I started taking group lessons about three years ago. Last year,I decided to take private lessons at a local dance studio. I am disappointed at the result so far because even I was assigned to the best teacher in the studio, I did not make much progress. I am now considering a different teacher. Not wanting to make the same mistake, I wonder if anybody will have some advice for me. Also I lived in the S.F. bay area. Thanks.

My advice= keep looking until you are satisfied. There should be chemistry between you and your teacher. You should get some sense of progress as you take each lesson, altho sometimes the progress will be in technique, other times in steps, or style, or whatever.

When I taught (NOT dance) at the University, sometimes the class and I had that chemistry, and sometimes not, so it's not all the instructor....

I have had lessons with 5 dance instructors, and each was different. My first teacher was the best, and if I werent now 200 miles away from him, I'd go back to him in a heartbeat. He could always zero in on my one error (of many, many!) that would get me to progress to the next stage (where I would be ready to correct the many, many). Look for something like that.

Jerry

Jerryblu. If your not taking lessons with a partner,but by yourself, I would go with the opposite sex. If it's your intention to compete,then find a teacher that has students competing in the prechampionships or championship leval,and how well are they doing. Check out the sportdancing website. However many good competetive dance teachers will only teach couples. It's best to take your medals befor competing,so that you have a good groundwork in the fundamentals.

Perhaps the 'best' your local studio has to offer is not very good.

Or, the measurement of 'progress' is not realistic - if you're taking a private lesson and then going out to a social as 'practice', doing social dance, then how would you expect to improve?

Have you discussed goals with your teacher? Sometimes the nebulous "be a better dancer" is too vague. Also, as noted on this forum many times, in partner dancing, having a partner is what makes progress....

There are some WONDERFUL teachers in the SF Bay Area. Tell us what style dancing you want to study, and if you are male or female, and perhaps some of us can suggest teachers.

Thank you all for the input. I am now looking for an international latin instructor in the bay area. Any suggestion will be highly appreciated.

Are you looking for someone of the opposite sex so you can dance in Pro/Am competitions, or are you looking for a good teacher of either sex? Do you have a a partner already and need coaching? There's a number of good Latin teachers in the Bay Area...Stephan Krauel, John Roberts, Anya Trebunskaya, Ava Kaye, Tytus Bergstrom, Christine Belanger, Steve Vasco, Vaidas Skimelis, and Jurga Pupelyte, to name a few.

Salsaling. I went to a lecture by a former international, International Style who said that eight of the teachers he went to was a waste of time and money. I would agree with him there. It wasn't untill a former seventh in the world professional latin dancer turned up in our midst did I realize how bad the teaching had been. Now we have a currant eighteenth in the world modern dancers here. With the teaching they themselves are having, what they can pass on is incredible.If you are familiar with the Keven Bacon
experiment, that in about six goes he can link himself with anybody in the world. I feel very privilaged to be able to link myself to people that I have only ever seen on video.The moral behind this story is you won't know if you are wasting your time until experience tells you so. Pity , but there it is.

Hi,Don,Are you saying that finding the right instructor is shere luck? Or is there a sytemic way to initially screen the potential teachers?

Salsaling. The best way. and I do hope I am treading on no persons toes, is somebody who has trained in Europe , or was taught themselves by a person with international experience. That would be my choice. There has to be some reason when you think about it why a couple would go to live in London for instance, to be taught by teachers that cost a lot of money. And not only that have a waiting list. A considerable amount of time is spent teaching abroad by some of the top coaches in the world. Its nothing for a coach to be teaching in Hong Kong this week and Japan later in the same week and then home for your lesson.