Group Beginner Classes: Is this normal??

R

Rounder

New Member
Hey everyone,
I've been learning Latin dancing 7 Months now and I'm not sure if i've reached the "norm" for this time. I went to a dance party a week ago and saw that people who have danced for much less, knew a great deal more figures. Granted however, that their technique was really nothing special at all.

My teacher seems to concentrate alot of the whole image of the dance. And I enjoy this fact greatly. But in the 7 months of being there, I know the basic step, plus maybe 4 figures for Cha Cha, Mambo, Rumba. I also have learnt the basic step + Corte in Tango. I have never danced with a partner for Merengue or Bachata and all I know is the basic step.

I take Group Lessons. I take a seperate class that she holds for technique and a seperate class for Salsa.

Now Im at the point where I want to advance cause its starting to get really boring and it really got to me phycollogically when I couldnt dance with anyone at this random party I went to simply cause they new a lot more.

Your advice is greatly appreciated cause I do enjoy this dancing greatly and I wouldn't mind achieving some sort of certification in the near future.
 
Welcome to Dance Forums, Rounder!

I think it's hard to tell from what you've said.

Are you a leader or a follower?

Was the dance party at a studio or a club? How did you know there were people who had picked up more figures even though they had been dancing for a shorter time than you?

Do you mean certification for completion of medal exams? Or certification to teach?

You may find some helpful information here: Getting started in dancing. :)
 
Hey Terpsichorean Clod, Thanks for the quick response.
To answer your questions:
I'm a leader.
The dance party was organized by 4 different dance schools in a bar setting where they pretty much went through all the dances...Very little Latin Nightclub dancing to be honest.
As to how long they have been dancing, I was so amazed at how much they knew that I actually pulled one of the men dancers over and asked him how many years he's been dancing..He laughed a little, and looked at me and said..4 Months.
Then one of the other dance teachers took me to dance Bachata and well...I didn't know Bachata other than then basic step. She smiled at me and said "everyone teaches differently"...what I really felt her saying, was...well...You really don't know much.

As for certification, I would love to reach a level where I can Teach.
 
Hmmm...is the dancing you are learning more like club latin (salsa, cumbia, bachata, merengue) or ballroom latin/rhythm (cha cha, rumba, bolero, mambo, swing, paso doble, samba, jive)?

I think the learning curve is a bit tougher for beginning leaders. It's possible that the dancer whom you asked had prior experience in other dance styles.

About teaching, there's some information here: Professional dancing. :)
 
Thanks for the great links. I'll give them a thorough read.
I'm learning ballroom latin/rhythm.

I understand that the learning curve is not an easy one, but as a Leader, I can confidently say that have achieved a good level of posture and understanding the rhythm to the music I'm dancing. My teacher uses me on many occasions as an example to the rest of the group. I have a friend who is been dancing 6 years now, and she says that although I know little, what I know I do very well.

My issue is not how long these others have been dancing, but was wondering if this is normal? To not really be able to...do much at the end of the day. 3 figures is what it comes down to and I feel after 7 months, this is inadequate. Am I mistaken?
 
Welcome to the DF, Rounder

Rounder said:
The dance party was organized by 4 different dance schools in a bar setting where they pretty much went through all the dances...
As for certification, I would love to reach a level where I can Teach.
Click to expand...
May I ask if you are in Arizona? I say this b/c there is one of the few places where I have been that it is common for 4 schools to meet like that on a regular basis. I liked it.

Re the question, your friend answered it...everyone teaches differently. It is not our place to say, w/o cause, if the teacher is good/bad/indifferent. Yet, if you are truly ready to move on (be honest w/ yourself re where you are/where you wish to be), and seek out a different school that you wish to try. If it is just a matter of wanting more, speak w/ your teacher...he/she might be willing to give you more.

Your aspisrations to teach are admirable. There is a huge difference between showing someone something and teaching someone something. Don't rush it...you are only in 7 months. In order to be the best teacher, there will be; step classes and dance classes, music lessons, and movement lessons, body and body awareness training, and even a little relationship communication and interaction study. Last, but not least, there will be teacher training. Take your time, Grasshopper, the road with the truest reward is long before you. :cool:
 
Rounder ...welcome to DF...several things to say here...the first is that, however embarrassing, not knowing as many steps as the next person is definately not a sign of being a bad dancer...I have danced for 4 1/2 years, I have spent the bulk of that time in private lessons, I go to socials about once a month and haven't taken a group lesson in close to a year...as a result, when I do go to a social, I regularly get stuff thrown at me that is new to me...it is all part of my learning process but b/c my technique is good (relatively speaking) none of those dancers think I am a bad dancer...they think I am a dancer who doesn't know alot of patterns...and the more I go to socials and endure the humiliation ;), the more accustomed I get to what people are dancing and the easier it gets....it will come....and if you are a lead, let me assure you that most women would rather have a lead who can lead well but doesn't do all of the flashy stuff than a guy who pulls out a big arsenal of patterns but has a crappy lead with which to punish them through it...but if you want a few more patterns it is fair to ask your instructor to show you a few...
 
:) You guys are great, I'm glad I stumbled upon this forum.

Angel Hi, I actually Live in Athens, Greece.
I truly truly appreciate the fact that everyone teaches differently. And I enjoy my teachers classes very much. I'm not out to criticize her in any way. I have asked her to teach us some more figures but she's refused in a very unprofessional manner i believe. Her response was "You know too much already and I concentrate on the image of your dance, if you don't like it, there are other schools and other teachers".
Then i got her sales pitch on how she's been dancing for 14 years and that she has all her degrees...And all I asked was for her to show us a few more figures as the past 3 months we haven't learnt anything new. Only in our technique. But this is why I've taken a separate class for. So I'm not really understanding.

Fascination, I would like to say, that although maybe a little embarresed, I was actually more disappointed. And I did dance with someone who said that I lead nicely, but after that I heard "Can you do anything else?" ....

This whole thing, has just pushed me further into dedicating more time and effort into learning to perfection, what I don't know. And if years it will take, then so be it. But Im not sure I'm on the right path currently with my teachers approach. I may be wrong.
 
^ Your attitude is commendable. However, despite your affections (I understand...strictly professional), it does sound like she might have a little self checking to do, though. Training at another place doesn't necessarily mean that you do not like your current pro, or even wish to leave. It simply means that you would be gettign part of what you need from one place, and part from another. No pro is everything to everyone....self excluded, of course..................OK, JUST KIDDING!!!!
:)
 
Oy... Yes, I think it could be normal. It's tough getting started with so many dances to learn. I'd been taking a weekly American smooth class for about 6 months when I went to my first (studio) social. I cowered at a table with some friends from class, getting up every 3rd or 4th song when they'd play a waltz, tango, or foxtrot. I'd pull out the four figures I knew and then sit back down. I didn't start attending socials regularly until I'd been dancing a year. I started feeling comfortable after 1.5 years. And I still end up sitting out at least half the songs because I don't really know latin/rhythm.

Your situation may be a bit more extreme. It sounds like your teacher is focusing very heavily on technique. I wouldn't say that you know little. You may know few patterns, but it sounds like you know a good bit of technique. And that's good. Technique helps you move better and makes it more comfortable for your partner. On the other hand, you don't want to go onto a social floor and dance a single basic step (albeit perfect) for three minutes. Thankfully, technique also makes it easier to pick up more patterns. I think it kinda depends on your social scene and the type of people with whom you wish to dance. Not-so-good dancers will have less appreciation for your technique and want more patterns from you. Good dancers, as fascination said, will be content with a few patterns that are well led, or sometimes even just a single pattern.

Does your teacher know that social dancing is one of your goals? If she is trying to prepare the students for competition, she may not see a need to teach many figures.
 
To be fair, I'm not really sure what her goals are. She does hold her own party's but as far as competition is concerned, I heard her speak of it once or twice, but never again. Competitions in Greece aren't a very big thing from what I've gathered, they occur once a year at most. But at the rate we're going, and from what she said she would be doing in the comming years, I will now 6 maybe 7 figures at the end of two years of dancing. And on the forum, I've been reading all sorts of different things, so its a little confusing.
 
Terpsichorean Clod said:
I wouldn't say that you know little. You may know few pattens, but it sounds like you know a good bit of technique. And that's good. Technique helps you move better and makes it more comfortable for your partner.
Thankfully, technique also makes it easier to pick up more patterns.
Not-so-good dancers will have less appreciation for your technique and want more patterns from you. Good dancers, as fascination said, will be content with a few patterns that are well led, or sometimes even just a single pattern.
Click to expand...
Nice post, TC.
 
Is that 6 or 7 figures per dance? Even still... I mean, I do use only 6 or 7 figures on the social floor, but I've learned a number of others. Even if you don't end up using them on the floor, certain patterns can be useful in introducing you to new technique/concepts. It's great if one can dance a perfect box step, but I don't think one is going to learn much about promenade position.

It might depend on the class cycle. Are beginners allowed to join every week? First week of the month? First week of the quarter?
 
Terpsichorean Clod said:
Is that 6 or 7 figures per dance? Even still... I mean, I do use only 6 or 7 figures on the social floor, but I've learned a number of others. Even if you don't end up using them on the floor, certain patterns can be useful in introducing you to new technique/concepts. It's great if one can dance a perfect box step, but I don't think one is going to learn much about promenade position.

It might depend on the class cycle. Are beginners allowed to join every week? First week of the month? First week of the quarter?
Click to expand...

6 or 7 figures in Cha Cha, Mambo, Rumba.
Maybe 3 in Tango
The basics in Merengue, Bachata

...after two years...is this a norm or are we moving a tad bit slowly?
 
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