number of classes

[stenz]

hi,

i'm not sure how to word this but,

i'm wondering if it's more beneficial to take more classes a day or take class more days a week

so if you can only take 6 classes a week

is it better to take 2 classes a day 3 days a week

or 1 class a day 6 days a week?

hope that wasn't confusing...

which is better for strengthening and improving technique, etc...

thanks,

wendy

[Victoria Leigh]

Definitely more days a week, Wendy, no question!

[stenz]

thanks Miss Leigh,

unfortunately, the budget requires limiting classes

but at least i still get to dance!!

[cassy]

Wouldnt it be fantastic to take class six days a week, i know some lucky people do. I have to make do with four classes in two nights - not the best option but better than only two hours a week and there is some benefit for me as the first class is usually a level below the next class, so im nice and warm

 

Also as a late starter i find it helpful to take the different levels as it then covers a wider range of exercises and more of the basics that i need. Also the corrections vary in each class so it helps me with some of the common problems that late starters often have trouble with

 

Miss Leigh, would you recommend taking more classes at another studio? I really dont want to take class anywhere else, i feel it might be disrespectful to my wonderful teacher?

I feel like i need more though and i doubt if there are other reputable schools/studios in my area that also offer Cecchetti syllabus

[ami1436]

Cassy,

 

I'm just offering my own advice on this situation. If I went to only one teacher and one school at most I'd get classes twice a week. Yeah, that might be four classes, but it's only twice a week. You need more than that, especially as you are working hard and improving quickly, at the intermediate levels to build strength, muscle memory, stamina - technique. Everything. And then, once you start working towards pointe it's simply not even enough.

 

So, I take with three different teachers. They all know. Two of them are very supportive and understanding, and agree that I need more than what I can take with them individually. One is not so much, as she'd rather have us stay with her - but she only teaches twice a week and does very hard classes with loads of pointework. It is better for me, and my body, to take more. And I'm honest with her, so she knows.

 

The only thing that it hurts is my bank statement!!!!

[Victoria Leigh]

I agree with ami. More days, even if it means different schools and teachers. I would not worry about staying only with Cecchetti syllabus. Remember, it's not the syllabus, it's the teacher that makes the difference. Good teaching is good teaching. All of the methods are fine, it's just how well they are taught!

[Garyecht]

For most adults, money, job, and family responsibilities limit the number of classes one can take. But as Victoria implies, dancing 5-6 days a week is a desirable thing. How to put these together is the question. My thought has always been to do a class or two a week at home. I think there are huge benefits to doing so.

 

1. You can reinforce both technical things that have been presented in class as well as combinations you did in class and you can repeat them as often as you like.

 

2. When you find a particular step that gives you trouble, you can stop your class and just spend some time working on that step.

 

3. You can exercise your creative mind by creating your own combinations, which will help you understand a combination’s structure and make it easier for you to learn them quickly in your studio classes.

 

And home classes are free and there is no commute. True, space can be a problem. You might have to eliminate combinations that travel a lot, or modify them so that they go back and forth over a relatively small area, but that also can be an exercise in creativity. Finally, I think doing regular classes at home causes you to read more as you search for new class ideas, combinations, and technical points to emphasize.

[ami1436]

Ms. Leigh is so right about good teaching being good teaching being good teaching (if it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck...). I had Balanchine-influenced training as a youth, and now one teacher is heavily Russian-influenced (I use the word Russian rather than Vaganova because I mean in terms of style rather than training, if that makes sense), one who is ISTD/RAD - influenced, and one who is... hmmm. I don't know, but I'd say that some things we do reflect a lot of Ashton and Bournonville style. But the good teaching is key.

 

In response to Garyecht, I think there are limits to what a class at home can do. Even if I had the space and facilities for a proper class, it is not the same as having a teacher there to watch, correct, challenge, etc. I've been dancing since I was four - but I still need people to correct my plies, tendus, whatever. This is not because they are 'wrong' - but because they can always be better. But when you are by yourself, while you can try to figure out steps and combinations that you had problems with or be creative with combinations, the reinforcement and repetition (Garyecht's #1) can reinforce and repeat bad habits - and once they are formed, they are very very very hard to break.

 

I guess what I'm saying is everything in moderation, and everything with purpose! (i.e., the purpose of going over things/class on your own is very different than class in a class and the two do not serve the same purpose, and thus do not cancel each other out.)

[dido]

I'm glad this topic is here for me to hijack for a minute. I've got a lousy work situation next semester, and it looks like I will be reduced to only three times a week when I can dance. My question: Would it be actually detrimental to take class twice on those days? This is more out of curiosity than anything else, I doubt I could manage all the travelling back and forth on a regular basis, but I'm up to six days now and wondering how I'm going to get my "fix."

[cassy]

Maybe i should at least enquire about other classes but how will i know if they are any good? (apart from the obvious )

 

I certainly want to avoid any dolly dinkles and do not want to pick up any bad habits.

Thanks Ami for you advice and also Ms Leigh for pointing out that its about the quality of teaching not the syllabus that counts, i guess i was worried about learning other styles and muddling them and annoying the teachers.

 

You do very well though Ami and you have studied lots of styles/methods