I'm Lost Again (Am.. may be half lost?)

[GoldStar]

Last time I was lost, One user in dance-forums sent me a message saying he was a blackpool finalist and helped me a lot.

Because of him, my progress in dancing was amazing, the head teacher in my studio told me it is unbeliveble progress (without me asking or something),
one other teacher said she is a fan of me because I work so hard and told me that this willing will take me to a very good place.
This user wrote me this forum address so I know or at least hope he sill see this message - thank you! also, I think I found the way to accomplish my goal studying by the greats.. I will announce you when I will be sure. Again, thanks! Whatever happens it because of you, by just few messages

Now, just a few more words about me:
I dance in Arthur Murray school. I'm 18, dancing for almost an year. I started dancing for social targets and than decided to take it to the pro level. I want to compete in Blackpool in may of some year. And I also want to be a student of one of the greats in London, a student which his teacher will love to teach him. To do so, even though I learn in Arthur Murray I asked my teacher to teach me as a pro, in a willing to become a teacher in the years will come, she was very pleased to hear that and from then my progess was great as I said before.

Now I'm, as I said in the title, I'm lost.. not as I was then (when I got help in dance forums) but still a little bit lost.

My teacher talked to the manager asking about me as a trainer.
the manager was of course very happy to hear so.. she said that there is
always a need for more teachers and that there were some teachers who started as a students.
It is possible, but I need a great willing to do so, and my teacher said
"I can't help you in that, I can't sure you anything, you need a great willing,
what I can help you in is making you a good dancer".

And then she said to me that her suggestion is to take group lessons too
(I'm only taking private lessons and you will get why in a short).

Now, I'm not a wealthy person, I know it will change soon, I will find the way
to change it.. but anyone should know where he starts from. I can't take group lessons,
and if I could I won't take those because I don't accept that this is what will make me
a blakpool competitor in the future.

The group lessons are taken by students that their main target is to become a
good social dancers. They are old. I don't say that old is not good and that I
am better than them.. never! what I say is that they don't pursuit for the same goal,
they don't even think about it. It is ok, but I can't see this option of group lessons
as the best way to use my money to become a blackpool competitor. It looks like
they (AM) try to make you spend more and more money, it doesn't look like the dancers
that taking those lessons became something. The only dancer in my studio I think
dance well (as a social dancer only) I didn't saw there.

Is my decision correct? If my progress is so well, why should I change anything
when I can save my money to learn from the greats, as my dream is, in the future?
Do teachers in Arthur Murray get profits if their students take more group lessons?
Do they get more profit if their students attending the training nights?

What should I do?

[QPO]

oh this is a tricky one.

I know Arthur Murray where I am have the reputation do  operate in that manner. I think you need to find a teacher that shares your goal and vision and perhaps that studio is not for you.

You may have outgrown what they have to offer. but always remain objective and realistic. you have come to the sport a bit later and not that it has to take 20 years, I am sure you have much to learn.

Think anbout the Pro & cons of any moveis ther another studio cose by that can give you what you want. As you dont want to burn bridges if it is the only dance school for miles!

give distance between you and your problem so you can be objective.

I personalyy would not go to a chain operated studio as I beleive they dont all operate3 for the best interest of their student.

Good Luck

[GoldStar]

Ok.

Thank you for reading all of this and for your honest opinion

I share your thinking. I believe franchised isn't good for competiting dancing even those who are dancing the American Smooth & Rythm.
The studio pays a lot of money to the franchise which means you paying more as a student. The teachers aren't dancers that competed in the professionals
in the most cases.. their salary isn't that great as they say it is.. as I heard..

But in my case it is a little bit different. I get a really big discount because all of my studio's students are old.. I think that there are only 4-5 young people in the evening nights. No including the teachers of course.

As I said, my teacher now really want to and work hard with me. I enjoy my lessons very much.

And the mose difficult one - I don't think I have much more to study to end the Bronze 1 in the AM syllabus.. And I progress so fast and well (I always
watch videos by the greats to make my basics the best and not social only, and I think I do it well because a blackpool finalist which has visited our studio
said to my teacher I have a great potential and to me he saif after that my frame rocks).. And now it is really difficult to leave.

I mean, you making a relationship with your teacher, even if she isn't Alessia Betti or something haha and I come from a place which the best dancer in it was I think place 36 in the professional standard in Blackpool. You progress well, you work hard, she cares about you and you already started the syllabus which other studios will work from the begining of course. I know that technique is a technique in the other hand.

I guess what I will do is still go to lessons in my studio and when something happens, and if I won't feel that way in the close future I will leave to another studio. I don't have any place around me that will take me to his competitors group but I hope I will find a teacher that will accept to give me private lessons. I mean, Oliver Wessel Therhorn said to me before he died that I am welcome to come to his studio in Germany and he knew I am a student for only 8-9 months and in American Smooth.. so why a teacher without this great knowledge like Oliver won't accept?

But anyone knows if teacher in AM gets profits if his students taking more coup classes, training nights, showcases and etc? very very important for me to know.

Thank you in advance!

[dlgodud]

Don't get me wrong, but I don't quite understand what is your question. Do you seek advice for you to change a studio or a teacher? Or you look for advice if anyone knows a teacher gets some kind of benefit if they push his/her students to buy lessons or do showcases?

If you ask the first question, certainly I believe you are entitled to take as many classes as possible from as many teachers as possible. I would say don't limit yourself. From my experience, having different opinions from different teachers is very useful. Also, I would like to say even though a teacher is blackpool finalist does not always mean that the teacher is great. You also doubted if taking group lessons would be beneficial for you or not. To be honest with you, it all depends on how you think and your attitude about group lessons. Also, it depends on who teaches the class. I had taken only group lessons for 1 and half years at the beginning of my dancing, and started to take private lessons later. From what my teachers told me, they said that I was already a good dancer.

For the second question, a teacher might get something, but I am not 100% sure. I know a studio, not a chain studio, pays a teacher if the teacher does showcases with his/her students. But, students also need to pay to the studio to do it.

[GoldStar]

Thank you dlgodud..
As I said I'm a ltiile bit lost.. so what I asked about is all the questions you wrote 

To do the showcase you need to pay money which I prefer to use on taking private lessons. There is no way I will attend it. I just wanted to know if my teacher
gets profit if I attend this showcase because she and the other teachers as I saw tried so hard to market this showcase.

None of this teachers were a blackpool finalists because all of them are dancers in the American style. There is one teacher which won several medals in American Smooth & Rythm
in Canada and other countries but I never saw her teaching those lessons. The teachers of the group classes are like in all of Arthur Murray studios around the globus - are teachers
who were a great dancers before but never ballroom dancers and AM taught them what is Ballroom dancing and of course how to teach it.

My teacher was a ballet dancer since the age of 4. What I found as a great opprtunity. She is working me on balance many times which I never saw other teachers in the studio do as she does...
She gives me some hints from ballet about how to make my neck look bigger etc.

Of course taking lessons as much as I can will always give me a benefit. But my problem is that I didn't won the lottery.. I really tried and wanted to won one but I just failed 
and so I don't have the money to buy any group classes I can. I try to use my money carefully, taking the right decisions to be as good as I want and able to be. I collect money so I could
travel to London, not just for ballroom dancing but for making a life memory, for example.

Thank you very much.

[cornutt]

Interesting and a bit puzzling that your instructor would suggest that you take group classes.  Groups are good for a lot of things, but training dancers who aspire to high-level competition isn't one of them.  I don't think there is a money motive either, though... in the USA at least, at most studios the group classes are loss leaders.  They offer them inexpensively as a means to encourage people to come in.