Requirements

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 teacher trainees to help you catch up. You can also schedule private lessons with Michael Kuka or Natalia Lind (for an additional private lesson fee) to make up any work you miss.

Class Times & Exam Schedule

Classes are held at Ballroom Dance Academy on Mondays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm & Thursdays from 8:15 to 10:15 pm at our Hollywood location.

Exams are scheduled to be held during regular class times. If you miss an exam, you may schedule a make-up exam with Michael Kuka and Natalia Lind (for an additional private lesson fee).

Practice

Each class meets a total of 4 hours a week per section.

Most teacher trainees 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 person to person, 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 (please see Schedule above for which manual for each session) and BDA 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, or by calling 1-800-851-2813. BDA Binder is provided in class and costs a one-time fee of $100.00. It includes all class handouts that are distributed over the entire program.

Tuition

Tuition is currently $550/month. Please note that tuition will be increased every May to reflect the current market.

Tuition is due the first class of each new month. Teacher trainees who make a late tuition payment will be accessed a $15 late fee. Tuition can be paid in class by check, or online via PayPal.

Shoes

All teacher trainees will be expected to have proper dance shoes by the first class meeting. This is not an arbitrary aesthetic or fashion consideration. 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 BDTA teacher trainees wear a basic "practice shoe," a practical and durable suede-soled dancing shoe that is made to be comfortable and wearable for long periods. Some teacher trainees wear flashier shoes or high heeled dance shoes, but this is a matter of personal comfort.

You can purchase dance shoes from any dance shoe retailer.