Teacher Trainer

Julee Mertz has been invited to teach master classes and teacher training workshops around the world.  In Chicago, all Big City Swing instructors are required to study her Teacher Training Manual, attend 18-hours of teacher training instruction, observe both group and private lessons and apprentice with senior instructors.  The following is the introduction from her textbook.

“This course is an assimilation of my study and experience with biomechanics, curriculum planning and the interpersonal skills needed to excel as a teacher of social dancing.

In the Lindy Hop world, there are rock star dancers and talented teachrees but they are rarely the same person.  The goal of this class is to develop the skills to tramsit your knowledge of dancing in a motivating, concise and helpful way.

Through this course, you will learn to diagnose your students’ most presseing challenges and offer detailed instruction for improvement.  You’ll learn not one, but multiple illustrative and relateable metaphors to correct balance, weight transfers as well as leading and following. And, you’ll be challenged to develop your own helpful phrases, illustrations and descriptors as your understanding of the fundamentals skyrockets.”

The results of her training are evident through students’ reviews of the Big City Swing faculty:

“I have to say this place makes swing dancing easy. I first tried swing at a free group lesson at XXXX and it was not fun or easy. My fiancé suggested I go to Big City and it was a huge difference. I have had numerous classes from most of the instructors and they are all great and give different suggestions for improvement.”

- Paul C., 5/8/09, (full review available on Yelp.)

“I have taken dance classes at a couple of other places, and much prefer this school. The instructors have a fun way of teaching that really helps you remember what you are supposed to be doing with your appendages…I am slowly getting over a lifelong dance phobia and was very nervous on the first day, but their humor seems to make everyone comfortable.

- Ivy, 3/26/09, (full review available on Yelp.)

“I’ve taken dance lessons before, but never from such enthusiastic (and funny) teachers. They start out with the basic of the basics and before you know it you’re dancing! Being the daughter of avid ballroom dancers, I was truly impressed at the quick progress one can make in Big City Swing’s classes.”

- Marjorie, 8/6/2008 (full review available on Yelp.)