Requirements

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for the course.  We will teach you everything you need to become a professional ballroom instructor - from the ground up.  Our course is also designed for experienced dancers who wish to translate their knowledge into teaching knowledge and become professional dance instructors.

Attendance
This is professional level course, and we cover a lot of material at a fairly fast pace.  Missing class is not advised, as you can easily fall behind.  If you do have to miss a class during a quarter, you can generally arrange to work with one of the other students to help you catch up.  You can also schedule private lessons the Master Instructor or one of the certified faculty members of Heart & Sole Dance (for an additional private lesson fee) to make up any work you miss.

Exam Schedule
Exams are scheduled during regular class time throughout the quarters, and during the last two hours of thI intensives.  If you miss an exam during a quarter, you may schedule a make-up exam with the Master Instructor for an additional private lesson fee.

Practice
Full year course classes meet of 4 hours a week.  Though the amount of outside time varies greatly from student to student, please expect to commit one to two hours of study time for every hour you spend in class (about four or eight hours of study time per week).  Becoming a professional dance teacher takes dedication and practice.

Materials
The DVIDA Manuals and the ILBTC Binder are required for the course.  See the Schedule page for information regarding which manual is necessary for each session.  The accompanying DVIDA videos are recommended, but optional.  The DVIDA Bronze Manuals and videos are available from DanceVision and may be ordered online at www.dancevision.com or by calling 1-800-851-2813.  The ILBTC Binder is provided in class and costs a one-time fee of $85.00.  The ILBTC Binder contains all class handouts that are distributed throughout the entire program.

Shoes
All students will be expected to have proper dance shoes by the second class meeting.  This is not an arbitrary aesthetic or fashion consideration.  To teach dance, you need the "right tool for the job," and proper dance shoes are literally the foundation for your dancing!

There are different styles of dance shoes for different styles of dancing, but most ILBTC students wear a basic "practice shoe," a practical and durable suede-soled dancing shoe that is made to be comfortable and wearable for long periods of time.  Some students wear flashier shoes or high heeled dance shoes, but this is matter of personal comfort.

You can purchase dance shoes from any dance shoe retailer and we are working on a discount for ILBTC teacher trainees.

Presentations
Because this is a teaching class, there is a strong emphasis on presentation.  You will be expected to present material to the class on a regular basis.  You may be asked to demonstrate a figure or to present a brief history of a specific dance.

Dancing Both Roles
In order to teach a specific dance or figure, you need to be able to articulate and demonstrate both the leader's and follower's part.  We spend equal time in class working on both parts, and every student is expected to dance with every other student, as both leader and follower, regardless of gender.  This is standard practice for professional dance instruction.