Dance Experience
You can't teach dance without plenty of experience as a dancer yourself. You'll need to be able to demonstrate techniques to students, show how to safely execute maneuvers and break down each dance move into smaller steps. At some smaller dance schools, ample dance experience might be all you need to teach. It's helpful to get experience in several forms of dance if you want to make a full-time living teaching. This way, you can teach a variety of age groups and several different classes.
High School Diploma
Even if you're teaching at a small school that doesn't require formal dance education, you'll still need a high school diploma or GED. Your diploma serves as evidence that you have basic writing and communication skills, which can be very important when you're teaching students and communicating with their parents. The dance school at which you teach might also require you to get a dance education certificate through either the school or an independent organization.
Bachelor's Degree
Many dance schools require a bachelor's degree, and all elementary, middle and high schools do. Majors such as dance education, performing arts or ballet can give you the skills you need. An education-related degree, such as early childhood education, can equip you to teach dance as well as other subjects in the school system. After you graduate, you'll need to become licensed before you can teach dance in the public school system, but you might not need a license to teach at a private dance school.
Graduate School
If you want to teach aspiring professional ballet dancers, coach professional dancers or teach at the college level, you'll need a graduate degree -- often a master's degree, but sometimes a doctorate. Specialties such as dance education, ballet, fine arts and performing arts are ideal choices. You'll also likely continue your own dance experience as part of graduate school, perhaps by choreographing regular performances or giving performances of your own.
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