October 17, 2008

Nine Ways NOT to Teach a Dance Class

Since I’ve started teaching dance, taking dance classes have become an entirely new experience. Now, instead of focusing entirely on myself and my learning process, I’ve become aware of not only what is being taught, but how it’s being taught, how the other students are reacting and whether or not the class is providing a real learning experience. It makes taking just about any class an investigative process, whether or not it matches my level of experience. If it’s a beginning class, I can analyze how the teacher covers the fundamentals, and if the class is way above my skill level, I can appreciate how the instructor handles advanced students.

A few months ago, I took a drop-in class in a style of movement that I was unfamiliar with. Nothing is better for a dance teacher than taking a class that puts you back in that beginner head-space.

Unfortunately, the class was terrible! I hated it! From the first minute till the last, I couldn’t stop feeling frustrated with how the class was being run. As I biked home, I cursed the 90 minutes taken out of my day and wished I’d done something more productive with my time. But as I was ticking off critiques in my brain, I realized that more than anything, this was a valuable learning experience.

So, when I got home, I wrote down a list of things that I didn’t like about the class. This is a little guide for me of pitfalls to avoid when teaching:

Some things NOT TO DO when teaching a movement class:

1. Don’t explain where the class is going or what you intend for your students to learn. If they follow along, they’ll get it eventually.
2. Don’t give clear instructions on how to begin the movement. Tell them what to do and then let them start at their own pace.
3. Don’t explain the ideas behind the technique, just make them do it. They’ll get it eventually.
4. Repeat the same movement for an entire class to make sure they get it!
5. Don’t worry about ending the class on time. Go as long as you want, even if students have to excuse themselves if they have to leave for another engagement. You’re doing them a favor by giving them more class time for their money.
6. When asking for feedback or reactions to specific exercise, be sure to tell students where they have faults when they fail to understand the point of the exercise. They’ll appreciate knowing why they didn’t get it.
7. Make sure students understand which defects in their bodies are making it difficult for them to replicate the movement you are teaching. After all, you have an outside perspective that they don’t.
8. Unlike in every day life, touching students in a movement class is acceptable. They expect you to move their limbs and manipulate their body into the correct position, so by all means, move around the room and adjust people’s bodies at will.
9. Class is a serious time. Don’t take away from the gravity of the situation by joking around. Hell, don’t even crack a smile.

Of course, this begs the question… what SHOULD you do when teaching a movement class. Many of the things on this list have either come out of discussions at Teacher’s Retreats and Seminars, or through my own experience with great teachers.

1. Provide a roadmap of where the class is going. If you’re teaching a routine, show the whole routine at the beginning of class to give them a sense of where they’re going. If you’re teaching a technique or movement, demonstrate how the technique works by applying it to a real movement experience.
2. After you’ve broken the movement down, give them clear signals on when to begin. If they’re expected to work as a group, students develop a sense of when the group is beginning and they want to start in unison. Help them out by counting them in, or giving a clear signal that’s consistent every time you’re ready for them to try the movement.
3. Why the technique works is the true motivation for how the movement is done. If the style is about floating like feathers and moving lightly, the technique is about cheating gravity. If the style of movement is grounded and earthy, then the technique is about connecting to the ground. Reinforce the principle of the dance each time you explain why the technique is important to achieving the look and feel of the movement.
4. How many times to repeat a movement differs per class. Unless the students are extremely advanced, you can bet that they need to drill the movement more than you think. But, don’t insult them or bore them by not letting them work on other movement. Give them enough time to begin to get it and then provide new material that builds on that new knowledge.
5. End class on time. This is a hard one for me. But if your schedule says that class goes till 8:00pm, your students may plan something after class. Forcing students to leave “early” while you’re still dragging out the end of class is awkward, it’s abusive of their time and it robs you of the opportunity to wrap up the class with everyone in the room.
6. Asking for feedback or questions in class opens you up to a level of dialogue that you’d better be prepared for. If a student didn’t get it or if they have a hard time re-creating what you taught, be prepared to have your expertise and authority challenged. Also use it as a learning experience for how you can better teach the move. If you can’t handle feedback or critical questions in class, don’t ask them. But, making a student feel wrong for not getting it is going to shut them down for the rest of class. They may not hear anything you say if you make them wrong in front of the group.
7. Everyone has different body awareness, limitations and abilities. With gentle encouragement, students will push themselves to try to replicate what you can do. But telling someone what’s “wrong” with their body, reinforces a mental pattern that may be partially responsible for the physical limitation in the first place. Provide gentle encouragement that change can come over time, but accept the fact that not everyone’s body works the way yours does and allow them to accept that as well.
8. Just because it’s a dance/yoga/pilates/martial arts class doesn’t give you permission to touch your students. If it’s a partner dance class, touch your students in the way that is acceptable for that dance and be gentle. If you must move a student’s limb in space or adjust core muscles, ask permission or provide a gentle alert of what you’re about to do. A surprise touch on a belly, leg, or rear can feel invasive and make your students feel defensive.
9. I was critical of a teaching partner who cracked jokes in class. I felt he wasn’t taking it seriously enough and was just seeking laughs. He told me, “Students remember the classes that they have a good time in and they come back to them.” But in between the jokes and laughter, he continued to provide solid instruction about technique, and he took off his joke face when he had something important to say. The overwhelming response to classes I taught with him was how fun and enjoyable the experience was. When students are having a good time, they’re open to learning. Besides, it’s dance class! Dance should be fun! If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it for the right reasons.