Thread: Keeping it interesting

I started a new session last night. Holy smokes the class was packed!! There were more dancers than there should have been. So I have a room of 40 dancers with some brand new dancers and some dancers who have been with me for 1-3 years. Does anyone else teach an all level class like this? How do you keep it interesting without having to split the class into a beginner and level 2 class? Not too hard for the beginners. Not to easy for the intermediates? Anyone?

Nilaja

I run my classes this way, if we are working on shimmies I have the beginners doing the shimmies, the more advanced people get to layer it over something else. Also traveling moves, if you are working on camels, you can have the beginners doing the camels, more advanced can add a pelvic lock to the bottom (just an example). This way the more advanced have something to work on that will increase their skills and it shows the beginners what they can do after they have mastered the basic moves.

i prefer doing teaching this way as it shows people that after 6 weeks, you are not proficient, you still have a ways to go and there is less of a chance that the 6 week wonder will try to go pro.

Originally Posted by kina

I run my classes this way, if we are working on shimmies I have the beginners doing the shimmies, the more advanced people get to layer it over something else. Also traveling moves, if you are working on camels, you can have the beginners doing the camels, more advanced can add a pelvic lock to the bottom (just an example). This way the more advanced have something to work on that will increase their skills and it shows the beginners what they can do after they have mastered the basic moves.

i prefer doing teaching this way as it shows people that after 6 weeks, you are not proficient, you still have a ways to go and there is less of a chance that the 6 week wonder will try to go pro.

Seems like a very interesting plan, but on my opinion, we should not mix levels in class. Again this is something that many times is out of our hands.
I prefer classes up to 10 people and I close my classes max to 12.

Maria Aya, Greece

I have a hard time in mixed classes - the newbies always trying to do the harder versions of the moves before they've mastered the basics. I prefer to keep the levels separate.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I have a hard time in mixed classes - the newbies always trying to do the harder versions of the moves before they've mastered the basics. I prefer to keep the levels separate.

That's my problem too. Most of the time, I don't have a choice as to who attends my classes - they are run by the studios I teach for, not by me.

Right now I have a class with mostly beginner beginners, and a few students who have been with me 2 or more years. I made a choreography that has two levels - the basic moves and then the basic moves with something added on (ie: basic egyptian, or basic egyptian with a turn; hip drops, hop drops with kick, or hip drops with a kick while turning). But I show the more advanced students how to do the harder version, and then I see all the beginners trying to do it. I make a joke out of it and tell them not to feel peer pressured into doing a move they are not ready for, and I seriously tell them not to do it, but they don't listen. They see someone else doing something harder, and they want to do it even if they can't.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I have a hard time in mixed classes - the newbies always trying to do the harder versions of the moves before they've mastered the basics. I prefer to keep the levels separate.

Ditto! This drives me nuts. But what can you do - bring along a big saiidi stick and give 'em a whack if the newbies try the advanced version without permission?!!!..g.:

I give reminders through the classes, the advanced version will look like crap if you haven't mastered the basic. Most students do what the teacher does, so I demo the advanced and then stick to the basic. If they don't have the basic down, they don't remember how to do the advanced anyway.

If we are working on a choreography, this gives the newer dancer the opportunity to be in the choreo.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I have a hard time in mixed classes - the newbies always trying to do the harder versions of the moves before they've mastered the basics.

Exactly. That's the problem. The beginners don't have the body-awareness to realize that they are not ready to move past the more basic variation, so instead of drilling what they can do, they inevitably end up floundering with the layered variation.

Unless you are going to go around and actually tell each student what they should be doing. Which is completely possible, it just requires alot of careful attention and work by the instructor.

I have a "continuing" class that is really a mixture of beginner (but not absolute beginner) to rather advanced intermediate students. Right now I am drilling them on 3/4 shimmies. I tell them to work at a speed at which they can correctly execute the movements, to then try to double the time, and to drop back down to a slower time if they lose it. It is very difficult to keep those who need more slow drilling to keep it slow.

Sedonia

Originally Posted by MariaAya

Seems like a very interesting plan, but on my opinion, we should not mix levels in class.

This isn't always possible or practical. I have mixed ability classes, and never had a problem.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I have a hard time in mixed classes - the newbies always trying to do the harder versions of the moves before they've mastered the basics. I prefer to keep the levels separate.

I'm pretty strict with my lot. I make sure they have lots of personal one to one attention, and make sure the beginners do not try to do the more complicated moves. They do as they're told.

I just went through this exact situation! Each session I had first timers mixed in with ladies who had been taking for years from multiple teachers. I would try and offer different levels and layers, and inevitably, some of the new ladies would try the advanced moves (and get overwhelmed) and the advanced ladies would stick with the basics (and be bored).

It got so bad that I did have to finally split the class into two levels. There have been hang ups, but mostly I've gotten good feedback from both levels happy to be in separate classes.