Qualifications What Qualifications? 2011-01-11 It's a New Year, Christmas pudding and Chocs have left their mark, so you and your pals decide to start going out to do something to get a little fitter. What better way than to Linedance off those extra inches? Linedancing is fun, it's sociable and you don't have to pour yourself into a lycra body suit to do it! When you find a class, perhaps through your local Newspaper or Yellow Pages, you would be forgiven for thinking that the person taking the class would be qualified as a Linedance Instructor? Not always the case I'm afraid, there are Cowboys in every profession, especialy so in this form of dance, people who have gone along to some lessons, thought, "I can do this, make some easy cash" Dance instructors these days normaly carry £5 Million's worth of insurance to cover possible injury claims made by their dancers. An unqualified person will not have the ability to get such Insurance. Unless a Dance Instructor has Qualifications and is a fully paid up Member of a Professional Dance Organisation, such as D&G Org for Western Dance, BWDA, IDTA, NTA for Western Dance etc the premiums for such a person would cost about as much as a family saloon car per year, that's if any insurance company would touch them, which I doubt! So think before you go along, does this teacher show qualifications? That is letters after his/her name, in a Studio expect to see Certificates on the wall. In a hired hall, such as Church or Community Centre, Posters advertising the class should have the Instructors FULL name and those all important letters proudly on show! If the poster says something like 'Linedance with Jo / Jolene, ask yourself why, the Butcher who sells you your meat, the pub you pop into for a pint, display who is offering the service ? I worked for 3 and 1/2 years to gain all my Qualifications, travelled the country to workshops, went through several examinations, paid all the fees to do so. I am happy to point anyone in the right direction if they wish to follow in my 'Bootsteps' and gain Qualifications in American Line Dance. I love my Profession, I hate Cowboy's, they dishonour my profession and put people in danger! If you are injured because an un-qualified person tells you to do something that is dangerous or just not suitable for you at your level of fitness or expertise, or even just slip or trip in their class, you are not insured, if anyone asks you to sign a 'waiver'/ 'at your own risk form', DON'T, you are paying them with your hard earned money, you are entitled to protection! If you are injured and have to take the teacher to a claims solicitor and you find that he/she is living in a council flat, driving an old banger, where do you go from there? Well, luckily, you actualy would have a claim against the Hall Hirer! Yes, the Church or whoever hired the Hall out to that person, they have a 'Duty of Care' to check that any person offering any type of exercize class or similar gathering is qualified to do so and is fully insured with a high rate of Public Liability Insurance. So, werever you live, please find a Qualified Instructor, and as they say on Crimewatch, don't have nightmares! Sleep well, dance safely! 0 Responses to "Qualifications What Qualifications?"Leave a reply | Author
Kerris, retirement age but still teaching American Linedance. Have 1 house, 1 car,1 cat, 1 brother that is my best pal too!
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