Thinking of teaching on my own...

CrazySamantha started this discussion · 12/22/2010

Ok so I'm sure every pole dancers dream is to open up their own studio, or at least almost all of us.lol I have been thinking of trying to work up a clientele to do private and maybe pole parties and maybe I could save up enough money to open up that dream dance studio. But I just don't know really where to start. I have done a few lessons for some girls I know. But sometimes I find it hard to explain to someone how to do a move when its so simple to me. I am all self-taught and have never went to a pole dance class. But I have had the honor of being able to go to a workshop with Karol Helms and Amber Richards. So that helped me experience how to demonstrate a move. Do I need to be certified as a instructor to do lessons and pole parties? And for the pole parties, how much do people usually charge for that? What things do you do at the parties that keeps it fun for the girls besides learning moves? Anyone that can give me any ideas or some advice about this would be great. If anyone wants to email me you can contact me at mailto:[email protected] Thanks!

13 replies

chemgoddess1 · 12/22/2010
I am not sure where you are located but there are several different certification programs available across the US. Just because you can pole dance does not mean that you can teach pole dance. I think having the ability to break down a move from many different angles for different ages/abilities is most important when it comes to teaching. I would consider investing in all of the dvd's out there to give yourself a better knowledge of safely teaching and also learning different styles of teaching the same move.
chemgoddess1 · 12/22/2010
I would also look through the various threads on here that talk about what makes a good instructor.
CrazySamantha · 12/22/2010
Yeah I was thinking of doing that.. I live by Philadelphia in PA. So I am not sure if there are any certifcation programs out here but I will def check it out. Thank you.
amy · 12/22/2010
hey there! there's a ton of good threads on the forum-- search (upper right hand corner of the SV screen) for keywords like teaching, teacher, certification... here are some of the more recent ones: https://www.studioveena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3549&st=0&sk=t&sd=a http://ver3.studioveena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5174#p48568 https://www.studioveena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2136&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a i will echo what was said earlier by chemgoddess and reiterate that being a good student or amazing pole dancer does not mean that you have the skills to be a good teacher. i think that learning to break down a trick or troubleshoot exactly what a student is doing wrong takes experience and a different mindset than being a student-- and is something that you get better at with time. it sounds like you are self-taught- which is great-- but your experience with pole to date has been focused on your learning process, and not that of others'. teaching is the opposite. if your students fail to learn something, it's not because they're bad pole dancers. it's because you're a bad teacher! your'e either not explaining it well enough, or pacing the class incorrectly, or introducing skills that htey aren't ready for yet. some people just don't have a teaching bone in their body and that's totally fine too. i think that to be a good teacher, you have to actually like and enjoy teaching others. i think you should think carefully about your motivations for teaching, because if you're not excited about it for the right reasons, then you are putting your students in harm's way by not being as conscientious and serious about teaching as you possibly can. taking workshops with pros is great, but you aren't getting trained in their teaching style-- you are getting taught as a student, in a large group with varying skill levels, for one class. amber is in grad school studying to be a physical therapist and has intimate knowledge of all the muscles and joints in the body, which informs her teaching style. karol has been a dancer for longer than you can shake a stick at and has been traveling the country doing workshops for at least two years. you don't absorb all of their knowledge in one hour... and you can't possibly learn all the different corrections or adjustments that they may have made to different mistakes that students make. demonstrating is easy. teaching is difficult. i dont mean to sound really stick in the mud here, but poling is incredibly difficult to teach well and i would educate yourself as much as possible... do some research and get a teaching certification from an instutiution that you respect. take classes, as much as you can, to learn different teaching styles and techniques-- and not just in pole, but also yoga and pilates. if you are serious about teaching and doing parties, then look into getting insurance and what those requirements might be. i've had scores of students come to me with chronic shoulder injuries from taking classes with irresponsible teachers. don't be one of those instructors! to give you a little background on my teaching path: from my very first class, i knew i wanted to eventually teach- i wanted to give women the freedom to express themselves in the way i saw the instructors dance. i took classes for 3 years at one studio before starting classes elsewhere and getting really serious about working more advanced aerial combinations and progressing in my own skills. i started taking class 2-4x a week, at 4 different pole studios in manhattan, and also in aerial silks/lyra/trapeze. about six months after that, i started to teach. it was only after years of experience with peers that i felt confident that i could truly break down and explain a skill sufficiently. i am AFAA group fitness certified, certified in CPR/AED, and teach 8+ hours of pole a week. to continue to further my developemnt, i take classes for a minimum of 5 hours a week in pole, pilates, yoga, silks, contortion, static trapeze, lyra (hoop), ballet, and belly dance on a regular basis. i'm not saying that this is the way that everyone gets to teaching, or say that this is the only or best path to take. but i think it is important to take teaching really, really seriously. i wouldn't trust my child (not that i have one, lol) to someone who isn't really passionate about being a teacher; i wouldn't want to take pole class with someone who isn't either. phew! sorry for the suepr long winded response! 🌸
TrixieLovett · 12/22/2010
Amy- you hit the nail on the head sister. Thank you for such a thorough answer.
yogabeachbabe · 12/23/2010
Excellent points Amy! I would also like to add that knowing the body (anatomy) and how it works (kinesiology) really helps in teaching effectively. Try to analyze how the body moves as a whole in addition to each muscle or muscle group. And depending on your clientele, knowledge of the energetic body can also be useful. When you get to the point where you're spotting your students, having sure and certain hands-on cues is extremely important. As a student, I'd rather not have an instructor touch me than to have an unknowledgeable teacher randomly put a weak, unsupportive hand on me. I also think that a good instructor can break down what I'm doing wrong, help me correct my form and guide me to the proper usage. I feel a good teacher has a wealth of technique to draw upon and is able to use different images or words when I don't "get it". And above all, I really appreciate a teacher that stresses safety and making sure that I'm working at my own pace rather than racing to keep up with the group or where I'm "supposed" to be.
FreeTheSun · 12/23/2010
I agree with Amy and Yoga 100%. Have you ever taught anything fitness-y before? If not, or even if you have, I would def recommend getting certified as a fitness instructor and then also doing a pole cert so you really know how to safely execute and explain moves. This also will let you know if teaching is something you really want to do. Teaching involves a lot of thinking outside the box because while moves might be super easy for you, you need to be able to think of ways that it might be hard for others and be able to teach around that. New things will pop up in the middle of teaching that you've never encountered or thought about and you need to be able to not only identify the problem, but then figure out various changes to fix it and be able to explain those changes in at least three different ways because everyone interprets things differently. For example (and no one get mad at me for this) a friend of mine took an advanced workshop with Felix (who as we all know is AMAZING as a dancer) and was kinda disappointed cause she was super sweet but wasn't that great of a teacher for her more advanced moves (she was fine with more basic things) because she wasn't 100% sure how to explain what her body was doing to get into moves, but she can do them with her eyes closed. I would still be super jazzed to have a workshop with Felix, cause duh, it's Felix, but I'd know that there would be a lot of personal figuring out for some of the more advanced moves. Think about Olympic coaches. They might not be able to do all the things they coach, but they can break it down to teach and ensure proper form from their athletes. Whereas the athlete might be able to do the move, but maybe can't break it down to teach another person. Be sure to think about why you want to own a studio and teach. Is it because you want to be able to tell people you teach pole dance, or have a good excuse to pole a lot and get paid for it, or is it because you really want to teach? That being said it you truly want to teach, then go for it, but make sure you are being the best teacher you can be by making yourself as prepared as possible.
Charley · 12/23/2010
I echo Amy's sentiments 100%. I have been teaching now for 2.5 years and I have evolved so much as a teacher. You have to want to teach and you can't be frustrated when people are getting it. You have to be able to explain the same move 100 different ways. One person may interpret your first instruction perfectly while another is struggling and they need a deeper understanding or a different explanation. You have to be able to look at someone and be able to troubleshoot what they are doing, be able to give them different ways of thinking about the movement. Even a simple body wave - which I say is the hardest moves I teach - might take someone a few lessons to do correctly and most importantly - feel good doing it. Teaching goes beyond explaining a move, demonstrating and reexplaining, it's also getting people to understands the mechanics of the move, how to do it safely each and every time, how to think and not think at the same time, how to move and connect with music, how to feel good about themselves, how to appreciate their particular body and you have to be able to teach for everyone's body. You also need to know how to condition people for pole dancing. How to build strength to do things and you have to decided when they are ready to move to the next thing - you need to know variations of moves, be able to modify positions and spins for people. I'm also a self taught dancer and I never thought I would teach. I got into teaching because I wanted to share pole dancing with other people so they could feel as empowered as I do. Once I really started thinking about teaching it was another 6 months before I actually started and I started with beginners and I only trained people in spins, transitions and floorwork - for a really long time. In this case a lot of students were ready for more advanced work but I wasn't comfortable teaching those things until I studied further into spotting, yoga, pilates, exotic dance and aerial work. So the girls who wanted to stay and perfect things did, the girls who wanted more advanced work were given a studio to go to. I've only been teaching advanced work for the last year and by advanced I mean basic climbs, laybacks and inverts. I only mention this because a lot or self taught dancers have a rapid and uneven education with pole and tend to like to teach more advanced work sooner than they should. Coming from a self taught background you are probably a pole junkie who poles daily but most of your clients won't - this is once a week to them...which means it could take them months to get a few basic spins down. Not only that but you need to really know what to look for before advancing students. This year I got certified through Empowerment Through Exotic Dance and it's the best thing I have ever done. The course reaffirmed my beliefs, techniques and that I was infact a skilled instructor but I also learned alot too. I added so many things to my syllabus and learned more teaching techniques. Before I started teaching there was a ton of research that had to be done as I mentioned before. Warm ups, cool downs, how to maximize my time and stamina - because believe me you will get worn out teaching a ton of classes. I had to learn silly things like to use my voice effectively when in a class with lots of talking and music so I didn't blow my throat. Starting out I recommend teaching parties because once you draft up your syllabus you'll be teaching the same things over and over again. You get better at pole dancing every time you do it - teaching is the same. Teaching parties gets you out there meeting a lot of different people and you are teaching at a very basic level. This will give you a good idea as to what students in a studio setting would be like. It will help you develop your teaching style, strategies and methods. Because it's a one time thing you don't need to worry about progression, making a big huge syllabus or the future - you can be in the moment with the person in front of you - which in a studio setting is the exact same thing - in the moment with the person in front of you. I highly recommend getting into a certification program because being self taught you'll need to learn how to teach and who knows in some cases how to do some basic moves too. I'm still finding beginner things and still learning basic things. LOL! Just this summer I learned a new variation of the fireman I knew about but couldn't for the life of me perform 😂 I don't want to discourage you but its very important not to get frustrated with people and it's very important to know how to deal with all types of bodies and personalities. Like Amy said - you have to LOVE teaching. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and let us know.
horsecrazy12987 · 12/23/2010
Amen to everything already posted. Above all, you want to make sure that safety is your number one priority. Also, like has already been mentioned, just because you can dance does not automatically make you a good teacher; teaching yourself by watching DVDs and taking workshops is completely different from passing that knowledge on safely and responsibly to other students. You need to be able to comprehensively break each move down, explain what muscles you will be using, common mistakes, how to enter the move safely, get out of it safely, etc. etc., and you need to be able to tell what is being done incorrectly just by watching the student; it's not enough to look at it, know it's wrong, and just demonstrate it again to them. I think watching as many DVDs as possible is a good idea; that way you can get a feel for all the different teaching styles and how they break things down and the different safety precautions they use. I would not even think about teaching anything other than the most basic, basic moves until I had been in the poling community for years.
CrazySamantha · 12/23/2010
Wow I didn't think I would get so many replies for this.. thank you guys! I wasn't going to be doing it soon, I just wanted to mainly know some information. My goal is to eventually become a instructor and open a studio. But just to clarify others, I am very interested in teaching others pole dancing and I love fitness. I am a certified massage therapist so I know a lot about the body and how it works. I am also a psychology student, so of course I love to help others. My reason to open up my own studio is to help men and woman with self-esteem, that is why I started pole dancing. And I kind of want to use my psychology with the pole dancing for woman possibly. But this wouldn't be in motion for a longgggg time. I just don't know where to go for a certification but I don't make a lot of money so its hard for me to go to classes. There are studios in Philly but they aren't what I really like. No offense to anyone from philly that goes to any of the pole studios but they just give pole dancing a wrong image. At least the studio I went to wasn't very impressive. But I did find one studio outside of philly that I do like but its a half hr a way or more. So if I could, I would take classes everyday because I really want to advance faster. But anyway, thank you for your replies. I really appreciate it 🙂
Mary Ellyn · 12/27/2010
First thanks Charley for the endorsement for my certification program. A few things I'd like to add and reiterate - though Amy said so much! Most Important: being a good dancer doesn't make you a good instructor! Group certification is an excellent adjunct to any certification program in pole. In my opinion you need both...unless an instructor program includes all the compoenents of group exercise certs and that would be so much more to add on that most programs do not include it. Besides...why re-create the wheel? WIth ACE and AFAA out there I know I wouldn't bother! Learning to break down moves is both a learned and a natural talent. I can teach you how to do it...but I can only take you so far. It's very important to speak the "different languages" of your students. See they dont' all speak the same language. One hears your instructions one way and another student another way. You not only have to break down the moves but break them down in a multitude of ways. The important part comes as you continue to teach and no matter what has worked for other students...now doesn't work for your newest student and you have to learn THEIR language in order to help them succeed! I endorse the concept of teaching parties to start with. Teaching the same thing over and over helps you to really perfect how to actually TEACH...learning to explain and direct instead of constantly trying to teach different moves. It enforces so many teaching skills. Also, don't forget about the business aspects of running a pole studio or company! A surprising number of studios are operating incorrectly - even, albeit unknowingly, illegally. FInally, as an instructor it's very important that you are willing to take the responsibility of contined training. A good teacher never stops learning. There is always something to be learned. However, this can become expensive. And speaking of expenses - for anyone reading this - DON'T get into this if you expect to make money. Most new businesses take a couple of years to come out ahead. Pole businesses are no different.
Charley · 12/27/2010
I'll second Empy on Don't get into pole thinking about the $$$ because there isn't much in it. There is way more money in parties than regular classes.
Angel1201 · 1/1/2011
Thanks PowerTwirl (Kristin) and Terp (Bex) for the shout out!! You guys are so sweet! Samantha, I'd love to have you at either the Jan or Feb training. The Feb training is in Wilmington, Deleware which shouldn't be too far for you! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. You can email me directly at mailto:[email protected]. Everyone here; Empy, Charley, Amy, Yoga, Free, and Horsecrazy have given such great advice. The only way pole can continue to thrive and be accepted as a respected form of fitness is if all of us instructors strive to be the best we can be and bring professionalism to the sport. All it takes is one poorly taught class or an injury to turn a client off of pole. Great teaching is an art and it takes a lot of time and hard work to develop those skills. I strongly believe in co-teaching and mentorships for those who want to teach. A certification will give you the background knowledge on safety, cueing, spotting, anatomy, etc, but LIVE teaching and practice is the best way to learn. I love how NY Pole Dance has apprentice teachers that teach at reduced costs. I think that is a win-win for both the teacher and the students. Teaching parties is a great start too! Watching good teaching really helps too! CrazySam, have you signed up for Veena's lessons? She's a wonderful instructor and her safety and conditioning information is vitally important. Have you been to Awakenings Pole Dance in King of Prussia? All the instructors there are either ACE/AFAA certified plus they have taken my course. I'd highly recommend taking one of their series so you can see some great live teaching in action. All the classes are co-taught so you get a lot of one-on-one time.