Love or loathe Kate you cannot deny that Anton has been fantastic as a teacher this year. With Kate he was kind but fair, at times very firm but never cruel, Anton has proven and shown himself to be a wonderful dance teacher. Considering Fiona had the same limited dance ability and experience like Kate, she only lasted until week 4 and Brendan's temper was close to boiling point with her, at least Kate could say she danced one good dance in the show (Foxtrot). Okay, Kate was one of the worst competitors this series, but for me, Anton is the best teacher out of all the pro dancers this year.

Not following this logic at all.

Teacher of what

I think this is actually spot on RosePetal and I was thinking the exact same thing, in fact I have actually been thinking this since the series began.

Anton is a fantastic teacher, okay so he might have been a bit highly strung at some points in this series but that's only because he sees the good and the ability to perform and deliver in everybody.

He has always stuck by Kate, no matter what and indeed it seems that if you're ever in a tight spot the one person you'd want fighting in your corner is the one and only Anton du Beke...hey, I know for one that I would. :] Anton I salute and admire you. *Salutes*

Nor me. Don't get me wrong I love Anton but fail to see the justification for this statement. The poor lad never had a chance to prove how good a teacher he is in this series IMO!

yeah sure!!

I think the forum member is saying the way he was being with Kate was what a good teacher should be - even with a student with limited ability he was always encouraging, he was firm when he needed to, and he never gave up on her.

It's not just about him as a dancer or how much Kate has learnt about dancing from him, but also his patience, his kindness and generosity. Kate has been very fortunate to have him as a teacher indeed.

Thank you Frodora, that was exactly what I was trying to say in my post

You are welcome RosePetal!

Nope i disagree.
It shows just how popular he is.

well IMO Ola has been the best teacher because Kenny was hopeless he couldn't hear a beat but now he's sorta dancing along to it now and his ballroom is very good now Kate could hear a beat but was just very wooden

thats just my opinion though and I do love Anton

I would actually say that Darren, Flavia and Camilla are turning out to be great teachers, in that their celebrities started from a low level, and have shown fantastic improvement and can now dance. Their celebrities have made the most progress, and that is down to them really. They also seem to have great relationships with their celebrity partners.

I do think Anton has been remarkably patient.

Anton is always loyal to his partners, even long after they have left the competition. I think that's a nice quality.

I second that, if I was dancing as a celebrity (yeah right), I would want him as a partner. He really is a gem!

I got my mum a dancing lesson with Anton for her 70th Birthday - she was really nervous, but he was fantastic - really put her at ease and soon had her laughing! I think that is what makes him a good teacher - he makes people enjoy dancing, even if they aren't very good!

Me too. But he wouldn't want me. I think I'd be like Kate, or even worse!

What a brilliant idea, dancingfan. Was that very expensive? Reason for asking is I'd like to do the same for my mother. On her 60th I got Classic FM to play a song for her which she loved. She's very interested in learning to dance (shame stepdad, aka Bootface, isn't!) so she'd love that.

I would agree with this. I think those three celebrities could have been walking disasters had they not been coupled with their respective professionals. I can't imagine them working as well with any of the other professionals.

It was £100 for an hour of 1-1 tuition at a dance studio on Kingston. That was two years ago though, so I'm not sure if he still does them there or whether the price has gone up. I emailed the address on Anton and Erin's website at the beginning of January and a couple of weeks later Erin rang to arrange a date. It was all quite easy really. My dad and I went along to watch and we both had a dance with Anton aswell - great fun!
Last edited by dancing fan : 18-11-2007 at 21:33

I heard he used to teach in Cambridge. Shame he doesn't still, as I work there.

Thanks for the info dancing fan - I'll think about that for mum's next birthday - although it's probably too late for her next, which is in January.

I think he teaches in several dance studios, so he might still do lessons in Cambridge.

My mum's name is Kate . . . and he thinks he had problems with La Garraway! Still, it would only be for an hour!

I find it strange that professional performing dancers are expected to be excellent teachers too..

Someone once said that a good teacher could teach anything.

Does being a great dancer = great teaching skills?

I second that !