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Lynne's fourth Viewpoint posted during April 2000. This one poses the question of what constitutes a true professional instructor. Read on..... MY OPINION Line Dancing as a ProfessionLine dancing is a very specialised trade which the business world sees as a tiny industry with no real earning power. A pretty accurate view. To my knowledge there are not many true professionals in this business - by professional, in this instance I mean those actually earning a living solely from this industry and not supplementing their income with other jobs. Why is this and what are the attributes of a successful pro? We have a small group of businesses specialising in clothing, etc; those publishing line dancing magazines; the musicians playing regularly at various gigs; and of course the music retailers with their CD's and videos. These people are certainly professionals in the line dance world but their numbers are few. Then there is the deejay. Again, I doubt there are more than a handful of professional deejays, (if that) as the number of functions would be too few to sustain a full-time income. (If you are a professional deejay, I would love to hear from you.) The line dance world certainly needs choreographers - but unless a dance has been particularly commissioned when a small fee is payable, no income is derived from this source. In fact, many choreographers end up teaching their dances on the tour circuit to generate funds but there are very few who are able to earn their living this way. So we come to the professional instructor. There are literally hundreds of instructors (the majority being part-time) out there and I would hazard a guess that in their ideal world, most of them would love to be earning a full time income from line dancing. Having said that, there are some excellent 'part-timers' around. So what sets the successful professional apart from the rest? The successful professional has the ability to analyse in depth all aspects of their trade, and by coupling this understanding with basic business acumen and a likeable personality, they can, and do earn full-time incomes. Unfortunately there are too few 'pros' around. Why do you think that is? LynneAll replies are posted in the order in which they were received i.e. the most recent at the top. (4 May)How on earth can anyone be a professional line dance instructor? A professional is someone who has risen to the top of their chosen field by sitting countless exams and attaining qualifications. Now can you please tell me Lynne what 'proper' qualifications you need to rise to the top of the line dancing ladder? Bernie Mahoney Kent Hi Bernie, Qualifications in line dancing are only as good as the person's common sense, knowledge of their subject, ability and business acumen. In relation to this viewpoint, I have seen people with lots of letters after their name who are clearly not making any money and then there are others with nothing after their name who have made a great success. To be a professional in any capacity in this field, it is the end result that matters - not empty qualifications. I will discuss this in depth in another viewpoint. Thanks for taking the time to write in. Lynne (26 April) Dear Lynne, I think that you would have to be pretty sure of yourself and your audience to be persuaded to give up a full time job in favour of teaching line dancing as a profession. The simple problem is that you can never be sure that the numbers will always be enough to sustain a class. Most start off well and then after a few weeks the numbers start to decline and, if you've got something like a school holiday or bank holiday, the hall can be almost empty. I think there are few professionals because most are too scared to commit themselves or just can't risk the price of failure. I am also interested to see that you say that the line dance world `certainly needs choreographers'. With the ridiculous amount of dances hitting the circuit at the moment I really think that we could do with getting rid of a few! Geraldine Conway Sutton Coldfield Hello Geraldine, yes, I couldn't agree with you more. You have to have a huge belief in yourself to take on such a high risk combined with a sensibility and awareness that can foresee what the future will hold and know when to make change or adapt. As for choreographers and the amount of dances, well I guess that will have to be dealt with in another Viewpoint. Thanks for making some interesting points. Best wishes, Lynne (26 April) Obviously there are too few pros around because the business just doesn't pay Lynne. I have been to some classes where the hall is full to bursting and then others that have had less than 20. I really don't know how these instructors survive and I don't believe that they would if it was their sole means of income. It is actually my true belief that most of them just do it for the love of the art and I take my hat off to them. If it weren't for their dedication then we wouldn't have the means to feed our addiction would we? Lynne it is great to see that you have such dedication - I enjoy reading your Viewpoints. David Bradbury Hoddesdon I also agree totally here David,
although I wouldn't talk in terms of a 'full hall'. A hall can be full with 30 dancers or
empty with 30 dancers; an instructor can lose money with 30 dancers or make money with 30
dancers - it all depends on one's overheads. But I think above all, the majority of people
working in the business in whatever capacity do have a huge love for what they are doing,
and in many cases, earning money is secondary. ( 26 April)I’d like to know how you get started as an Instructor. Would a Bank really take you seriously if you went along there with a business proposal to start up a line dancing class? I have a horrible feeling they’d just laugh at you. The thing is that the equipment is so expensive, and we all know how expensive it is to keep up with the latest music – how on earth can you afford to start up in the first place unless you have the money for the initial outlay, which could easily run into thousands? Katie Morrish address not given Hi Katie, Thank you for writing in. You are right. I suspect a bank won't take you too seriously if you were to borrow money to start up a line dance class. Although it can be a very expensive business to run, if you are just starting out, it is not necessary to hire the most expensive halls or buy the best sound system, etc. Everybody in the business takes it to their own individual 'level' financially. Always try to be sensible although any new business always requires an element of risk. My first venue , 6 years ago was in a church hall. If you could have told me that I would have hired a ballroom years later, I would not have believed you. . There are several ways of going about it - depending on how much you have to spend. It is possible to start off 'small' and take it from there. I do have several practical ideas so if you would like further help please contact me again and I will go into further detail. Good luck. Lynne Please note that this next letter has been edited as the balance was considered unfit to publish! (17 April) You don't mince your
words do you Jim! I prefer to think of a professional Instructor as someone who shows a dedication to the task in hand. There are too many amateurs out there who have line danced for about 2 months and because they have seen the cash box full of money on their way in (probably the float put there by the instructor in the first place) they think they can do the same and earn wads of cash. Thus we end up with too many classes, too thinly spread. I think many of these amateurs are responsible for the demise of line dancing in some areas. Excellent website! Simon Hughes Great Yarmouth Well yes, Simon, but the proof is always in the pudding. If that instructor doesn't know what he/she is doing, the class will not last very long, because once the dancer becomes a bit more experienced, he/she will realise that there are others out there who could be doing a better job, or one more suited to their needs. Thanks for writing in. Regards, Lynne (10 April) Dear Lyn I go line dancing lots of times a week and any teacher that can teach me the steps of a dance and as long as I like them I think that makes them a professional. There seems to be lots of line dancing teachers around to me and why should I care whether they are full time or not. As long as I can go dancing when I want that's all that matters to me. Mary Richards Cornwall Well Mary, you shouldn't. As long as you are enjoying yourself, that is all that matters. Regards, Lynne (29 March) Dear Lynne, How lucky you are to have the luxury of always teaching to more than 40 people and what a shame for those 40 who are going to find that when your numbers dwindle they are not going to have a class to attend anymore. Hayley London NW1 Hi Hayley, I have no intention of stopping a class when my numbers dwindle to 40 (which of course they will at some stage) provided I do not operate at a loss. I really enjoy what I do and will only stop if I don’t enjoy it anymore. However in terms of making money, I would have to reassess the situation and either hire smaller cheaper venues/and/or raise the entrance fee, etc. What will happen is that my outlook will change and instead of running it as a business, I will do it as a sideline, which still means I can enjoy it without the added pressure. The only problem would be that I might not be able to dedicate all my time to this profession as I do now. Hope that answers your question. Thanks for writing in. Lynne (28 March) Lynne, I really can’t understand how someone could make a decent living out of line dancing. Please don’t misunderstand me because I love and adore line dancing and have been teaching it now for almost 6 years. I run 3 evening sessions a week plus 2 afternoon classes for senior citizens, etc. plus various parties. All of my classes are pretty well attended which means that I can earn some decent ‘pocket money’ to finance the ever- growing need for CD’s, clothing, etc. However if my family were to rely on me to pay the mortgage then I think the house would have been re-possessed long ago and my kids would have been out with the begging bowls!.. I think I would need to treble my charges if I were to make a decent living, so as much as I am also a professional in that I don’t do another day job, I certainly couldn’t support myself or my family on my line dance earnings. Lynda Sands Dorset Well Lynda, you obviously must love what you do as you have a pretty heavy schedule and you are obviously satisfied with the amount of time you have invested in it, together with your earnings. Although I have been teaching for 5 and a half years now, when I turned ‘professional’ 4 years ago, it was an incredible gamble. I have been fortunate enough to have had plenty work come my way. As well as that, I have tried to ensure that my 3 weekly classes (which have always been my priority) have had the earning power that I needed and have adapted accordingly, although I am fully aware that this will not last forever. It’s all a question of balancing the books coupled with one’s living needs. Sounds like you are doing a great job. Lynne |
Last modified: 15 February 2001 |