The Ballroom Dance Teachers College Curriculum is a teacher training program where everyone wins!

The Ballroom Dance Teachers College Curriculum (BDTC Curriculum) is a proven system with everything needed to run a successful, for-profit teacher training program. It is a complete package with lesson plans, textbooks, media and administrative resources.

The genius of the Curriculum is that you can run this tuition-based program similar to other professional career schools (i.e. cosmetology, yoga teacher training, law school, etc). There is no prerequisite for trainees other than the desire to make dance their career, and you are not obligated to hire the graduates. However, when you do hire a graduate, you will know they are true professionals who have achieved a high standard of excellence.

This program is a win, win, win! Your studio will be staffed for life with fantastic teachers who your students love. You’ll be giving aspiring teachers the education they need to have the career of their dreams. And you’ll make money while doing it.

1. Who Is This For and Why Do You Need It

Studio Owners: This Curriculum provides everything you need to create a successful Teacher Training program. As many studio owners have discovered, training teachers for free doesn’t work. Not only do people not value things they don’t pay for, but it costs an average of $22K per year to train one teacher. With BDTC Curriculum you can:

• Create an endless supply of well-trained teachers by hiring the top graduates

• Create a new stream of reliable income

• Add credibility to your school

• Raise the standard of excellence and improve teaching skills of existing staff

Teachers:  Have you ever been stumped about “how” to teach a particular figure, technique or aspect of dance? With detailed teaching information, innovative exercises and tips, BDTC Curriculum provides a wealth of valuable teaching material:

• Common mistakes students typically make and how best to teach a figure

• How to teach different elements (dance positions, foot positions, alignments, etc)

• New vocabulary for teaching

• Musical aspects for each figure and dance

• How to project your voice

• How to give feedback to your students

Become the teacher of your dreams! The Lesson Plans of the Curriculum are available in smaller sections (“Mini Kits”) and are affordably priced.

Dancers: This Curriculum provides valuable information for motivated dancers who learn well from written resources. Acquiring the same information that dance teachers have will help fill in the gaps in your learning, giving you more details to see the “big picture” of what it means to be a good ballroom dancer.

2. What is the Curriculum

The BDTC Curriculum is a systematic, rigorous yet engaging program for training people to become ballroom dance teachers, and is comprised of two essential parts: the Business Kit and Master Teacher Manuals. Our Curriculum has proven to create professionals who are are well-rounded in all important aspects of teaching ballroom dance:

• Dance and teach over 250 figures in 17 dances as both Leader and Follower

• Know how to teach mechanics, posture, frame and movement

• Interpersonal skills for long-term and successful relationships with their students

This 300- hour course is based on the nationally-recognized DVIDA® Syllabus and covers 17 dances in the American Style Smooth, Rhythm and Nightclub dances. There are 128 detailed lesson plans with innovative exercises and homework assignments, as well as routines, written tests and exam assignments. The Business Kit portion of the Curriculum supports the program by providing administrative guidelines, marketing materials, course templates and forms, exam day materials, study sheets, samples of supportive feedback and supplemental textbooks. 

3. Who Created the Curriculum

The BDTC Curriculum represents the culmination of Diane Jarmolow’s 40 years in the ballroom dance industry. Diane founded the renowned Metronome Ballroom and the Ballroom Dance Teachers College, is a National Examiner for DVIDA®, a DanceSport Adjudicator, author of Teach Like a Pro and co-author of Move Like a Champion, created and revised numerous DVIDA® manuals and developed the professional testing system for DVIDA®. You may also know her from the Dance Vision Dance Camps where she led studio management seminars and ran the “Get Certified!” programs. Still, Diane feels this is her greatest accomplishment to date — the development of the Ballroom Dance Teachers College Curriculum.

4. How is the Course Structured

The Curriculum is based on a 16-month rotating perpetual schedule. There are four sections, each 4 months long. They can be taught in any order and trainees may enroll at the beginning of any section. This means you will continue to gain new trainees even as other trainees graduate.

Each Section covers four dances (Nightclub covers 5 dances). Two dances are covered per month, half the Syllabus for each. Trainees learn the easier figures at the beginning of the Section, then return to review the earlier figures before learning the second half, more challenging part, of the Syllabus. A sample schedule for the Smooth Section would be as follows:

Month 1: Waltz and Foxtrot: Part 1 (first half of Syllabus, followed by an exam)
Month 2: Tango and Viennese Waltz: Part 1 (first half of Syllabus, followed by an exam)
Month 3: Waltz and Foxtrot: Part 2 (second half of Syllabus, followed by an exam)
Month 4: Tango and Viennese Waltz: Part 2 (second half of Syllabus followed by an exam)

We recommend that classes be held twice a week, in the evenings, to allow working people to attend. You may also choose to run two Sections at a time (four classes per week) – i.e. Smooth and Rhythm 1. This allows trainees to complete the course more quickly. For those who are highly motivated, a 4-month intensive course is possible. Details are included in the Business Kit of the Curriculum.

5. How to Market the Course

You will be surprised how many people come out of the woodwork once this course becomes available at your school. Because you already have a marketing strategy for your studio, it is easy to add this program to your social media, web and print advertising. The Business Guide (part of the Business Kit) includes an entire chapter on how to market the course, and you will also receive a marketing brochure template and enrollment PowerPoint to use in enrolling trainees. It’s as easy as 5-6-7-8!

6. Who Teaches the Course

The person teaching the course is referred to as the Master Teacher. This person may be the studio owner, dance director or a highly qualified instructor. The Master Teacher is the single most important person involved in the teacher training course and should have the following qualifications:

• Professionally certified and/or extremely well-versed in ballroom terminology

• Strong dance skills

• Extensive teaching experience in both Leader and Follower roles

• Great personality, enthusiastic and patient with beginners

• Committed to the success of the trainees

• Organized and adept at handling administrative tasks

Don’t have a qualified Master Teacher to teach the course?  Hannah Cole, the new Director of the Ballroom Dance Teachers College, offers customized training and professional development (via video conference or in-person) on how to use the Curriculum effectively. And if professional certification is required, she offers that, too..

7. What the Trainees Learn

The Curriculum covers all aspects related to becoming proficient and well-educated in teaching ballroom dance. Over the 16-month course, trainees learn how to dance and teach 17 dances based on the DVIDA® Bronze American Style Syllabus (Smooth, Rhythm and Nightclub dances). They will learn both the Leader’s and Follower’s parts, the technical and musical elements of each figure, and everything else they need to know in order to be successful. The Course also includes:

• Regular homework assignments and in-class presentations

• 64 exercises for teaching body mechanics (Move Like a Champion program)

• How to run group classes and teach private lessons

• Customer-focused, high integrity sales approach (Salesfree Sales program)

• How to create and dance a routine to music

• Preparation for professional DVIDA® certification

8. What the Curriculum Includes

BUSINESS KIT

The Business Kit contains the required materials you will need to run and teach the course effectively, including marketing and scheduling guidelines, “how to teach” resources and exercises, a host of course forms and templates, exam materials and much more. 

17 MASTER TEACHER MANUALS – the “Lesson Plans”

The Master Teacher Manuals contain detailed Lesson Plans - view sample Lesson Plan - as well as information on how to use the manual. Each lesson plan is 2 hours and 15 minutes long, and includes a complete teacher’s script:

Each manual covers half the syllabus for two dances. For example, Rumba & Cha Cha - Part 1 covers the first half of the Bronze syllabus (figures 1-7). And Rumba & Cha Cha - Part 2 covers the second half of the Bronze syllabus (figures 8-15). The Argentine Tango manual includes the entire Bronze syllabus.

SMOOTH

• Waltz | Foxtrot – Part 1

• Waltz | Foxtrot – Part 2

• Tango | Viennese Waltz – Part 1

• Tango | Viennese Waltz – Part 2

RHYTHM

• Rumba | Cha Cha – Part 1

• Rumba | Cha Cha – Part 2

• Bolero | East Coast Swing – Part 1

• Bolero | East Coast Swing – Part 2

Supplemental Materials

• Written Tests and Answer Sheets for Each Dance

• Routines for Each Dance

• Exam Assignments for Each Dance

9. What Does the Curriculum Cost

Full Curriculum | $2,495
Includes the Business Kit and the complete set of Master Teacher Manuals (Lesson Plans) for the Smooth, Rhythm 1, Rhythm 2 and Nightclub sections (17 dances, 128 lesson plans plus all supplemental digital material) - a savings of more than $700 compared to purchasing individually. 

Payment plans are available: $995 down payment (Business Kit plus one section of your choice), and then $375/month for 4 months. Shipping and handling will be added. Please contact me to place a custom order, or if you are a prior "Box" owner.

You may also purchase the Curriculum individually:

• Business Kit - $695

• Section Kits - $549 (Nightclub $649)

• Mini Kits -$149 (17 kits available)