10 Ways To Be Awesome In Dance Class

/

Written by: Amara Sayid

In the dance room, there are several ways to rock it. Here are just a few pointers to be a great student not only for your mentor, but also for your peers!

1. Arrive on Time. In Miami, we are all guilty of running on Latin time, but please do your best to walk in before the class starts. We all have to brave the traffic, so plan ahead and pack your clothes in your dance bag the night or morning before. If you can't help it, however, please let your instructor know ahead of time so things can run as smoothly as possible.

2. Listen. Your instructor has accumulated years of experience and knowledge and wants to share that with you. If your goal is to harness your potential as much as possible, listen to what they're telling you. Apply it to yourself even if it isn't directed right at you. Dance teachers give tips to the room when they see that a majority of the group needs to work on something. If the dance shoe fits, wear it!

3. Don't take corrections personally. If your teacher is taking the time to give you one-on-one feedback (which is very hard in a room full of dancers), keep an open heart and take it for what it is: they are trying to help you. To be a dancer you need thick skin. At the end of the day, your mentor is trying to push you to reach the potential that you don't see in yourself yet.

4. Give each other space. Please be mindful of the girls around you. We are dancing together. With the current pandemic situation, a good rule of thumb is to create a 6 foot radius around you.

5. Ask Questions. Oh-em-gee, do I love questions! They keep the class interactive and chances are that there's another dancer that has the same question but is too shy to speak up. When you are enthusiastic, smile and respond to questions, or ask questions, then the class is more fun for all. As a teacher, I like to have a conversation with you! Please don't wait until the class is over to approach the teacher about a movement, use the class time so everyone can benefit from the breakdown.

6. Respect Your Instructor. This sounds like common sense, right? Rolling your eyes during a correction, yawning, chewing gum, answering your cell phone in class, telling a teacher you can't do that, giving up, walking out, bringing guests to class, talking back after a correction, demanding a spot in a choreography/troupe/teaching program or telling a teacher that they HAVE to give you special attention is incredibly disrespectful. These examples may seem extreme but I’ve seen it all happen before.

Know that opportunities will be presented to you when you are ready. If something happens in class that you are unhappy about, please talk to your instructor privately about it after class. Do not air out your grievances with other students in the academy. This causes strife between your peers and instructors and it’s completely unecessary.

7. Applaud for Demonstrators. Sometimes you're feeling yourself in class and the teacher asks you to come to the front to demonstrate the movement you've just done. Enjoy it! Do what you did before. You're doing great and your mentor has noticed. If you're watching someone demonstrate, please applaud when they're done. Let’s lift each other up!

8. Give Your All During Class. Even if you feel shy, or aren't comfortable with a combination or choreography yet, smile. Emote. Express. You're having fun, aren't you? Let the teacher know by flashing that beautiful smile. The dance room is a safe haven, allow yourself to let go. The class and your technique will be better for it. 

9. Don't Leave Early/Walk Out. If you have an emergency or a reason to go, please tell your instructor before class begins that you'll be stepping out. And please: never storm out in a fury if something upsets you. The stormed exit is very rude and it hurts the morale of the rest of the group. Your teacher never walks out on you. You owe it to your group to stick it out, and to your mentor to tell them what's going on. Most of the time it's a simple misunderstanding. 

10. Respect Your Peers. Come into class ready to absorb information like a sponge. There's a lot of things that you will go over in one class. And remember, even if you teach elsewhere, in that classroom you are a student. It is not your place to correct another dancer in the room or tell them to move over for whatever reason. If your fellow dancer asks you to clarify something, direct them to the teacher or ask the teacher yourself. No one will know the combination better than the person who created it!
___

And please remember, you are not in competition with your teacher or your dance peers. You are only in competition with the dancer you were when you first started. Have patience with the learning process. It takes many years to hone technique and develop your signature style. Once you lose sight of the educational aspect and focus on "being the best" or comparing yourself to others, you've lost the essence of this dance. We are all students, we are all learning, and we are in this together.

These 10 tips are just the tip of the iceberg but if all points are followed, you are sure to have a fun and rewarding time in whatever class you take. My goal as a Middle Eastern dance teacher is to make sure you all feel as beautiful as you look, have fun, and grow as performers. Let's smile and shimmy our hearts out, yallah!