The Lonely Life of a Ballroom Instructor

Yes, that was my point... 32 hours of 'training' does not make a teacher...

Someone with innate ability could very well teach a beginning social dancer after 32 hours of training. Sorry, I don't see that as implausible.

But there are many different types of consumers in the dance world. Any dancer who gravitates toward a competitive path will gravitate also to a different level of expertise. There's a lid for every pot.

A few reasons (and if you'll note, I didn't join the discussion until his little rant). I think his post hit just about every one of my pet peeves, so you'll excuse if I have a little rant of my own. I really don't want to hate on MF, but seeing as he is willing to dish criticism out himself...

That's why I am not a fan of his post. It has nothing to do with where I think his dance career will go in the future - I was well aware before this post that Larinda started in a similar way, and I have nothing but absolute respect for her dancing and teaching skills. It has everything to do with the tone of the post, which felt belittling to others' dance passion and experience, and belittling to those professionals who have vastly more knowledge.

The middle of his post, where he explains the scope of his training and who he actually teaches - aside from the aggressive amount of rhetorical questions used - was all that was really needed.

And why did he react that way? Because someone belittled him first. Yes, his response was not the most mature, everyone who reacted in kind, well, you do the math.

Please explain where and how he was belittled.

The ONLY post I see (before his long post) that is critical is Steven123's, and then only the one line (below). The subsequent posts (again, prior to his long post) either give a moderate/positive view of six week wonders, or stay on the original topic, i.e. dating.

"Somebody hired you to teach even though you have never danced before? That is not fare to any students in your studio who are actually talented."

This is an entirely valid concern... assuming he was teaching students who are "actually talented", which seems to be a misunderstanding on Steven123's part. Moreover, it does not blame Mr. F; it focuses on the studio's responsibility to its students ("Somebody hired you..."; "fare to... students").

A criticism, even (since Mr. F has since further explained his student base and training) misguided criticism, does not automatically equate to belittling someone. At the end of the day, yes, it would be unfair to have an inexperienced dancer teaching experienced students.

OK, instead of belittling, let's call it attacking. Which continues. Mr. F. never said anything about teaching experienced students, nor did Steven123.
What bothers you so much about his rant in self-defense? Why does it get under your skin so much?

I... just outlined exactly why it bothers me. And add to that the fact that it was spurred on by two sentences: "Somebody hired you to teach even though you have never danced before? That is not fare to any students in your studio who are actually talented." ALL the other negative posts came in response to his 1000+ word post which contained, as I discussed in unnecessary detail two posts ago, various troubling statements.

And no, Mr. F didn't say anything about teaching experienced students, which is why I repeatedly said that it was misguided criticism. As for Steven123, forgive me for equating the words "experienced" and "talented" (which he did use), although I'm not sure how they change the context.

Who knows? Larinda has been in the industry for 20 years. MF has been in it for 6 months. Maybe Larinda always had humility about her start, or maybe she had to take her lumps along the way. But I'm certain those 20 years of experience have shaped the teacher and person she is today--able to consider herself a top teacher without bravado. Perhaps something which MF can aspire to becoming over the next 19 years.

I want to add that one this note, I'm bowing out of the conversation, as I've said all that I really have to say on the matter. Mr. F is obviously passionate about dance, and no doubt inspirational to his students, but I think he does have a lot of maturing to do in the way he reacts to criticism, and the way he views the ballroom scene.