When deciding to take some dance classes, it is always good to have a basic idea of what’s going to happen in them. Most of the time they are just fun, but you should at least know that there are things that might go on behind your back while everyone else has a great time.
For example, you might want to consider asking yourself this question: “What is the instructor’s goal?” If the answer is simply for his students to feel accomplished, then he probably won’t do anything too unusual during class (but if he does things like handing out grades…).
That said, most instructors will try their best to teach people how to do dances properly and then put them into real-life situations where they can apply this newly acquired wisdom.
You should also know that most classes are divided into three separate parts:
I – The Warm-Up:
This is the time in which the students will get accustomed to each other in making sure no one’s muscles are all tensed up (we don’t want injuries, do we?) like when they see a strange dog or someone pushing them down on the street. It usually starts with some kind of stretching, then running around randomly for 10 minutes, and finally some more stretching just to be sure.
When it comes to dancing, this part of the class is mostly spent on practising basic steps that will be used throughout the rest of the class.
II – The Main Event:
This is what most people look forward to and, most importantly, it is what you came for. The instructor will usually try his best to vary this part of the class as much as possible (meaning that you can’t expect him to teach the same dance twice within a span of… let’s say 2 classes).
He/she might do things like getting everyone in lines and having them all do one simple move repeatedly until they get good at it, dividing them into groups and having each group learn a new (but slightly complicated) step, or he might decide to make everyone do something interesting but just not too complex.
III – The Cool-Down:
This is the time after which you’re probably going to want some tissues. You see, just when your body gets used to all that movement and you’re thinking: “Man! This is great!” and then it’s time to do some stretches and muscles just don’t want to cooperate anymore. It doesn’t matter what the teacher does in this part of class since no one is going to pay attention at this point anyway.
Nowadays it’s quite common for dance classes (at least in the US) to also include a couple of hours where everyone comes together and practices some more complicated steps with their partner(s). This usually takes place either before or after class, but never during it because it would be too cruel to make people stay still for too long when they probably feel like a puddle on the floor.
Another thing to consider is your partner(s). In most classes, it is very common for everyone to have a partner. More often than not, though, you don’t get to pick who that person will be so it’s best if you just deal with the consequences and accept whoever they give you. Of course, there are also those instructors brave enough to let everyone choose their partners at the beginning of class (oh God!).
If this happens then just make sure that he/she doesn’t turn out to be a complete psycho or else you’ll feel sorry knowing that you can’t leave their side for as long as two hours.
One last thing: don’t expect too much from your first dance class because all of the above will probably go right over your head. You might want to consider taking one or more lessons before starting your dance career (however short it may be) so you can get a better idea of what exactly is going on and why everyone else seems to know what they’re doing while you feel like an idiot standing in the corner.
Now that we’ve gotten some background information out of the way we’ll move on to some useful tips:
1) Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
It doesn’t matter how “dumb” they might seem, just ask and someone will do their best to explain it better.
2) Use every minute wisely since the class doesn’t last forever (even though it feels like it). You might want to practice something by yourself after class is over, but don’t do it because you can interrupt others while they’re trying to learn something.
3) Don’t be that one person who leaves the dance class with a completely blank face and empty eyes that seem to say “So what did I come here for again?”
4) Remember: even though it might not look like it now, all of this will eventually make sense.
5) This one’s pretty obvious so we’ll just leave it at that…
…and finally some advice from us:
– When your partner(s) doesn’t know what he/she is doing or they keep on messing up (if you notice such behaviour early enough), try taking them aside and talk about the problem in private instead of making everyone around you feel awkward. – Don’t try to do too much too soon; it’s not like this is the only dance class in your life (well, it might be but that’s beside the point).
– Finally, don’t let anyone make you feel bad about yourself or push you into doing something you’re not comfortable with.
Dancers are supposed to be creative people since they have to think of new things to do whenever they come together for a routine so, if someone doesn’t seem to get why you’re not enjoying their company then just ignore them and find someone else more fun/interesting/creative…or all three! If you are interested, check on dance classes near me.