2. AMATEUR: An Amateur is one for whom dancing is striclty an avocation, a recreational activity, or a competitive sport. An amateur dancer may become a professional in the following manner:
a. By the declaration of such
b. By competing against other professionals in an NDCA sanctioned Open Professional or Rising Star event.
c. By acting as a professional partner in an NDCA sanctioned Pro/Amateur competition event
The Midwest Ballroom Dance Teachers Academy is a college-level vocational course that serves to prepare trainees both to teach ballroom dancing and to pass the NDCA-recognized national exam administered by Dance Vision International Dance Association (DVIDA).
What are the origins of the program?
The process employed by the Midwest Ballroom Dance Teachers Academy was developed by world-renowned teaching expert Diane Jarmolow to be used as a platform for the development of highly-qualified dance instructors. The program has been available to interested individuals on the West Coast for many years during which it was refined and perfected to its current state.
What are the programs qualifications?
The Midwest Ballroom Dance Teachers Academy has been granted approval by the developer of the program and writer of the DVIDA Syllabi, Diane Jarmolow, to train dance teachers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Defiance, Ohio and the surrounding area. The MBDTA has been training teachers since 2006 and was the first to bring Mrs. Jarmolow's program out of the San Francisco area.
The Midwest Ballroom Dance Teachers Academy is also associated with Dance Vision and ProDVIDA and uses their syllabus and examination procedure to instruct trainees in the language and skills of ballroom dancing. DVIDA is one of only a few organizations authorized by the National Dance Council of America to administer an examination and certify a dance instructor.
What are the Master Instructor’s qualifications?
After extensive training with Diane Jarmolow herself, and after completing a rigorous examination process with multiple national examiners, James Steury and Rebekah Steury earned their Associate Certification (Full Bronze) with High Honors in both American Smooth and Rhythm. James, who has been dancing and teaching since 2000, and Rebekah, who has been dancing and teaching since 1997, have owned and operated two dance studios: Stardust Ballroom in Antwerp, Ohio and The West Side Dance Center in Defiance, Ohio. In addition to training future dance instructors, both are currently serving as Adjudicators and James is also serving as Emcee for Dancesport competitions.
What will I learn?
Each quarter focuses on four or five dances of the American Bronze Smooth, Rhythm, or Nightclub Syllabus. Each dance consists of fifteen to seventeen figures. Students will learn to dance and teach both leader’s and follower’s roles. More importantly, students will learn the language of ballroom dancing, the characteristics of each dance, and the composition of every figure including such elements as Alignment, Amount of Turn, Footwork, Foot Position, CBM, and Dance Position to name a few. Much like a sentence is composed of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc., a ballroom figure (e.g. Waltz Box) is composed of eleven elements that govern what the body does during each step. Students will learn this information for both leader’s and follower’s roles. Students will also learn how to teach effective group classes and private lessons. All information is geard toward preparing trainees for national certification as a dance instructor.
What ages can participate?
This is a college-level course and, as such, will require study and practice. Because of the detailed nature of the information presented, the minimum age for participation is sixteen years. All adults sixteen years of age or older may enroll.
Do I need to know how to ballroom dance already?
No. This class is designed to teach students both how to dance and how to teach. While a familiarity with dance (be it ballroom, tap, jazz, ballet, etc.), or an athletic background, will help, students need have no prior dance or athletic experience.
How is this different than taking dance lessons?
While your dancing will improve by taking this class and learning the elements, the main objective is to increase knowledge of the individual figures, the dances, and the methods by which these dances are taught. Its goal is to produce ballroom dance teachers who are prepared to teach lessons from the moment they are certified and hired. When you take dance lessons, you focus on yourself and what it takes to get you to perform a certain movement. This class focuses on developing your ability to communicate concepts and movement to others. That’s the difference between a good dancer and a good dance teacher.