I have a male dance teacher who has exclusively taught a group of rec dancers (currently ages 7-9) for 3-4 years. This is a weekly 1 hour combo class, so it includes ballet and tap. We are now asking them to come twice a week, as we would like to offer them a chance to join a brand new competition team we are starting in September.

I have even chosen new songs that I feel will do well in a comp, now that I have repeatedly attended the two I want us to compete in. (10 is the usual class size, but only 5 have been coming over the summer; I would hope for 6-8 on the comp team.) I wanted him to teach new choreo to everyone equally, and then we would invite those who did well to be on the team. I need this incentive to motivate the lackadaisical kids, although some may not care enough about being on a comp team to try harder, and that's OK with me too. I don't have enough kids this age to have two tiers of classes, comp vs. rec.

My problem is their teacher continues to drill this past June's recital number, which I told him is NOT fit for a comp. He gave them simple tap steps (what you would teach a 5 year old) and then a formation that they always mess up. It ends with a kick line, and they are never together. The times I watched him rehearse it last year, he rarely corrected their blatant mistakes. He would have them do it five times over, always error-ridden, and just say how great they did it! Now they think they are terrific, and being sloppy is OK. Because they've practiced this dance wrong for over 100 repetitions, I feel it best to bury it, and move on to a new routine.

His argument with me is that the kids will quit if he's too demanding. It's as if to remain popular, he never did a clean-up. I'm saying that they're old enough to see that there's room for improvement, and another guest teacher had no problem repeatedly correcting them with tact and humor. I am the SO, and I feel it's a disservice to keep them doing this simple dance, UNCORRECTED, no matter how much they like it. Even if he were to correct them now, the recital is over, and it's time to move on. I'm having a new teacher start a jazz dance with them in their second weekly class. But I fear that they will demand to do this tap dance too.

Do I let them do this tap dance in the comp, as well as the new jazz dance? The moms love this teacher for his personality, and they are siding with him (due to his campaigning.) I don't want us butting heads over this. So should I just let them do this in the comp, and suffer the consequences of negative judges' feedback?

It's YOUR studio. The kids will quit if they go to competitions and have to hear over and over how they aren't doing well and they only bring home bronze awards and everyone else around them are getting golds. While the emphasis shouldn't be on winning, it is about doing your BEST and none of them (including the teacher) are performing up to your standards at the moment.

The kids will be hopelessly bored to continue this dance through competition season. They did it for recital...may it rest in peace. They need to grow as dancers and move on to harder material or they will never get better.

In the meantime send your tap teacher to me so I can smack him. He is giving tap teachers a bad name for goodness sake. Tap is about precision and being together almost more than any other form.

I'm confused. Why is he teaching again? Shouldn't he be like, a nanny or something? If all you want to be is friends with kids, there's way to do it without dancing with them.

Since you elect to keep him, I guess, the next step is that you have a full day try out workshop, and have these girls try out for the team with you, instead of with him like you were hoping for.

Firstly he obviously has the mentality of those who work at a rec center, there is no doubt about that because at rec centers it's more about having friends and being friendly than anything. HOWEVER, if your school is not a rec center and you are competing then I can understand why this attitude is a problem.

Question: do you have a policy with your instructors/team that says something like "if a number is not competition ready it does not get enrolled"?

For me and number that is a "competition number" whether it is choreographed by me or another instructor must meet my standards before I will even enroll it into a comp. This means that I feel that is must be worthy of placing. I have had parents wonder why I do this but my philosophy is simple, I don't like to waste parent's money. Competitions are expensive and I don't send kids that are not ready to win.

I would maybe establish some rules like this in your team and then go from there. If you do not OK the number then it doesn't go. Period.

Bury this routine.

I've found that male teachers have a HUGE impact on any female adult/teenager in the house (either mothers or students). ESPECIALLY when he gives them the feeling they are good and wonderful (because he's not correcting them). I had such a teacher too, got rid of him after 4 weeks and lost half of my/his students.

Let someone else do the competition routines/rehearsals etc. He's not the right person for it.

What stands out in your post is that you have asked this teacher to not do something (drill the June recital dance) and he disregards your request and continues. He is also campaigning your clientele for his own propaganda. You don't do this in ANY job. You follow company policy; not work against the company.

Only you know if this instructor is someone worth keeping or a loss cause. If you do decide to keep him, I would be making it clear as to what is appropriate instructor behavior. He is welcome to come to you with his opinions, but in the end, it is your school and your decisions on how things are run. Insubordination will (and should) be met with consequences (including termination).

Should you keep the routine? Of course not, you know this. That's why you originally decided to move on to something new and different. You are on the right track.