Teacher Training Program

At DC, we’re not just about nurturing our students — we care about our teachers. And at Dance Central, we’re particularly excited when our students get so good, they graduate into teachers themselves.

We are always looking to develop our staff so that they, too, can be the best dancers they can be, and in turn deliver consistently to the high standard that Dance Central sets for its faculty when teaching our students.

What Student Teachers gain from the program

Student Teachers undergo between 6 to 12 months of student-teacher training with a senior member of faculty and the Director. In many ways a mentoring program, the training ensures that Student Teachers not only learn the rudiments of dance training — they get to benefit from over 20 years’ worth of real-world teaching experience. Over the years, senior members of faculty have also developed an eye for picking out even subtle incorrect techniques — a skill that only gets better with experience and practice.

Student Teachers are taught how to

• break down movements so that students can understand and follow
• technically teach using correct terminology.
• observe and pick up on incorrect technique, positioning, alignment etc., and to be able to correct the student and ensure that even our youngest students are having the best training possible from the very start of their dance journey.
• put together a lesson plan that is modern, fun, and engaging, and which includes choreography and which meets a standardised set of competencies for each class level.
• develop different ways to teach a class, and cater to different learning styles. Student Teachers are taught new and varied ways of explaining how to do an exercise so students get the best chance of learning.

Student Teachers are also given training on DC’s staff/faculty policy and code of conduct. They are taught how to deal with incidents, observe health and safety, recognise and discern when to escalate an issue, and maintain a friendly and professional relationship with students and their parents.

Once the 12 months are up, it doesn’t mean that the training stops. Dance Central still provides ongoing training for all student teachers to ensure their development continues and that Dance Central can maintain the highest possible standard and consistency across all our classes.