As a toddler, Kelly Burnette had very weak ankles. Her doctor told her
parents that she could wear leg braces and suggested she join ballet classes
to strengthen her ankles. So, at the age of two and a half, Burnette started
dancing.
Her dance lessons continued at the University of Oklahoma where she earned
a bachelor of fine arts and a master of fine arts in modern dance.
"I was so lucky and so blessed to have good teachers over the years," she
says. One of her favorite teachers encouraged her to become well rounded in
her dance education in case she ever wanted to teach. She swore that she
would always be a performer and would never teach dance.
"The older you get, you have to look back and say to yourself, 'You wouldn't
be where you are without your teachers -- isn't it time to pass on your knowledge?'"
Burnette started teaching dance to young people at the YMCA to boost her
wages. When she finished graduate school she wasn't sure where to go with
her career. That's when she heard about a job at a school for the arts. She
shifted her focus to teaching and now works at the Manatee School for the
Arts and the Manatee Community College in Florida. In 2007, she won the K-12
National Dance Educator of the Year Award.
"As it turns out, I'm a good teacher. Who knew?"
Burnette describes dance as a "pass-me-down" art because it is passed down
from one generation to the next.
In addition to teaching at the arts school and college, she also works
in professional theater. There she directs, performs and choreographs dance.
Culture Shock is a not-for-profit hip hop dance organization. Since it
was founded in 1993 in San Diego, California it has branched across the United
States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Marc-Andre Clement is a national executive
director of Culture Shock. He works with at-risk youth -- many of whom face
racial, religious and gender bias issues, drugs, or violence.
Through the Culture Shock program, students are encouraged to stay in school
and avoid drugs and other negative influences. Culture Shock provides a positive
influence on students and offers them an outlet for their energy and creativity.
"It's rewarding to work with kids. It's totally internal -- you feel good.
You work with a group of kids for a year, or two or three years, and you can
see you've made a difference in their lives," says Clement.
Clement likes to empower his students by encouraging them to do their own
choreography. "Young students create choreography that I'm just floored by,"
he says.
The best dancers don't always make the best instructors and vice versa,
he adds. Like any sport, the most skilled players can't always explain to
someone else how to play the game. "In a dance battle with any of my instructors
or dancers, they would all kick my butt," he says. "But if given 30 people
to teach, my students would learn quicker and easier than the other students."
He says dance teachers can have a hard time attracting students with their
teaching skills alone. Many students want to know whether an instructor has
danced with someone famous or appeared in music videos or dance movies. The
style of dance taught and the popularity of a teacher may also determine how
many students are attracted to a class.
Dance instruction has changed a lot over the years, says Donna Moreau,
who has taught dance for 39 years. She finds that children nowadays are less
self-motivated with the advent of technology. And dance styles have evolved.
"Dance style changes with the music of the time -- we now have hip hop,"
she says. "Both tap and jazz have continued to develop several different styles
within each discipline. Our bodies are our instruments to interpret
what we are feeling with each piece of music being played."
Moreau's long-standing passion for dance keeps her coming back to the studio.
She began dance training in 1956 and studied ballet, tap and jazz. She earned
a teachers' certificate, but was drawn out of the classroom and back to the
studio because of her love of dance. She currently teaches tap and jazz and
is involved in musical theater.
For those wanting to pursue a career as a dance instructor, Moreau says
you must have a passion for the art of dance and love to work with children.
Dealing with parents can also be difficult, she adds.
"The hours of this profession do not allow a very active social life. It
can be quite stressful. You will need patience to accomplish your goals,"
she says.
Despite the challenges, Moreau loves working with her students. "To see
what each student accomplishes on an individual basis is most rewarding. The
relationship developed with each one is also very special. It is so fulfilling
when they return as adults and thank you for making such a positive impact
on their lives."
Moreau recalls the first time she entered her students into a dance competition.
In those days, the teachers brought their own sound equipment -- turn tables
for playing records.
"I was so nervous, I could not play the music -- someone else had to place
the needle on the record," she says. "The students did a great job and received
first place. They obviously were not as nervous as their teacher!"
Dave Watson is the owner and director of Ballroom Parkrose, a dance studio
in Portland, Oregon. He has over 30 years of experience teaching, coaching,
competing and judging ballroom dancing.
"Dancing was the first thing I found that I liked and which liked me back,"
says Watson. "I believed I was good at it, and it was calling me."
Starting out as a dance instructor, Watson worked at various Fred Astaire
and Arthur Murray dance studios. He soaked up everything he could and asked
a lot of questions. He also studied jazz, ballet and modern dance at college.
Watson says that having the discipline to invest in yourself and your business
is a challenge for many self-employed dance instructors. Full-time dance instructors
must be business-minded and budget for training, costumes, travel and advertising,
as well as taxes, insurance and retirement.
"He or she will need to make a lot of money because the expenses involved
in this business are huge," he says. "So, teaching 25 to 30 hours a week at
$75 an hour might sound like a lot, but you won't be driving a Mercedes.
(At least, not for long - not if you're smart.) Those instructors who are
hard-working, continue to train and improve, advertise and teach more than
30 hours a week, will be driving that Mercedes."