Task 4a - Questions

Looking back at task 2d it helped as a starting point and it has made me ask more questions..


I am a dance teacher hoping to teach full time in the future.  I trained at professional dance college to become a professional dancer.  However, circumstances changed and I now teach dance, which is extremely rewarding for me.  I trained at a local dance school, my teacher never went to dance college and so had no experiences or history about the dance industry.  I wouldn't change anything I have done, and I know I could influence peoples decisions to help them take the right path - as i would say i learnt the hard way.  As a teacher I thought I should come up with questions solely on teaching but having thought more about it I also think it is beneficial to look at dance as a whole even though I don't perform professionally.  I teach students who want to progress onto dance college and with more knowledge about the dance world, i would be more beneficial to those aspiring dancers.  Doing my inquiry based on teaching would also help the people I teach and hopefully other teachers and the dance schools i work for.  So I am going to look at questions from both sides as I am unsure which path i will take.




Should a dance school / college be run as a business or as more of a hobby?
I auditioned for colleges where you could tell it was all run for a profit only and everything was done for money, and the principal was not ever a dancer or even seemed one bit interested in dance.  I went to others where the principal was a dancer and was passionate  about producing dancers that got jobs.


Do exams actually help a dancer wanting to perform or are they more beneficial to those who want to continue through to teaching?


Is there a certain look that employers go for when employing dancers?


Should children start dancing at such an early age?


What could / would / should you do if you knew there was a pushy parent and the child was unhappy about dancing but was being forced into it?


Should Scholarships really be given on ability or be means tested? As this could result in a family not being able to fund their childs career when that is all they want to do.  Also a family may be very 'well off' and can easily afford it but don't need to pay due to the child receiving a scholarship.


What is the best way to keep students enthusiasm?


How often should shows be put on at a local dance school?


If a student is at a high standard could they go straight into performing instead of attending full time college?


How involved in a dance school should you be if you are only one of the teachers?


Should a teacher continue their training and developing practice to be the best they can?


Is dance / performing arts looked upon as an 'easy' subject?
I remember when I took dance as a subject at high school, it was known that others had taken it as an easy subject (more practical than theory)


If this is the case how do you make sure they take it seriously?




I have emailed a few people who are in the education sector and will posts responses when they are received