Dear Diane, I’ve been taking lessons at my studio for four years. I love dancing, and up until the past year, have also loved the family atmosphere at my studio. But now I’m considering leaving the ballroom world altogether. Last year the studio got a new owner who loves dance but has little business experience. … Continue reading
Dear Diane, I teach primarily competitive students, and really enjoy helping them prepare for competitions. Our lessons have structure and direction, and my students are motivated to work seriously on their dancing. I am at a loss however, with my students who do not want to compete. They enjoy their lessons, but they seem totally … Continue reading
Dear Diane, I have been working with a gentleman student for two years, and cannot seem to teach him how to lead pivots correctly. While he does not have much natural ability, he is very dedicated and goes out social dancing several times a week. His progress up until now has been steady, but we … Continue reading
Dear Diane, I’ve been a teacher for two years. I love to dance and I love watching my students grow. But I am extremely uncomfortable selling dance lessons. Our students are treated like walking wallets. The sales procedure at our studio requires we spend part of every lesson selling set packages of lesson plans, regardless … Continue reading
Dear Diane, I’ve been taking ballroom dance lessons from “Joe” for two years. I had never danced before but Joe was a kind and supportive teacher, and pretty soon I fell in love with ballroom dancing. Now dancing is my life! I take four private lessons a week and study ballet and yoga as well. … Continue reading
Dear Diane, One of the students in my group class has a very embarrassing problem and I’m not sure what to do about it. Several of the female students in my Beginning Social Dance have told me that one of their classmates, “James”, has an offensive body odor that makes dancing with him very unpleasant. … Continue reading
Dear Diane, I’ve always said I could teach anyone to dance. Now, I’m not so sure. I have a student who cannot hear the beat. More specifically, he can’t dance and hear the beat correctly at the same time. What’s worse, he seems to have even less rhythm now than when he started taking private … Continue reading
Dear Diane, I’m afraid my best student is becoming an alcoholic and I don’t know what to do. In the past few months, “Dan” has started coming to lessons disheveled and unfocused. He seems uncharacteristically clumsy and I often smell alcohol on his breath. Sometimes he slurs his words and twice he failed to show … Continue reading
Dear Diane, I recently had a very disturbing encounter with an instructor at my studio, and I’m not sure where to go from here. The problem involved a student Medal Test. My student was scheduled to take his Silver Smooth test during regular business hours. The studio did not have a Medal Test day scheduled … Continue reading
