Lessons: how often? and what do you do between lessons?

[KevinL]

Related to the topic of what you consider a "lesson", how often do you have lessons? Once a week? Once a day? Never?

Assuming that you do attend lessons of some sort, what do you do between lessons to keep up your skills? Social dance? Practice with a partner? Nothing?

Just curious what you do to keep up with what you learn in lessons.

Kevin

[Genesius Redux]

When I first started, three to four times a week. Now I do once per week, and try to work on technique in between. Social dancing isn't really practice for me--it's for fun (although you can learn a lot by working on a couple of technical things while you social dance).

I've been completely unable to find a partner to practice with outside of lessons--the people I've worked with seem to have no staying interest; now granted, they're mostly actresses, and maybe that's the problem....

[D-spot]

Lessons, as a beginner I was taking beginner groups through the local university twice a week for the first month, then it escalated. Through the roof. Okay, I got hooked big time.
All group lessons within and without the uni - 12 hours max (usually around 10 hours)
Social practice 5 hours.

Good quality group lessons will help enormously and cut down on costs. Someplaces focus on privates and the groups are for feelgood, not much on how to dance. Great for some so I'm not knocking it. Deends on why you want to dance.

After a year or so I started taking a private a week (1hr) with whatever partner I ended up with that week. Not a good idea, you really need a regular partner to optimise, either the instructor themselves or an amateur.

Once I hit this country I started more privates up to three a week. I do know some people who are taking up to 15 a week (cost for them is around $100CAN per hour, they have a really good salesman as their instructor, top flight instruction in Toronto costs around $60-$70CAN per hour/55min).

Nowadays I am between main jobs so I am teaching dance, dancehosting and temping and tutoring and labouring and doing anything I can to earn a living. So I am now learning mainly from video and using my brain a great deal (why does that work, how can I get that to work etc.). I still socially dance around 12 hours a week on top of the rest of it all.
It's good for the sole and the soul (body and spirit).

D-spot.
Rule of thumb 1 hour private to 4 hours practice to get the greatest bang for your buck IF it is dancing you are wanting.

[KevinL]

Once I hit this country I started more privates up to three a week. I do know some people who are taking up to 15 a week (cost for them is around $100CAN per hour, they have a really good salesman as their instructor, top flight instruction in Toronto costs around $60-$70CAN per hour/55min).

15 private lessons a week? Wow. That's more than two hours every day!

First, I can't believe that anyone can afford to do that. Second, how do they get the time to process what they cover in the private lessons?

Wow.

Kevin

[etchuck]

My dance schedule per week

Monday nights 2 hours "beginner" lessons (not that I need them, but I help out)

Tuesday nights up to 3 hours in "beginning" swing/salsa (technique, learning lindy this semester)

Thursday nights 2 hours in intermediate ballroom

Socially, I guess I dance up to 6 hours each weekend usually. Sometimes, it's crazy enough that I'll do 10 hours on some weekends.

Then...

Private lessons every two weeks on Sundays for 2 hours.

Practice with partner (in light of this competition this weekend), up to two hours Tuesday nights (when I'm not taking the lindy class, or she's not taking the WCS class, or I'm helping out the class).

I will practice solo whenever I can, either Monday nights during the beginner ballroom lesson or Tuesday nights waiting for my partner to show up.

Of course, the summer is coming, and the club I advise on Wednesday nights doesn't meet. So then I may hook onto the schedule another 2 hours of lessons in something. Maybe I may wind up with another dance partner for my club stuff... in which we may have another set of privates to deal with. Oiy.

[cl5814]

etchuck, you said
"Private lessons every two weeks on Sundays for 2 hours. "

A while ago i was considering this. I mean taking a 1 or 2 hour lesson, every 2nd week. I am curious to know why you decided to do it. I was considering it because it gives me more time to practice the lesson material in between private lessons.

[etchuck]

In my case, the teachers for the private lessons come once a month (do not live in the area), but are staggered out every two weeks. That spacing does make things easy for me though, especially considering I take so many lessons, it's easy to confuse things. Also, I tend to want my weekends flexible, so I cannot really commit every Sunday night to it. Heck, sometimes I cannot make the privates due to other events I have to attend.

P.S. Yeah... triple-digits in posting! :)

[TangoCharlie]

I do one lesson of Ceroc and one lesson of Latin and Ballroom a week. Then I just go to as many places to dance in the weekend as I can! :)

(Practice? What's that? I just dance!!!)

[pygmalion]

Hi TangoCharlie. Welcome! I like that. Just dance. :D

[dancingdragon]

I do three one-hour lessons per week - one each of Latin, Ballroom and New Vogue. I have a regular Sunday afternoon practice session with my partner and some friends from the studio for a couple of hours - we usually focus on Ballroom which seems to be the more common interest.

We go out for social dancing whenever we can - usually to the local RSA club, which has live bands every Friday and Saturday night. You can mostly only do jives/rock n rolls, rhythm foxtrots and chachas to that though. My dance teacher also organises a monthly "social" which is 3 or four hours on a Sunday evening - it's better than going out publicly as we have regular recorded music from all dance styles so there's more variety. Plus, usually people at the social are dancers, as opposed to the regulars at the RSA who are people who like to dance but have no floor ettiquette! They're hard to negotiate around but it's good practice.

Looking at the replies already posted, there seems to be a wide variety of different amounts of lesson/practice time - interesting! I'm about to do my first competition so I guess I'll be putting in a bit more "serious" practice - but dancing is so much fun that it never seems like hard work anyway!

[dancin_feet]

My lesson schedule at the moment is this (lessons are around 45 minutes each):

Monday - 1 private lesson and 1 showcase lesson
Wednesday - 1 Intermediate Bronze ballroom and latin group
Thursday - 1 Intermediate Bronze south american group
Friday - Social party (roughly works out to be time of 2 lessons)
Saturday - 2 showcase lessons

In between lessons? Well after working full time and other necessary life stuff, not a great deal of time for actual practice, but I'll generally manage to slip in some sort of practice on a daily basis. Whether it be balance for waltz, forward poise, cha cha action, whatever.

[DancePoet]

Typically I take 2 to 3 group lessons per week. My privates are taken as needed, some with an instructor only, others with a partner preparing for competition, and practice with partner once per week when preparing for competition. In between, I practice trying to improve technique learned in the lessons, and I tend to dance socially 3 to 4 times per month.

[SDsalsaguy]

A bit off topic, I know, but I just wanted to say that I *love* the new avatar dancingdragon! :D

[pygmalion]

I'm off topic too, but I must admit that IS a cool avatar. :wink: :D

[Genesius Redux]

Ditto! :D

Genesius

[KevinL]

P.S. Yeah... triple-digits in posting! :)

Congratulations!

[KevinL]

Welcome to Dance Forums Dancing Dragon!

Kevin

[dTas]

as an instructor i get practice whenever i give a lessons, plus i learn more and more as i teach. the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. :D

i practice with my partner 4 times a week an hour at a time (not enough) we have coaching about once every 4 months (2 hrs). i practice solo 5-6 times a week working on technique, balance, and strength (its much like tai-chi, at least it looks like it sometimes)

i go social dancing about once a week (again not enough).

where does everyone find the time (and money) to take all these lessons?!?! not that i'm complaining, being an instructor and all :D

[Adwiz]

dancin_feet, can you explain what a "Showcase" lesson is? I've never heard that term used in the context of a lesson. Is that related to coaching for a show dance?

[virginiadancegirl]

OK...finally decided to sit down long enough to answer this :

I practice with my partner usually for 2 hrs on Tuesdays, 1-2 hrs on Wednesdays (depending on whether he has a private to teach), I help him teach a group class for 1 1/2 hrs on Friday nights, and we practice for any number of hours on Saturdays...

But tomorrow I'm teaching my first private lesson ALL BY MYSELF!

Maybe I will make a living at this one day!!

[cocodrilo]

I am not taking lessons at the moment, but would like to join a class if my schedule slows down a bit. I rent out a dance studio and practice for 2 hours at a time once a week and do free weights, stretches and 100 sit-ups(UGH!) daily. I have a dance party every other month or so.

[dancin_feet]

dancin_feet, can you explain what a "Showcase" lesson is? I've never heard that term used in the context of a lesson. Is that related to coaching for a show dance?

Yes, it is choreographing and rehearsing a couple of presentations I am giving in May. One is with my instructor, the other is within a group of 11 other students.

[dancingdragon]

A bit off topic, I know, but I just wanted to say that I *love* the new avatar dancingdragon! :D

Well thanks guys! :D

I searched around for ages looking for the perfect one, and as a matter of fact I "borrowed" this one from a forum dedicated to dragons: http://www.tyshadragon.co.uk. She had a bunch of really cool ones - including the amorous dragon from Shrek and a few of the river god from Spirited Away (one of which I wanted but it was too large for this website). I figured it was okay to steal ... ahem ... borrow it :oops: as she had a message there stating that if you wanted to use it on a different site you had to save it to your own computer first.

I've never signed up for a forum or chat room before so I had no idea about avatars and I was really pleased when I managed to make it work :idea: I'm glad I made a good choice and got the seal of approval from you guys!

[cupojoe2]

I have a dance party every other month or so.

Interesting!!! I have been thinking about throwing a small party with dancing. I’m still working on the details -- can you give me some pointers? Where do you hold it? What do you do for food/drink/music?

I don't have a lot of space but was planning on moving all of the furniture out of my living room... filling the fridge with cold drinks.... putting out some munchies... having my friends bring a few of their favorite dance CD's... and dancing until dawn...

[Ray]

now we are also off topic..

you have a awesome avatar too salsa guy its even gets me dizzy ;)



ok back on topic :P

[KevinL]

Interesting!!! I have been thinking about throwing a small party with dancing. I’m still working on the details -- can you give me some pointers? Where do you hold it?

If you want space, check into local churches, or social clubs. They might rent you space for cheap.

What do you do for food/drink/music?

The space will be a factor in this. Lot's of churches don't allow alcohol, but other food and drinks are ok. As for music, bring a portable stereo and your favorite CD's, and have your friends do the same.

I don't have a lot of space but was planning on moving all of the furniture out of my living room... filling the fridge with cold drinks.... putting out some munchies... having my friends bring a few of their favorite dance CD's... and dancing until dawn...

Having the party at home saves a lot of effort, but make sure to clear "dancing until daen" with your neighbors. It might put a damper on your evening to have to deal with the police...

Kevin

[Sagitta]

I have a dance party every other month or so.

Okay you are on my list of places to crash when the df world cruise is organized!! :wink:

I practice as much as I can. I'm a little out of commission at present,though, due to a pinched nerve in my big left toe.

[SDsalsaguy]

you have a awesome avatar too salsa guy its even gets me dizzy ;)

:lol:

I didn't win "Best Avatar" in The 2003 Dance Forums Awards (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1862) for nothing you know! :wink:

[cocodrilo]

Cupojoe2-
As there are no latin dance-geared nightclubs in my area(the hip-hop floors are too filthy to use for parties where you wear proper dance shoes!), my partner & I rent out dacne studios. Most of the ballroom folk around here don't like the noise, late nights or loudness which usually happens when we hold a party, but we've found a few good places. Mind you I have never done this anywhere but Japan, but I will let you know the process. We make a deal with the studio owner, for example giving him/her a fixed amount fot the night to book the place, or a certain cut of the ticket sales(we pay on average is $5.00 per person to the studio). We have a professional-quality DJ set-up, but if the studio doesn't have decent speakers, we have to rent these. We also hire an experienced DJ. Our parties are generally from 7:30pm-1:30am. (In the big cities in Japan, things don't get rolling till 10:00, and go on till 5:00am! No one will let us have a studio here until that tiime!) During the course of the night, we offer one or two lessons for beginners- salsa shines, merengue, salsa pairwork, etc. The newcomers really enjoy this! We ocasionally have dancers perform at the parties. We ask the studio to serve drinks which usually include beer, a few mixed cocktails, juice & cola. They keep the profit from selling the drinks. Our advertising consisits of color-copied flyers which we distribute ourselves and I also do some advertising in local newspapers. Our parties are mulit-national and include people from Brazil, Peru, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, etc. We have between 60 & 120 guests, depending on the season(no one seems to want to go out in COLD February here!). I hope this has been of some help! The parties are a lot of work, but certainly worth it seeing the smiling faces on all the guests every time!
By the way, Sagitta, you are of course welcome to stay at my place if you are in the area. (If I'm here then- I travel a lot!).
Cheers

[cupojoe2]

Having the party at home saves a lot of effort, but make sure to clear "dancing until daen" with your neighbors. It might put a damper on your evening to have to deal with the police...

Kevin

Great advice!!!

[cupojoe2]

...
my partner & I rent out dance studios.
...
...


WOW!

After reading your post, I no longer want to throw a party -- I want to come to one of yours!!!!:notworth:

[Sakura]

Hrrmm..... Two items here: both "slightly" off topic! :oops: :roll:

1. dancingdragon and SD, both of your avatars are sooo awesome! (If I had a good avatar of my dragon necklaces, or my sakura-no-hana (cherry blossom) tree, I'd use them, but *pouts* alas, I don't...) I love them!

2. Sagitta, I'm liking the idea of a DF world cruise... There could be many possible stops for this! =^__^= :D 8)

I suppose that if I'm posting here, I should put something on topic, but it makes me jealous! You'll understand why after I've put it.

I get anywhere from 0-2 private dance lessons a month... :oops: :cry: :oops: I wish I could get more; my parents pay for one and I use all of the allowance I get per month to get another one, but sometimes the schedule gets too busy to have any lessons or more than one a month. (And right now, I've been saving all of my money to get a nice pair of black leather dance shoes from showtimedanceshoes.com, where I found DF, as a matter of fact! :D )

I suppose the worst part is is that since I'm under 18, my lessons are only $40.00 for 50 min., but with three kids (including myself), I suppose that might be a bit much to ask.

Are there any opinions out there for anything I could do to help retain what I learn? I dance with my teacher at my lessons -- because let's face it, in a high school in the middle of Indiana, who's into dance? (NO OFFENCE at all meant to us dancers! We know we're the cool ones. 8) :wink: ) And there's really no place around here that I can go for social dancing; but even if there was, I lack the state and government's permission to drive! :D

So, any ideas out there? I'm looking forward to them, as I'm rapidly forgetting my mambo... Again... :evil:

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

(PS- To Cocodrilo, if I messed up on the "sakura-no-hana" bit, please let me know! I'm always looking to improve my pitiful Japanese knowledge! :oops: :oops: I don't believe that it's a "technical" cherry blossom tree, I think it's called a "weeping cherry tree" but the blossoms are pretty enough to keep me satisfied until I get over to Japan! =^__^= Thanks again!)

[cl5814]

Sakura,

Ask your instructor to give you 2 or 3 items to work on for the next lesson. Write them down. And then practice them at home........ no driver's license needed for that. That way you can review your lesson material and remember what you have learned.
In fact, if you read the threat on "where do you practice", any space is big enough...... DFites practices anywhere and everywhere.

[Sakura]

I never would have thought of that! :oops: :D Thanks a lot!
I should be setting up a lesson for sometime next week, so I can put your advice to work! Thanks very much again!

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[cocodrilo]

Hi Sakura!
The word "sakura" itself refers to the Japanese blossoming cherry tree. Mine is in full bloom at the moment- it's right outside my diningroom where I have huge bay windows and it's lovely to see every day! There are over a dozen kinds of blossoming cherry trees, but I need not get into this on a dance forum. The weeping kind is "shidare-zakura" and are gorgeous as well. The entire country(of Japan) gathers at parks during "hanami"(cherry blossom viewing) season to have picnincs under the blossoming trees.
Good luck with your dance endeavors! Have you thought of starting your own dance circle and having everyone pitch in a little cash and hiring a teacher to come out and teach your group? Maybe someone from a neighboring city perhaps if there are no teachers available in your area.

[Sakura]

Shidare zakura... Sugoi! =^__^= Sakura in full bloom outside of your house! That must be so amazing! I'd love to see a "real" sakura, but alas, we don't have any here in Indiana... =>_<=! But this is why colleges have foreign exchange programs! :D :D Has hanami season started yet? I can't wait until I can be over there myself at a viewing party!
Arigato gozaimasu (sp?) for the information! As one can only learn so much from anime (*sweatdrops*) and a CD, any help I can get from natives or fluent speakers is much appreciated!

That's a great idea for getting a group of my friends together, but they're content to let me drag them along to a dance lesson sometimes, let me rant to them about how much I enjoy dance, or make fun of me about my teacher :oops: :oops: .... Mostly because he's rather cute... :wink: :D (But because of that, they think I only enjoy my dance because of him! :x Which is totally wrong!) Ah, well, they're loosing out!

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[cocodrilo]

Cupojoe2-
And you're most welcome to come to our parties! It's quite gratifying to host them, even more fun dancing at them, but here is quite a lot of preparation, relying on other people(which I particularly dislike & the main reason I have my own business) and a lot of bowing and scraping when things don't go right. I'm the one that does the bowing, as I am the interpreter for the gigs, but so far I have kept up good rapport with the studio owners so they will let us use the place in the future. There are the exceptions of two places- one which we used two years ago & hosted two parties there, both were major successes, but the owner is a "yakuza"(Japanese gangster dude) and a rather unsavory character who didn't really like having "gaijin"(foreigners) having the run of the place. The other was a brand-new dance studio which we used for our 3/27 party last month- fabulous sound equipment, gorgeous wood floor, changing rooms, every dancer's dream, but in the middle of a residential area(read: latin music blasting, little old ladies calling up one after the other to complain about the noise...) The place we are currently using (they like me, thank goodness) can fit 200 people easily and they have a HUGE parking lot! Bring your friends!

[cocodrilo]

Cute dance teacher? Sounds like even more incentive to keep dancing! We've got some cuties over here, too. The Japanese girls all have crushes on them! So, when are you coming to Japan? The summer is like being in an oven with 90% humidity, which is great if you are a Cuban cigar, so the best time to visit would be fall or spring. Winter, if you can tolerate cold without central heating, is great if you ski but Hokkaido's a far way off. Or you can always check out the numerous dance clubs- it's always warm in there!

[cupojoe2]

Cupojoe2-
And you're most welcome to come to our parties!

Thanks... I haven't been to Japan in several years.... now, I have an extra incentive to visit! :)

[Sagitta]

Do you have a miiror at home sakura? Useful for practicing. Then there is the surf the web and watch video clips, and work out the moves in front of the mirror. In fact I must praictice my American waltz today afternoon as the Cornell ballroom club is starting an intermediate class in it and I'm contemplating trying it out...

[Sakura]

:cry: Alas, I have no mirror in my practice space (my painfully small kitched), which is the only place I can do the sliding I need for Latin stuff. The mirror in my room isn't full length, so I can't see my footwork... :D No fair!

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[dTas]

you need to put a studio in your house... it really helps with the practicing!

[Sakura]

you need to put a studio in your house... it really helps with the practicing!

:D I wish! I tried to get my parents to put in polished, hardwood in the downstairs after our basement flooded, but noooooo......... :( *snaps fingers* Darn! :wink:

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[acarl]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a studio in your house? And your own Big Band to play when ever you wanted to dance? And...well... Dancing is sparse here in ol Laughyet, IN. We go to Indianapolis for any kind of decent lesson and go where ever we can to practice. Sometimes is just on the kitchen floor, and dodging the island gives me some practice at maneuvering around the floor...HA! But, practice, practice, practice. This was a hard question?

[Sagitta]

A hard question, but you still made a stab at it!! :wink: :) Welcome to df acarl!!

[SDsalsaguy]

Welcome to the forums acarl! :D

[pygmalion]

Hi acarl. Welcome to the forums. :D

[Sakura]

:D Hey acarl! Great to have you here! ... I noticed you said that you take your dance lessons up in Indy -- where at? I dance at the IBC (Indianapolis Ballroom Company), so I was just wondering if you danced there as well, or if I might get some input on another dance place! Thanks a bunch!

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[Jack]

I practice usually one nite or 2 a week for 30 min to an hour between lessons. I take 2 lessons a week and 1 or 2 privates a month,
I am seeking a partner for social dancing only.
My private lessons are for timing tempo and technique only.