Become a well trained ballroom dance instructor!
Know and understand dancing better than you ever imagined!
Graduate with your diploma as a ballroom dance instructor.

Offering high-quality, in-depth dance training in a structured and affordable program

This fun, but rigorous system methodically takes you through SEVENTEEN dances of the Dance Vision International Dance Association (DVIDA) Bronze American Syllabus for Smooth, Rhythm, and NightClub Dances in sixteen months.

This program is ideal for beginners as well as those who are already avid social dancers. Learn in only 16 months what it could take years to learn in regular group and private lessons. Many of the elements in this program are never taught through traditional methods. Teaching dance is a career option for anyone - no prior dance experience is necessary!

Some trainees may never become professional dancers. In fact many will take this course to improve their own dancing, becoming highly skilled in technique and personal enrichment. At the end of the course each will have the range, flexibility and training of a professional even if they wish to remain amateurs for the rest of their dancing career. As every dancer knows, the best leaders have a deep understanding of the Follower's part and vice versa; this is one of the major differences between amateurs and professionals. It is also true that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. This teacher training course offers its trainees the opportunity to do both.

The Program

In this course you will learn:

• The 17 dances of the DVIDA Bronze American Syllabus for Smooth, Rhythm, and NightClub dances, and how to teach them
• To dance as both Leader and Follower
• Technical and musical elements of all the dances
• How to teach group classes and private lessons in a professional manner with poise and confidence
• How to prepare for class exams that will provide feedback on your progress.
  

Dancing both roles

In order to teach a specific dance or figure, you need to be able to articulate and demonstrate both the leader's and follower's part. We spend equal time in class working on both parts, and every student is expected to dance with every other student as both leader and follower, regardless of gender . This is standard practice for professional dance instruction. Because this is a teaching class, there is a strong emphasis on presentation. You will be expected to present material to the class on a regular basis. You may be asked to demonstrate a figure or to present a brief history of a specific dance. But not to worry, we hand out assignments in advance and you will have plenty of time to be prepared.

Class Times & Exam Schedule

Classes held Tuesday & Thursdays, from 7:30-9:30pm. Exams are scheduled to be held during regular class times. If you miss an exam, you may schedule a make-up exam with a faculty teacher (for an additional private lesson fee).

Students may join the program at the beginning of any quarter, they may take the entire program, or just the quarter(s) of most interest.

Rhythm I Quarter - 16 wks
Rumba, Cha Cha, Bolero, and East Coast Swing

Smooth Quarter – 16 wks
Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Viennese Waltz

Rhythm II Quarter - 16 wks
Merengue, Mambo, Samba, and West Coast Swing

Nightclub Quarter - 16 wks
Argentine Tango, Nightclub Two-Step, Salsa, Lindy Hop and Hustle

Practice

Each class meets a total of 4 hours a week per section. Most students spend quite a bit of time every week studying the material and practicing what they have learned. Though the amount of outside time varies greatly from student to student, please expect to commit one hour of study time for every hour you spend in class (about four hours of study time per week). Becoming a dance teacher takes dedication and practice.

Materials

The DVIDA Manuals and the Teacher's Training Binder are required textbooks for the course. The accompanying DVIDA videos are recommended, but optional. The DVIDA Bronze Manuals and videos are available from Dance Vision and may be ordered online at www.dancevision.com. The Teacher's Training Binder is provided in class and costs a one-time fee of $85.00. It includes all class handouts that are distributed over the entire program

Tuition

Tuition is currently $475 per month with a non-refundable $100 enrollment fee to register for class

Class Size

Class size is currently limited to 8 people.

Shoes

All students will need to have proper dance shoes by the second class meeting. To teach dance, you need the "right tool for the job," and proper dance shoes are literally the foundation for your dancing!

There are different styles of dance shoes for different styles of dancing, but most students wear a basic "practice shoe," a practical and durable suede-soled dancing shoe that is made to be comfortable and

wearable for long periods of time.

Instructor, Jeremy Pilling

Attendance

This is a professional level course, and we cover a lot of material at a fairly fast pace. Missing class is not advised, as you can easily fall behind. If you do have to miss a class, you can generally arrange to work with one of the other students to help you catch up. You can also schedule private lessons with one of the faculty members of the Santa Cruz Ballroom Dance Teachers Academy (for an additional private lesson fee) to make up any work you miss.

Benefits

During the course, those enrolled will be allowed to take the group classes at the Palomar Ballroom for free, given that they lead or follow as needed in the class. Dance is a dynamically growing industry. IF YOU WANT to dance with your heart, feel the music and would love to create a beautiful collage on the floor then this is the right vocational choice for you. Additional outcomes will be dancing in shows, special exhibitions, and future DanceSport Competitions with your students or even professionally! And most of all, making money doing something you love!

Faculty

JEREMY PILLING
Jeremy has been teaching and performing ballroom for 11 years. His teaching style is very technique-oriented while still achieving the goal of having fun. Jeremy has won several Rising Star Rhythm and Open Professional Rhythm competitions during his professional dance career. In addition to his dance training, Jeremy has a B.S. in Sport Science and is the owner of the Palomar Ballroom.

ZAK BAUMAN
Zak has been teaching and performing ballroom dance for 10 years. She is a former high school teacher who received her teaching credential from San Jose State. Zak is a born teacher who focuses on the details while motivating her students to achieve excellence. Zak was also trained as a classical ballet dancer, and spent 7 years dancing as a professional modern dancer in New York City and in California.