RED FLAGS 🚩

Not every teacher is going to be your teacher.

Different teaching styles work for different people. You might love a teacher your friend doesn't vibe with, and that's completely normal. Someone not being your cup of tea doesn't automatically make them a bad teacher.

BUTTTT... some things go beyond personal preference.

Your teacher has a huge impact on your training, your confidence and, most importantly, your safety. So let's talk about the red flags you probably shouldn't ignore 🚩

🚩 LITTLE TO NO TRAINING THEMSELVES

Being a good dancer and being a good teacher are two completely different skills.

Your teacher should have actually spent time training their craft, learning technique and understanding the movement they're teaching.

And no, this doesn't mean your teacher needs a million qualifications or has to have been dancing since they were three. There are loads of different routes into dance.

But if someone is teaching you something, particularly technical skills and tricks, they should actually understand how and why it works, not just be able to do it themselves.

🚩 THEY CAN DO IT... BUT CAN'T EXPLAIN IT

We've all seen it.

Teacher demonstrates.
Everyone stares.
Teacher demonstrates again.

“Just do this!”

Girl... HOW? 😭

A huge part of teaching is being able to break movement down in different ways. What works for one student's brain might make absolutely no sense to another.

A good teacher should be able to explain the mechanics, give you different ways of thinking about the movement and offer regressions or alternatives when you need them.

“Just keep trying it” isn't always enough.

🚩 THEY HYPE YOU UP... BUT NEVER HELP YOU IMPROVE

We LOVE a supportive room. Your teacher should absolutely celebrate you.

But if every single thing you do is met with “YESSS PERFECT!!” and you're never given corrections, feedback or anything to work on...

What are you actually paying for?

A good teacher can make you feel amazing and tell you what needs work.

Critique doesn't have to destroy your confidence. When it's delivered properly, it should build it.

You deserve more than hype. You deserve to actually get better.

🚩 IT'S A CLASS, NOT AN EGO SHOW

Your class shouldn't feel like you're an extra in your teacher's personal performance.

Of course your teacher is going to demonstrate, dance and probably film content. That's part of the industry.

But the priority should still be the people who paid to be in the room.

Are they watching you?
Are they correcting you?
Are they checking whether you're keeping up?
Are they actually teaching?

Or are they more concerned with how they look on camera?

There's a difference between having presence as a teacher and making the entire room about yourself.

🚩 THE CLASS IS BASICALLY A CONTENT SHOOT

And while we're here...

Not everything needs to revolve around THE VIDEO.

Getting a cute class video is fun. We all want one.

But your training shouldn't suffer because the entire class has been structured around producing content.

If more energy goes into camera angles, lighting and the teacher's footage than actually helping the room understand the choreography... 🚩

The video should be the cherry on top of the training, not the entire point of it.

🚩 THEY DON'T RESPECT BOUNDARIES

Teacher and student relationships can become really close, especially when you train with someone regularly.

But there should still be boundaries.

A teacher shouldn't pressure you into doing something you're uncomfortable with, touch or physically move your body without appropriate consideration, or use their position to make you feel like you can't say no.

You are allowed to have boundaries in a dance class.

🚩 THEY MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE

Corrections about alignment, placement and technique? Absolutely.

Unnecessary comments about your weight, body shape or appearance?

No thank you.

Dance already puts enough pressure on people's relationships with their bodies. Your teacher shouldn't be contributing to that.

You should leave class thinking about what you've learned, not suddenly feeling insecure about something you weren't insecure about two hours ago.

🚩 THEY MAKE YOU FEEL STUPID FOR STRUGGLING

Needing something explained again doesn't make you stupid.

Not picking choreography up immediately doesn't mean you're a bad dancer.

Everyone processes movement differently, and sometimes something just does 👏 not 👏 compute.

A teacher can challenge you without humiliating you.

You should feel safe enough to learn, make mistakes, ask questions and try again.

🚩 “JUST PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN”

NOPE.

There's a difference between your muscles working hard and your body telling you something is wrong.

A teacher shouldn't diagnose your injury, pressure you to continue through pain or make you feel dramatic for sitting something out.

Your body > one combo. Every single time.

🚩 UNSAFE TEACHING

Especiallyyyyy when we're talking about heels and tricks.

Throwing an advanced trick into class with no preparation, no regression, no explanation and no consideration of the space around you isn't impressive.

It's dangerous.

Good teaching isn't just showing people cool things.

It's giving them the tools to get there safely.

🚩 THEY DON'T RESPECT THE ADVERTISED LEVEL

If a class says beginner, teach beginners.

Don't get annoyed when someone needs a basic movement broken down in a class specifically advertised for them.

Equally, if you're advertising an advanced training class, those dancers have paid to be challenged.

Levels exist for a reason. Students should be able to trust that the class they've booked is actually appropriate for them.

🚩 THEY PLAY FAVOURITES

Of course teachers naturally build relationships with regular students. That's human.

But every person in that room has paid for your time.

If the same few dancers consistently get all the feedback, attention, encouragement and opportunities while everyone else becomes background furniture...

🚩🚩🚩

You don't have to treat every student identically, but everyone deserves to feel seen.

🚩 ALWAYS LATE. ALWAYS CANCELLING.

Life happens.

Trains get cancelled. People get ill. Emergencies happen. Teachers are human too.

But when it becomes a pattern?

Your students' time matters too.

If you're consistently arriving late, cancelling last minute or changing plans, eventually it stops being bad luck and starts being unprofessional.

🚩 THEY ACT LIKE THEY'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE

Being talented doesn't give you permission to make everyone around you feel small.

You can be experienced, successful and respected without acting superior.

In fact, some of the best teachers are the ones who never stop being students themselves.

There will ALWAYS be more to learn.

🚩 THEY SHIT TALK OTHER TEACHERS... OR THEIR OWN STUDENTS

This one tells you everythingggg.

Having private opinions is human. Publicly tearing down other teachers to make yourself look better is something else entirely.

And if a teacher regularly talks badly about their students to other students?

Just remember...

If they're comfortable talking about them to you, they're probably comfortable talking about you to them. 👀

💚 SO... WHAT DOES A GREEN FLAG TEACHER LOOK LIKE?

They don't need to be perfect.

They need to care.

They care about their own training. They can explain what they're teaching. They want you to improve, not just tell you you're amazing. They respect your body and your boundaries. They create an environment where you're allowed to get things wrong. They challenge you without making you feel small.

And most importantly?

They understand that the class isn't about proving how good THEY are.

It's about helping YOU become better.

Choose your teachers carefully, BAD Bs. 💗

Your training deserves it.