Teacher Information

Studio Registration

Teachers must register their studio to teach our syllabus work. All work and music is copyright to APDA or our syllabi.

Jazzaddict, Urban Ignition, Tap Evolution, La Beauté Ballet, Lucidity, Encore theatre Dance and Agility Acrobatics are all syllabi under APDA.

To become a registered teacher, you must complete the on-line application form. To qualify as a teacher of the syllabus you must meet one or more the following criteria:

  • own an established dance studio, and/or
  • have over 2 years teaching experience (references may be required), and/or
  • hold the Syllabi Teacher qualification, and/or
  • hold a recognised qualification under another established syllabus

If your application is accepted you will be required to pay the annual registration fee. The registration fee licenses the dance studio or individual freelance teacher for one year.

New teachers/studios are accepted on a two year trial. During that time they must enter candidates for examinations annually.  

Examination results and teacher/studio report sheets will be monitored during that period. If the work of a teacher is considered substandard then the Asia Pacific Dance Association reserves the right to decline registration on the subsequent year.

Teacher Workshops

Teacher refresher courses are held in January every two years (bi-annually).  It is strongly recommended that at least one representative from the studio attend each workshop. This is a valuable investment in the studio and business and is an important requirement to keep abreast of changes and professional development.

The workshop location can be in New Zealand, Australia or Asia.

Syllabus work, technical work and music are covered. Examiners and guest tutors conduct classes and seminars. Forums are scheduled to share ideas and suggestions. Networking is encouraged.

Teacher Certificates

Each of our syllabi provides a comprehensive teacher training curriculum which covers all aspects of teaching, health, safety and communication.  Candidates for the Teacher Certificate must be 16 years or over.

Teacher Certificate

Qualification to teach Primary, Junior and Elementary grades.

The examination includes an oral interview and a practical assessment of teaching.

Prerequisites include a First Aid certificate and a minimum of 20 hours assistant teaching.

A Teacher Manual must be purchased by the candidate to study for the oral interview. The candidate is then tested on subjects which include:

  • Health & Safety/ Anatomy
  • Teaching & Class Management
  • Business & Communication

The second half of the examination is a practical assessment which involves teaching students and demonstrating choreography. A thorough report is provided with a pass or fail grade given.

Candidates must achieve 75% or higher in both the oral and practical assessments to pass the Teacher examination.

This is to ensure we maintain the highest standards of teaching within our dance studios.

Advanced Teacher Certificate

Qualification to teach Intermediate and Advanced grades.

This examination is a practical assessment of teaching (no oral component required).

Application to Teach
Examination Pricing
Examination Information

Our Studio Partners

Devonport School of Dance
Dancing Bean Studio
Betty Bentley Academy - Willetton
Anwyn's Acro Dance Academy
Aspire Arts Academy
Lakes Performing Arts Centre
V Dance Studio
Inspired Dance Education Abecedarian (IDEA)
ALEX x DANCE STUDIO
Nadia Richter Academy of Dance
Flow Academy of Motion
Silhouette Dance Studio - Shenton Park
Dance Collective
8Count Dance Studio
Center Stage Dance Studio
DanceWorks Studios
Dance Pointe
101 Dance Studio
Bodindecha School of Dance Art
TM Dance World
Alana's Dance Studio
Te Puke Dance Studio
Dance Direction Qld
Dance Space
Red Music + Dance
Top Jazz Ballet
Danceology
Dance24Seven
Studio Charli Dance
Sky Dance Avenue

What our studio partners say

"Thanks for an amazing conference. I am extremely impressed with your professionalism and your management and marketing skills. Not only have you have created a fabulous syllabus but you have made everyone associated to it feel like part of the family. The openness of everyone to help each opther in their business and personal development is so refreshing. I am very excited and feel very priviledged to be part of the APDA family.
Denice Garmonsway, Garmonsway School of Dance, Christchurch New Zealand
"Silhouette Dance Studio joined APDA in 2003 and have been teaching the Jazzaddict, La Beauté Ballet, Lucidity Contemporary, Urban Ignition and more recently the Tap Evolution syllabus across all ages and levels. We have been most impressed with the syllabus, the connections between each levels ensure that students are building on skills and technique and the quality of the advanced grades is exceptional. Over the past 10 years there have been updates of the syllabus amalgamations which has kept all the work fresh and current, I feel this is so important as it helps engage students with music and choreography they enjoy. The examination experience has always been a professional but friendly one that my students look forward to each year. We are proud to be members of this association and we look forward to its continued growth.”
Michelle Meschiati, Silhouette Dance Studio, Perth, Australia.
“I had spent a number of years teaching the same old dance syllabi that really just “go through the motions”, until I stumbled across the APDA. I immediately grabbed the opportunity to expose my students to a syllabus that focused on dance and performance and was new and fresh with the latest music that students can relate to. Upon meeting the management staff of APDA I immediately understood why this syllabus was so upbeat and focused on the right areas of dance. The upbeat attitudes of the teaching staff was infectious and pumped new life back into my passion for dance and teaching. Ongoing workshops and continuous focus on updating or refreshing of the syllabus, combined with studio development information are all part of what makes you feel part of the APDA family. If you are looking for a syllabus that enables your students to focus on dance and performance to help them grow in confidence and as dancers and as a person, then don’t hesitate to contact Corinne at Asia Pacific Dance Association you will not regret your decision.”
Lou Horo, Jazz Time Dance, Invercargill, New Zealand.
“Operating a performing arts school is busy as we all know! It requires constant organisation to ensure that everything runs smoothly and communication is effective. We have used multiple syllabi and I can honestly say some have made life much more complicated than necessary! We absolutely LOVE using and working with the APDA syllabi because all information is clear, communication is excellent and it makes our life running a successful studio so much easier! Aside from the quality of service being a major benefit from an administrative perspective, our teachers unanimously agree that the work is lovely and varied to teach. There is an excellent balance of structure and technique with room to still utilise each individual teachers’ style and personality. This clearly filters through to the students and is obvious in their enjoyment of dance (which is ultimately why we are all in this industry). The dancers and teachers love the work and they continue to express and achieve through these syllabi.”
Tammy Bennett, Aspire Arts Academy, Matamata, New Zealand.

You have questions, we have answers.

You’ll have 7 days to look at the materials to see if APDA is a good fit for your studio. Check out the six different genres available to you.

Yes, we have responsibility to students and parents in our dance community to offer quality dance education worldwide. We must ensure that APDA teachers offering our syllabi are of the highest standard. Applicants need to either have an internationally recognised dance qualification OR own an established dance studio/ Referees need to be provided. If your application is not accepted for any reason, you will receive a full refund.

We can set you and your teachers up in less than 48 hours if you meet our criteria. Go into the FREE TRIAL and follow the steps to register.

There is a one-off joining fee of USD$40. Annual registration is USD$150 per syllabus with bundle.

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