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So you’re thinking of taking dance lessons…
But you don’t know how to figure out if the dance instructor is any good…
…and even if they are a good teacher, maybe they won’t be good for YOU.
You might be spending hundreds to thousands of dollars with this person and you don’t want to feel like you wasted it, right?
Don’t worry…
Here are 6 questions to ask your dance instructor before hiring them, AND the responses you want to look for. That way, you can decide if they are the right fit for you.
You probably want them to teach private lessons.
Group classes are a great way to pick up new steps and meet other dancers once you know how to dance, but you could spend years in group classes and never get a handle on how to connect to your partner.
Learn some basic foundational skills in private lessons first. Then if you want to and have the time, move on to group lessons.
There are many options to choose from.
An experienced teacher will let you know there are many options and the important thing is that they have a process to steer you to the dance that’s right for you.
For example, at Steps On Toes, we start with a *free* “Explorer Session” where we talk about your goals. Then we look at the current state of your dancing (or lack thereof). And finally, we build a custom plan to help you achieve your goals, including which dance is ideal for you to start with.
That’s how we do it.
NOTE: You don’t want the instructor to immediately tell you which dance is the right one for you because, at this point, they just don’t know enough about you to make that decision.
If the instructor doesn’t explain they have a process to figure this out, move on to find someone who does.
If you’d like to know more about our process, give us a call at (925) 338-7608 and ask about our “Explorer Session”.
The more specialized an instructor is, the more they focus and become great at what they specialize in.
Ideally, your instructor’s specialty would meet your needs.
For example, while many instructors specialize in teaching a specific dance, at Steps On Toes, we specialize in helping people who feel they are slow learners, have two left feet, or could never learn to dance…
…or even those who feel they are “a certified klutz” (as David puts it in his review below).
Having this focus for over 30 years has forced us to constantly overcome all the struggles that will come up for you when you fit this description so that we can help you become a confident dancer much faster than you would if you worked with the average dance instructor.
This way, even if we cost more than another instructor, we can actually save you lots of time and money because we can help you reach your goals much faster.
Of course, we can still teach someone who wants to win competitions but that is not our focus, so if that is your goal, we can recommend some amazing teachers for you that specialize in that goal.
Whatever your goal, try to find an instructor whose specialty meets your needs.
Here is David’s review that we mentioned above:
Note: Be sure to first ask question #3 above BEFORE asking this question. That way, you give them a chance to answer this question without any suggestions on your part. If their response to #3 is that they specialize in your personal struggle/goal, you can skip this question.
If the teacher doesn’t specialize in working with people in your situation, they might still be able to help you.
They probably won’t be as effective as a specialist but sometimes there isn’t a specialist available for your particular needs and you still want to learn to dance.
If they have at least some experience, that is better than none. So after you know their specialty, ask this question to learn a little more about them.
Of course, the more experience someone has working with your particular struggles/goals, the more likely they will have a method that works for you to easily learn to dance.
For example, if you feel you:
Ask “Do you have any experience working with someone like that? And if so, how much?”
Obviously, the more often, the better.
By the way, we are constantly teaching people who have at least one of the struggles above, so if you’d like, give us a call at (925) 338-7608 and we’d be happy to answer your questions!
Unfortunately, some instructors will suggest they are the best teacher to help you with ANY struggle/goal you mention, as they really just want more students. Instead of blindly trusting that they have worked with people like you, look for evidence.
Look for testimonials of students who have similar struggles &/or goals as you. If the teacher was able to help someone with a similar struggle/goal, they will probably be able to help you too.
Here is another one of our testimonials:
A smart instructor will start by teaching you some simple social dance skills because this is a much more powerful and effective way to learn to dance compared to learning a choreographed routine. Plus, you won’t have to memorize a bunch of patterns!
If their response to this question is “a choreographed routine”, “both”, or “whatever you want”, chances are they don’t understand the power of learning social dance skills first, so we recommend you move on and find someone else to teach you.
Sign Up For Your First Private Dance Lesson – Click Here!
Here is a quick summary of the 6 questions to ask your dance instructor and the ideal responses you want the instructor to provide. Print this out so you have it handy when you make your phone calls.
Even if you are already learning from a teacher, ask them these questions now. If your teacher can’t answer these basic questions, now is the time to make a graceful exit before investing hundreds or possibly even thousands of dollars and hours of your time.
And if you are in the bay area, why not give Steps On Toes a call and see if we are right for you! Click here to call us at (925) 338-7608!
Or if you aren’t ready to call us yet, check out more of our reviews on Yelp.