Confessions of Canberra Dance Teachers
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Farting in your face, dodging questions about the tooth fairy and having mums so unhappy that their daughter isn’t at the front centre in a routine that they open their own studio.
Those are just some of the juicy confessions made by Canberra dance teachers.
Seeing our gorgeous little people build their confidence and learn to dance is such a special gig. A job that some Canberra dance teachers live for and dedicate their lives to. Like any job, there are times that make you smile and times where you think “you have to be kidding me…”
“I’ve had parents actually buy their own studio” one teacher explains. “I clearly did not realise how good their child was and they then opened up their own studio, so they could be the front centre”. I know what you’re thinking, this is a radical Dance Mum move. Well, think again.
“It happened twice!” the teacher continues. It’s amazing to hear how involved parents get in their child’s dancing.
It’s not just the parents that pose hurdles. This teacher had a funny run-in with a cheeky student.
“One of my students was doing a hamstring stretch. She calls me over, and her head is through her legs and I bob down to say ‘yeah, what do you need?’ and she farts in my face, on purpose”. They all laugh about it now, but at the time it was one of those ‘how do I respond?’ moments for the teacher.
Larrikin students who are up for a laugh are always tricky to deal with—so are some of the smaller students, who as one teacher explains, come to class with some curly questions.
“They come out with some really weird things. One person asked once about the Tooth Fairy, ‘is the Tooth Fairy Real?’”. Unsure what to say, this teacher replies “Not a question for me, a question to take home.”
But it’s not just the parents and students who can throw a curve ball. After asking one teacher to tell me about the biggest tantrum they’ve seen, she told me about an incident with another teacher.
“I’ve had one REALLY bad tanty from a teacher, who ended up under my desk at a concert rehearsal, screaming and yelling “I can’t understand why people aren’t treating me like a professional”. That teacher kindly reminded the other teacher she was saying that from under a desk.
Oh concert time, it gets to the best of us.
Most of the time, however, these teachers tell me they wouldn’t be doing anything else. They love it and find the job so rewarding.
“It’s like a little fan club, you walk through the halls and they yell ‘Miss you look so beautiful’ and you say thanks girls!” Who wouldn’t want to be told they look beautiful every day?
And despite the issues with students hating a certain colour combination with their costume or the song choice for one dance, it’s a more than a job for these teachers, it’s a passion.
The advice from these teachers to parents thinking of signing their child up for classes in Canberra? “Don’t be a dance Mum.”
Ok, we’ll try!
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