Adult ballet students

[Garyecht]

I don’t think there really is such a thing as an adult ballet student. It seems to me this is just a catch all term meaning ballet students over about the age of 15 who know they are not going to have professional careers.

 

Within the adult ballet student umbrella there are dozens of little niches, but the major niches as I see them are: 1) teens who are not part of a school’s preprofessional program (teenies), 2) college students with dance training (students), 3) people over about the age of 25 who have significant dance experience ranging from many years of study as a teen to actual professional careers (old pros), and 4) those who started taking ballet classes after about age 25 (parents). Each of these groups has different goals and expectations about a ballet class.

 

I’m sure others would group people differently. My groups are just based on my own experience.

 

I really feel sorry for teachers of adult students, as they have to put together a class that satisfies a mix of people from each little niche. Tough job, because each of the niches thinks differently about what should be in a class and how the class might be approached. Then just to add something else to the mix, we folk over 30 tend to be highly opinionated, challenge authority, rigid in our ideas about class, and aspire to levels beyond our capability. We are hopeless. Teachers have my sympathy.

[thebill]

If it makes you feel better I am only 22 and I am very opinionated, and chellenge authority. I am also somewhat vocal about my opinions of the status quo and the establishment. This generally makes me somewhat obnoxious. I am also way off topic so I will stop here.

 

Yeah I do agree there are a lot of niches in the adult world. I will do some thinking and see what I would do to classify them, but you seem pretty much on the ball. Good thinkin.

[Guest Lizzie 37]

Heavens ! Yes, whenever one attempts to teach adults ANYTHING there are challenges. I don't think it's quite as bad as all that, however. Your categories are probably close, except not all of # 4 are parents.

Just walking into an "adult" class, one can usually tell at a glance a bit about the differing groups. The are loads of variables as to age, experience, degree of grandiosity regarding aspirations, physical gifts and limitations, and committment. With luck,however the constants are a love of dance and a desire to learn. I think your empathy for teachers everywhere is admirable.

[Guest Until The End Of Time]

Do you ever think most of those adults never had time in their life and when they finally have time or the courage to do it they go ahead and do it. You can't hate them for that, I agree for the work they have to put up with, but in life we don't get younger we get older, so life goes on, you got to make it any way that you can, so since we only have one life to live try to live as many lifetimes as you can inside that one lifetime you are only given.

[Guest DancerJules]

I found your four categories to be interesting reading! I would suggest that a huge group has been left out - the one to which I belong - which is made up of adults of all ages who pursue ballet for fun, fitness and personal satisfaction. I know I'm never going to have a professional career, neither to I aspire to that aim, but I LOVE ballet and couldn't imagine not dancing. I take two to three classes per week and try to do stretching and simple excercises at home, and the reward I feel is immense - since starting ballet (for the first time since I was 14) in January this year I have lost weight, become more toned, have improved posture and above all feel much more healthy. Ballet is fab!

[koshka]

Another grouping scheme from one of my teachers:

--people who come in for a class or 2 a week for exercise, but with no particular intention of improving

 

--people who come in already at a high level who just want to stay there

 

--people who come in at a low level (previous experience or not) who want to progress

 

I agree think it is quite a challenge for teachers to deal with such mixed adult groups!

[FleetFeet]

I agree that adult students come in many "flavors". That is why I think that they should be place in classes more according to there abilities and ambitions rather than strictly by age.

 

Also, when it comes to grandiosity and challenging authority, I don't think that adults have anything over teens and children. I don't normally teach, but I have been pressed into service to fill-in for a sick teacher on occasion, and I can tell you that I would much rather teach the adults. They are paying for their classes and are there because they really want to be, not because their parents want them to.

[Jamie]

I, too, agree that there are many types of adult dancers. In my experience, I have found that the large majority of "adult ballet classes" in my area cater to those adults who are just beginning ballet and have little to no prior dance experience. It took me a while, but I was lucky to find a studio whose adult classes are composed of experienced, albeit non-professional, students like myself. We range in age from 16 to almost 40, and while we dance primarily for enjoyment, we do push ourselves to continually improve. I am so glad to have finally found an atmosphere that is "right" for me, but I realize that my studio is losing out on attracting adult students with little to no dance experience. I guess you can't really cater to everyone; it's probably best to pick one niche and stick with that rather than trying to cater to every type of adult student, since there are so many kinds of us!

[Guest Lori64]

[the one to which I belong - which is made up of adults of all ages who pursue ballet for fun, fitness and personal satisfaction.]the one to which I belong - which is made up of adults of all ages who pursue ballet for fun, fitness and personal satisfaction.

 

I suppose that's me too, although I probably fall into the category [people over about the age of 25 who have significant dance experience ranging from many years of study as a teen to actual professional careers (old pros) ]

 

I'm in the very fortunate position of attending two wonderful adult classes where we do simply go to dance for pure pleasure!

 

[/Then just to add something else to the mix, we folk over 30 tend to be highly opinionated, challenge authority, rigid in our ideas about class, and aspire to levels beyond our capability. We are hopeless. Teachers have my sympathy]

 

Again, I'm not so sure about that - 30 is probably the younger end of the classes i attend - generally we are "old pros" with one or two "later starters" in there. Something that dance training instills into you surely must be "unconditional obediance" to the teacher/choreographer!!

[Gina Ness]

Add to this list, teachers trying to stay in shape!

[Jaana Heino]

It is true there are a different groups of adult ballet students. But then again, there are different groups of child ballet students, too: they can at least be divided to three (pre-pros, serious students without career aspirations, and twice-a-week-for-fun students) - and I am sure there are further divisions, though I am not aware of which, according to their goals, skills and motivations.

 

In the case of children, these different motivations are usually recognized and classes catered to each need. In the case of adults, however, this seems typically not to be the case, but there is no reason as to why it should be like that. My own school, for example, offers separate levels of classes and a progressing program for adults, too, starting from complete beginner level classes and ending up to high level classes that are mainly taken by former pros and teachers (though some exceptional adult beginners make it there, too, and let's not go into my ambitions here ;)). The teachers help students in finding a level that fits their goals and abilities (though, they could, in my opinion, be even more active with feedback, but I understand the time limitations).

 

I think that if adult ballet keeps on getting more popular, like it has done for a few years, maybe we can expect to see such practices spread and at least partly replace the clumping together of way too different groups of adult dancers.