Dancing Through the Recession

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!

Tags: Lessons

This entry was posted on September 1, 2009 at 12:01 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.