Like a personal trainer or a tutor, private lessons are highly recommended for dancers of all levels (even beginners and instructors) who are serious about improving their dancing and want the most value for their money. This one-on-one personal feedback is by far the most effective and efficient method of learning. We can give you access to technique and strategies not readily available from most instructors. We can help you create new possibilities in your dancing, at your own pace, your own level, and in your own style.
About our teaching style
Our Swing Literacy Development Method is different from the traditional method of teaching dance. It uses a skill development approach, unique to WCS, but very common in sports. Prepare to hear a whole new perspective. Regardless of the purpose of the lesson, we build skills from the ground up, correcting any foundational issues along the way. The advice, corrections, and drills we offer are based on years of experimenting to find the most effective methods to teach body mechanics and efficient movement, not based on our opinions.
We often use a Socratic method: rather than spoon-feeding instructions, we use questioning techniques to guide students to develop skills organically, which makes them learn faster and “feel” better. These techniques tend to be more interactive and require more engagement from the student. We put the student at ease by offering encouragement and solutions without artificial ego-stroking: we prefer to get right to the source of the issue so you get full value for your time.
Get Coaching:Live: in Vancouver
One-on-one coaching in our beautiful Vancouver studio, for brand-new beginners to seasoned competitors. Live: at Events
To ensure availability, email to request appointments in advance, but feel free to approach us at the event. Online/Remote
Take a lesson via Skype, or get feedback via email in a Video Critique, or prep for a competition by doing both! |
Looking for coaching as a teacher?
Private Lesson FAQ’s
Do you work with Beginners?
Do you offer ProAm privates?
Does it matter which of you I work with?
What about parking (Vancouver)?
Do I need a dance dummy?
My partner and I would like coaching on lifts. Who should we work with?
Oops! My package expired, and I still have a bunch of lessons left!
I'm visiting Vancouver for a week. Can I set up a bank of lessons in a row?
Transformation every lesson
Tessa is the teacher who freed my movement and got me out of Novice. I take lessons with her every chance I can get and each time she transforms my dancing. She and Myles are the first pros I look for on an event’s staff list when I make decisions on which events to attend.
Tessa is a magician!
I’ve watched Tessa as she utterly transformed the dancing of newbie leader in an hour. When she invited me to feel his connection and stretch, my jaw dropped. He felt better than a lot of leaders who have been dancing for years!
Targeted, tailored, concise
“I’m grateful to have had Myles and Tessa as teachers. Their ability to identify crucial moments in dance, then explain them in a clear concise manner makes every minute of their private lessons indispensable. I admire the way they target their teaching to give me exactly what I need to grow as a dancer without overwhelming me.”
Guided independence
“What I love about lessons with Tessa is her really interesting way of teaching. She never says : “Stop thinking, just do this shape like that because I told you to”. Instead, she takes the time to ask you the right questions to guide you to think for YOURSELF about your dance. This self-analysis makes me understand my own body mechanics, and learn even faster! Now every time I leave the ballroom, it’s always with a big smile because I had a lot of fun and also because I discovered something new about my way of dancing. It’s always like a revelation.”
Becoming more responsive partners
Every lesson is packed with generously supplied information which is put into practice before proceeding to other topics and leaves us with material to work on long after the lesson is over. From our first lesson on, Myles and Tessa figured out a learning progression that suited us and helped us become more responsive dance partners.