Do ALL ballroom dance studios try to scam their customers? For instance, I was asked to perform in a show two weeks before the show. I said I didn't have time to prepare. They said I could take extra lessons. Guess who gets to pay for the extra lessons??

How many times do we have to explain this? It seems that every other topic is on the subject of studio ripoffs. If it sounds like a ripoff, smells like a ripoff and tastes like a ripoff, guess what? It is one. Studios are in the business of making money. They sell lessons in dance to do this. Most will use a number of ways of increasing the student's number of lessons. A showcase is one way. If the studio is OK in every other way, then just decline to be involved in the show. If there are other tell-tale signs that everything is on the up-and-up and there usually are, then get out and find another studio. I have done this several times and I am certain that I am not the only one to have done this.
I am not talking about studios who encourage their students who are not competing to perform in a showcase. This is one way to provide a social student with a goal, always a good thing when trying to learn.

I can see that a showcase is a way to make money and help the student set goals. However, preparation for it should begin farther in advance than 2 weeks before date of show in a quality studio. (This is studio where you have to be invited to do the show. You can't walk in and say I want to do it and ask to start working on it. Some started working on it 2 months in advance. These last minute invitations are clearly a way for studio to make last minute $$$)

My question is are there any studios out there who don't try dirty tricks like this to get money? No use looking for one if they can't be found.

Hi Yvette,

Yes, there are good studios out there. The best is probably those teachers that are independent, and that are referred by students themselves.

Yes, definitely you should prepare more than 2 weeks before a showcase. This is ridiculous. In fact, it probably takes months and years before you get to be smooth in the dancing. You said the right thing in not having time to prepare, and that you don't want to take extra lessons.

I know of many independent teachers who teach without having to resort to tricks. Again, the best is to keep asking people -- in the US, you might want to try USABDA (on the DanceScape organizations section) to get referrals of USABDA members in your state/city that you can contact to get qualified and reputable teachers.

I have found that the higher-level dancers are usually not going to scam you. I studied with one of the top U.S. dancers -- no contracts, no lessons sold in blocks, at the end of each lesson if you wanted to sign up for another lesson, you did it. If you didn't want to take a lesson for two weeks, that was OK also. The lessons were jammed with excellent instruction based entirely on what YOU wanted -- not what the teacher needed.