Welcome Back and Exams

January 5, 2010 by suburbaknght

Hello everyone!  It’s been awhile since we talked.  At this point I’ve hit on most of the major points I wanted to with this blog so rather than force myself to write weekly posts that will inevitably fall by the way-side, Dancing Through the Recession will be switching to monthly updates.

There is a reason I haven’t been posting lately, however, and that goes beyond not having enough to talk about and even beyond internet laziness: I haven’t had enough time.  Since March 2009 I was preparing to take my full bronze smooth professional certification exams, and the last two months were spent in very high intensity study.  I’m pleased to announce that I not only passed but did so with Honors and am now a DVIDA certified instructor.  These are not the first exams I’ve taken, however – I passed smooth and rhythm junior bronze professional exams through a franchise – but since the test is still on my mind, we’ll use testing to ring in the new year.

What Are Dance Exams?

There are actually two types of dance examinations: student exams (also called, “Medal exams”) and professional exams (“Certifications”) and, as we’ve said before, they differ greatly but also share many characteristics.  Both are intended to provide a quantifiable goal to work towards, establish benchmarks for technique and knowledge, and provide a sense of accomplishment upon m eeting those standards, but those standards differ greatly between the two exams.

Student Medal Tests

A medal test is conducted partly for the reasons all tests are conducted, as described above, but also to determine what the student is ready for.  Many studios, particularly franchise studios, will require students to pass a medal test before attending higher-level classes.  This ensures that everyone in the class has demonstrated competency with basic material that may then be built upon.  These tests can be thought of college final exams.  One benefit of such a system is that higher-level classes proceed at a faster pace.  While all-level classes or open classes must occassionally proceed at a slower pace to review basic material for unprepared students, a studio that employs medal exams is unlikely to have these problems.

Medal tests are usually conducted much more formally than typical lessons.  Some studios will bring in an outside examiner, while others will employ a senior teacher to conduct the exams.  Students are typically required to dance specific figures, explain how the figure works in their own words, and demonstrate competency while dancing a freestyle round (i.e. a waltz will be played and students have a minute or so to dance waltz while the examiner makes notes).  Afterward, the examiner will review his or her comments with the student and the student’s teacher, explaining the students strengths that should be developed and weaknesses that need improvement.  As such, the medal test should be thought of as a report card rather than a final exam.

Medal tests may be conducted at each medal level (i.e. bronze, silver, gold) or at various points within each medal if a studio breaks down the levels along such lines (i.e. Bronze 1, Bronze 2, Bronze 3, Bronze 4).  They are usually done by dance (i.e. Bronze 3 waltz, Bronze 3 swing, etc.) and take from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the number of dances, the level, and so on.

In addition to comments, students will receive a score for a medal test and an evaluation of pass/fail based on the score.  It is very rare for students to fail medal tests, though this is typically because most instructors will not permit their students to test until they are certain the student will pass, rather than because of lenient grading.  There is some jsutfiable concern about inflated scores in medal tests, esepcially among studios that conduct their own testing rather than bringing in an outside examiner.  Keep two things in mind when reviewing your medal test scores:

  • These scores are based on expected proficiency at level one is testing at, not overall dance proficiency.  For example, a medal test in bronze 1 American waltz would not penalize a student for lack of sway.
  • Even inflated scores will generally be accurate within that inflated range.

Professional Certification Exams

Certification exams are much more involved than student medal tests.  While student tests evaluate one’s ability to dance, professional exams evaluate one’s ability to dance, one’s comprehension of the material, and one’s ability to teach that material.  Like medal tests, certification exams may be broken down into style and level, though it is most common to take an exam in an entire division at a full or half-medal level (i.e. all of silver American smooth or all of international Latin at the junior bronze level).

Requirements for certification vary from organization to organization, but generally candidates must be able to dance every figure from the dances and levels they are testing as both leader and follower, explain the technical elements of every step of each figure (i.e. foot work, dance position, rise and fall, etc.), answer questions relating to teaching that material, and demonstrate understanding of the background and use of each dance.  This is a very long exam, usually two to three hours depending on the number of dances and the level being examined and candidates usually spend six months to over a year preparing to take them.

Note that teaching certification is not required in the United States, though it is in other countries (i.e. Australia), and so many teachers opt to forgo certification testing due to the time and expense involved in testing.  This does not mean they are unqualified teachers, nor does passing a certification exam mean that someone must be a good teacher, but they are indicators.

Should I Test?

If you’re considering testing, whether as a student or professional, speak to your teacher well in advance so he or she can help you prepare.  If one is previously familiar with a dance and is simply adding the medal test on, it may only require two or three lessons to prepare, while if the level is new to you it may require a half to a full-dozen lessons.  For professional certification, allocate at least six months to preparation, including study and taking mock exams.  Regardless of what type of exam you’re studying for, private lessons are essential.  The examiner will be evaluating details and even small mistakes can result in lower marks.

Above all, keep in mind why you’re testing.  Whether you want to work towards a non-competitive goal, become a teacher, or hold yourself to a new standard, testing is an excellent way to focus on improving your dancing!

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Costumes

November 21, 2009 by suburbaknght

Hello, friends!  It’s been awhile.  My apologies for the lack of updates; I finally gotten my examination date confirmed (Dec. 3!) and have been in intensive study mode since then.  Beyond that, my partner Ellen and I have been preparing a new waltz routine for a showcase and so practice has been consuming what little extra time and attention I have.  That does, however, bring us to today’s topic: dance clothes!

A few years ago, when I was getting serious about ballroom, a friend of mine who’d already started competing was telling me about the troubles her partner was having paying for a tuxedo.  “No problem!” I said.  “Tell him to go to After Hours, tell them he’s in catering, and he’ll get a decent-looking tuxedo for $75.  He can then replace it item by item, rather than dropping $1400 at once.”

That wouldn’t work, she told me.  And thus began my education on dance clothing.

Clothes for dancing, whether formalwear or other types of costumes, are different than those for everyday events.  They are tailored with a very important distinction in mind: regular clothes are designed to look good when you’re standing still, and dance clothes are designed to look good while you’re moving.  Let’s take the tuxedo my friend was asking about.  A regular tuxedo consits of three pieces: a pair of pants, a shirt, and a jacket.  While regular pants hang off your waist, whether from a belt, bracers, or your hips, dance pants are designed to hug your hips and legs to show off your lines.  Regular shirts hang from one’s shoulders and are bunched around the waist, while dance shirts often feature a crotch like a leotard in order to pull the shirt taut across the entire torso.  Finally, jackets that may look good while standing around normally often bunch up when arms are raised in dance position; to solve this, dance jackets remove all shoulder padding (allowing the jacket to hang across the frame, and may be designed to stretch or feature internal boning in order to keep the jacket in connection with the entire torso.

Women’s dresses have just as many complications and alterations for dancing as the men’s clothes do.  I won’t get into them here, since I’m not particularly experienced with women’s clothing, but you should be aware of them.

All these changes come at a price.  Making dance clothing is a specialized form of tailoring, one beyond the range of most tailors except by very expensive trial and error.  Fortunately, there are solutions

The first thing you need to ask yourself is what you need the clothing for.  If you’re getting clothing for social dancing it almost doesn’t matter what you wear as long as you like the way it looks and it doesn’t interfere with your or anyone else’s dancing (i.e. no skirts that trail on the floor and can be tripped on).  If you’re doing a competition, you want something simple, eye-catching, and versatile – simple because it will show off your lines, eye-catching so that the judges’ eyes will be drawn to you, and versatile so that it is appropriate for multi-dance events.  If you’re doing a performance, you want something that matches the mood of your music and choreography, even if it’s very non-traditional.

Once you have an idea what you want, it’s time to shop around.  If you’re not going to need the clothes more than once or twice, it may be cost-effective to rent them.  There are many businesses that will rent a gown or Latin costume for around $100 a day (plus costs of cleaning, shipping, etc.) and many individual dancers will rent or even loan their clothing between events.  If you’re going to be using it regularly, however, it may be worthwhile to invest in a garment of your own.

Another possibility is construction.  As stated above, making dance clothing is a specialized skill, but many dancers end up going this route due to the enormous savings.  According to people I have talked to, it takes five or six tries on average for an experienced sewer to make his or her first useable gown, but even with paying for material for that many gowns it is still much less than having one custom-made by a professional and the skills make construction of future garments much easier and cheaper.  In fact, once this skill is developed it can quickly become a profitable sideline business!

Another option is to purchased used clothing.  While used ballroom clothing ocassionaly appears on Ebay, most ballroom clothing retailors have a small sideline in used outfits, and dance networking sites such as www.dance-forums.com are filled with people who will often trade or sell costumes.  This is a somewhat risky proposition in the ballroom world, as much clothing is custom made or tailored for the owner.  Make sure such clothing has extra fabric attached so you can have it altered to fit your shape, but remember that even the best tailor is not a miracle worker.  Ask if you can borrow the outfit first to have a tailor confirm whether it can be altered to suit your frame.

Finally, one can search out deals.  Raibow Shiu is famous among many dancers for providing low-cost dance clothes.  While they are rarely the best clothes, they have a great deal of quality for the price one pays.  Most women professionals I know started out with a Rainbow Shiu gown before they were able to afford higher quality outfits.

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Are goals necessary?

September 21, 2009 by suburbaknght

A woman recently posted on Dance Forums asking if goals were absolutely necessary for learning to dance.  This woman had no interest in competitions and was reluctant to go to dance socials, but still enjoyed her private lessons and wanted to continue.  Did that still require her to set goals, she wondered, and if so, what goals should she pursue?

My first thought was an immediate, “Yes!”  Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I am strongly in favor of setting and pursuing goals in order to improve one’s dancing.  Not only do goals give you direction, but they give you a standard of progress to measure yourself against.  Furthermore, goals help you financially because one can evaluate one’s progress against the standard using different methods of training.  I firmly believe that for any dancer trying to improve as a dancer, goals are absolutely essential.

As I re-read the woman’s post, however, I realized that I was making a false assumption.  I don’t have a goal; I really have several goals, such as executing flawless progressive footwork and maintaining a toned frame, all of which support a larger goal of passing my next certification exam, which in and of itself supports my overarching goal of being a better dancer.  This woman simply has a different overarching goal, and that goal isn’t to be a better dancer, it’s to enjoy dancing.

One of the first things teachers are taught is that nearly everyone has a reason they want to dance, and that discovering that reason is the key to not only making sales, but to creating appropriate lessons.  A student may want to feel more confident at social dances, win competitions, make a special person happy, or improve their health, but almost nobody decides to take dance lessons solely to take dance lessons.  The lessons are time-consuming, physically draining, and potentially expensive; most people need more than, “just because,” to invest their resources into dance lessons.

The woman in the post may have had one of these other reasons for starting her lessons (her claim that she wanted to build confidence suggests she initially wanted to go out social dancing) but over time her motivations have changed.  Her new overarching goal is to have fun, and the lessons themselves help her realize that goal.  Dance is a means to an end, not the end itself, and any improvement is a side benefit.

I have seen many people take lessons who never dance outside their lessons.  I have known dancers, both individuals and couples, who will come in week after week, some practicing constantly, for months or years at a time, and never go to a social dance or a competition.  For these people, the lessons themselves are the point.  They may enjoy the physical activity or the learning process.  I know several couples where they simply enjoy having an hour together each week as their “us” time.  Some enjoy the comraderie and social atmosphere of the studio.  I flatter myself by thinking that a few even enjoy their time with me enough that they want to continue the lessons.  All of these are examples of people who have overarching goals that utilize dance lessons as a method of reaching those goals, but where improving the dancing is a secondary goal at most.

If you fall into this category, you can still benefit by setting goals.  Think of it like going for a walk: it’s fun exercise and can lead one on a beautiful path, but it still helps to have a destination in mind, even if one doesn’t care about the destination.  Medal testing can provide a wonderful secondary goal in this instance.  Learning a performance routine, even if one never performs it publicly, can be another worthwhile goal.

Whatever you do, though, don’t turn yourself off to other goals.  You may find that as your dancing improves, you start wanting to take your skills out of the classroom.

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Finding a Studio

September 13, 2009 by suburbaknght

Last month my girlfriend and I were at a gaming and science fiction convention where we taught several beginner dance classes.  The participants, mostly non-dancers, had a great time and afterwards we were deluged with people wanting to know where they could go for additional lessons.  Given that most of them were not from my area, I could hardly recommend myself, and I must admit that I don’t have extensive knowledge of where to go for dance lessons in every town and city in the United States.  I do, however, have extensive knowledge of how to find a teacher, having gone through the process several times.

Look Around

The first thing to do is search for studios.  The easiest way is online; nearly every dance studio has a website.   Simply Google “Ballroom dance [name of your town]” and you should get a number of replies.  The Yellow Pages, both online and in book form, list dance studios as well.  If there is a Craigslist site for your town or city, that can be a great place to find instructors on the cheap.  Community colleges and recreation centers, such as the YMCA, often offer ballroom dance classes.  Finally, universities that sport ballroom competition teams often offer classes open to the public.

With all these options for instruction, the difficulty becomes not finding a teacher but deciding which teacher to go with.  Price is, of course, one method of deciding between teachers.  Availability is another: does the studio offer classes at a time that works for you, and a location you can easily reach?  Look at the instructor’s credentials; are the lessons taught by a certified or otherwise experienced teacher, or are has the teacher just taken a few classes on his or her own before opening shop?  Is the space large enough?  Is the studio compatabile with your goals; if you’re interested in competition, a community college course on social dancing probably won’t do much for you, and if you just want to survive a social dance, a $150/hr. competition coach is probably overkill.

One of the best things you can do is go dancing.  Even if all your doing is watching, you can see which couples you like – whether that’s their technique, the amount of fun they seem to be having, or any other criteria – and ask where they take lessons.  In fact, many social dances begin with a complimentary lesson, which can be a great way to audition teachers.

Once you’ve started your lessons, stick with them.  Finish the series and (this is the critical part) continue with the next series.  Dancing is a use-it-or-lose it skill, and if you don’t continue to develop it, you will have a hard time remembering what you learned.  That said, don’t be afraid to experiment with different studios.  Keep searching and you will find the place that’s right for you.

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What Level Should I Take?

September 1, 2009 by suburbaknght

In this blog, we’ve often advised our readers to save money by focusing their dance programs on less-expensive group classes rather than pricy private lessons.  Unfortunately, while private lessons are customized for the student, and are thus always taught to the student’s level, because group classes must be taught for many students at want, they are tiered into different levels, and determining what level is appropriate can tax any student.

Looking at class titles is rarely helpful.  “Intermediate Waltz,” can mean many things to many people.  To some dancers, intermediate is simply the class you take after completing the beginners course.  Other dancers may consider all of bronze to be beginner and thus all of silver to be intermediate.  Still other dancers may compare themselves against other dancers, in which case “intermediate” becomes even more subjective.

One option is to ask your instructor’s opinion on what level class to take.  Most studios will provide a free “dance assessment” – a private “lesson” intended to sell you one of their packages – during which your instructor should be able to guide you into the appropriate level classes.  Failing that, you can always take the lower level class and, at the end, ask the instructor if you should move up to a higher level.

Another option is to compare what you know to what the studio expects high level students to know.  Most teachers work from a syllabus or create their own lesson plan.  If you ask what patterns were covered and what techniques were emphasized in the lower level class, you will know the base knowledge expected in the uppr level class.  If these are patterns and techniques you’re familiar with, you’ll know where to go.

The downside of this assessment is it can result in dance students taking classes that are technically the right level for them but don’t improve their dancing.  Learning dance is like exercise: if it feels easy, you’re not working hard enough to get anything out of it.  A good class will not overwhelm you, but neither will you feel completely comfortable with the material.

Perhaps one of the best options is to take upper level classes while continuing to take the lower level classes.  If you are enrolled in a package that offers unlimited group classes, or offers some other sort of quantity discount, this is a great way to get the most out of your enrollment.  Not only are you getting more instruction for the same money, but it will ensure that you are working from the same base terminology as other students.

There is another benefit to taking mutliple levels: higher level classes improve your performance in the lower level classes.  The difference between bronze and silver is not the complexity of the steps – silver patterns may be longer but individual movements are rarely significantly more difficult – but a reduced tolerance for error in technique.  Higher level patterns simply will not work without certain techniques all functioning correctly.  This pressure for improvement (and the constant feedback of whether the technique is or is not correct, via the completion or non-completion of the pattern) will trickle down to your lower level classes, where the simpler patterns will allow you to concentrate on your core techniques  The muscle memory from working on your technique in lower level classes will give you a firm basis for your upper level classes.

What level should you take?  Beginner, the highest level your instructor will let you get away with, and everything in between!

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Cut it Out

August 23, 2009 by suburbaknght

I don’t know how often I’ve linked to Ramit’s amazing website, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, a break-it-down approach to personal finance, but everyone should check one of his recent articles, “What Do You NOT Care About Spending Money On?” I’ve talked before about prioritizing your dance expenses – or even whether dance itself is a priority – but how often do we think about what things aren’t a priority?

I had to face this recently.  I didn’t update last week because I was traveling.  We had a great time, met some cool people, ran classes that were very well received, and culminated with a fantastic social dance, but it also wiped my finances.  Furthermore, my lessons are slowing down as wedding season comes to a close and, put simply, my budget will not afford everything I’m currently doing dance-wise.  Something has to go.

I began by looking at my expenses.  There are generally two expenses I face: regular expenses and irregular ones.  Regular expenses include things like weekly lessons, while irregular expenses would be private lessons with visiting coaches, competitions, video purchases, and the like.  Right away I notice that I’m spending far more on my irregular expenses than my regular expenses.  In the past month, I’ve spent nearly twice as much on a dance weekend with workshops and competitions, videos, and an upcoming showcase, as I have on my certification training.  Given that my next certification is my overtly-stated priority, this is a problem!  I may care more about passing that test, but it’s getting less than a third of my resources!

The next thing I do is cut out what I don’t care about.  The first thing to go are competitions.  They’re fun but they’re also expensive, both at the time and in preperation.  Even a low-cost competition, done on a budget, can pay for nearly a month’s worth of my certification lessons.  Dance weekends are also out; the workshops are helpful and informative but they’re usually in specialty dances, not ones I’m being tested on.  Likewise, video purchases are gone, at least until I exhaust the videos I already have.

Now that’s a great declaration, but remember that these are irregular purchases.  I shudder to think how many of them were spur of the moment.  If I’m going to stick with this budget then everytime an opportunity to make another dance purchase comes up, I need to ask myself:

  • Do I really want this?
  • Will this help me reach my dance goals?
  • Will this take away resources from pursuing my true goals?

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Conducting Your Own Dance Audit

July 26, 2009 by suburbaknght

We talk a lot here about setting goals for yourself and your dancing, but not often about evaluating those goals.  It’s all well and good to declare that one wants to to win the Ohio Star Ball’s amateur Latin division, but if one isn’t making progress towards that victory, the goal may as well not exist.  The point of a goal is to both give direction but also measure to progress.  Conducting your own review, or dance audit, can help you to figure out if you’re on track to meet your goals, or if you need to change tactics.

A dance audit is any time you evaluate your progress as a dancer.  It can be done formally, with lists and charts and videos, or informally where you just sit back and think about your dancing.  For our purposes, I’m going to recommend formally.  Many studios, particularly franchise studios, conduct  their own dance reviews,  but you can still do this on your own or with minimal help.

Begin by making a list of all your original dance goals, and the goals you had a year ago.  If you’ve written them down before, this will be easy.  If not, recollect them as best you can and write them down now.  These goals may be anything: they may describe comfort levels or other intangible levels of proficiency, patterns you wanted to learn, competitions you wanted to win, performances you wanted to do, techniques you wanted to integrate, or anything else having to do with your dancing.  Just get them down on paper.

Next, have someone video your dancing.  This should be with a partner, whether your regular partner (if you have one) or your teacher.  I recommend recording two dances, a smooth/standard dance and a rhythm/Latin dance, each about a minute or so in length.  Now, watch the video.  Most dancers rarely, if ever, get to actually see themselves dance, and if this is your first time watching yourself dance, this is likely to be an uncomfortable experience.  For myself, it generally takes about six months before I can watch a video – any video – of myself without cringing, as initially I tend to focus on the mistakes.  That said, it can be a very helpful process.

If you have a video of yourself from the past year, watch it and compare to the new video.  Note the improvements (and there will be improvements).  Write them down.  If you don’t have such a video, ask your instructor to watch the new video and compare to your dancing a year ago.  Now, get out your list of previous goals.  Note which goals have been achieved, particularly as evident in your video, which goals show improvement even if they’re not accomplished, and which goals have shown no progress.

Now comes the hard part of the audit.  After seeing which goals have had progress, and which ones haven’t, it becomes time to evaluate the methods of progress.  It may be that it’s time to leave your current teacher or studio, particularly if you’re not seeing progress to your goals.  On the other hand, if you’ve seen a lot of progress with your current teacher, consider increasing your lessons with him or her.  The idea in this phase is to make an objective assessment of the causes for one’s impovement or failure to improve, and make appropriate changes.

Finally, make a new list of goals for your next audit.  As we’ve said before, goals can be anything dance-related, quantifiable or non-quantifiable, but get them written down so that a year from now you can look back and your goals and figure out if you’re making appropriate progress.  Save your evaluation video, as it will play a key role in your evaluation.

One last note: while self-evaluation is an enormous component of evaluating progress in any art, it’s often helpful to get another’s opinion.  Consider booking a half-hour with your teacher, or even a visiting coach, to help you conduct your audit, define what areas need improvement, and help you come up with a plan to get there.

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Are Routines Worth It?

July 19, 2009 by suburbaknght

Recently, a friend and former co-teacher sent me a song asking if it would be good for a lindy routine.  Ignoring the fact that I don’t do lindy, I replied it would be fun but I had a little too much on my plate right now with trying to put together three performance routines and no less than ten routines for certification.  Still, it got me thinking.  Routines can be a lot of fun but they’re an enormous investment in time, energy, and money.  Are they really worth it?

The Benefits

I generally encourage people to learn routines.  Aside from being fun to watch and perform, they afford one the opportunity to real delve deep into a dance.  In my last post, I remarked that dancers who focus on specialty dances seem to make much faster progress than dancers who learn a plethora of social dances – an observation few will argue with, as it’s only natural to expect that concentrated effort will yield faster results than diffused efforts.  Learning a routine gives ballroom dancers the chance to make the same sort of dedicated progress that specialty dancers do.  A full bronze routine, for example, often includes silver steps which means it will also require silver technique.  More practice will be required to learn not only the steps, but to dance them at a level suitable for performance.  The end result is the dancer makes a great deal of progress in one dance, even as he or she continues to study other dances for social or competitive reasons.

Another benefit of routines isn’t just increased ability with a dance, but understanding of the dance.  Very few performanc routines limit themselves to syllabus figures, nor should they, and the inclusion of open choreography gives many dancers a greater understanding of the timing, flow, and feel of the dance.

A third reason to do a routine is the chance to dance in a way that one can almost never dance socially.  There are some steps, for example, that are too risky or too difficult for lead and follow or that take up too much space, and so it is not only rude to dance them on a social floor, but dangerous as well.  Many of the traveling dances cannot be danced to their fullest extension on social floors, or even on crowded competition floors, and a performance gives one the entire dance floor to enjoy the dance with.

The Drawbacks

On the other hand, routines take an enormous investment.  Expect at least a half-dozen lessons per minute of choreography, and it is not uncommon to go beyond that number as later lessons focus more and more on execution and performance.  A two minute routine might require two-dozen lessons, which can easily come to $1800 or more.

We often urge people to save money by practicing more so that lessons can be spent on new material and further refinement of old material, rather than relearning the previous lesson’s material.  Unfortunately, there are very few places to practice routines.  Many studios lack sufficient space for a big, traveling waltz routine, and even Latin dances may suffer from insufficient area.  All this means that you will have a great deal of trouble practicing at home, or even in the studio if there are other lessons going on at the time.  If you’re doing a pro-am routine, opportunities to practice together will be even more limited and expensive when they do arise.

Next, consider the opportunity to use a routine.  Routines are often learned with a single event in mind.  What do you do with the routine after that event?  When I take a lesson in tango, I know I’ll be able to use what I’ve learned anytime I go social dancing, but when I learn a paso doble routine, I will need an entire floor to myself and specific music playing.  Moreover, I’ll only be able to dance it with one partner.  What happens if you spend two grand learning a routine, then there’s a falling out, an injury, or a loss of interest?  Will you have learned enough to make the lessons worthwhile?

Yay or Nay?

I can’t tell you whether routines are worth it or not.  To me they are.  I have a great deal of fun learning and performing them, and the increased opportunity to really get in there on a dance is an enormous motivation.  On the other hand, of the thirteen routines I’m doing at the moment, ten are simply collections of syllabus figures for certification exams, one I am saving money by choreographing myself before we get a coach to polish it, one is a pro-am routine that is taking the place of my regular lessons with that teacher, and the last is being reused.

If you’re interested in doing a routine, or your teacher suggests one, ask him or her, and yourself the following questions:

  • How will this help my dancing?
  • Will I have the opportunity to use this material again?
  • What dance should I do?  Why X and not Y?
  • How many additional lessons will I need to purchase?
  • What other expenses (registration fees, ball tickets, costumes, etc.) will be attached?

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Specialty Dances

July 12, 2009 by suburbaknght

In one of our classic posts, I encouraged dancers looking to save money by switching their private lessons from a group of dances, to a single specialty dance.  But what the heck is a specialty dance?

Try the Veal: It’s Our Special This Week

A specialty dance is not a dance a studio puts “on sale,” though teachers may discount lessons in a style they want to promote.  Nor is it a dance that a teacher happens to focus on and excel in, though many teachers to specialize in a favorite dance.  Rather, a specialty dance is a dance that exists outside the normal competition and social ballroom dances, and as such usually has a following outside ballroom culture that focuses almost exclusively on that single dance.

This is, of course, a very loose label because what’s considered a “normal” ballroom dance will vary from location to location.  Argentine tango, for example, is very popular among some ballroom communities but quite rare among other communities.  That said, it has its own culture, its own followers who may dance Argentine tango almost exclusively (including associated dances: tango, milonga, vals) and quickly develop skill in this one style.  Other specialty styles include:

  • Lindy hop.
  • Blues.
  • Balboa.
  • West coast swing.
  • Hustle.
  • Salsa.
  • Bachata.
  • Cumbia.
  • Nightclub two-step.
  • Polka.
  • Country two-step.
  • Peabody.

Note that many of these dances may overlap within their communities.  Lindy hoppers will often know balboa and blues.  Salsa dancers frequently learn bachata.  Country dancers often take on the polka.

Why Bother?

The benefit of learning a specialty dance – aside from adding another dance to your repertoire, being able to join a new dance community, and the thrill of dancing in general – is that one need only pay for private lessons in one dance while developing technique applicable to all dances.

Most specialty dances place a great deal of emphasis on partnering, even more than classic ballroom and Latin dances, and this ability crosses over.  Salsa dancers usually develop amazing turning ability.  West coast swing dancers have the best partnership connections.  And I remain absolutely convinced that everyone should learn polka as a prerequisite for learning Viennese waltz.

Furthermore, most specialty dances run their own competitions which are usually less – often much less – than equivalent ballroom competitions and feature many more opportunities to dance.  If you’re trying to compete on a budget, this is one of the best ways to keep your costs down.

Finally, many teachers for specialty dances charge less than ballroom teachers do.  While we don’t recommend stopping your training to completely focus on a specialty dance, if you need to stretch your budget for a period, while continuing to improve your core skills, try a specialty dance!

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Standing Up to the Hard Sell

July 5, 2009 by suburbaknght

The big negative place is the sales pressure they put you on. Every time I came in here, the sales pressure here is almost unbearable. Its like walking into a used car lot.

I’m still trying to figure out how many lessons we actually paid for, because I feel like we were owed one more. Everytime we came, they told us a different number of lessons that we had left.

Plus they try to rush you to finish your purchased lessons so you can buy more.

Do I blame them for doing this? Well yes and no. I understand thats how they make money – selling dance lessons. I just wish their wasn’t so much pressure.

Finally, one time the dance lesson was cut a few minutes short to discuss purchasing more lessons. Thats a big no-no in my book and honestly thats just rude and insulting.  We paid good money for the lessons, I want my full 45 minutes! Unacceptable in my book.

- Yelp

All too often I hear stories like this.  While they are often associated with franchise studios, this approach is equally used by independent studios.  Someone decides they want to learn to dance, goes to a studio, and signs up for lessons.  They enjoy the lessons and learn a great deal, but they are constantly bombarded by sales pitches.  Some respond to this pressure and buy more lessons, some decide to look elsewhere, and some… they just leave.  I find all three circumstances to be unhappy endings.  Those who feel they were bullied into lessons rarely learn from them, while those who seek other studios often feel guilty for their decision, and those who leave have lost a wonderful opportunity to join the dance community, as surely as we have lost the pleasure of their joining our community.  This week let’s talk a bit about why studios use high-pressure sales tactics (and why some don’t), how to turn these tactics to your advantage, and, when all else fails, how to avoid being suckered in.

What Me Pressure?

It doesn’t take a particularly keen mind to come to the main reason studios use high-pressure sales tactics: they work!  Cynics will say that some studios will use whatever tricks they can to make more sales and increase their profits.  Defenders of high ideals will say that if the studio doesn’t make a sale then it can’t spread dancing, and that whatever (legal) tactics are used, they are justified by the proliferation of dancing.  Both views are technically correct to varying extents, but they don’t explain why these particular tactics are used.

When I taught for a franchise studio I was taught a number of these high-pressure strategies.  I was taught how to repeatedly emphasize points, how to tie everything back to the students ongoing development as a dancer, and how to illustrate a student’s progress.  I memorized several sales scripts, as well as responses to typical questions, and how to allay nearly every concern before a student could raise it.  And I’ll say this: they worked.  I used these techniques and students responded.  When I was asked for permission to experiment with other sales pitches and was granted it, the experiments always demonstrated that these high pressure tactics were, on the average, the most effective way to make sales.  But why?

At a party, I was speaking to a gentleman who worked in sales for a music company.  As we compared sales methods he said that every succesful sales pitch followed the same seven steps:

  1. Introduction.  Set the potential customer at ease.
  2. Ask about the potential customer’s needs.
  3. Ask, “What else?”
  4. Explain how your product or service will meet their needs.
  5. Ask if they agree that their needs will be met.
  6. Ask for a sale.
  7. Thank them.

This is it, the entire sales process distilled.  I found it was nearly 50% more effective than the generic high-pressure tactics we used previously, but when those tactics were used correctly they hit the exact same points.  High-pressure tactics are intended to determine your goals, make sure you know that your goals will be met, and conclude wit a sale.

This may seem somewhat superficial, but in the following sections you’ll how you can turn this to your advantage.

Being Pressured for Fun and Profit

High-pressure sales tactics make a lot of people uncomfortable.  Whether we feel too many expectations are being placed on us, that our ability to make decisions is not being respected, or simply that it is a slimy approach, many of us don’t respond well to this approach.  Once you understand the purpose of the high-pressure approach, however, you can defuse it and even use it to make a more-informed decision.

Let’s start with a common high-pressure approach: the one-on-one sales conference.  A student or couple is sat down in a private room with a studio manager or their teacher – or both if the studio is tag-teaming them.  The door is shut, charts are produced, and the studio representative begins a rehearsed speech about the benefits of further instruction.  Many students feel this makes the studio seem shady – the phrase “used car dealer” appears frequently – but that’s not its purpose.  The one-on-one approach, the closed door, is not intended to isolate the student but to focus the student.  You’re not there to hear a pitch but to get information.  All too often, the studio representative fails to understand this, which is when it gets slimy.  I can tell you from personal experience: I would much, much, much rather have a student that will interrupt the flow of my pitch with constant questions, then have to read to them from a generic sales guide.  Use this time to your advantage.  Ask questions, get information, and make them get off-script.  If a teacher feels a student is responding, she won’t care about the sales script; she’ll want to feed the student’s excitement and interest.

The number one thing that we hated to hear in those rooms is, “I need to think about it.”  We didn’t hate it because it was a polite way of saying no, but because even when genuine (and the student usually meant the best intentions) reality would step in and people would forget to think about it, or make their analysis.  What is it you need to think about?  The worst thing that can happen isn’t that you don’t sign up for lessons, but that you leave without all the information you need to make your decision.  What do you need to think about?  Cost of the program?  Duration?  Comparisons to other studios?  Enjoyment?  Utility?  Your goals?  Whatever your concerns are, share them with the studio representative.  He or she is there to address your concerns and figure out solutions.

Here are some questions you should be asking in these meetings:

  • What is the total cost of the program?
  • What is the total cost per lesson?
  • What is included in the program?
  • How long will it take me to complete?
  • How will I be able to use my dancing after I finish the program?
  • What happens if I am not satisfied with the program?
  • What happens if I need to stop my lessons?
  • What is the policy on refunds and/or cancelations?
  • How many students attend group classes/practices/parties?
  • What is the gender ratio of your events?
  • Who will be my instructor?
  • What happens if I want to change instructors?
  • What happens if my instructor leaves?
  • What happens if you cancel class or a lesson?
  • What other services do you offer and what are their associated costs?
  • How long do students stay with you?  What is the longest?  What is average?
  • What are your instructors’ qualifications?
  • What would a comparable package cost me at another studio?  Why do you charge more/less?

Feel free to print out the list and bring it with you.  If the studio representative can’t answer each question adequately, run.  If the studio representive won’t put the answers in writing – especially where refunds are concerned – seriously consider going to another studio.

No Means No

Above all, however, never allow a teacher to turn your lesson into a sales meeting.  This is your time and you’re paying for it.  Complaining to the instructor is unlikely to get him or her to stop the pitches.  Instead, ask to schedule a separate meeting specifically to discuss your next enrollment.  The teacher, having accomplished his or her goal of initiating the next sale, will be able to focus wholly on the lesson at hand.  Remember: it may not be the teacher’s choice to use such tactics.  They may be studio policy, in which case he or she won’t be allowed to stop pressuring you without such a meeting scheduled.  Approach this meeting sincerely, listen to what the studio representative has to say, and share your concerns.

Sometimes, despite asking the right questions and turning the sales meeting to your favor, however, you won’t be enrolling.  Maybe you’ve met your goals and simply aren’t interested in furthering your dancing.  Maybe you are interested but don’t think the studio can help you.  Maybe you just can’t afford it.  Whatever the reason, tell the studio representative.

Some people will bristle over this.  “My reasons are private,” they say, “I shouldn’t have to share them to get someone to back off.”  That may be true, but the teacher-student relationship is complex and, when a student disappears without giving a reason, it’s hard to avoid taking personally and, as anyone who’s ever been dumped without knowing the reason will tell you, it’s hard not to keep digging to discover the why of it all.  You may think you’re being kind by not telling your teacher, “I want to try taking lessons from Joe Bagofdoughnuts,” but if we know Joe is a great teacher this is actually very helpful to hear.  If you say, “These lessons were  a treat but I can’t afford to continue them,” we know that no amount of badgering in the world will change your bank balance.

The key to stopping the hard sell is to once again invert the high-pressure tactics.  A teacher focusing all his attention on selling you something has all his attention focused on you.  This is your opportunity to make clear that you won’t be buying, and to do so in a way that makes clear further sales pitches won’t change your mind.  Be direct and give a reason.

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