Are All Ballroom Instructors The Same?

The Quick Guide to Finding a Qualified Instructor

You’ve got the ballroom dance bug and want to take a few classes so that you look good at the next wedding or function you attend, but you don’t know where to start… we’ll here’s the quick and easy guide to choosing the best ballroom instructor or studio for you.

Sadly, without this information, many people wind up choosing a poorly qualified ballroom dance teacher (or school); and, sometimes, even worse, have such a negative experience, decide that dancing is something they’ll never try again.

We’ll cover a few misconceptions that people have about choosing a dance instructor and then get into specific questions YOU can ask to when you’re looking around.

Misconception ONE:

The term ‘Ballroom Dance’ refers to the smooth floating dances.

That’s only part of the story. It’s true, AND ballroom dancing is a term that really encompasses the smooth dances, the latin and rhythm dances, the swing dances, Salsa, Tango and so much more.

Solution/Question(s) to ask:

If there is a dance you want to learn, or several that interest you, look for a well rounded instructor, or a studio with multiple instructors and be sure to ask about those specific dances.

Do you/does your studio teach ______ (swing, salsa, tango, etc.)

Misconception TWO:

Ballroom/Swing/Salsa Teachers go to school to learn to teach ballroom/swing/salsa dancing.

NO! This couldn’t be further from the truth. It makes sense, they are teachers – other teachers have to graduate and have credentials. But there is no regulation in the ballroom dance industry.

This means anyone can call themselves a Ballroom Dance Instructor, a Swing Dance Instructor, etc. There are people that have taken a few classes, watched a few YouTube Videos, or even won a few contests, and they are teaching.

You may have taken a class and gotten turned off. It happens ALL THE TIME and it gives the industry a bad name.

Solution/Question(s) to ask:

There are actual ballroom dance teacher colleges, professional exams and professional certifications. There ARE qualified teachers. And you can ask questions to help you find them.

The most widely recognized accrediting agency is ‘Dance Vision International Dance Association’ (DVIDA), which is recognized by the National Dance Council of America (NDCA).

Teachers get certified in EACH dance they learn, and there are levels of certification. So if you want to learn Waltz, be sure your instructor has, at minimum, his or her Bronze Waltz Certification.

Ask what credentials s/he has and where and when s/he got them. If you get a story about why ‘there’s no need, or no schools for his/her dance’, etc, beware.

Are you a certified instructor?

In what dances?

From what accrediting agency?

What school did you attend?

Misconception THREE:

A great dancer makes a great teacher.

I wish this were true – then it would be easy to find a teacher – just look for the number of awards. However, the problem is that most great dancers don’t learn how to EXPLAIN what they do so naturally.

Have you ever noticed that most of the Olympic gymnastic and skating coaches are not great gymnasts or skaters?

Dancing and teaching dance involve two different sets of skills. The highly trained dancer has usually spent years and years developing only ONE of those sets of skills (clue: teaching is not the set they’ve developed). So often they make TERRIBLE teachers. (This is not always the case.)

Solution/Question(s) to ask:

Some great dancers retire and focus their attention on becoming great teachers. This becomes a terrific combination. You can ask about their certification (above) and you can also ask about how they’ve worked on their teaching skills.

What training have you had to develop your teaching skills?

Overall, your experience is the best judge of your instructor. Armed with these three essential pieces of knowledge:

1. the term Ballroom encompasses most ‘couples’ dances
2. there is no regulation in the ballroom dance industry
3. a great dancer does not equal a great teacher

you will be a savvy consumer. Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to look a bit further if you’re not getting the answers you want!