Dance instruction books or video/dvds are a useful and cost-effective way to study the principles of dance, but they are no substitute for the feedback and constructive criticism which a good teacher/coach can provide.

Of course if your coach was only watching the dvd himself the night before the lesson, and hopes he can get away with "teaching" the steps without his memory failing, and can block your question over a more advanced variation by saying that the answer to that question depends upon you buying $10,000 more lessons, then you must be in the US, and in a franchised chain's studio.

That was a totally inappropriate remark !!--- Your views, like many, are generally way off base , and predjudiced .

What practical experience have you personally had with chain schools in the states ?-- from your remarks-- probably none.

Let me remind you of a world famous english dancer ( and partner ) that far excelled , financially, a large contractual pre paid lesson situation.that went awry .

There are bad apples in most barrels-- that does not meant to say we have to throw them all away !!

As far as learning from and by videos-- they are a tool that can re inforce ideas already in place . The many nuances that exist in dance , are virtually impossible to attain from any video or book .

"You are fond of quoting books, why should they be any more of a teaching tool than a dancer performing steps and exlaining them on video?"

Yes, and I'm also fond of telling people to go take some lessons with a REAL teacher. Especially if they have this idea of claiming to be a teacher, and intended to charge others money for their alleged knowledge.

"What is different from purchasing a video of a professional coach and learning from it versus paying hundreds to get the same information?"

About as much difference as there is between watcing Strictly Ballroom and entering a competition yourself.

In short, there's just no comparison. Videos and books are a supplement only, and cannot replace in-person experience.

Unbelievable! You people embarass me...someone asks a simple, polite question (which is NONE of YOUR business), and you all jump to criticise her. Just get over yourselves! I too am a competetive ballroom dancer, and I CHOOSE to use professional coaches...but dancing is for EVERYONE! People can learn however they choose, and if they can pass on what they know...more power to them. Who knows what they might inspire. And stop knocking the U.S.! There are plenty of studios which are NOT franchised, and plenty of opportunities for people to accomplish their goals (whatever they may be...and don't ASSUME they are the same as yours) Everybody starts somewhere, you know? Don't be so smug...a little kindness goes a long way.

Embarrassed? Why?

Are you SO insecure that you cannot bear to hear or read an opinion with which you don't agree? I suspect that you are living in just the right country. Have a nice day.

Embarassed by your obvious snobbery, of course.

"Embarassed by your obvious snobbery, of course."

Well I'm embarassed to be associated with an industry in which minimally trained people are paid a pittance to teach students who are paying a small fortune for the privilege of "studying" with them.

"Unbelievable! You people embarass me...someone asks a simple, polite question (which is NONE of YOUR business), and you all jump to criticise her. Just get over yourselves! I too am a competetive ballroom dancer, and I CHOOSE to use professional coaches...but dancing is for EVERYONE! People can learn however they choose, and if they can pass on what they know...more power to them."

If they were seeking knowledge for their own interests, or to give away, that's one thing. If they are charging to teach a subject they learned off a video, that's in moral terms getting very close to fraud.

And yes, as members of the dance community, the opposing the proliferation of clueless "teachers" is very much our business.

Do I expect this potential teacher is going to be learning only from videos? No. But the way the question is asked, makes it clear they aren't receiving enough in-person guidance to be building real teaching qualifications.

A potential teacher should either be focusing on the bronze material to build the quality of their detailed understanding (if they are going to be teaching soon... which is unfortunate but happens - this is all they will be teaching. The fraction of students working beyond bronze is miniscule, adn the new teachers won't get them), or they should be out gaining experience as a student and amateur competitor themselves, then start over from the basics in 5 years or so and review everything for purposes of teaching it, seeing it all again, only through eyes that now have enough experience to know what they should be looking for.

Jonathan,

Please stop them.

I don't think there's any reason to stop anybody here. This is actually a great topic for discussion. It's compelling, and both sides present a reasonable argument. What better a topic could there be for a message board?

This is one single thread with many different participants, so it's not the same "hijacking" problem we've had in recent months. Everybody involved has stayed on topic and presented reasonable arguments. So no matter how frustrated you might be, it's still your business to counter their argument; It's not mine to block them simply because they disagree with you.

This is a perfect example of why I was so hesitatnt to start taking a more proactive role in moderating the message board in the first place. I don't regret having done so... It was a necessary step to purge the garbage that was clogging our pipes. But now that I've taken that one small step, I fear a slippery slope in the expectations of our participants. Now every time someone posts a message that might be construed as arrogant, snotty, angry, crazy, wrong, etc., I'm sure I can expect to hear pleas for complete expulsion of the offending author.

Here's the bottom line: I intend to continue to moderate the message board as little as possible. Spamming, flaming, hijacking and other offensive activities will not be tolerated. Occasionally certain topics or users may be banned in order to deter such activities. But differences in opinion do not qualify as offensive. Even when those opinions are different than my own.

Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com