How to Get More Corrections & Be Taken Seriously in Adult Ballet Classes
How to Get More Corrections and Be Taken Seriously in Adult Ballet Classes
Do you feel like you’re not taken seriously in group adult ballet classes?
Are you having trouble getting the attention you need to get to the next level?
Are you getting discouraged because you’re not seeing progress?
Let’s talk.
I have experienced this from 3 perspectives: a hungry adult dancer looking for as much information as possible, a teacher of adult ballet dancers, and as a studio owner of an adult-only ballet studio. In this post, I’ll offer a unique set of perspectives on this common challenge that adult dancers experience, and suggestions for how to get what you’re looking for out of your training.
In this post, we’ll cover:
Why might you not be getting corrections — from the teacher & the studio perspectives
How to demonstrate in class that you’re interested in receiving corrections
What to do if you’re still looking for more!
Let’s start with the fundamental assumption that if you are putting money and time into something (anything, not just ballet), you should look for the right environment that gives you what you want out of it. Time and money are both very precious and valuable, and if you’re investing in something, it should be what you’re looking for. It doesn’t matter if you have dreams of pointe, performances or just moving your body — you should find the environment that helps you achieve your goals.
Alright, so having gotten that out of the way, let’s get started. If you’re not getting corrections, it’s likely not exactly for the reasons you think. Let’s first paint a picture of the teacher’s perspective in a typical Adult Ballet Drop-in Class with 10-20 dancers.
THE BALANCING ACT OF TEACHING A GROUP OF DANCERS
Group class is by nature not individual. Even if it’s a small group, but the level of the dancers in the room very dissimilar, it’s very hard to give individual attention without wasting someone’s time and vice versa. Picture your 5th grade math class. How much individual attention were you getting? If you were at the top of the class, you were bored when the teacher slowed down. If you were at the bottom of the class, you felt lost and discouraged when the teacher sped up.
That’s actually why at Broche Denver, I was so adamant about the levels being finely grouped. We had nearly 10 levels. All dancers were required to come in for a free placement to get their initial level. And, as much as dancers asked to “go back to the basics” or “just go to beginner classes,” I disallowed anyone too high of a level to go down more than 2 levels or up more than 1 level. I also disallowed dancers wearing pointe shoes in beginner classes. The fundamental problem is that there’s a mismatch in the nature of the corrections needed.
GIVING A REMINDER VS INSTRUCTION AND EXPLANATION
I also want to address the difference between a quick reminder (e.g. belly button to spine) and instruction of exactly what that quick phrase means. If someone is already well-versed in their core, a quick reminder like “engage your core” will be enough to remind them to do it. But, if someone is new to their body and to ballet, that phrase means next to nothing, and it might take 10-15 minutes to properly explain and describe what that means and how they can apply it.
So, if you’re a beginner, and the teacher sees that you need to engage your core in order to improve, but when they say “engage your core” and nothing happens, then it’s clear that they need to take the time to help you understand what that phrase means. But, then imagine you’re in class with a bunch of people who already know that information, then the teacher would be cautious to launch into a lecture about its deeper meaning and they may not be able to spend time explaining it to you. So they may move on and leave it for another day when more of the dancers in the class might be receptive to that sort of information.
On the other side of that, if you’re at a higher level than the other dancers, the teacher may not be able to give a correction to you without causing another dancer to be confused or get injured applying something above their level. So if your needed correction is at a much higher level than where others are at, again, the teacher might set that correction aside for later when more dancers at your level are in class.
And, if we do launch into a little more of a lecture about a topic and end up looking at a sea of glazed-over eyeballs, then we know we need to wrap it up and keep moving. Yes, even at Broche, we do harbor complaints that we lecture too much in class.
SOME DANCERS DON’T WANT FEEDBACK, AND WE’RE NEVER SURE WHO IS WHO
As teachers, we love to help people who want to be helped. But, we are never sure if the dancer wants all the feedback, though. Sometimes it can come off as overwhelming if we are listing all the ways you could improve, and we want our dancers to always feel encouraged and like they want to come back. Or, some others just love the environment and the music and the movement and are just there to find peace and beauty and grace.
We are always testing the waters to see how much each dancer can handle.
I started off my teaching career operating under the assumption that everyone was like me and wanted as much feedback as possible. I also insisted that our instructors operate under that same assumption. Acting accordingly, when giving corrections equally across the room (things like “turn out more there” or “point your foot more here”), we have experienced many different reactions:
Some dancers cry or pout.
Some ignore or start fidgeting making it clear that they’re disinterested.
Some quit altogether and never come back.
Some walk out of the room or roll their eyes.
Some argue or fight back.
Some attack us personally.
Some complain to the studio owner.
Yes, these have all happened at Broche!
And we are known to be very kind and patient teachers, and in a very uniquely adult-centric environment with classes capped at 3-4 very finely-level-grouped dancers!
Now I’ll note that these things don’t happen every day, but if they happen enough, as a teacher you start to develop defense mechanisms for yourself. After a while, you begin to flip the assumption that everyone wants corrections, and instead say nothing to an individual until you can tell that they’re interested in the information.
It’s the safer bet.
For many, learning ballet touches on insecurities or other invisible wounds
Adult dancers often come in with such a strong inherent belief that they *can’t* dance, or maybe they sadly harbor a strong perfectionist or defeatist tendency.
As teachers, we don’t want to echo or amplify that in any way shape or form! We want to do our absolute best to encourage dancers to keep going. Ballet is our love and our passion, and we want to share it with you!
JUST AS YOU NEED TO TRUST YOUR TEACHER, THEY NEED TO TRUST YOU TOO
Let’s not forget that it’s emotionally challenging to push a dancer. If we push too hard and lose that dancer, it’s awful! Not only does each dancer we lose mean lost revenue for our studios (which already run on razor thin margins), but it also causes so much sadness for the instructor when a dancer gives up at our hand.
Instructors are just as devastated when you give up as you are.
We feel responsible for your discouragement. We feel sad that something we said might have hurt you, made you sad or discouraged, or caused you to quit. We know that pushing people is a fine line, and it is hard for us to do too because when you push someone, it causes them to get uncomfortable.
Causing people discomfort (even if you know it’s for their own good) is actually not an easy thing to do. Have you ever made another adult cry? How did that feel? Can you now imagine knowing that a specific dancer often cries at the hands of your comments, and then purposely giving them more comments knowing they’re going to cry? (or get mad, or walk out, or insert negative reaction here). It actually takes a lot of gumption to say things that you know will ruffle people’s feathers. Especially when you know your studio needs them and the other dancers in the room watching this scene as paying customers in order to keep the doors open.
So, we often approach with caution, and offer as much as we feel we can to each dancer, without putting ourselves in the way of emotional harm, or putting the studio in financial harm by causing upset.
So you can imagine we, as teachers, are walking a very fine line trying to balance 10-20 different not only levels of dancers but also learning styles, levels of confidence, and desire for attention. Giving dozens of tips in one class to a single person can feel like badgering to some dancers, and heaven to others. We often have a running roster in our heads of how much we can push each dancer before it seems like we’ve pushed them too hard.
NOW, BACK TO YOU, THE DANCER! HOW TO HELP A TEACHER FEEL SAFE TO PUSH YOU?
Given all we’ve discussed above that the teacher is balancing between the differing needs of the dancers in the class and protecting his/her own emotional state, how can YOU help the teacher feel safe in giving you corrections? How can you signal to the teacher that they can push you, and that you’ll come along for the ride with them? How can you make it clear that you’re interested in learning more? How can you develop a relationship with your teacher where they’re comfortable taking the risk of pushing you?
Show your commitment to ballet. Come to class consistently, ideally at least once a week. Obviously life comes up and we are not living in utopia where life is just all about dancing, but inconsistent attendance (especially if you’re not supplementing with practicing or studying at home) will set you back. Details will be forgotten, and strength lost. Just as you can feel discouraged, so can a teacher, especially if they’re putting a lot of energy into you as a student.
Put in the work yourself and don’t expect the teacher to do it all for you. Strengthen and stretch outside of class so that you’re improving week to week. Even just 10-15 minutes a day makes a big difference in your improvement that your teacher can see from week to week.
Try to apply tips and corrections right away. When a teacher gives you a tip or something to work on, try to apply it right there in front of them so they can see you try it. That way, if there was any miscommunication, the teacher can re-phrase it for you. It also shows you want to learn and try it on for size.
Learn how to learn from generalized comments. If the teacher is giving a generalized comment, always assume it’s for you or that you could benefit from it. Try it out when the teacher finishes (or if it’s appropriate to do while they’re talking) so they can see that you’re trying to apply it and listening and curious. Learn to be very self-aware so that while the teacher is talking to a large group, you can feel like they’re talking to you directly.
Remember as much as you can! Each class is precious (again, costing you personally time, money, and energy) so make the most of it! Take notes on your feedback so you can remember next time and show that what the teacher is saying is not just going in one ear and out the other.
Keep trying! For example, if you fall out of a balance or forget a combination, don’t just stop -- keep going! Try again and show that you’re ready to work on things.
Obviously ballet is a process and your teacher absolutely does not expect an overnight success. But even remembering 1-2 simple small things that they told you from week to week really goes a long way in showing that you care as much as they do.
AND, IF NONE OF THAT IS WORKING, TRY TALKING TO YOUR TEACHER
Now, with this suggestion to talk to your teacher, do note that the teacher often has to clear out the studios for the next class, or you might be taking their precious snack or restroom break between classes, so try to be quick and efficient in your conversation.
I don’t recommend asking these questions:
“What should I be working on?”
“How close am I to pointework?”
“How did I do in class today?”
“Did I do xyz correctly?”
The thing is, there is always a lot to work on, and so there’s not often one or two easy things to pick out for a teacher to tell you. They’re ideally telling you throughout the entire class what they think is important to work on. So pay attention to their comments, and look for the common trends. That’ll tell you about their world view and what they believe is key to success. These questions are difficult to answer in a useful way quickly in the short time between classes.
Instead, try these quick and efficient comments that can demonstrate that you were paying attention and appreciate their help:
“Thank you for that tip on _____. It was so helpful and I love that kind of feedback.”
“The way you described ____ today made so much sense! I’ve been trying to understand that concept for so long and it finally clicked.”
“Thank you for the suggestion on ______. I’m excited to go home and practice it this week and try it out next week in class.”
Pick a different one after each class you attend with them, and they’ll start to take notice.
If you have the budget for it, you might also ask for a private lesson. Even if they don’t offer lessons, it’ll show you’re interested in learning more from them and the mere question might signal to them that you’re a dancer looking for tips and to be pushed.
Give it a try!
Take these tips and try them out, and always remember that your teacher is a human being too, with finite energy and emotional bandwidth. Show that you’re interested in learning and being pushed. If you’re still not getting what you want, it might be time to try another teacher, another studio, or a different approach to your at-home practice.
Remember that the nature of your ballet training is within your control, and if you’re not getting what you want, you have the power to change your circumstances.