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Re: Yes.
Posted by terence2
9/5/2010  10:34:00 PM
The "body " in question is the WDC..

And,yes, I speak from the other side of the fence.. but.. I WAS a student for multi yrs ( not under the Amer.system ) and do appreciate the financial aspect of being an Amat.( and partnerless )

And why am I dis ingenuous ?.. I gave a factual and honest appraisal of the current status.. you are the one who sems to have an "axe " to grind it would seem from your bitter response ..


and by the same token.. NO one puts a gun to the head of those that wish to participate in Pro/Am.. its a free market place and choice should always be an option ..

And I vehemently disagree with your appraisal about Amat comps ,sustaining Comps in general on a local and national basis .

And, i have personally run Comps over many yrs, in different cities, from NY to Fla.( I started the first major one in Atlanta back in 1978 ) and they would NOT have survived for those many yrs without Pro/Am participation..

They( comps ) are also a " gateway " of experience for the young Prof to get comp. experience.

In matter of fact, 2 pros that became U.S. champs, that I started on their careers, came by me thru one of my Pro/Am comps..

I also would like to point out, that I,m not defending price gouging by studios ,and or some Profs ( independant ones do that as well ) ..

Bottom line is.. how people spend THEIR money , is their choice,,and as you said,, no one put a gun to their head...
There are guns and then there are guns.
Posted by jofjonesboro
9/6/2010  8:53:00 AM
NO one puts a gun to the head of those that wish to participate in Pro/Am.. its a free market place and choice should always be an option ..

Not literally, perhaps, but I know of numerous cases in which beginnning couples have been convinced that splitting up and doing pro/am is the best way to develop, advice that is categorically untrue but which works to the financial benefit of the studio.

Choice depends on having information and, in the case of beginning amateurs, that information is all in the hands of the pros. The students are trusting the professionals to act in the students' best interest. Many pros do but sadly many do not.

And I vehemently disagree with your appraisal about Amat comps ,sustaining Comps in general on a local and national basis

Strange; the Southeast Regional Championship in Atlanta was one of the biggest and most successful competitions in the US until USA Dance shut it down for reasons that have never been adequately explained.

Perhaps you meant to say that amateur comps alone won't sustain the ambitions of all of the pros looking for students.

They( comps ) are also a " gateway " of experience for the young Prof to get comp. experience.


Yes, terence, we all understand that pro/am competing is very beneficial to the pro. However, that benefit comes at the expense of the students.

Why can't young pros just compete against other young pros?

jj
Re: There are guns and then there are guns.
Posted by terence2
9/6/2010  9:02:00 AM
They do.. but..even in the UK one could not put 2 rounds together .. and you keep ignoring the cost factor of Judges ( not to even mention all the other costs ).

The States is even worse ( travel costs are prohibitive on a regular basis )..

The Amat. deal was about politics ( as usual ) even so.. if you ran only Amat. ther entry fees would not cover one days expenses ( As I said, have rant too many, and know the cost of putting these things together )..
Also,, the most succ. comp for Amat. has always been the U.S .championships.. the one that matters most in world rankings...

And Im curious, what benefit would it be to you if there were only Amat. comps ?...

The " market place " of dance, is driven by demand.. if it was a fruitless exercise, then it would have disappeared yrs ago..
It's all amateur money.
Posted by jofjonesboro
9/6/2010  9:23:00 AM
. . . if you ran only Amat. ther entry fees would not cover one days expenses . . .

I see that you ignored my point that ALL financing for ballroom dancing events ultimately comes from amateur students paying for lessons, classes, and events. Where do you think the pros get their money?

The reality is that pro/am competitions are financed by amateurs as much a amateur competitions are.

. . . what benefit would it be to you if there were only Amat. comps ?...

First, I've never proposed that professional and pro/am comps be eliminated. I just want amateur dancers to be better informed.

Second, I suppose that having no pro/am competitions would increase the number of available amateur partners but I can only dance with one at a time.

Also, most people who do only pro/am would not stay with competing for long if they were forced to face the fact that they can't really dance.

jj
Re: It
Posted by sifuguy
9/7/2010  7:46:00 AM

jj,

Why not go over to dance forums and post your comment.

"Also, most people who do only pro/am would not stay with competing for long if they were forced to face the fact that they can't really dance."


I could use the entertainment!

http://www.dance-forums.com
Why?
Posted by jofjonesboro
9/7/2010  8:05:00 AM
What would posting this question on D-F accomplish that posting it here would not?

If you have an issue with the statement then why not explain it yourself?

jj
Re: Arthur Murray Showcase
Posted by silver
9/5/2010  9:40:00 PM
I would love to participate in a pro-am or amateur comp if we had more people in our area interested in that aspect of ballroom. (And if teachers didn't expect a free vacation out the deal.) I don't mind paying for what I want, but there has to be a limit in what the teacher expects as compensation. On another note: My showcase is coming along nicely. But I have had to be assertive. I was once a part of a group showcase that was was choreographed by an excellent coach. (He has 5 US titles in his past.) Our teacher for the showcase then set out to change things around over time. She dumbed it down for 3 of the 8 people in the group. And guess what? The 5 of us won't participate in her schemes any more. The challenging, syllibus based choreography the coach gave us was perfectly designed to teach new skills, but was a bit much for the few, so the majority suffered. The teacher didn't want anybody's feelings hurt 'cause that might reflect adversely upon her. I get so sick of some of the ego-centric crap that permeates the dance teaching industry sometimes! OK, I'll get off my box and go to bed.
Re: Arthur Murray Showcase
Posted by Anon
9/6/2010  7:00:00 PM
Hi,
Being an Arthur Murray student myself, and having been going to their showcases, I think you should attend. When I went to the showcase, I didn't bother with purchasing extra classes, but the fact that your instructor focuses on the dance or dances that you are going to perform really improves your dancing. Also, I don't think that it's all about sales, because I know that renting the ballroom that they have their showcase in for 1 day costs them a lot of money (around 35K). Overall, I think it's a really good experience.
Re: Arthur Murray Showcase
Posted by Ankoma
11/7/2012  8:37:00 PM
Actually, the AM events have categories for everyone, including newcomers. The best way to improve your dancing is through events like these. No one can say for sure what the motivation behind your instructor is, but if you trust him (which is a question you should have asked before committing to his instruction), then you should go.
Re: Arthur Murray Showcase
Posted by rgswoohoo
11/8/2012  4:36:00 PM
Before comitting to his instruction?

that would make him a complete stranger.

trust a complete stranger?

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