Real dance teachers

[David Bailey]

Looking back, I think maybe more Ceroc teachers were offended by your use of "clone", rather than "crap". Putting them next to each other then maybe made it worse.

It's a gift. Although you may be right - funny that, I'd rather be a competent clone than an incompetent individual personally.

Ironically, I didn't even start the thread, it was split from a throwaway comment I made on somewhere else.

[David Bailey]

I`ve heard some rubbish in my time on the forum but this comment is challenging for a place in the top 10 IMHO!

Hey, come on. There's 11,600-odd posts for me to consider first.

I assume what Stray is saying is that "Making it fun" is part of the Ceroc ethos - but that's not necessarily an essential part of being a proper dance teacher, any more than a good secondary school teacher should primarily focus on "Making it fun".

Yes, learning - anything - can be fun, but sometimes it's bloody hard work.

I do have a question though....at which point does one become a Professional dance teacher then???

For me, it's when one avoids multiple punctuation marks, but then I'm just weird on that score.

But as "professional dance teacher" is not the same as "real dance teacher", you're asking a different question I believe.

[David Bailey]

So ... do you think YOU can teach ME to DANCE?

Hey, come on, he's only human.

[Gus]

Hey, come on, he's only human.

Fair point

Had time to think about this during the drive home. I suppose its a case of 'fit for purpose'. The mainstream MJ teacher can take a bunch of herberts off the street and get them passably lurching round a dancefloor within 6 to 8 weeks. Thats a feat that few 'formally trained' dance instructors could do. However, its the next steps where a MJ instructor starts to fall behind ... maybe.

At the end of the day can you claim that a normal guy can undergo 10 days of 'clone' training and still be regarded as an equal to someone who has done two to three years study at dance school. In my eyes there is a clear difference. What the nomenclature should be to differentiate is a moot point however.

[MartinHarper]

Without wishing to put all teachers in boxes marked "real" and "unreal", there's an obvious difference between a firefighter who went through CTA-training and teaches one class a week, and someone with extensive training in both teaching and dancing, who makes a living that way.

Dance as enjoyable, appealing, and fun? Not always. A war dance, for example, may be none of these things.

[ducasi]

It's a gift. Although you may be right - funny that, I'd rather be a competent clone than an incompetent individual personally.

Ironically, I didn't even start the thread, it was split from a throwaway comment I made on somewhere else.

Evil thread-splitting moderators!

[Martin]

So ... do you think YOU can teach ME to DANCE?

Oh, pick me, pick me, someone has to whip that Gus into shape

Without wishing to put all teachers in boxes marked "real" and "unreal", there's an obvious difference between a firefighter who went through CTA-training and teaches one class a week, and someone with extensive training in both teaching and dancing, who makes a living that way.

All the teachers I respect the most have experience in other dance forms or are musicians or simply have "something special".
That is not to say they have to make a full time living doing it to be a "real teacher"

In any "job" some people will "do the job" - others will do so much more, based on thier passion for the job and thier willingness to research and apply.

[Paul F]

Without wishing to put all teachers in boxes marked "real" and "unreal", there's an obvious difference between a firefighter who went through CTA-training and teaches one class a week, and someone with extensive training in both teaching and dancing, who makes a living that way.

Dance as enjoyable, appealing, and fun? Not always. A war dance, for example, may be none of these things.

So it seems that what we are saying is that a 'real' teacher is one that has extensive training in a dance style + formal teacher training in one or more styles?


As for the thing about dance being enjoyable, fun etc. I stand by my personal preference that dancing can, and should, be fun and enjoyable.

[MartinHarper]

So it seems that what we are saying is that a 'real' teacher is one that has extensive training in a dance style + formal teacher training in one or more styles?

I don't want to put all teachers in boxes marked "real" and "unreal".

[drathzel]

So ... do you think YOU can teach ME to DANCE?

yes, i've seen you dance, remember

[Gus]

yes, i've seen you dance, remember

May be a challenge too far. Many hath tried ... all hath failed etc. etc.

[David Bailey]

So it seems that what we are saying is that a 'real' teacher is one that has extensive training in a dance style + formal teacher training in one or more styles?

Dunno what "we" are saying, but to me, a "real" dance teacher has a combination of real training and real experience.

Most teachers on the MJ circuit simply don't have that - that's not to say they're not good at what they do, it's just that they don't typically have that level of training / teacher training.

CTA training, AFAIK, teaches you how to teach Ceroc-style MJ - it doesn't teach you much about dance teaching. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

As for the thing about dance being enjoyable, fun etc. I stand by my personal preference that dancing can, and should, be fun and enjoyable.

Yes, but learning dancing is not (usually) - that's what the discussion was about.

yes, i've seen you dance, remember

That's nothing - I've seen him disco dance. Flashback...

[Paul F]

I don't want to put all teachers in boxes marked "real" and "unreal".

I agree. Seems like a god way to go.

Dunno what "we" are saying, but to me, a "real" dance teacher has a combination of real training and real experience.

What Im trying (badly) to get at is the definition of "experience" and "training". Any number of teachers can claim to have 'experience' but what does this actually mean?

By 'training' do you mean training in a dance style or teacher training?

[David Bailey]

What Im trying (badly) to get at is the definition of "experience" and "training". Any number of teachers can claim to have 'experience' but what does this actually mean?

To me, "experience" covers a range - experience of social dancing, experience of teaching, possibly experience in competitions and other such things depending on what you're teaching.
In addition, I would hope that this would cover similar types of experience in dance forms other than MJ.

By 'training' do you mean training in a dance style or teacher training?

Both

But "real" training - to me - means long periods of study. Degrees, diplomas, full-time study, that sort of thing.