How to Take a Dance Class

I’ve noticed a big difference between the culture and the mindset of the students in adult drop in ballet classes and the adult drop in zouk classes that I attend. I am sharing this list because as adults, my friends, you are paying with money and time to be in class, so you must want to be there! The teacher is there to motivate you a little, sure, but you are there because you are motivated and you want to be there 100% and you want to improve! To maximize your time in class, to perform the best, to improve your body and advance your skills, I recommend doing these things I observe almost all the other people in my ballet classes doing but hardly anyone in my zouk classes doing.

It boils down to this

You want to advance your technique, balance, strength, connection, whatever, and you are willing to work on what the teacher is working on, but what are YOU working on right now, personally and possibly separate from what the teacher is working on? The teacher cannot and will not cover all facets of the dance in the class, so you need to pick a few things you want to improve, and improve them while also improving the things the group is improving as a whole. You’ve been studying this dance for a little while, what things did the teacher say last time about this movement or this exercise?

For example, If you are doing a connection exercise with the hands, the teacher probably won’t be talking about how your weight should stay grounded in your feet, and how your core needs to be engaged, and how you need to keep stacking or aligning your bones, but you should be thinking of these things and trying to achieve them all of the time in addition to thinking about the exercise at hand. Each exercise is not supposed to be done in isolation. In fact, pro dancers get frustrated when one body part is injured and the PT tells them to train without that one part, because to execute movements correctly your entire body must engage in concert. Instead of waiting for the teacher to give you corrections, think back to all the corrections you have ever heard and try to give yourself corrections.

During Downtime

During lulls in the class or when you are not actively moving or paying rapt attention to what the teacher is saying, you should never be idle. In my ballet classes, while the teacher is remembering how to teach the next combination, all of us are stretching, practicing the previous combination again, attempting balances, finding our centers, and actively doing something to improve ourselves. Observe the teacher very carefully during their demonstrations. Train yourself to notice the fingers, angles of wrists, how much turnout they have, what leg the weight is one, what quality of movement are they using, what angle do the elbows make, how straight are the knees, and how is that different form how you are doing it?

Corrections

Did you get a correction? Treat that correction like SOLID GOLD. Treasure it forever, be thankful for it, do not let it out of your mental sight! You are a special lucky one to receive such a valuable gift. The teacher is taking time away from all the other people in the class to pay attention to you, you must be trying hard and showing promise of improvement. Did someone else just get a correction? Awesome! Can you apply it to yourself? Do not tune out when the teacher is helping someone else individually. This is the time to tune in.

Rest Days

Take a rest if you need it. This is a big trending topic right now among all the circus community on social media right now. I had to google “rest days.” Oops. We are athletes, we are training like athletes! In the last two weeks and I knew I had to take a break from ballet. I couldn’t focus on remembering combinations, my body was sore and I was unable to execute anything to my potential. The beauty of drop in classes as opposed to the set training schedule of a teenager is that you can rest the parts of your body hurting from that dance, do a different activity for a few days, and come back stronger than before! No, seriously. By the way, this is different than showing up to class sick and feeling miraculously cured afterwards, which why I often drag myself out to dance when I’m not feeling well.

Be Prepared

Arrive early to stretch and warm up. I’ve only had to start doing this since I got older. If it’s a ballet class, I point and flex my feet, I sweep my leg longer with my hands, I do split stretches all way, I do bartenieff fundamental sea star floor sweeps, I may do attitude grande battement en cloche, I stretch my spine, upper back, arms, shoulders. Don’t just stand there and sullenly stare, or chit chat, or slump.

Overperform

Are you bored of practicing the thing the rest of the class is working on? What else about this movement or exercise can you add to it the next time you do it? I don’t mean do a different movement, I mean what technical thing can you make better about your own dancing within the framework on this movement? Point your feet harder, stretch your head movement further, pull your frame tighter. If you aren’t showing up to class one hundred percent, I almost think it’s better not to be there. Try your best!

Be Your Favorite Follow

In every class you are learning the skill of following. You are following the teacher’s framework while trying to add to it without disrupting it at all. You are bringing the most beautiful attitude and bringing the most beautiful dancing you can to this experience, like a follow during a social dance.

You are the favorite follow, so shush

I cannot remember the last time I can remember a ballet teacher having to shush us or work to get our attention. Sure, ballet is not a social dance, but are you in class to socialize or to improve your dancing? If you are there to socialize, please respect all the people who are there trying to improve their dancing who you are preventing from improving their dancing by talking over the teacher. Especially don’t try to teach other students in the class. Even if you are a teacher in another class, you aren’t teaching that day, and you will just be a distraction for everyone else, including the student who wants to learn from the current teacher. You should be too busy trying to improve your own body and mindset anyway. If your partner isn't doing the movement how you want it to be done, how can you change what you are doing to make it better for both of us? (Exception if they are hurting you)

I’d love to hear your own strategies for how you take classes or how you are improving your training. Please share.

You might enjoy my post about How to Take a Dance Class or taking a jaunt through our Honolulu Zouk Community Guidelines