Does anyone know if any of the Strictly pro's past or present do one off lessons? I know Ian Waite does them but just wondered if any of the others do. Would love to do something like that for my mum for Xmas. She is an ex dance teacher and would just love it to bits.

Also does anyone know if there are any dance hosts available at the Tower Ballroom tea dances? My dad is in a care home and can no longer dance but it was always her dream to dance at the Tower ballroom.

Any suggestions, help or advice would be amazing. Thank you!

I bet they all do, if you meet their price - I know Kristina has tweeted about having lessons all day and I know Tristan's done them in the states. Here's a link to where you sign up for lessons with either James or Ola:

http://www.jamesandola.com/shop.php

Yeah, they'll all be available in some form - such is the life of the pro dancer!

It'll be a case of who is based where and what is viable for your mum, plus cash (although I expect they all charge a similar rate, as these things are dictated by the market).

There are dance holidays too - depending on your mum's level, she might enjoy that more!

http://www.donaheys.co.uk/events/

That's such a lovely idea OP.

oh, also, I know a dance group based in Chester that hires the Tower Ballroom a couple of times a year, Aspirations Dance - you could contact them, I'm sure they will happily make sure your mum gets a full dance card at one of their events

http://www.aspirationsdance.com/

Yes quite a lot of them do, but not sure who you would prefer. Ian, Erin was don't know about now, Matthew Cutler, and others although I'm not really up to date on who does what where. I know Artem offered them one year after Strictly.

It sounds a lovely idea. Let us know how you get on.

£300

most pros offer lessons

google their websites and it will give you prices I believe

The Tower Ballroom has tea dances, again all info will be on their website

For a 45-minute lesson?

They're laughing all the way to the bank! (And I've gone off them even more.)

only if they get idiots - sorry people - willing to pay that!

I know I wouldnt

I don't see anything wrong with £300 for a lesson with any of the Strictly professionals. They're at the top of their game, stars in their own right and have years of dance experience behind them. They'll also have to deduct travel time and costs, studio rehearsal room hire, tax and national insurance.

People are too mean about paying teachers what they deserve to be paid based on their knowledge, experience and expertise in their field.

There are a lot of experienced dance teachers and there's only so much you can learn in 45 minutes, no matter how good your teacher is. I think £300 for 45 minutes is just a tad greedy.

actually they are not - if they were still competing in competitions and winning those comps then I would agree with you

most HAVE been at the top of their game when they were competing but to say that they are now is stretching it just a little I personally feel

I still think £300 for a 45 minute lesson is overpriced but if you think its a fair price then I respect that

my dance teacher has 45 years worth of experience, has competed in many competitions in his younger days and has been teaching ever since he retired from competitions - he would never dream of charging someone £300 for a 45 min lesson - ok, he isnt a famous Strictly star but he is a damn good teacher and an amazing dancer, just because you have become famous through a tv show doesnt, IMO, mean you can get away with exploiting that and charging the earth for a dance lesson

They are offering 1-1 lessons, not dance classes. Most dance teachers will take a group of students, and divide their time and costs between all the students. For someone offering 1-1 lessons on a one-off basis, they have to factor in travel costs, insurance costs, studio costs, travel and prep time, time spent arranging lessons or chatting at the end and so on. All things considered, they're probably earning an hourly rate of about £75-100, before tax and national insurance is deducted. Teachers are always under-paid. I'm not sure if it's greedy to expect to earn a wage commensurate with your experience, or if it's greedy to want to take all that and offer peanuts for it.

He's only teaching, though.. that's the difference. He'll be running dance classes, and lining up multiple regular lessons in blocks, so he's not factoring in travelling, and his studio rates will be different. It's unrealistic to compare them.

I don't know what he's charging for his lessons, but it is probable that he isn't really getting an adequate return for his 45 years of experience.

A cardiac consultant is also top of his game and woulldnt charge that for a consultation . A sports physio is also top of her game and charges no more than € 100 for an hour of therepy

I'm not wasting more time on this. Neither of these examples are comparable, because neither will have the same overheads or the same working conditions. Incidentally, private consultants fees are their pocket money - they are already receiving a hefty annual salary in their regular job.

Of course they are comparable . Both are professional and sharing their expertise

A cardiac surgeon operates from a NHS hospital, so he has no overheads. He has other people making his appointments for him, so he has no advertising, administrative or telephone costs, and having continual appointments mean that his travel costs are divided between multiple appointments. He will have his own designated parking space, meaning that he is not driving around for half an hour looking for a parking space before every appointment. He will also have no parking charges. He will enjoy free or subsidised meals in the NHS staff canteen. His annual salary will be 75000-100000 and all his private consultations are on top of that.

They are not therefore comparable.

but the pros are teaching too yet they are charging £300 for it - I dont see a difference, a teacher is a teacher as far as I am concerned

how is it unrealistic to compare them

lets just agree to disagree, you think £300 is an acceptable price for a strictly pro to charge for a 45 min lesson, I think its a ridiculous price to charge

It's not ridiculous - it's market forces in operation. People would be overjoyed to receive a dance lesson from a 'famous' dance professional. The dancers themselves know that their 15 minutes of fame won't last long, so why shouldn't they cash in on it?

I personally think that professional footballers are vastly overpaid - but it's part of life today isn't it.

You can't really expect the professional dancers who work on strictly to give £30 an hour private tuition lessons, can you?

£300

Not sure if anyone else contacted Artem's representative when he offered private lessons just after he had finished a Strictly series? He was around half the price of that if I remember correctly.

Market forces yes but wow!

Ian Waite site where you can buy a lesson for £240

http://www.ian-waite.com/shopianwaite/the-gift-of-dance

He does throw in a "gift pack"

They're celebrities so I understand why they can get more money. For some people, like me, it's an extra thrill to have a dance lesson with someone you know from the telly.

Guys please can we try to keep this on topic rather than it turning into a slanging match about how much the pros charge and it's worth!
At the end of the day, whether or not something is worth the money is a very subjective thing. I wouldn't pay £5 to go to a football match but many people pay a small fortune to go.

I am wanting help to arrange a lovely surprise for my mum, my dad had to go into a care home so she will never be able to dance with him but for her to either have a dance with a pro or if I could find someone for her to dance with at Blackpool would be great and I really appreciate the help.

Please let's try and keep this on track, I saw I had 21 replies and was delighted but sadly I found most of them are people bickering which was very disappointing.

Thanks again for any help xx

£250 - £350 for a one on one dancing lesson with a celebrity dance seems perfectly fair to me. Think of it in the same vein as dinner at a celebrity chef's restaurant