Meet a Breakdancing Teacher

In the first of what we hope to be an on-going series of interviews with students and teachers, the TeachStreet staff talks with local Seattleite Daniel Etcheto about his life as a break-dancing instructor.

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TeachStreet: How in the world did you get into breakdancing?

Daniel Etcheto: I started breakdancing after I saw some dude doing it on the street. Then I rented Beat Street and practiced in a studio I set up in my barn. For the first year I practiced two hours every other day until I perfected the baddest breakin’ move, THE WORM!

TS: How long have you been teaching breakdancing?

DE: I’ve been teaching breakdancing part-time for the last 5 years or so. I also have a “day job” as an engineer, but teaching a few days a month makes sure that my master plan of making breakdancing the best dance on the planet becomes a reality!

TS: What types of students do you teach? How many?

DE: I currently teach about 40 students each month… varying from complete newbies to top notch athletes wanting some new tricks. I’m teaching everyone from 9-year-old girls who wanted something other than ballet classes to the teenage guys who think it “looks really cool” to adults in their 20’s and 30’s that have secret aspirations to break dance.

TS: What do you love about teaching breakdancing?

DE: Showing people how easy and fun it is to do!

TS: Any favorite moments from breakdancing class?

DE: Any time there are kids, there are funny moments. They are the most creative and inventive dancers, period.

TS: What’s the best way that you’ve found new students?

DE: Personal referrals, and from my website. The Kirkland Dance Studio also sends fliers out to all the schools in the area telling them about classes that they offer. Breakdancing is a little “abnormal” so a lot of people come check it out just because it sounds cool and different. A lot of folks are surprised that there is a method to learning breaking, and how simple it is once the moves are broken into pieces.

TS: Any advice for TeachStreet?

DE: The artist community doesn’t want to do the business side, nor are they/we terribly computer savvy as a whole. They don’t want to do marketing or advertising. I recommend creating tools that significantly limit the amount of administrative work; they are artists not business people. If the site works and gets folks new students, they’ll be loyal.

TS: Anything else you’d like to add?

The only limits you have are the ones you place on yourself! And, “Can’t” lives on “Won’t Street.”

TS: And “Can” lives on “TeachStreet“. We hear ya Daniel! We’re working hard to create a site that’s usable for real live humans. We think of it as our job to make your job easier. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Smart-y) is the motto that we live by. We’ll trust you to keep us honest if we’re not living up to expectations though.

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Daniel Etcheto currently teaches breakdancing classes at Kirkland Dance Studio on Tuesdays from 6-7pm, and at Cascade Elite Gymnastics on Wednesdays from 7:30-9pm. He also does private lessons ($40/hour) for folks living in and around the Seattle area. His website is www.breakdancingninja.com.

Or, you can also check out his TeachStreet profile here. Get out there and start breaking!