Good rant.
I believe the distinction David was talking about was pretty simple.
Most (not all) MJ classes teach you to do MJ moves. They do not teach you to dance. The same is true for many different dances and teachers - many Salsa classes I've been to are like that, quite a few Lindy classes....
One of the top London Salsa teachers was recently heard to say that to his regret, he and his peers had been teaching people to 'move their arms and legs' rather than teaching them to dance. You need technique to get beyond a certain level. Where that level is depends on a lot of things (including your own level of natural talent) - but there's absolutely no-one in MJ or any other form of dance who couldn't benefit from some or more training in dance technique.
This isn't about snobbishness. This is about how good
you want to be, and what you're prepared to do to reach that level. It's a very personal thing. I've spent a week of classes with one top Lindy teacher, where we did very little but learn to walk & connect with the floor. NOT everyone's cup of tea. But I still feel the benefits of those lessons every single time I dance, or even sometimes when walking down the street.
Look at some of the people who we regard as top MJ dancers - Nina, for example, has years of ballet training, and is a qualified ballet teacher. Amir trained at the Rambert School of Dance
- people like this are such amazing dancers not purely through natural talent (although I'm not denying they have it), but through a lot of hard work and formal training.
You don't get this at a Ceroc class - that's not what Ceroc's about.
If you want to perform or compete, dance technique lessons will help you vastly improve the way you look and feel. For social dancing, working on your frame will give you better connection, hence a clearer, stronger, more versatile lead, and more and more dimensions on what you can achieve with a partner.
Dancing is an art, yes. And technique alone won't make you an artist. But it will give you a fantastic range of tools to combine with your art, and take it to places you could only have dreamed of without them.