You cannot be certificated or qualified in 'competitive' dancing, so the comparison is meaningless. There are internationally recognised dance teachers associations, and various other routes to recognition of knowledge of technique and teaching ability, but the vast majority of dancers will be supremely unconcerned about a teacher's competetive career, because only a few dancers are interested in competition.

Watching an average competition can be an object lesson in poor technique, lousy floorcraft and couples dancing advanced choreography, hopelessly beyond their ability, whereas a local social dance can contain a handful (among the many) who dance with good technique, style and who are a pleasure to watch.

I'd rather be taught by the teacher of the social dancers than I would of the competitors.

My answer to the question is to become acquainted with some decent dancers, and ask for their recommendation. The oafs that career around the floor executing their double reverse teleswirl with a slip pivot, while knocking over three other couples, are NOT the ones to ask - although they will be the most likely to offer an unsolicited recommendation.

Thank you for your reply. I was hoping to get some specific advice on how other people, governing boards in particular, evaluate a dance teacher. I neither have the time nor the desire to investigate all the dance teachers in this are myself. If there is some way to determine their level of competency, I would welcome that. Their rates are all over the map, and usually set after they "size me up" and decide how much I'll cough up for them. I want some scale, preferably determined by a ballroom dance group, of their abilities as a teacher.

JM

Telemark hits the nail on the head. JayMagoo you should have somewhat of an idea as to what it is you want to learn i.e., social dancing salsa? nightclub 2-step?ballroom and the various levels? if you decidedly know what style/kind of dancing your going to learn - it tends to make looking for a teacher of experience/recommended by others or found by yourself somewhat easier. As Telemark has stated, there are various organizations, certifications, etc., however, a good dancer is not always a good teacher, a good well known competitor/teacher is not always the best for your personal dance goals. Ask around, visit studios, schools, or even try a community college that has group lessons and get a feel for what you yourself are looking for in a dance instructor - not just if the pay is equal to the experience. You may surprise yourself. (-: Happy dancing!

I agree intuitively with what you say, but your answer doesn't help me very much. Certifying bodies in other fields are able to advise us when we want to m make choices, and I was asking what certifying bodies are there and what meanings do their certificates have. I was hoping that going to such information would help me make a choice without having to do all the legwork and investigation myself.
Thanks for your answer.

JM

I can't help you with US certification, but in International Style, you can view the current professional syllabus of the ISTD online. The ISTD considers itself to be the premier dance teaching society, and few would argue, but the IDTA (the other big player) has a syllabus more focused on dance, rather than peripheral knowledge.

The entry level certification for IDTA is Associate Membership, which is by examination only. The range of syllabus figures are pretty much those prescribed for an amateur Bronze Medal (but a much higher level of knowledge and execution is called for, of course), but the scope is really very narrow. A newly qualified Associate, with no wider dance experience, would be a VERY boring partner, because of the limited range of figures they knew. They SHOULD know them like the back of their hand, and be able to give a good practical demonstration of every aspect of the technique associated with them, but they needn't have accumulated any practical teaching experience at all, and it may take them many years before they consider higher level certifications (Licentiate/Fellowship), and they may never progress beyond a single entry-level certification in just one branch: Ballroom OR Latin.

If you look at the current professional syllabus of IDTA for Associate Foxtrot, you will find that the only required figures are:
Feather Step,
Reverse Turn,
Three Step,
Natural Turn,
Impetus Turn,
Reverse Wave,
Weave (after 1-4 Reverse Wave only)
& Change of Direction - that's it!

Jive is even briefer:
Rock Action & Jive Chasses,
Basics in Place and in Fallaway,
Changes of Place,
Link,
Change of Hands Behind Back,
Whip,
Promenade Walks
& American Spin.

It's almost shocking. That's the sort of list that you might brush up on in an afternoon, isn't it?

I'm sure Terrence has view, based on long experience, if he is around...

JayMagoo
Go to ndca.org, link to Directories and then click on member organizations. The list has asterisks by the member organizations that offer certifications.
One of my instructors is going through the certification process with Terpsichore - quite frankly, I could not care less about his "certificate".

Jay,

I understand what you are looking for from us and the truth is you are just not going to find it. If it existed...WOW!! It would have saved most of us a lot of time, frustration and money.

There are various certifications out there but they won't lead you to the perfect teacher. There is only one thing that will, and that is you either getting on the telephone and calling studios and asking questions or going to performances and watching or stopping by studios to see what is happening there.

I think you are thrown by the idea that dancers are considered teachers. It's more like the model with professionals in the legal and medical fields. Yes they passed the test but it doesn't mean they are necessarily good at their craft, or maybe they are good at their craft but they are lousy teachers. Even more clearly, if you follow the model of doctor...

Teachers have specialties just like there are proctologists, General doctors, Ob/gyn, etc. The teachers in ballroom may instead of these be Salsa dancers, Standard, Rhythm. None of us here know what specialty you are looking for or what goals you have. Only you know that and only you can select the right specialty. Again the only way to uncover a teacher's specialty is to ask the individual or his/her students.

You just have to do footwork, and honestly Jay, if you don't have time to look for the right teacher, than how do you have time to learn to dance?

Belle

I believe these few words belong here.
We are all far to imapatient to stick to one discipline. If you Google Marcus Hilton Basic Waltz you will find it is far from being a beginners Walt routine. I think it is meant to be a base that we stay with for say one year. But being impatient we look for more complicated moves. But if we did stick to a Basic Waltz which incidently is 32 bars of music and contains a Double Reverse Spin into a Hover Corte then an Outside Spin into a Back Whisk a Chasse and another Back Whisk into a Wing and an Open Telemark. That is only 8 bars out of a 32 bar routine. The moral of this story is. If we stuck to that 32 bar routine for one whole year wouldn't we become better dancers. Is this the type of training that some of those European countries do. Is this why they produce so many great dancers.

Belle,
I do have the time to look for a teacher, but I'd rather use that time learning to dance. That's why I'm using time now posting this question and using more time answering the answers to my questions.
Bottom line: I'm trying to save time by finding out if anyone has compiled an easy, time-saving method of cutting through all the to and fro stuff of finding a teacher.
From what I've read so far, apparently no one has, so before I use my time starting to learn to dance, I have to use a whole bunch of time finding the right teacher.
More of an art than a science, it seems, and probably more difficult than finding a proctologist, ob/gyn, or GP. Should it be that way? To find a dance teacher?
Whether or not it should, it certainly is.

JM

JM -

You are correct. No one has found the perfect mathematical equation to select the perfect teacher.

When you want to find a contractor to build an add-on for your house, what do you do? You ask around, look at the houses/projects the recommended contractors have completed, talk to the contractors, then choose the one who best suits your needs and desires.

The same goes for dance teachers. Just as anyone can be a contractor, anyone can be a dance teacher. You HAVE to talk to people, talk to the instructors, and look at the students they produce.

IMHO you're spending way too much time trying to find the easy way out, when you really need to be doing your research like many in this thread have told you. Just dial the first number in the phone book under "dance studio" and tell them your goals. Even if you later are not satisfied with your teacher, a poor start beats no start at all.