decisions to effectively negotiate anything.

This is the beauty of a "buyer's market!" What goes around certainly comes around.

If you provide a product that does not meet your customers' expectations, mistreat customers, and there are better values in the market - you will lose business! I don't buy the whole franchise fee structure - franchises such as McDonalds and Marriott are able to stay successful.

I have been disappointed and felt taken advantage of buy the AM chain, as have many others I know, so we took our business elsewhere. My progress skyrocketed when I switched to the independent and I felt great about giving them my business.

Maybe you (at an AM chain) have the best intentions, but your sales techniques (trained by AM) are simply archaic and don't make good business sense.

If you have a truly superior product, the results (your happy and successful dancers) will speak for themselves, you will get a lot of business from referrals and word of mouth, your customers will continue to dance with you for years, and you will not have to worry about a few customers who had bad experiences with the chain.

Relax (nothing wrong with free speach) and let your long term profits indicate how valuable your "expertise" is to customers ;)

Another thing to keep in mind is that the actual body of corporate knowledge in the chain system, while impressive, consists as much if not more of proven methods for selling dancing and managing a business, as it does of methods of actually teaching dancing. This is especially true of the parts kept secret - basic dance information is widely available from public sources to assist teachers in planning lessons, but studio methods are closely held. While something like the open-book ISTD syllabus is geared towards developing dance knowledge, the much longer, highly secret chain syllabi are in large part intended to provide an infinite wealth of steps which instructors of limited skill can sell to students of limited dedication. If you are such a student, then the chains are a great place - but if you actually want to learn to dance, you need someone, regardless if they are based in a franchise or are independent, who is willing to tailor a program of universal (and not proprietary) dance inforation to your personal needs.

I have experience with both of "the chain" studios as well as independents. In all fairness, I enjoyed my AM franchise experience. They seemed to deviate from the lethal sales practices I was subjected to at the other chain. Again, each franchisee handles their business differently. As for the independent studio, I was fortunate enough to find an excellent instructor who could teach me in a way I could understand. But people really need to do their homework: not all franchisees are 6 week wonders, and not all independents are former national competitors.

There are good franchises within the chains and bad franchises within the chains. There are good independents outside of them and bad independents outside of them. You have to look at each studio (and really each teacher) on a case by case basis.

Unfortunatley, the fact that you have to do this as a student means that the chain methodology has failed. If the brand image meant something to you, it would be a guarantee of what you would find there. But it does not - you have to check out the studio for yourself.

I don't look for studios that are franchises, nor do I hold the fact that some are against them. The status is completely unimportant because I will only study with an individual teacher - no matter where they work - who has sufficient expertise and autonomy to provide the training I need. In practice, that means is that at any structured studio which removes authority from the individual teacher, the only teacher I would consider studying with is a (co)owner empowered to waive any rules that might interfere with my advancement.

Fed-Up stated, "They [the instructors] also must be certified in Bronze and studying the higher levels."

Franchise prices for an private lesson can run from $75.00 for 45 minutes. This extrapolates to $100.00 an hour! For that kind of money, I can easily find an independent instructor who competes or has competed at a Professional or Rising Star level.

Fed Up writes, "They go through 8 plus hours of practice and coaching a day, and know the man and ladys footwork, and lead and follow of all dances. Dont you think the price of that expertise is worth it?"

Not if the instructor is still at a Bronze level and is charging me the same price as champion.

Fed Up writes, "I just wanted to give people a different perspective on chain prices. You are paying for expertise, and it is worth every penny for the quality. You really do get what you pay for!"

Not so.

That is interesting, Newbie. I actually pay over $150 for a 40 minute lesson (I bought a package of 52 lessons/52 group classes/52 practice sessions). Compared to what I'm paying $75 would be a steal. At first I liked the group classes, but now they are taught by the admin staff, not actual competing dancers, so they don't have much value.

I like it at the chain and instructors are good, but I like other places more, which happen to be lower-priced independents, so I am looking forward to the day my contract is over.

Helene,
It all depends on how the contracts are written. At one franchise, the groups, privates, and social practices were listed seperately. So I paid approximately $75.00 for a private, $25.00 per group, and around $15.00 for a social practice. Added together that would come to around $115.00. At another studio, all of the lessons, groups, and social practices were bundled. So in doing the math, it can to approximatley the same price per "unit." When I hear of $140 -$150.00 lesson at a franchise, I question whether it is the "bundled" type of contract.