A question of nerve ...

[pygmalion]

In another thread, DanceMentor just recommended to me a dance studio in Dallas. When I went to the studio web site, I saw a couple FABULOUS dancers with great credentials. And I immediately thought, no way would they teach a lowly schmuck like me.

... Then I thought, what the heck! Why not ask? In other areas of my life, I've come to firmly believe that, if I want it, I should ask for it. If I ask, the answer may be no. If I don't ask, the answer WILL be no.

But still, I hesitate. So here's a question for you. In the search for a good ballroom teacher or coach, what's the balance? I mean, the balance between realism/humility and reaching for the sky? Is humility just a self-limiting behavior? Or does it behoove one to remember his/her relative place in the schmuck to superstar continuum? :wink:

What do you think?

 

[Laura]

I'm a schmuck but I've taken lessons with multi-time champions. So don't let that hold you back: go ask for a lesson. Either they'll teach you, or they won't, no loss in asking, no harm in asking. Oh, and make sure you get their lesson rate, just in case it's more than you want to pay.

 

[twnkltoz]

Call me sheltered or naive, but I've never seen a dance teacher turn down money...and yours is just as good as anyone else's.

 

[BeefHero]

Personally, I think that if you want to get coaching with a top professional, it is very important that you are well-prepared ahead of the coaching. I am sure you don't want to spend an hour with Hazel Newberry just to learn the basic of waltz right? I've seen one of my friends getting a private lesson with my coach just to learn the very basic of west coast swing. I was like :shock: :roll: I would learn the basic from a friend or simply by watching before the lesson. Then during the lesson, I would have my coach correct my basic and teach me some styling and variations. That's just the way I would do it, and I think it's a more efficient use of my money and time.

I think it's great to get coaching with top professionals, and indeed they give very valuable knowledge about dancing. I don't think anyone should be intimidated by their status for they were once just like us. Dancing is for everyone, and we should really try to learn from the best.

 

[Sabor]

humility and confidence in one's worth are two different things to my perception, so there's nothing there to balance..

however, they are both a product of love.. as is everything of beauty in this existence..

 

[tasche]

Though isn't it better to learn a perfect basic from the best in the world to learn it incorrectly from your friend then spend years fixing it?

 

[Joe]

If a teacher has an open space in his or her schedule, s/he will be happy to take your money, no matter how superior s/he is or how lowly you are.

 

[pygmalion]

giggle. Glad to hear it.

I also think both tasche and BeefHero have good points. I'd love to spend an hour or two working on a box step with the best. I can only imagine the things I could learn that way. But BeefHero is also right. You should go in prepared and with a specfic plan (even if the coach changes the plan for you. LOL)

 

[etchuck]

Depends... it may wind up you'll work on the box step for an hour... if the person really believes you got to work up on your technique while dancing the boxstep.

As it was the case with me, I had to work more on my ankle stretch (and still am working on it) in all my Latin dances. That was about 20 minutes of basics. In another private (different teacher), it was about 20-30 minutes of waltz change steps to work on my posture and my movement across the floor. And for what I needed, it was well worth it.

I guess I look for certain things in a teacher that I would look for in a "pro." I'd take references to those pros or teachers extremely seriously, maybe from people who have observed them during workshops. As a person who is not so much on the competitive circuit, I take a look at who is hosting or teaching workshops at those competitions (such as USABDA nationals) or even people who host competitions (partly because I also have a psychotic organizer's mind too).

In a private you want someone who is a good observer and troubleshooter, someone who can explain the problem and suggest solutions that are not necessarily shortcuts (because this is a private lesson after all), and someone who actually knows how you (people) learn (including how different each person can be).

People who don't condescend to my educational level (mind you, Ph.D. here) also get points. People who actually rise up to my educational level (as it would be the case with a couple of people I've observed in workshops) surprise me and get double bonus points.

 

[Elizabeth]

I am sure you don't want to spend an hour with Hazel Newberry just to learn the basic of waltz right?

You don't? I'd happily spend several hours with Hazel doing nothing more than the 1-2-3 or a natural turn. Of course I allegedly already know it... In my experience, the best coaches are the ones who teach the basic technique really well. Anyone can teach flash.

I've seen World Champions teaching just about every level of dancer. Its true that most teachers will take money from just about everyone. On the other hand, these people do enjoy teaching some students more than other students. From what I've seen, they prefer to teach people who are serious about improving their dancing and willing to listen even if what the coach is saying isn't what the student wants to hear. I'd say if you're serious about improving you shouldn't be timid about going to the best coaches you can find.

 

[robin]

I agree with Elizabeth. Good teachers first and foremost want students who *want* to learn. I've been doing some (non-dance-related) teaching, and there's nothing worse than trying to teach someone who doesn't want to know/doesn't really care. It's much more fun to teach an enthusiastic beginner than an experienced student who thinks he/she already knows everything.

Saying that, I think when looking at the very top reaches of teachers, they often won't take bookings from people they don't know anything about. They can afford to because they're booked out for months in advance and can choose who they want to teach. That probably only applies to a dozen teachers worldwide though...

 

[standardgirl]

Well, it's kind of hard to say if you should learn the basic by yourself or through a really good coach according to my experience. Sometimes, it's just harder to get things correctted once they have become your habbits. In that case, it may be better to learn the basics from a good coach and things right the first time.
To be honest, I was never afraid to ask anyone for coaching. Why wouldn't you take lesson from a better coach if you have the chance? I don't see any reason of them refusing to teach you. Everyone has to go through the start of learning. Champions also knew nothing about dancing at one time of their life.

 

[sunderi]

I agree. Go for it! The worst thing they can say is "no". And then you'll be exactly where you are now, but with a funny story to share with all of us about how we were all wrong.

I think the humility/reality/realizing your place in the universe stuff comes in when looking for a PARTNER, but not when looking for a TEACHER.

 

[pygmalion]

Hmm. Interesting. That sounds reasonable, sunderi. What do others think? 8)

 

[msc]

Go for it. The high level coaches are almost always worth the $$. The only problem that might arise is if the high level coach contradicts your usual instructor, in which case you'll just need to finesse a bit.