Jonathan,

Thanks for the information...what you said really makes sense!

As others have said, the formal certificates aren't necessarily an indication of the quality of the instruction. The most important question is, are you achieving what you want to? If you are learning to dance what you want, feel you are progressing pretty consistently, and are able to use what you learn in the venues where you want to dance, then I'd say your instructor is pretty good--for you (that's not to say she'd necessarily be good for someone whose goals are different).

If you want something more "objective" to compare her to, here are a few ideas:

1) if there are other studios in your area, take a group class or even a private lesson there, just to see what else is available and how your instructor compares

2) if you know any of her students who have been taking lessons from her longer than you have, how does their dancing look? Is that where you want to be in the future?

3) the most strigent comparison would be to go to a competition (try accessdance.com to find out if there are any in your area) and see the newcomer and bronze level competitions. How does your dancing compare to those competitors? Competitive dancers will likely be doing fewer "moves" at a given level than a purely social dancer, but will be (aspiring to) doing them with the best possible technique. Still, you'll get a broad idea of what a lot of other dancers at more or less your level can do.

You cannot go to a comp and make a fair comparison wihtout a lot more information. How many lessons total has each competitor had, how much previous experience, how many lessons per week, etc.

Well, if a clear majority in the newcomer category are much better than you are - you can definetly draw some conclusions...

However, if you concentrate on learning as many steps as possible - as opposed to technique - this will not be a good criteria...

As a former teacher for F.A. I know thay do not let you take anything with you not even pix! But I do feel teachers should be certified! I worked hard to get my certs and I worked hard agean to get more, now I am proud to have the dvida papers in hand and on my studio wall! As far as your teacher go with you gut ask questions if she cant give you more than one line answers you may try a lesson some where else and see what thay say.Keep in mind F.A. and A.M.may be holding you back or may not put you where you need to be. Are there outer studios in your area? good luck....

Dear FL,
I was an AM instructor. We trained from videos and lessons from other instructors and books. We did not have to be certified to teach, as a matter of fact when I instructed my first lesson which the person paid $111 for 40 minutes, I only knew the basic steps in Waltz and Rumba and I didn't know them well. Beware, what the instructor is trained to tell you is that you know less than you do so they can sell you more. Do not go to AM, I left there because it was shady. All sales disguised as dance.

I agree that certification does not guarantee a good teacher but in the absence of other details it's a good starting point.

I also think the reference to ISTD (or equivalent) is a good idea. You have to be at a certain level after years before even starting to understand the processes. From what I've seen of the DVIDA certification syllabus it seems very similar to the ISTD format (except perhaps that you can be vertified in individual dances).

It takes years of study to complete ISTD not 6 or 8 weeks.

I also think attending competitions (open rather than in house)is a good thing too. Not neccessarily to see how people are dancing which is important. I'd also focus on finding out who the teachers are whose students are placing at your level.

OB

The training at most studios is SALES and not necessarily dance training. In this respect think of alledged "dance" studios in the country as "social clubs" that teach a little dancing. It appears that your apprehensions go beyond certificates on the wall and are probably well-founded. You can fair much better by searching for a non-studio instructor. Here's a clue: Attend a bigger ballroom dance club like a USABDA function. Look for some good couples who dance well. I'm not talking flash steps...just who execute well as a couple. Get to talk to them. Ask them who their teacher is. Remember the goal: Its not the teacher that dances well....its the teacher that teaches dance well.

Well said Dave.

OB

To get away from the social clubs with a little dancing mentality--I started thinking about competing immediately or as soon as possible. A competition teacher is a different type of teacher. If you tell a teacher that you are interested in competition technique, most will bow out. It will make them look bad and you will find out very quickly once you start competing if you have a good teacher.
It is a very good sign if the teacher competes and takes private lessons too.
Look at competition as a way to set goals and work on specific areas. It is not all about winning.

Overall, you need to like the teachers style of teaching too.