Is this a sales pitch or slightly genuine?

N

Newdancer81

Active Member
well if any of you have read my previous few threads and posts, I'm fairly new to dance. I'm in my 30's and I never danced in my life (not even in high school dances) but I took some private lessons recently just for fun and to practice. I've been doing them for about 4 months now and took my first few group lessons last week and even did a practice party at their studio for about 2.5 to 3 hours.

My private instructor was there and I think she wanted to get an idea of how I danced with other people besides her. She said that my progress has been good and was impressed with what she saw.

However, when I look at myself compared to others, I know I'm a beginner. I'm still trying to get timing down. However, she suggested I participate in this "showcase" they do for their students. I barely practice so I'm pretty sure I'm a beginner but I can pick up patterns pretty quickly.

Do you think this is mostly a sales pitch for me to buy more lessons and genuinely try and get me to get better?
 
Some of both. There is no question that the process of preparing for the showcase will help you improve faster than if you don't do it, and showcases are appropriate for people at any level. But they can also be very expensive (though that's highly variable by studio). If you're interested, you should make sure you get a full layout of all included costs before you commit. I'd also suggest doing a search on the forum to see previous discussions and outcomes of similar situations.

ETA: Specifically, this is the thread I'm remembering:
http://dance-forums.com/threads/signed-up-for-first-showcase-opinions-needed.45522/
 
Scary in that I wonder how much is sales pitch and how much is genuine. I don't get nervous in front of crowds. I'm used to speaking in front of hundreds of people.
 
Newdancer81 said:
Scary in that I wonder how much is sales pitch and how much is genuine.
Click to expand...
I actually don't think it really matters. It's entirely possible that the praise is bs, or also possible that it's completely honest. Which one is true doesn't affect the fact that participating in (or more accurately, preparing for) the showcase is likely to help you improve. So I'd say to find out the price and judge whether faster improvement is worth that price to you, and don't worry about the praise either way (as long as the praise doesn't carry over to not correcting you enough in lessons).
 
They'll invite just about anyone to be in a showcase, regardless of level. It is a good way to progress, because you have a goal and inspiration to practice. And yes, they make money off it... So follow Bia's advice!
 
Definitely find out about pricing before you think about the idea too much. Keep in mind it is common to increase lessons to prepare for a showcase, and then as it gets closer the student will often want some extra lessons on top of that if they are feeling under prepared (very common feeling as a showcase approaches!). So see how that works with your budget.

If a showcase is in your dance budget, and you think it's something you'd like to try, go for it. One advantage of doing it early in your dance journey is that you get that first experience done and behind you. (Usually a good experience.) Then if you want you can continue to do more in the future, knowing a bit more about what to expect, and knowing you can handle it. Your dancing is sure to grow just from getting ready for the showcase.

Sometimes people fall in the trap of wanting to be "good enough" before doing a first showcase or other performance. And as they learn more and see more dancing, it can actually be harder and harder for them to *feel* like they are good enough. Some people take lessons for years and just keep putting it off. If they truly don't want to do showcases, that's fine, but some of them would have enjoyed it if they'd just gotten in the pool earlier without overthinking it, so to speak. And after building up expectations for years, it can get harder to jump in.
 
Oh okay, thanks. I think it may be because my instructor has no idea what my goal is since I was just taking lessons for a wedding, then I continued using my birthday as benchmark, but now that's passed, I don't know what my goal is.

I do think she's well intentioned, but of course, also trying to make a living. I'll ask her next time I see her about pricing and stuff. I'm actually not shy in front of crowds either, I used to do some community theatre when I was younger in addition to teaching/lecturing in front of hundreds of people.
 
You might really enjoy showcases, then. But in the end it's up to you to decide your dance goals. Perfectly fine to try various things along the way to help you decide. :)
 
here's the thing....you can save yourself a bunch of trouble if you begin to approach all dance possibilities with "might I enjoy this and is it something I think I want to do? " as your first and primary priority in deciding...try not to get caught up in wondering about the teacher's motivation...the answer will almost always be a mixture of things but primarily be business....try not to ever get that twisted no matter how good it makes your ego feel....try it, if you don't like it, you'll know for the future....another caution though...sometimes you get the old "we have special coaches who come in and do choreography for these things"...this usually spells lessons which include both the cost of your teacher and a coach....$$$...you don't need that unless you want it.....
 
Here's the funny thing. I'm actually shy in front of people I sort of know lol. If they are complete strangers, I'm perfectly content speaking to them. So if I have to get to know them, I'll freeze up.

Like when I'm presenting to a board members for my job, I get really nervous, however when I'm teaching a class of 100 or so, it's a breeze to me. I haven't taught in front of 100 in a while though.

My instructor probably would have asked me previously to do it because they do it twice a year and one just passed.

So I dunno.
 
fascination said:
here's the thing....you can save yourself a bunch of trouble if you begin to approach all dance possibilities with "might I enjoy this and is it something I think I want to do? " as your first and primary priority in deciding...try not to get caught up in wondering about the teacher's motivation...the answer will almost always be a mixture of things but primarily be business....try not to ever get that twisted no matter how good it makes your ego feel....try it, if you don't like it, you'll know for the future....another caution though...sometimes you get the old "we have special coaches who come in and do choreography for these things"...this usually spells lessons which include both the cost of your teacher and a coach....$$$...you don't need that unless you want it.....
Click to expand...

Great points. I actually don't have an inflated ego when it comes to dance. I'm a VP at work, but in the studio, I just say "you decide, help me, you're the expert". Sometimes she gets angry at me for not being decisive enough (like not really angry, but slightly upset) but I don't know the ropes.

I think if the cost is reasonable, I'd enjoy doing it but I'm not sure who I'd be doing it for other than myself. I live like a quadruple life. I keep my social media friends separate from my work friends separate from my college friends separate from my "dance" stuff.

So another fear is I'd be all alone at a table by myself hahah.
 
well then, if you think you'd enjoy it, you might as well try it...and friends are made easily enough...you don't have to do it FOR anyone but yourself...because life is short and should be enjoyed as much as possible...
 
My general advice to newer or unsure folks is to try everything once, assuming it is in your budget and you're not 100% positive beforehand that you absolutely never want to do it. That way you clear up all doubts and hone in on what you enjoy or don't enjoy.

I love Showcase and it is the primary thing I do. In spite of the fact that the first time it was proposed to me, my response was a flat "I don't do choreography." Famous last words. I've dabbled in comps and similar events, and I enjoy them but they aren't my first love.

I echo the others' sentiments, it's both business and looking to expand your dance horizons, especially if you don't have clear goals, because who knows, maybe this will be something that really clicks with you and you will want to keep doing in the future.

I also second the advice to get pricing upfront. Sometimes Showcase lessons are priced differently than "regular" lessons, and they are kept in separate buckets (e.g. you can't just move your 12 remaining Showcase lessons to the normal bucket if you bail early or don't end up using them all), and as others mentioned, there may be a couple sessions with a more expensive outside coach to do choreography. Also, make sure you are clear about whether you are willing to do a Showcase on top of your regular lessons, or whether you will be taking a hiatus from that - and don't be afraid to insist on not doing both at once if that is too much. Also, I would suggest clarifying who will be picking the dance and the music. I come to my instructors with a song and tell them we are doing this song, and it is this dance, and I may have a figure or choreo I want to do (I once nixed outside coach choreo that I didn't like and re-choregraphed myself); OTOH, I have a friend who lets the instructors dictate every detail and basically does what they tell him. So figure out where on the spectrum you want to be and how it lines up with their process.

Good luck, and I hope you like it.
 
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