But - it's nive they are nice people - but can you DANCE yet?

Although I do support the suppression of sales before dancing tactics, I must toss in my two cents here.

I see a lot of people complaining about instructors who learn from videos, and at the same time they complain about the high prices of lessons. Surely you know that if you learn from sources other than videos, you will be either taking lessons which cost money, or receiving professional coaching which costs more money.

I see people wanting professionally trained instructors (trained by professionals I assume) but they want the rates lowered. Now, while I am in agreement that some rates are very high, if you want a professional instructor, be prepared to pay for it, because it isn't cheap for them to get where they are at.

Just had to toss another viewpoint in there. But let it be known, I am against those instructors who try to "suck the money right out of you" because they give those of us who actually love to teach a bad rap.

Turning Point,

My husband and I started with AM in January. We have the same program $125 per unit (1 private, 1 group, 1 party) but have found that in some of the dances, we are becoming limited because we haven't paid for the next level of learning (we are in bronze 1 - AM breaks bronze up into 1, 2, 3 and 4) For us to continue all the way to bronze 4 it will cost us an additional $18,800! We learn pretty quickly apparently and when we ask questions about technique or something, we often get told that is later on in bronze. So basically, if we want to "know" we have to fish over $18,000!

We were going to order some videos from ballroomdancers.com to give us a few ideas since we can't afford that. What do you guys think?

$18,000 to learn bronze?

I've just done bronze & silver international ballroom on the back of six months of private lessons at £12/week, so that's just over £300. I passed with HC, so the teacher wasn't cutting corners (and, for example, my Waltz routine included 15 figures, when the syllabus required a minimum of just 6).

Are the US dance studios run by the mob? Do privately owned schools just "disappear"? Why do you pay such silly money?

Which means they (the teachers) haven't learned the step yet.

A friend, a former chain studio manager, and now a Fellow ISTD says the instructors were often just being taught the next step before the class started where he worked.



Advertising tells them to!

OB

"...when we ask questions about technique or something, we often get told that is later on in bronze.

Which means they (the teachers) haven't learned the step yet."

as a former student, teacher, competative professional, and coach I must sincerely disagree with this. It is detrimental and a disservice to introduce techniques of dance before certain others are mastered, or at least somewhat so. The process (often called "layering") can be related to building a house - it may look pretty at first glance, but if the foundation is unsound or the building materials are shoddy, sooner or later it will collapse. This is true of any skill, be it dance, art, golf, sales, bowling, or whatever.
In my experience, people tend to believe they are further along than they are, or don't appreciate the subtleties of certain essential techniques and cast them off because they don't feel the progress as fast. If you trust your teacher (IF!) you need to realize that you hired them for their expertise, and put your guidance in their hands, just as you would a college professor - you don't walk into a university and say,"teach me calculus!!" when you don't know algebra yet. This philosophy carried me far in the dance world - from many top student awards at various levels to top teacher awards, to finals at major comps and to coaching several other up-and coming competative professionals.
If you don't trust your teacher - you need a new one!! (regardless of whether it is AM,Fads, Independant or whatever)

Mr. Tango. I think you would agree that with a class of begginers learning the Modern Waltz for the first time it is proper to teach them on a Closed Change for the person going forward, that it is a Heel followed by a Toe on the second step, and then a Toe Heel on the third..to the count of 1 2 3. I've heard all the excuses like they won't understand. Or this is a just Social class. I think the pupil came through that door to learn how to Waltz. They have paid their money and should be taught correctly. And those not doing it correctly should be corrected. When I first learnt the whole class was made to say aloud. Heel. Toe. Toe Heel. Then repeated on the other foot. Once the class got the idea he would teach that we must dance from foot to foot and not get stuck halfway inbetween.
When it is taught this way at the beginning it stays with the pupils forever. Are there any out there being taught this way.

No problem at all with that. I teach it similarly. But try to teach a new social dancer Swing (technique not the dance) and Sway before they learn to maintain foot pressure as they close their feet, all while holding a proper dance position to allow rotation, and getting the forward moving to be the aggressor yet still "follow" at the same time.
In my experience, that type of thing is usually what the student is referring to when they say "they-wouldn't-teach-me-that-until-I-got-into-a-higher-level-and-why can't-I-learn-that-now?"
And don't even get started on Cuban Motion!

oops, didn't mean to post as anonymous

must be late