How frequent?

[clive]

Apologies if this has been addressed before...

 

Off to my second lesson tomorrow, ten days after my first.

 

I would imagine that everyone is different depending on their objectives. Given that mine do not go much beyond getting quite a bit fitter and leaner and developing a skill which i believe i would enjoy, should the minimum gap between lessons be a week?

 

In other words, have students found that a longer gap is a problem at this early stage?

 

Work and life commitments could get in the way from time to time so concerned that i might find myself to frequently making up ground

 

 

Do i make sense?

[Victoria Leigh]

Clive, a long gap is a problem at any stage! It really would be best to try and get in at least two classes a week.

[Chinafish]

>>have students found that a longer gap is a problem at this early stage?

 

Oh yes, not only early stage, but even now.

 

I consider myself an intermediate dancer (having danced for around 3.5 years). Even if I go 2 days without classes (e.g. class on a Sunday then break until Wednesday), I find my muscles having trouble "remembering" what it's supposed to do. It's much harder to wake them up and engage them. A lot of the times it takes until maybe 30mins into class before I could really feel the tops of my legs and core.

 

In contrast to if I've had class 2 days in a row, I would feel my muscles engaging at a much earlier stage during class. Which would lead to a more confident class for myself - I know my muscles will be working and supporting the moments I want to do.

 

Hope I made sense!

 

Fish

[clive]

That makes sense Chinafish but is slightly daunting for me

 

I would struggle to do more than once a week. having said that, even after first lesson, i felt that i should have been engaging (good word) pretty quickly afterwards. almost as if body tells you to do so. Does that make sense?

 

My wife will get a bit too suspicious if i disappear to three lessons a week though

[Swiss_Chard]

You can always ease in to adding classes. During my first year of ballet, I only took class once a week. Somewhere along the way, that turned into four. However, mentally, I found the jump from one to two classes a week to be the most difficult. I was concerned about making such a commitment and finding the time to do it. When I finally did, I realised that it actually wasn't that difficult to find the time. If you think that you are going to struggle to go more than once a week, then start with only one class a week. Eventually, you'll find that you're addicted enough that you'll want to go more often. But in the meantime why stress about something that is supposed to be fun and turn it into a chore?

[clive]

Agree with last line in particular and was more curious perhaps rather than stressed

[dancingjet]

I noticed that I was remembering more in my head and in my body when I started taking class twice a week as opposed to once. But it took me almost a year to make the jump from once a week to twice. I have a family and work fulltime, so figuring out how to make it work and making sure everyone would be OK with me being gone more and spending more money took some time. Now, having started this endeavor about a year and a half ago, I try to take class three times a week.

[MelissaGA]

My goals are very similar to yours.

 

I just started taking class last month after a good 20-25 yr break. I started with once a week, but found very quickly that I needed class twice a week. Now that I've been taking class twice a week, I'm trying to figure out how I can squeeze in a third class somewhere. It is an addiction.

 

I'm currently dancing on Tuesday and Thursday. I find that the break between Thursday and the following Tuesday is just a bit too long.

Edited February 21, 2008 by MelissaGA

[Treefrog]

Sometimes you just can't make more than once a week work. You can still get a lot out of it; you'll just progress much less slowly. Do whatever works for you and feels right. (I only go once a week.)

 

I have noticed the same as everyone else about muscles and frequency (especially in my lifting/running regimen, which I do more frequently than ballet). After more than a couple of days off, it's something of a struggle to "refresh" the muscles. Less than two days, and the muscles are practically begging to do more!

[luvsmusicluvs2dance]

I was wondering the same thing about frequency. I am going to start with the intro class just to ease back into dance and then I want to take beginner 1. There is only one Intro and one beginner class each week. Should I just take Intro once a week for now or try to take Intro and beginner 1 so I can go twice a week?

 

Thanks!

[Agnes1022]

CLIVE, Seeing how your goal is to:

Given that mine do not go much beyond getting quite a bit fitter and leaner and developing a skill which i believe i would enjoy

 

Then once a week of ballet and once a week of another physical activity that you find enjoyable sounds sufficient. And if you can find time for a third activity, given your life commitments, then go for it and have a ball!

 

Have you considered a family activity like walking around the block or playing a team sport or any activity that promotes active movement? It sounds like a good way to introduce your kids to fitness lifestyle, and strengthen your family ties as well.

 

 

 

 

 

I was wondering the same thing about frequency. I am going to start with the intro class just to ease back into dance and then I want to take beginner 1. There is only one Intro and one beginner class each week. Should I just take Intro once a week for now or try to take Intro and beginner 1 so I can go twice a week?

 

Thanks!

 

LUVSMUSIC, Since both are really beginning level classes, there is no harm in trying both, and seeing which technical level class you prefer; alternatively, take both with whatever frequency suits your needs and schedule, and learn what you can from each class. So much of the fundamental principles on body placement, muscle/bone alignment, port de bras and head movements are covered in the most beginner of classes.

 

And when you find that attending both is too taxing, then you would be in a better position to decide whether a once-a-week class is better for you. It's really up to you and how much your body and mind can handle.

[insidesoloist]

My wife will get a bit too suspicious if i disappear to three lessons a week though

 

Maybe your wife could go with you!

 

Okay, three classes per week might be a bit much at this stage, anyway, but I often think two classes a week are nice for beginners. It's not an overwhelming schedule, lets you ease into it without overtaxing your body right away, but also makes it more likely you'll remember corrections from class to class and allows your muscle memory to help you out.

[luvsmusicluvs2dance]

Quote- Agnes1022:

LUVSMUSIC, Since both are really beginning level classes, there is no harm in trying both, and seeing which technical level class you prefer; alternatively, take both with whatever frequency suits your needs and schedule, and learn what you can from each class. So much of the fundamental principles on body placement, muscle/bone alignment, port de bras and head movements are covered in the most beginner of classes.

 

And when you find that attending both is too taxing, then you would be in a better position to decide whether a once-a-week class is better for you. It's really up to you and how much your body and mind can handle.

 

I think I will start taking both classes! Fortunately, my mind and body can handle a lot! I am going to take as many classes as I can because I want to do well at it.

[olddude]

I took classes once a week for the first 15 months. It felt like more than enough for my brain and body at that time. After I had acquired some of the movement vocabulary, and built strength in muscles that had not been used for too many decades, I felt able to take two classes. Of course, I'm old (see moniker!) and had not danced even socially before. But I'm fairly confident I would not have been able to take more than one class a week for the first several months, physically or emotionally or intellectually.

 

Fortunately capacity builds on itself. I've nearly double my class load every year so far.

[Rhoda M]

If only I could, I would take six classes a week - but I have a very limited income and I'll be glad if by September I will be able to pay for one class a week. I realise that there's a disadvantage in that, but I'm glad to read others have done or are doing the same and can still enjoy ballet and improve, even though they do go a bit slower. Thanks!

 

And maybe an idea for those who find it hard to get engaged into the class and the movement etc.: practise some of the exercises at home, even if only for ten mins a day if you can't do more (be careful with all the movements you make and of course skip the ones that require a full warm up - but you can 'practise' those by going over it in your mind, which can help greatly), and do a warm up at home before you go to class, and go over the sequences you find hard as well (that would be all the sequences for me, if I could remember them in the first place! But even trying (hard) should help your mind to link to that information sooner.)

 

Rhoda

Edited February 22, 2008 by Rhoda M