What are dance teachers like in 2013 in your experience?

[lottieandmia]

I was thinking about my experience of dance classes as a child after watching Dance Moms - I know, I know I should be ashamed for watching rubbish On that programme the teacher appears to treat her students really badly. But then I thought about my dance lessons and none of my teachers were very nice and did things similar to what is shown in Dance Moms (although for me this was 20 years ago!)

I had an alcoholic dance teacher, a teacher who humiliated people in front of the class, who forced us to critique the other dancers in our class and shouted at us for things that were our parent's fault and not ours. The teachers made personal comments about our appearance, personalities and so on.

AIBU for thinking dance teachers just aren't very nice people? I am thinking they must behave better in 2013 though?

My dds dance teacher is lovely, really, really lovely, she is completely dedicated, charges a pittance and puts every bit of it back into the kids anyway, and remembers every one of her 300+ pupils names, never shouts and gets the best out of the kids by encouragement, we love her.

She sounds lovely angels I was also thinking about dd2 - when she was in reception she did ballet classes at school and the teacher was always making comments that the children ate too much. This was a group of 4 and 5 year old (all of whom were tiny) who were eating sandwiches after school because of course they were hungry! It annoyed me so I removed her from the lessons.

My dds dance teachers are lovely. They accept anyone regardless of ability, know them as individuals and push them to achieve their potential. Dd3 is a festival dancer and will get shouted at in a "Higher! Other leg! Come on!" kind of way but it's never nasty and there's usually a hug at the end of class. The dance school is like an extended family and Miss X is usually in floods of tears when it's time to say goodbye to Seniors moving on to dance college or university.

that is shocking, I'm not surprised you removed her. In dds dance school there are children of all shapes and sizes and they are all encouraged equally. She also read about a young lad who was turned away from another school because of a disability and she tracked him down and gave him free lessons at her school. She puts on a show every year and everyone is on the stage no matter what their ability is. Did I mention we love her

My DDs' dance teacher is super. Large dance school with lessons in multiple venues and she is one of the principals. She is very encouraging of all pupils, heavy focus on them being the best they can be. All children are invited to be in the biannual show (some children are very talented, others not so, but everyone gets a chance to be in a dance). She is also very encouraging of children with SN - fully integrated into the classes and the shows, supported by older students - which I think is fabulous. She remembers everyone's name, is kind and patient but very firm.

Actually thinking about it, I am singing her praises on the internet, but I should actually tell her, shouldn't I??!

The ballet teacher I had when I was 4 was TERRIFYING. She shouted at us constantly and expected her class of 4 year olds to do exactly as they were told for an hour, when all we wanted to do was scoot around the shiny floor on our butts.

OTOH, I go to adult ballet classes now and the teacher is absolutely lovely, to his adult and his children's classes.

My dance teachers are lovely. Know every child by name, and their parents too mostly. Encourage the right amount and are really pleased when someone succeeds. Support us through our outside lives as well as our dance lives. They are wonderful. So much so that many former students come back to visit from uni or working, and ex-pupils are starting to come back with their own children!

I think I must be using the same ballet school as Nigel. DD started classes when she was 4 and is still going strong at 16. She's not going to make a profession out of it, but still enjoys the classes immensely and is very much a part of what's going on in the school. I'd use the word "formidable" to describe the teacher, but she's like a mother hen when it comes to her girls and boys. Very well respected.

DDS dance teachers are lovely and treat all the children as they would their own, that's why dd has been there four years since she was two!

DD's ballet teacher is lovely and has the patience of a saint. The freestyle teacher at the same dance school seems a lot shoutier, DD will not be doing freestyle.

I had one dance teacher who told me I looked and danced 'so much better now you've lost the chub' after I went from 8st to 5.5st aged 16! She also told my sister (aged 7 at the time!) she was ruining an entire show because she had missed one lesson through illness and didn't know a few steps and accused a 12 year old of developing a pot belly.

My children's dance teachers are, I think, great. Obviously I'm not there all the time and, tbh, I am more about results than 'nicey niceness' but they seem professional, caring and popular.

I teach dance in school and, in my opinion, I'm quite nice!

My children are at quite a large dance school with several teachers. The teacher most little ones come across is an absolute angel. In 8 years I have NEVER heard her raise her voice. My children are festival dancers and have had an array of teachers with different methods but the fact they are still there, and they get amazing results, speaks volumes. Some can be strict, shouty, Mardi, but once the lesson is over they don't go on about it and they do not carry issues on.

One of my daughters favourite teachers, a male Jazz teacher, left a year or so ago. He could shout, but he was well loved by most of his students.

As for dance moms, we are obsessed with it in this house! Abby's teaching methods raise eyebrows, but again she gets results and the girls are very talented.

Abby is awful and rumour has it she does more than shout at the children off camera. Her competition group are amazing dancers (that's the only reason I watch it) but they are surely a small part of her school? I wonder whether she gets results from all her students with the approach she has.