Thread: Attendance Vs. Performance WWBD

Hi Teachers (students are welcome to comment also),

I am looking for some feedback and norms on policies concerning attendance and performance. Our group's policy states that students must attend twice a week to be able to perform in a show. This policy was designed and agreed on by the group when we started. Recently I had to enforce this rule leaving some of my good regular dancers and one of my co-directors out of a show.

There were some complaints and excuses, such as: I was at a workshop, it was a holiday, I had to work, etc.

I teach 4 classes a week (2 on Sunday, 2 on Tuesday) for the performance group and one beginners class they could also do make ups in, in the event of a workshop or holiday.

I have given the group two questions to vote on (that I can live with as the director). One is do holidays count, the other is do workshops count for one class.

I guess I'm wondering as the director and teacher, how much control does the group have normally, and how do we keep it fun while holding the dancers to a professional standard? WWBD?

Thanks,

KS

I believe we had a thread on this recently, and the consensus for professional groups was 'benevolent dictatorship.' Ah, here's the thread:
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/business-b...pe-formed.html

i'd never have the group vote; i'd come up with a policy and stick to it, and if i'd make an exception that would be at my discretion also.

Is the mandatory attendance because you are using class time for teaching choreographies and rehearsals, or just to weed out the flakes and subsidize the running of the studio? If the classes don't relate directly to what is being performed, then twice a week is twice as steep as what I've personally experienced. If it's largely about the money, then I could see telling students that if they need to miss the occasional nonessential class, it will count as a class fee anyway.

Originally Posted by s1dur1_sab1tu

There were some complaints and excuses, such as: I was at a workshop,

I'm somewhat inclined to give the workshops more leeway, because they represent a commitment of time and money to improving one's dancing. That isn't an excuse to miss learning a choreography for the troupe, but it is at least as useful as a beginner class for an intermediate or advanced student.

it was a holiday,

Depends on the holiday. I don't see a good reason to miss class so you can observe National Artichoke Week. If you find you don't have enough attendance to run class on "normal" holidays like New Year's Eve or Independence Day, then maybe it is time to rethink the schedule, not the troupe policy.

I had to work, etc.

If it's an isolated incident, you make other arrangements. If your work schedule can't be compatible with your dance schedule as a general rule, then maybe you need to find a new hobby or a new job. You can't be in two places at once and something's got to give.

Did they inform you ahead of time? The holiday and the workshop could be planned for.

I think giving them a few excused absences is fine (stuff happens, and this isn't their main source of income), if they inform you prior to the class (like a week) or if it's emergency. It's nice that you are letting them have some say, but I would probably not let them have 100% control.

I think it's hard to set strict rules like that - because I have students who can come to two classes and know the dance better than their classmates who are there every week! Also, if this is just a student troupe (as in, they aren't getting paid for their rehearsal and performance time), then you can't really expect them to ditch work to come to class.

My rule is more arbitrary - you must attend 70% of classes and be able to perform the routines by yourself (because there are students who look great if they are following someone, but who can't do a single step if they have to do it on their own). That way, I can decide whether or not they are ready to perform, without taking a hard stance on who is "out" - and possibly loosing some of my best dancers in the process.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Depends on the holiday. I don't see a good reason to miss class so you can observe National Artichoke Week.

as a dancer who JUST performed at the artichoke festival in castroville, ca this weekend, i am highly offended by your dismissive attitude towards artichoke-related celebrations!

back to topic... as student i have seen lots of problems come out of real/perceived favoritism. whatever you decide ms sparkle, please stick to it! rules should always be enforced, and i think this keeps drama to a minimum. if the rule was attend 2 classes prior to performance, then that's the rule. i do appreciate some of the ideas here that are more flexible. i really like daniela's guidelines.

My performing dancers attend twice a week, on Wednesdays for choreography class and on Saturdays for rehearsals.

My performance rules are that they can only miss one class in the 6 weeks leading up to performance, and it's mandatory that everyone attend the final rehearsal before the show.

My students pay by the session, so it has nothing to do with revenue. In the past, I have made exceptions for students who knew the choreography very well and simply couldn't be there. But that turned out to be a mistake.

Often the final few rehearsals are all about staging and polishing. If a dancer is absent, she won't know what we decide about things like our exit, our entrance, final changes to costuming decisions. We may decide it would be better to restage -- but we can't because Dancer X isn't here and won't have a chance to walk through it the new way, and so forth.

The thing is, it really can't be both fun for everyone AND at a professional standard at the same time.

I try to make a conscious separation between the two. If we're preparing for a hafla performance, it's supposed to be fun and I can give a lot more leeway.

If we're preparing a 45 minute show for the general public and a client is paying us hundreds of dollars to perform it -- well then you'll know up front that your fun is not my top priority right now.

Our gigs go back and forth, often seasonally. I'm looking at a 'dance company track' within my 'repertory group' that will let those who *want* to perform at a pro level be held to a different standard, and perform in different venues, while still keeping my whole group together and allowing people who want to have fun to do so.

It's a constant juggling act for me!!! But recognizing that I couldn't have both *at the same time* but could have both over the course of a year has kept me sane and my group together and happy.

p.s. If one of my dancers was attending a workshop, had to work, etc and was going to miss a mandatory rehearsal, they'd need to discuss that with me FIRST, not after the fact. I would make a decision on a case by case basis and share my decision and my reasoning with the group.

Originally Posted by s1dur1_sab1tu

I am looking for some feedback and norms on policies concerning attendance and performance. Our group's policy states that students must attend twice a week to be able to perform in a show. This policy was designed and agreed on by the group when we started. Recently I had to enforce this rule leaving some of my good regular dancers and one of my co-directors out of a show.

There were some complaints and excuses, such as: I was at a workshop, it was a holiday, I had to work, etc.

I teach 4 classes a week (2 on Sunday, 2 on Tuesday) for the performance group and one beginners class they could also do make ups in, in the event of a workshop or holiday.

I'm not sure I understand the point of your rules. Because the group can attend whatever classes they want, they are never rehearsing all together during the 2 required weekly classes. Also, they would either have to fit both Sunday and Tuesday classes in every week to take the required classes at their level. If they can't make it to practice both days every week, they have the choice of either doubling up on classes on the one day that week that they can attend, or taking (and paying for) a beginner class which might benefit them less than taking time to practice choreography alone at home. And it doesn't seem to allow for a week off, much less two.

Frankly, the setup seems more like a way to generate regular income for the studio, than a solid plan to turn out polished group performances.

Kudos to you for enforcing the rules consistently. But your rules don't seem particularly hobbyist-friendly, nor as focused on polishing performances, as they could be.

Any rehearsals we have are not part of class and the student's don't pay for them. The classes are meant to help dancers learn new choreographies and sharpen technique. Isn't that what most classes are for? The reason they need to come to class on a regular basis, is to keep them polished and abreast of the new choreography we're working on. I think it also shows a commitment to the group as a whole. The class prices are low to average for the Midwest.

I don't think attending 8 classes a month is too much to ask when people are supposed to be ready to perform well in public as part of a group.

However, it's good to see your opinion here as well as others I'm more aligned with. I have been thinking a lot about the issue and appreciate all the insight I can get.

KS

Originally Posted by s1dur1_sab1tu

Any rehearsals we have are not part of class and the student's don't pay for them. The classes are meant to help dancers learn new choreographies and sharpen technique. Isn't that what most classes are for? The reason they need to come to class on a regular basis, is to keep them polished and abreast of the new choreography we're working on. I think it also shows a commitment to the group as a whole. The class prices are low to average for the Midwest.

I don't think attending 8 classes a month is too much to ask when people are supposed to be ready to perform well in public as part of a group.

However, it's good to see your opinion here as well as others I'm more aligned with. I have been thinking a lot about the issue and appreciate all the insight I can get.

KS

8 classes a month are not the same as 2 classes every week. 8 classes a month allows some flexibility in long months. Your current system allows very little flexibility in scheduling, and it's not clear from your description when absences start "counting" against performances (if a dancer misses a week of classes, is she out forever? Do you count back the past 4 weeks...8 weeks?).

It's important to know that the choreographies are taught in class. It sounds like there aren't many rehearsals, so I can see why it's important that the students attend regularly. If you don't have much group blocking, perhaps all-group rehearsals aren't needed. But it seems like your focus is on attendance and not dancer ability. One dancer might be really sharp at choreography and have great technique...but also have a tight schedule that keeps her from meeting the qualifications to perform. Another dancer might attend the required classes, but just not be able to remember the choreography or do the moves well enough.

I think you should loosen up the attendance requirement (can dancers "bank" attendance credits?), while stating up front that you will cut dancers from individual performance opportunities if you are not confident that they will perform at your standard for the group that day.

Between illness, work, family, and school concerns...it's not reasonable to expect hobbyist dancers to attend two classes a week on these same two days forever and ever, amen. At some point, they will be taking time off - and if you don't have rules to allow that, it will cause problems with the performing group.

Wow, da Sage, you seem convinced I'm a money grubber. Dat hurts my feewins! I really do care about our group, the group dynamic and quality performances. I swear! I've had so many months in the past years where I've taken a bath, I'm sure I'm not in this for the money. :) That would just be foolish of me.

I guess I value commitment to the group and to the dance as well as putting on a good show. I think they usually work together. No matter how great a dancer/performer you are, everyone needs to practice and further their skills. That's why we take classes I suppose.

I've had dancers in the group not meet attendance requirements before and they've bowed out gracefully. I've had students with illness, family and work/school, who still choose to come to class regardless. It's certainly ok to take time off, but honor the rules you signed up with! Bow out of a show - it's not like we don't do them all the time or as if they won't have other shows they could qualify for in June, July and August.

Many of the dancers had poor attendance (plenty of time off that didn't count against them) in Feb and March and I told them at the end of March, with a show coming up, I'd be keeping an eye on attendance during the month of April.

Of course those who needed to hear that were probably at home... :). The Irony!

What the heck is wrong with making money from running a troupe? Why are people accusing or, worse, apologizing and assuring us they are 'taking a bath' most months? What is different about running a dance company vs doing a gig or teaching class?

As a firm supporter of benevolent dictatorships, you folks who are willing to spend time choreographing - costuming - rehearsing - arguing - persuading - booking gigs - giving private lessons to get the sluggards up to speed - navigating around dancers who have fallen ill or chickened out at the last minute - being mom, Mother Superior and the US Treasury all rolled into one --- have my permission to make money running a troupe. As long as it is not more than $1.50 an hour ;P

Originally Posted by s1dur1_sab1tu

Wow, da Sage, you seem convinced I'm a money grubber. Dat hurts my feewins! I really do care about our group, the group dynamic and quality performances. I swear! I've had so many months in the past years where I've taken a bath, I'm sure I'm not in this for the money. :) That would just be foolish of me.

I guess I value commitment to the group and to the dance as well as putting on a good show. I think they usually work together. No matter how great a dancer/performer you are, everyone needs to practice and further their skills. That's why we take classes I suppose.

Hi, I didn't say anything in my second post about money, so I don't understand why you are responding as though I did. I said one thing in my first post, and that was in response to the idea that the performance group doesn't practice en mass - your current setup doesn't provide that every week, and that struck me as a serious omission for a regularly performing group.

My second post was explaining why flexibility is needed for a student group. Your rules (as posted originally) didn't seem flexible to me. I can see how students would not find them flexible. Also, you are providing on-level classes only two days a week, and requiring attendance at two classes - you can have whatever requirements you want, but this is not particularly flexible scheduling. No way, no how - don't kid yourself.

I'm guessing you're the only game in town, as you've made no mention of the students attending classes with other teachers on days that are more convenient for them (which they might do as another way to further their skills). Obviously that would not help with choreography, but some dancers don't need that much reinforcement in the choreography department.

Originally Posted by s1dur1_sab1tu

I've had dancers in the group not meet attendance requirements before and they've bowed out gracefully. I've had students with illness, family and work/school, who still choose to come to class regardless. It's certainly ok to take time off, but honor the rules you signed up with! Bow out of a show - it's not like we don't do them all the time or as if they won't have other shows they could qualify for in June, July and August.

Many of the dancers had poor attendance (plenty of time off that didn't count against them) in Feb and March and I told them at the end of March, with a show coming up, I'd be keeping an eye on attendance during the month of April.

Of course those who needed to hear that were probably at home... :). The Irony!

This information is important, and wasn't included in your first post. I still think some clarification of the rules (when they count, when they don't, when they start counting) would help your situation, and a certain amount of built-in flexibility seems appropriate if this is a student group (and not a pro group)...g.:

My girls attend minimum 1 technique, 1 choreography and 1 rehearsal class per week in the style they want to perform.
If they want to perform 2 styles they must take 2 tech & 2 choreo classes...

Good Point! I do make money at this now, but I've definitely put in the time! It is a lot of work and I do deserve some pay. I wish students understood what it's really like, but they never will till they actually teach and have a performance group. I've had times when I didn't make money about 4 years ago, and that was a real test of my dedication to the dance. Things turned out ok though.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

What the heck is wrong with making money from running a troupe? Why are people accusing or, worse, apologizing and assuring us they are 'taking a bath' most months? What is different about running a dance company vs doing a gig or teaching class?

As a firm supporter of benevolent dictatorships, you folks who are willing to spend time choreographing - costuming - rehearsing - arguing - persuading - booking gigs - giving private lessons to get the sluggards up to speed - navigating around dancers who have fallen ill or chickened out at the last minute - being mom, Mother Superior and the US Treasury all rolled into one --- have my permission to make money running a troupe. As long as it is not more than $1.50 an hour ;P

Originally Posted by da Sage

Hi, I didn't say anything in my second post about money, so I don't understand why you are responding as though I did. I said one thing in my first post, and that was in response to the idea that the performance group doesn't practice en mass - your current setup doesn't provide that every week, and that struck me as a serious omission for a regularly performing group.

Hmm, must have misread the intent of your post...

My second post was explaining why flexibility is needed for a student group. Your rules (as posted originally) didn't seem flexible to me. I can see how students would not find them flexible. Also, you are providing on-level classes only two days a week, and requiring attendance at two classes - you can have whatever requirements you want, but this is not particularly flexible scheduling. No way, no how - don't kid yourself.

I see what you're saying, and I'll consider it...

I'm guessing you're the only game in town, as you've made no mention of the students attending classes with other teachers on days that are more convenient for them (which they might do as another way to further their skills). Obviously that would not help with choreography, but some dancers don't need that much reinforcement in the choreography department.

There are at least 3 or 4 more groups in town, maybe 5. My students are welcome to study with whoever they like, and I've always made that clear. Attending one of the other classes would not help them learn our choreos or our style of dance. That's why they don't count.

This information is important, and wasn't included in your first post. I still think some clarification of the rules (when they count, when they don't, when they start counting) would help your situation, and a certain amount of built-in flexibility seems appropriate if this is a student group (and not a pro group)...g.:

Yes, I could have said that before...I just was trying to keep the whine factor down and keep the post short...guess that was a pointless endeavor. :)

Originally Posted by eshe

My girls attend minimum 1 technique, 1 choreography and 1 rehearsal class per week in the style they want to perform.
If they want to perform 2 styles they must take 2 tech & 2 choreo classes...

And I bet they are awsome!