Over the past several months, I have lost count of the number of times I have been tagged on social media in posts titled “ISO Line Dance Instructor.” In case you live under a rock, ISO is short for “in search of” and it is used frequently by people who are looking for someone or something in particular.
It is humbling when so many people tag me; however, I ended up creating my own post to state “please stop tagging me” for one bar in western PA. When I spoke with the DJ’s wife, I discovered this bar still permits indoor smoking and I really didn’t want to be in that environment. They ended up hiring a Zumba instructor who likes to line dance; she taught one lesson and they might resume more in the fall.
All this recent support of my teaching ability suddenly made me realize that there is a great need for line dance instructors in the western PA area. I know one who recently retired from teaching lessons at a local fitness facility, and her students…you guessed it…wanted me to take over her classes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the desire to teach there, so hopefully they found someone else.
You might be asking, “How difficult can it be to become a line dance instructor?” Most outsiders think the hardest part would be to learn all the different step patterns and dances. Through my 30 years of teaching line dance, I have discovered that the best dancers don’t necessarily make the best teachers. You must have a knack for breaking down the steps and keeping the flow moving in class.
If anyone wants to break into this business, it’s relatively easy to do, because all you need is the yearning to teach people from all different backgrounds and ability levels. You can teach at various locations: dance studios, fitness facilities, social centers, and bars, to name a few. In my past, I have instructed at all of these; however, what I would suggest is to “shadow” an instructor, if possible.
Hopefully I will continue to teach for many more years, but one never knows, do we? This subject really inspired my pursuit of someone who would be interested in honing their line dance skills to include being an instructor. It would be wonderful if, the next time I was tagged in a post, I could refer my understudy to the possible position!
Here is a recent dance that I taught by request and it has become one of my favorites:
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Counts 5-8 can be done by what feels good to you! The lyrics are “I like it like it like it!”. Hip rolls, hip bumps or something silly! Have fun with it! Kick, Point, Kick Point, 1/4 Turn Jazzbox 1&2 Kick R forward (1), Step R next to L (&), Point L to side (2)
www.copperknob.co.uk
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Dori Yez teaches Country Line Dancing at these Ohio SCOPE Centers: Howland on Monday evenings (Seasoned Beginners) and Wednesday evenings (Improver & Intermediate) plus the same level in Cortland on Friday afternoons. Due to room size and attendance, Dori can no longer accept new students in any of her classes. There is a waiting list for a new “novice/beginner” class.
