5 keys to choose your dance teacher
Most of the time, when we decide to go to an Academy or Dance Center, either in person or online, we do not question all our needs, only the most visible at the conscious level.
If it is a physical place, we seek the proximity to our home or ease of access, the schedules that are affordable at our pace of life, the presence and influence of known people, etc … but we do not consider as a fundamental requirement what attributes our teacher should have (From now on I speak in feminine to save the language, although of course I also refer to teachers). If the Academy we go to is online, something similar happens; we will surely opt for the one with the most striking website, the one that shows the most visibility or the one that offers the most economical price.
But, unfortunately, on numerous occasions, making the choice only based on external and non-internal elements (personal needs and concerns) without taking into account the school’s teaching philosophy, and the personality and methodology of the teacher who will teach our classes of dance, leads us, inevitably and with the passage of time, to disappointment. why?
Because the teacher does not meet your internal expectations, those of which you were not even aware that you had … but that come to light one day, when you decide to develop your dance. Some of the teachers learn something, but if your dance path seeks to go far, seeks to overcome barriers, seeks to discover new challenges and move forward, the choice of your teachers is paramount. In this case, choosing the best ones can be the difference between getting far or stagnant, between enjoying and living the dance with harmony and growth or becoming frustrated and even abandoning.
Unfortunately, an inappropriate teacher for you can lead you to abandon your passion, the one for which you have an innate talent, and this is very sad.
If you are looking for a dance teacher, if you are looking for a mentor to guide you, teach you and support you and, above all, bring out talents and abilities that you did not even know you possessed.,
Here are the 5 most important keys to OPEN in the election of your IDEAL MASTER.
FIRST KEY: Your ideal teacher LOVES the art of TEACHING.
Sometimes, when we choose to receive classes from someone, we do it based on their professional dancer curriculum, based on their awards and achievements, or on their ability to see her dance on stage: we let ourselves be dazzled by her image as a dancer. All of that is wonderful and very much appreciated by your teacher, and she tells you about her very positive and valuable talents as a Dancer, but you are not looking for a dancer … what you are looking for is a Master. There many cases of fabulous dancers, impressive on stage, very valid to perform and dance, very professional as such, who do not know how to teach. His passion is to dance, but not to teach. They don’t have enough patience to transmit their knowledge, they don’t know how to explain clearly and simply and effectively the dance technique they practice, because they don’t love teaching. Surely they are dedicated to teaching because it is the main means of livelihood for someone who wants to live from Dance, but his dream, his true passion is in dancing on stage, not in transmitting knowledge. Teaching is in itself a very complex art and one of the noblest, and requires noble people who love Master’s profession to be truly fruitful.
SECOND KEY: Your ideal teacher is GENEROSA
A person who loves to teach will be generous with their knowledge transfer. Your ideal teacher will always give you more than what you are asking for, she will encourage you to investigate yourself on your own, to discover more things, to even challenge her with findings she herself does not know. Your ideal teacher will never reserve a step or technique or mode of explanation so that you can truly internalize the learning. Your ideal teacher will bring you more value than you expect.
THIRD KEY: Your ideal teacher is ALWAYS LEARNING
He flees from those dance teachers who stop training, from those who stop investigating, who stop attending classes, who assume they already know everything… or who know so much that they don’t need to learn more. Your ideal teacher knows that dance is a constant path of life, and that the learning process never ends.
FOURTH KEY: Your ideal teacher is HUMBLE
Your ideal teacher knows that he can learn something new even from you, because the ideal of a teacher is that his student surpasses him. Flee from teachers who subtly slow the progress of their students, who do not want to feel surpassed by anyone, who feel envious even of their own students.
Flee from those who subtly humiliate you, from those who undervalue your achievements, from those who make their own fears yours, of those who don’t know how to recognize your worth. A good teacher generates teachers, and feels happy and happy to be surpassed by her students, is her greatest reward. For example: your ideal teacher has no qualms about participating with you in a dance event, she accompanies you even to other teachers’ workshops, and is also by your side as a student, and she enjoys it.
FIFTH KEY: Your ideal teacher GIVES YOU FREEDOM
Your ideal teacher lets you be yourself, advises you, guides you, but does not instruct you or submit you, or limit you, but molds you, with love, with wisdom, to get the best out of you being you. Your ideal teacher does not impose, does not oblige.For example: your ideal teacher occasionally puts you personal challenges so that you can create dance and let you choose, whether it be music, costumes, style, or the choreography itself, advising you but always respecting your freedom of choice.
If you are looking for a dance teacher, keep these 5 keys in mind and you will be right. And if you already have a teacher and have read this article it is because inside you knew that you need a change, because maybe your teacher is failing you in one of your needs, which are important to you. Do not forget these 5 keys, if they have resonated with you, for your new search for a teacher. Be that as it may, remember that in your life you will have several teachers, and all of them, even those of whom you have the most bitter memories, have contributed something to you, they will have taught you at least what you do not want. So thank all your teachers, because teaching is a noble and difficult art, and I assure you that they all acted as best they could according to their abilities.
I dedicate this article to all my teachers and teachers, without exception, to all of them I am very grateful.
