The Dance Teacher: The Ideal Case and Daily Reality

Abstract

The dance teacher is a central figure in the world of dance; the impact of the dance teacher on the career of a young dancer can be decisive. A dance teacher is more often than not described as authoritarian. The present study investigated the various dimensions of the dance teacher's behavior. To map the teacher's behavior, a dance-adapted version of the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS; Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980) was constructed as the Leadership Scale for Dance (LSD). The LSD was administered to both teachers and students of the dance department of the Amsterdam Theatre School. In addition, dance teachers were asked to rate daily class behaviors of the themselves as teachers, and dance students were asked to rate their current dance teacher. While the characteristics of the ideal teacher were very similar for both teachers and students, large differences appeared in the rating of daily class activities. Ratings of the teachers and dance classes are interpreted within the framework given by the LSD scales, that is, as indications of the behavior characteristics of the ideal dance teacher.