Don't want to advance to next level

[gerlonda]

I don't know if I'm in the right forum or not because of my age, but it has to do with a pre-professional school, soooooooooooooo.......

I'm currently in level 7 of a "professional" ballet school. The current teacher is very thorough, she pays attention to details, and every week we progressively build upon what was learned during the previous week. My balances have improved, my extension has improved, and (though no pirouettes on pointe yet) I feel more comfortable doing center combos en pointe. The teacher for level 9 and 10 is as awesome as they come. She was a professional dancer (not that that makes anyone a great teacher but....), she's very detail-oriented, she has high standards, and she can pin-point exactly what needs to be adjusted in your body to MAKE you do things correctly. Then comes the teacher for level 8 , company apprentice, flashy, teeny bopper attitude (though not a teen, thank goodness!), wants triple pirouettes but does not tell you HOW to get to that point strength wise, shows combinations and when students do them, her attention drifts elsewhere, basically she'll just run through an entire class "bam, bam, bam!!!!" with little or no mention of correct port de bras, "pulling up," turn out, etc. I can go on and on.

Mind you, I'm really not trying to whine, but at my age and with my goals I need GOOD training EVERY single year of my life!

I've voiced my concerns about this with my current teacher and she told me that sometimes mental toughness comes from having bad teachers. She said that not everyone is fortunate enough to have good teachers and that dancers must learn to be their OWN teachers, internally. I know, I know, but I just have this nagging feeling that IF I get into level 8 next year I'm going to regress, and IF I ever get into level 9 my attention to detail will be shot .

There are some alternatives, however. 1) There is the possibility that there will be another teacher for level 8 next year, slim chance though 2)Level 7 is taught on alternate days at different sites through out the city and if I get into level 8, on alternate days I can do level 7 with another teacher elsewhere in the city, 3)I'm doing the summer intensive perhaps I can show everyone out, do triple pirouettes on pointe and skip from level 7 to level 9 , hey what's wrong with dreaming?

Sorry so long, what do you guys think of my predicament?

[thedancingj]

Hey dear,

 

I can totally sympathise, I was in a similar position a few years ago. I think that your best bet (other than hoping for a new teacher!!) is to keep taking classes with level 7 on alternate days. Sounds like an excellent plan.

 

I know that you sort of know this already, but it's a fact of life that's good to remember - in your life as a dancer, you are NOT always going to have a lot of individual attention. This is true more than ever when you get into company life... there are a lot of dancers who need correction and very limited time for class, so sometimes you will be given one or two major corrections over the course of a month or two, and you are expected to work on those things on your own and improve in that way.

 

As long as you have a teacher giving you good corrections and keeping you on your toes on a regular basis, you can use the less attentive teacher's classes to work on applyiing those corrections. Keeping a notebook might also be useful - when you are trying to guide yourself in your progress and stay motivated, it is VERY helpful to have a written record of the corrections that you need to pay attention to so that you know you aren't letting yourself slide.

 

Good luck!