I was asked a while back after dancing socially.. Will you teach me how to dance; I will pay you? I said no for a year or so and finally I took it seriously enough to go into training, observation, study etc..Since becoming one of only 36 certified salsa instructors in the world I have noticed this microwave age of instant overnight instructors that have absolutely no communication skills at all. They look incredible dancing; they win trophies sometimes and are famous but when they teach they dont communicate. What about the poor student who cant learn visually? They are left in the dust... anyone else sick of instructors popping up all over the place that have no training except popping in a video and copying someone? I am no competitor or perfect dancer but I teach very well. I was a trainer of medical transcriptionists in the past prior to teaching dance; this helped me already know how to communicate, encourage and train others.. I even had a student learn from me for 3 months and start teaching in a night club; I was surprised but told him I was proud that he aspired to it because he loved our classes.. and then encouraged him to train train train or stop... he was one of the smart ones and stopped...is anyone else fed up with these horrible teachers popping up everywhere?
dancingwithgrace.com

In all honesty, the reason why the microwave teachers exist is because they fill the niche for people who want microwave training. Most students today want to learn "just enough" to look cool dancing in the clubs. So, to achieve their goals they really don't care if the teacher has certifications or not, or how the teacher is communicating, as long as they learn a few salsa steps and tricks.

Sadly, these teachers will continue to thrive because the market is there for them to do so!

Your answer was fantastic and true. There is a market out there for people who just want to learn the "quickie" move or trick, but the irresponsibility of these microwave instructors is the heart of the matter. I have seen people teaching choreographed moves that are EXTREMELY dangerous to someone to do socially in a crowd. I have personally seen several dips where other people step on womens face on the floor or where the man doesnt know any technique of the dip and he drops the lady because she does not know how to carry her own weight....so my concern is for the person who starts this way and eventually takes classes; they feel cheated by several instructors in town and complain to me or are injured physically and cant dance because of the untrained instructor. Thanks for your reply. Its nice to talk.......

Hi,
Great post and I completely agree with you that there are a lot of people who can dance really well but can't teach!
Teaching is a real skill that a lot of people don't have and will never achieve as they are not willing to put the time in to learn.
This type of thing seems to happen in all dance genres and not just salsa and I really don't know how they get away with it!
Where does health and safety come in? Even if they are teaching people who just want to have fun and do a few moves in the local clubs there should be insurance etc in place to safeguard the public.
My daughter worked very hard to get her teaching qualifications and she pays a lot of money in public liability, dance association fees etc and yet some people think they can get away with just hiring a room and "teaching" after a few hours dance experience of their own.
I don't know how it can be regulated though?
Cathryn x

Thanks for your response. I think that it ends up being about the student; whether they even understand that they should be searching for an instructor that fits them like a glove; someone who cares about their physical safety and reminds them of the dangerous things that people do on the floor and who to avoid. I have had many students come to me after seeing almost 8-9 different instructors and say they "wasted their money for years and didnt know it". Eventually the word gets out and I never say anything except that "they should pick an instructor who can answer their questions, dance and explain both the lead and follow, can communicate well and show a business sense about them that is professional and non-harrassing." I also tell them that they should pick a dance (doesnt have to be salsa) that fits them like a glove too...salsa is fun but if after 2 years of lessons consistently they still look stiff and bouncy they may like the quickstep! Thanks for your reply and goodluck to your daughter.