Dear Laura and Opera Bob,

I appreciate your advice. I can tell you some of the things he has said to me. He once said "This is the way you have to do things if you want to dance with a professional like me". Another time he stated "You must be getting so frustrated because it's taking so LONG for you to get this" when I had never said anything about being frustrated at all. He acts as if it is some privilege to dance with him. I have been lucky to have had many great teachers in my life in different subjects or hobbies, and I did not feel they put themselves on a pedestal so much.

It's impossible to tell via text how he said it and what he meant. For instance, the comment about taking a long time, if said a different way, could be an expression of sympathy and understanding. And the comment about how you have to do things could just be motivational. Or the guy could be a complete jerk. It's impossible for people on the board to tell, that's for sure. So, your best bet is to talk to him, and then to talk to his boss if necessary.

The bottom line is that you have to be happy with your dance instruction, so find out what is really going on and then decide how you want to deal with it.