You want the teacher to have lots of experience:
- How long has the teacher been teaching?
- How long has he or she been dancing?
- What dancing certifications, if any, does he or she have?
You also want to make sure the teacher teaches different styles of dance and make sure the teacher is actually qualified to teach the style you prefer. The teacher should want to teach and not just want to take money from you. Here are some more things to know about the teacher:
- Does the teacher seem truly dedicated to dance? (If he/she was a professional dancer, you can probably assume a great deal of pride and dedication for the profession of dance.)
- You should ask if you can observe the way he or she teaches a class. A dedicated dance teacher will appear to be completely in love with the idea of teaching others how to dance.
To know if the teacher is responsible, ask yourself:
- Is the dance teacher always running behind?
- Do the classes continually begin late?
- A good dance teacher will always strive to be an example of responsibility, as responsibility is a trait of a good dancer. If you feel as if you are always standing around waiting for the teacher, it’s probably time to look for a new one.
- Do you feel informed about what your child is learning in class?
- Is the teacher able to hold the attention the class? Or are the children all over the place.
- Do the students look engaged and excited or bored?
- Do the advanced students look like they are well prepared? Do they dance together as a group or are they out of sync with each other? Do they have good balance or do they stumble a lot?
- If they make mistakes, are they corrected by the teacher?
Most importantly, you want a teacher that will respect you and your child.
- How does the teacher greet you? Are they friendly and happy? Do they seem to be interested in you? Do they seem interested in your child?
- Every student in a dance class should feel important and respected. Even if you are dancing on the back row, the teacher should make an effort to make eye contact and communicate with you.
- A respectable teacher will pay attention to each student and correct them individually, helping them to gradually build their technique. A good teacher will respect every one of her students.
Things you should know as a parent:
- Make sure your child understands the corrections the dance teacher is giving him/her.
- Don’t get made at the dance teacher if corrections are always being made, it’s a good thing because it shows he/she cares about your child (unless it’s in a demeaning way)
