Bad Teacher?

[Dancergirl98]

I will try to make this as short and simple as possible, but basically i dont think my main ballet teacher is a good one. She picks favorites (I am not one of them) and i feel like she takes out all of her anger on myself and the other dancers. The seniors and juniors are the favorites, i am not either. Im an intermidiate. Its very obvious whos a favprite, and it makes me so mad. Somedays i feel like crying, and running out of the room and never coming back. Days like that make me want to quit dancing all together. The dance studio is supposed to be a place where I can forget about all my worries from life, and just dance and enjoy myself. But when my teacher blows up on us, im scared to go to the studio the next day! There are no other studios in town that has ballet training at the level that my curent studio does. What do i do?

[Victoria Leigh]

Welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers, Dancergirl98. I'm sorry that you are unhappy in your classes. Have you been at this studio a long time? Are you in a class with very mixed levels? You mention that you are Intermediate, but talk about the "favorites" being juniors and seniors. Are they older and more advanced than you? It sounds to me like it's possible that the older dancers are just more advanced, and the teacher might be trying to get the rest of you working harder to come up to their level. Or, perhaps she is expecting too much from the students at your level? It is not easy for either the students or the teacher to handle a class with seriously mixed levels of talent and training, and if this is the case, you may just have to find a different school.

[Dancergirl98]

The classes I do take are mixed in with the seniors, but there isn't much of a difference in technique between myself and who we would consider the top dancer, and actually only 2 years of age separate us. We have danced together alot, but I feel like no matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, my teacher always likes her better. I guess that demotivates me alot because I feel like I'm not good enough. I have been at this studio my whole life and I really don't want to leave now

[Clara 76]

What kinds of things does she blow up on you about?

[Dancergirl98]

Clara 76 things like people messing up timing, having the wrong foot, things that seem small, but once she starts to clean a dance and correct all the mistakes, she starts to get really mad at us, and it seems like she makes everything seem worse then what it really is

[Clara 76]

Ah. So most of the time, she becomes frustrated with you all when you are rehearsing a piece she has choreographed. How often do you work on her choreography? Does her choreography contain work that you are doing in classes, or is it new material?

[Dancergirl98]

We work on her choreography about 3 times a week sometimes 4 depending on the schedule that week. The choreography is most of the time hers, but we are working on a piece that was not choreographed by her, but she still works on it with us. Normally that's the one where she has her blow ups with. We don't normally work on the material for that dance in class, and it's new to all of us.

[Clara 76]

Do you think it makes sense for a dancer to be doing choreography that is comprised of steps that she has never been introduced to previously? That is a red flag for me. As far as becoming frustrated with kids who are perhaps, not devoting themselves to the process- most teachers would admit to being disheartened when kids misbehave like that.

 

From what you are describing, it does not sound like you are receiving the kind of training that might contribute to a professional career in dance. If a professional career is something you desire, then you may have to consider whether residency is an option. If you are just interested in continueing to dance because you love to dance, then look forward to finding a teacher/s who can inspire you, and work in a constructive way, once you can move out of your current locale.

[Dancergirl98]

I am wanting a professional career, and being that I'm only 15 I feel like I need a teacher who can be a strong base to help me achieve that goal. I am auditioning for multiple summer intensives, and maybe something like that is what i need for motivation to keep going for the rest of the year. But next year I am definatly considering a new teacher or studio, and hopefully a fresh start will help me to achieve my goal of becoming a professional dancer!