Beyond the Paycheck: How a Job Becomes a Passionate Career

Dance instructors wanted — Will Train!

In 1977, I was 22 years old and living in Denver, Colorado. I had just recovered from knee surgery and was out of work. Then, as I looked through the want ads in the newspaper, I saw the phrase “Dance instructors wanted, Will Train!”

Almost every dance instructor I know was lured into this industry by those five little words.

I was a dance major in college – ballet, of course, but after my knee injury, I wasn’t sure if I would ever dance professionally. However, I saw this ad as a perfect opportunity for me to rehab my knee.

I thought, “How hard can this ballroom stuff be? This is how my mom and dad danced.” Being a dance instructor didn’t appear to be too hard. I could make a little money, show everyone how much better I was because I had formal training, and then get back to real performing once the knee was fit again.

I lived in the Capitol Hill area of Denver, which wasn’t too far from the studio. After changing into some nice clothes, I scurried to the main road, Colfax, and caught the first bus downtown to 1531 Stout Street, Ste. 2B.

The manager of the studio was my interviewer for the job. She was a great lady, and I’m so glad she was my first boss in the business. Her name was Jennifer, in her early 30s, tallish, classy, very pretty, and soft spoken.

She explained the training process and its pay. She said there was a one-week, unpaid audition period first. Then if I were to be chosen, I would receive $75 a week for 8 weeks, (including an extra $75 for the audition week as long as I finished the training and was hired.)

In 1977, this arrangement sounded ideal. My rent was only about $80 a month, and that was divided between me and a roommate. I was making $300 a month by dancing — what a Godsend it was.

From the first day in training class, I felt something I had never felt before when starting a new job. When I began to learn all the simple dance patterns and the logic behind the physics of ballroom dance, I felt like I already understood it. My dancing wasn’t technically correct yet, nor did I have all the knowledge one learns over years of study, but I knew dance.

When I was studying ballet, the ballerino’s role was minor compared to the ballerina’s. Not so in ballroom and Latin dance. There is a magic that happens when two people unite to express music.

I thought I was hot stuff because of my few years of standing in front of a ballet barre, doing rudimentary exercises, and pathetically trying to compete with the girls during stretching exercises.

It didn’t take long for me to appreciate how hard ballroom dancing was, along with its elegance, fire, and class; I was hooked. I also noticed that the man got equal billing for the performance. Love it!

Immediately, I checked my ego at the door and began sucking up as much dance knowledge as I could absorb in a day.

I never took a day off from learning for those first few years. My passion for music and dance was almost unnatural. I would practice until the wee hours of the morning, and be to work the next day by 10 A.M.

All of the instructors were young. We would teach all day, and then at night we would hit the clubs. During the weekends, we would meet at nightclubs or a party, and dance some more.

“All good things must come to an end,” as the saying goes. However, an end is just a new beginning.

Over the years, I have had the privilege to share the floor with some incredible people — both instructors and students alike. They are now my years of memories, they are now the reflection of how a job became my passionate career.

I’ve worked for several different owners, in several different schools, in several different towns and cities, creating an amazing dance career.

Each owner taught me something about the business and life. Each staff member who taught next to me became a dear friend and a classmate in learning the art of partnership dancing.

The students made our dreams possible. They taught us how to be excellent instructors while supporting our passion the whole time. Without the student, the dance world we know would not exist.

My career is still evolving with more personal stories and new career twists. From the beginning days of teaching in Denver to owning a ballroom studio in Reno, I have been living a dream.

Now, I reach for new goals in my ballroom dance career. This is why a career is not a job. A career is something you do — not because you want to — but because you have to.

Therefore, as long as I have life in my body, I will have to dance — one way or another.

At 69, I’ve created a new business model for ballroom studios using gamification marketing and training combined with new, low-ticket, high-volume event formats. This model helps studios manage unstable markets better without overselling.

My new company is called Amazing Dance Solutions. This business uses a membership business model and is a central support and resource hub for independent studios and instructors.

For the student, we have created the Private Lesson Guarantee — a financial safety net in the event a studio would close unexpectedly.

It is because of students that this industry exists. A financial safety net for them is long overdue. This will provide a safer, worry-free, and fulfilling experience learning to dance.

Instructors can sell knowing their students will receive their lessons or be refunded if anything unexpected happens. This type of business is transparent, trustworthy, and professional.

Just like teaching ordinary people to be professional dance instructors, we can train anyone to be a smarter owner. Through online meetings, we show owners, managers, and entrepreneurs new to the business how to make their studio a real product.

The business needs to be a sellable item if it is to be successful.

This will also help prevent unexpected studio closures, students losing money from untaught prepaid lessons, and improve the reputation of this industry.

My Amazing Dance Blog is filled with articles about the ballroom dance industry, starting a studio, dance careers, and motivation. It is extremely rewarding for me to share what I have learned through my many years in the business with others.

If you have questions about the ballroom dance industry, comment and I will answer you, or contact me here.

Peace, Love, and Unconditional Happiness!

Social dancing is nothing more than organized walking, but with a rhythm. — H Mikel Feilen