Thread: Spin-Off: Preparing Students to Perform at Haflas (whether they pay or not)

We seem to have moved away from the premise behind "Paying to Dance at a Hafla" in the Student Center forum, so I thought I'd start a thread more to that point. Not that Bhuzzards have not discussed this issue before.

I'd like to start with some posts from the Student Center thread that I believe are particularly salient. Because I don't know how to do it any other way, the original posts will be separated here.

It'll take several minutes to transfer the posts, so please bear with me.

Deborah

ETA: I have brought over only a few posts. This doesn't mean that there aren't many more that deserve recognition or not very well presented -- there is 'way too much good stuff to bring it all over!

From Zummarad:

"You can put on a decent performance with a once a week class if:

1) You start teaching the choreo early enough
2) You ensure the students are not doing six choreos for the show
3) You press the students to practice at home and encourage them to set up their own practices if they wish
4) You require attendance in the last few weeks before performance
5) You create opportunities for extra practices in that time period
6) You have a dress rehearsal or two
7) You devote some class time to performance skills, makeup, costume dos and don'ts
8) You let them be imperfect and concentrate on getting them OK and performing well "

From Beafarhana:

"Whenever my students take part in *any* performance, I see it as my job to make sure they are:
- performing in an appropriate setting (haflah, student recital, community event)
- well rehearsed- we always have extra-curricular rehearsals, because class time is not rehearsal time.
- well costumed- in a style appropriate to the dance they are doing, with a uniform theme so they look like a troupe, rather than a disparate group of dancers.
- prepared for disasters, such as the music going wonky, or someone blanking on the routine.

They are my students and I train them to look good in performance, because that reflects on me as their teacher. I know I'm not the only teacher who does so.

(snip) Of course they should perform, I don't see why anyone should consider this an unreasonable expectation. The teacher's job is to manage that expectation, and ensure that it can be met in a suitable manner."

From EternalStudent:

"And as for that student who had been taking lessons for only two weeks, I do believe that is way too soon for a student to perform because it's impossible to be up to the task. I don't know why any teacher would expect that or even ask that since it can't possibly work. But I really think it's wrong for a student this new to perform no matter how naturally talented that student may be."

From Tourbeau:

"[S]tudents who don't come to class regularly shouldn't expect to perform. If the teacher says, "You have to do X in order to be in the show," (buy the right costume to match the rest of the troupe, attend mandatory rehearsals, pay some fee to subsidize the show, whatever) and the student blows off doing X without good reason, she shouldn't expect to perform. If a dancer has a history of not taking her performing opportunities seriously (being clearly unprepared on stage, wearing blatantly inappropriate costuming, acting like an unreasonable diva at everyone's--especially the audience's--expense, etc.), she shouldn't automatically expect to be invited back for the next show, unless she can promise to correct the offending behavior. If the student knows in advance that she can't do what she's supposed to, then she should buck up and say so, because maybe there are workarounds that would be preferable to assumptions and resentment.

"None of this should be confused with not being Jillina. There's plenty of room for low-commitment amateurs performing at appropriate venues in these expectations, because these are things that fall under the category of understanding the responsibility behind performing and making a mature attempt at meeting that obligation. The standard for what "mature attempt" is gets harder as you become more advanced as a performer, and I'm fine with expecting less from a six-month beginner than the teacher being flown in for the workshop. Even beginners should be held accountable to some minimal set of expectations, because when a teacher allows students not to care, they'll take you up on it, and it builds into a culture of low, sloppy standards that drags everyone down. Learning the ethics of your subject is supposed to be part of your training . . . (snip)"

From Lara L:

"Yes, try to raise the bar, but you can only teach people starting at the level they are at and you can only go to the level to which they are willing to come with you. I think it is unreasonable to think everyone who walks into a given class is going to stick with it for life or even *want* to take it to the next level.

Yes, adults need to act like adults, with respect for teachers, fellow dancers, professionals, etc. But if I come to a guitar lesson and say "I just want help playing this tune so I can play around at the family Christmas party" I'm not expecting to be told I have to take an intensive guitar course first. There are definitely music instructors who only take serious students and do quite well, but there are also those willing to do community classes, take on flakes like me, etc and also do quite well without "bringing the artform down." Same here- there are instructors who only take serious students. There are folks like me who really enjoy working with casual learners *and still manage to instill a respect for the dance!*"

Question for Zummarad re: "You can put on a decent performance with a once a week class if:

1) You start teaching the choreo early enough"

What, in your opinion, constitutes "early enough?" In your experience, how many hours of learning and rehearsal are needed to create a decent performance? Does it seem to vary with the experience level of the group (beginners vs upper beginners vs low intermediates vs intermediates, etc)?

Thanks.

Deborah

Speaking purely from experience, I joined a class in my early days of being a student and was immediately caught in the 'we are practising for a charity gig, are you free on ..?'

I practised, and I did it, but of course it was pants. I knew it was total pants when I did it but I got caught up in the excitment of performance and the persuasion and encouragement from others.
17 years on I still meet students who find themselves in this situation.

Not all teachers do this of course (and I never meant to imply that this was the case). Perhaps I should have been more specific on my post on the other thread but I am going to stand by what I said because I wanted to make a point that was real to me then, and it is real to me now.

Not all aspects of performance are rewarding and some are downright scary and off putting.
Yes, this is a performance entertainment, but it does not mean we should aim to thrust people into that situation from day one. I would argue that we need a sensible approach to performance with a clear progression.

We can aim to be as person centred as possible and not soley driven by the performance culture 100% of the time. That is the ideal.

Originally Posted by Beafarhana

They are my students and I train them to look good in performance, because that reflects on me as their teacher.

This is so true.

I saw a student troupe once that clearly took themselves pretty seriously - fancy costumes and from a school with a view to training professionals, not your average recreational class. There was one poor girl who clearly was way out of her depth; she didn't know the choreography at all and her technique looked like she'd been dancing a few weeks at most. It was painful. All I could think of was what was the teacher/troupe director thinking to do that to someone? Ouch. I'm afraid my opinion of that school plummeted, and not because of her dancing.

Originally Posted by casbahdance

Question for Zummarad re: "You can put on a decent performance with a once a week class if:

1) You start teaching the choreo early enough"

What, in your opinion, constitutes "early enough?" In your experience, how many hours of learning and rehearsal are needed to create a decent performance? Does it seem to vary with the experience level of the group (beginners vs upper beginners vs low intermediates vs intermediates, etc)?

Thanks.

Deborah

It depends on the level of the group, how committed the group is and what level of quality the group wants to present. A beginning class which wants to dance at the student recital (safe place where people are *expecting* all levels of competence) I start 3-4 months in advance. Most of these folks are just coming once a week- some will practice at home and realistically, I know some will not.
intermediate dancers, I usually start teaching technique focused on what will be in the choreography 8 months in advance and start the actual choreo 4 months in advance.
My advance students want at least 4 months of rehearsals before debuting a new piece, classes at least twice a week and get together to work outside of class as well and practice their legs off, but we are often working on keeping old choreos up to snuff as well as developing our new choreos.

So, at the beginning, I demand more from my more experienced dancers, until they begin to demand more for themselves.

Originally Posted by Aniseteph

This is so true.

I saw a student troupe once that clearly took themselves pretty seriously - fancy costumes and from a school with a view to training professionals, not your average recreational class. There was one poor girl who clearly was way out of her depth; she didn't know the choreography at all and her technique looked like she'd been dancing a few weeks at most. It was painful. All I could think of was what was the teacher/troupe director thinking to do that to someone? Ouch. I'm afraid my opinion of that school plummeted, and not because of her dancing.

This is a perfect example of what I was talking about.

Going to the other extreme, if we only allow students to perofrm who only reflect us as the teacher in a positive light...how many students would actually get to perform?

It is about providing performance space for people at the right time, and in the right place for those individuals to look good.. and yes people do look to the teacher, but ultimately it is about the individual.

Has anyone here ever told a student they cannot perform at a hafla? If so, how did you approach it?
Obviously my approach to teaching and preparartion didn't merit a mention here and that is that my college students don't expect to perform. I am teaching technique not working in choreos for haflas. Those who eventually will want not to be in the audience will have to catered for in dedicated performance"rehearsal time".
For me 1 hour a week is only just enough tme to ensure students have basic and continuing techinique.
There are regular haflas in this area and I would have thought that those keen enough to perform would be happy to find that dedicated time.
Anyone I know who has promise as a soloist I advise to find another teacher as well, or to go to workshops with an advanced teacher, to hire studio time to rehearse maybe with or withour advice.
Please tell me other ways of preparing especially those who have been dancing less than a year. And I consider that as we are entertaining we should give of our best wether we pay for the privilege or are paid.

I think even low level dancers doing a bog-standard Beginners choreography can represent you in a beneficial light, by being well-prepared, well-rehearsed and well-presented.

They don't have to be brilliant. Some of my students are ladies of a certain age, who aren't particularly flexible, and aren't terribly good dancers. But they work hard and even though they aren't as technically strong as some of the others, they hold their own, keep to formation and smile while they're dancing. That's all it takes.

I'm not terribly concerned about when a teacher starts presenting performance material in her class series. My issue is when she actually puts the beginners on stage. If you have a diligent, talented group and they are able to get to stage readiness in two months, fine. If you worked on your routine for eight months because it took that long to get everything polished at the rate of ten minutes a week, okay. It would bore me as a student to go that slowly, but I'm sure some people wouldn't mind. As a general rule, I'm tempted to say students shouldn't start performing (even as a beginners' troupe) before six months, but if you're in a community where performance is your best hope for retaining students after one series, I can see why teacher pressure for earlier.

When determining beginner readiness, I would consider:

1. The nature of the gig. Is it a paying job for the GP? A premiere dance event where everyone is trying to pull out their best? A mixed-level workshop show? A student recital with low expectations? I hold the top end of the spectrum to more rigorous standards than the bottom. I think it's very rare for a beginner to be ready for anything but the low end in under two years, and probably much longer for the higher-expectation gigs.

2. Effort. Are these students trying hard ? Do they care about wanting to do a good job, or is it a single-minded dash to the sequined finish line? More effort means I'm more willing to support/encourage you. Then again, the more you care, the less likely you are to want to get on stage if you feel like you don't know what you're doing.

3. Ability. How well can you do what is being asked of you? At the lowest level (the semi-closed student recital), this probably doesn't matter much. Start moving higher up the scale in terms of #1, and this trumps #2. Sorry, but when you're just starting out, you shouldn't be doing high-profile gigs unless you're a spectacular talent--even if you're a very conscientious student and working hard. If you're too green, you're too green. The world's trash cans are full of resumes and admission applications corresponding to people who weren't good enough quite yet because they needed more development. That's life. If this is important to you (#2), you'll be able to accept the reasoning behind this, even if it's disappointing to be told certain options are closed off to you.

I agree with Bea. My students do represent me, and I have told them that I would not put them on stage if I didn't think they could represent me well, but I usually use that as encouragement when someone is doubtful about their ability. It's amazing what can happen in the 2-3 weeks before the show, when everything finally starts to click!

But, presenting different levels appropriately in the right setting is key. Having a beginner dance with an advanced group isn't going to cut it. I admit to moving a dancer or 2 up a little sooner than they perhaps should have, but they were at least close enough that I could rework choreographies a little to accomodate their weak points while they busted their chops getting up to speed! That mandatory troupe costuming thing also gets rid of the costuming sore thumbs!

I have had several dancers, mostly a bit older, but some who simply have physical limitations of one kind or another, who will never perform beyond a beginner level and don't really want to. Having an appropriate, safe venue for them to enjoy performing is satisfying to all of us- the dancers, me as an instructor, and I have heard second hand from the audience too- it's just nice to see people able to enjoy the dance at all ages and levels of ability *as long as that's what the audience is expecting!*

As far as telling someone they can't perform at a hafla? I have more problems coaxing talented dancers out! (for me hafla = informal dance party, different from the recital programs the community puts on)
My students know well in advance what is expected as far as class and rehearsal attendance if they want to perform, and I've never been embarrassed by a group of dancers who made it to all the rehearsals. Costumes are absolutely dictated by me and my advanced class is by invitation only. I haven't had to uninvite anyone yet.

When I was teaching multiple classes 3-4 days a week, I had performance and non-performance classes and advertised them as such. Currently down to one beginning class plus advanced/troupe due to a combination of family issues and market saturation, but performing is always optional, and no one is going to perform with less than a year of classes. That's just the way I have things set up.

Originally Posted by caroline_afifi

... if we only allow students to perform who only reflect us as the teacher in a positive light...how many students would actually get to perform?

It is about providing performance space for people at the right time, and in the right place for those individuals to look good.. and yes people do look to the teacher, but ultimately it is about the individual.

The bit about performance space at the right time and place is the key. There are students who for all sorts of reasons are never going to be very good, but at a class recital or hafla where they are properly costumed, smiling and getting through it, I think that still reflects really well on the teacher. The teacher has bothered to coach them well enough, costume them appropriately, got them an appropriate performance opportunity, encouraged them to get out there and have a go... it all gets a big fat YAY from me. Good dancing is a bonus.

Put the same group in a professional show or out gigging at parties and I'm really wondering what someone was thinking. If the group has the teacher's name on it then it's her I wonder about, not the students.

Preparation can be very frustrating. I’m in an intermediate student troupe, and we usually have a few big performances in the fall. After our last show, our teacher always wants to start preparing for the next year right away! She’ll begin introducing new routines almost a year in advance. Unfortunately, class attendance drops dramatically after the last show in the autumn. Then, when those students return to class, we have to start over again to get them caught up with the group. It’s also tricky when new members join just a few months (or weeks) before a show and expect to perform.

I have never been asked to not dance with the group, but I don’t think I’d mind. I have voluntarily sat out of routines because I knew that I didn’t know them well enough to perform in public. I still cheered on my classmates or drummed. I know that my dancing is a reflection of my teacher’s business, and I want her business to succeed because I like having somewhere to take lessons! I really don’t want to embarrass her or bring down our art form.

While not wanting to comment on the operation of the dance studio I teach and dance for, I would like to share our basic but bendable 'rules'. We have 2 student nights a year. I regularly teach the introductory classes for the school and they all get taught the same choreography for 10 weeks. I've been teaching this dance for about 10 years now which is boring as all hell for me but I see it as someone paying me to drill while giving many women the confidence boost they were looking for when they chose belly dancing lol. It is a very simple dance, generic, basic moves and repeats with minor variations. Intro people are invited to dance at the student night after they have finished the ten weeks but it is entirely no pressure. I have a strict rule that if they get to the edge of the stage and realise they just can't do it, then they can walk away, no questions asked. The audience is told how long they have been dancing and that they have never performed before. The costume is just wear something black and add a hip scarf or shawl and wear some sparkles. This gives them a taste of what it's like and usually a burning desire to continue (nothing beats that feeling of coming off stage to cheers am I right girls?)

Beginner dancers are women who have just come out of intro or have been dancing less than 2 years with another teacher. This is where 'styles' are approached, props are learnt and layering is started to be worked on. Some women never leave this class because it's so relaxed and fun. Honestly there is so much to learn that you can stay there for years and not get bored. For performances (student nights), the idea is still fun. Costumes are usually a hip scarf with a circle skirt and a tie up top. But usually the subject is discussed in rehearsals and the dancers can decide what they are comfortable wearing (and usually making or buying). Also there is always a senior dancer or instructor up the front to 'butt watch'.

After beginners, when the director has quietly judged your ability you can move into a specialised dance area, performance, Romani, theatrical etc etc. These classes are really demanding but also fun, these girls will usually do several dances at a student night and also attend other schools haflas if they so wish to perform. Costumes are specific to the dance style. Less experienced dancers are always put to the 'back' and are surrounded by dancers who are old hats.

Beyond all this is the troupe. Troupe members are the ones who do paid gigs and represent the school in charity events and the like. They are very strict on costume and members in waiting are judged when they are ready to join full members in paid gigs.

Ok that was a huge post, sorry, but I thought others might like to know about a really successful way to introduce performance to students.
Oh and I should add that EVERY dancer at any level gets the 'hairy arm pit talk' before performing. The fundamental list of DO'S and DON'TS for performance lol

Blue Ree, what a marvelous luxury to have enough students to structure it all that way! lovely

Originally Posted by Blue Ree Artisan

(nothing beats that feeling of coming off stage to cheers am I right girls?)

AMEN!

I still remember my first performance. I had been a baby belly dancer for no more than five weeks. FIVE WEEKS!!!

The season started in late September and there was a November workshop with a dinner and show coming up. Our instructor had been told by the studio director (who was sponsoring the workshop) that she wanted us to perform in the show. Our instructor didn't really think it was appropriate putting five-week beginners in a show like that, and she made it very clear that the performance was entirely optional. But I was a SUPER dedicated student (can we say "caught the belly dance bug"?) and no way was I going to pass this up. But as Tourbeau mentions above, it was VERY important to me that I do the performance justice.
I practiced every single day for hours. I got together with my friends who were taking the class with me and we drilled, drilled, drilled. And finally, we performed. And it went well, but only because we had drilled so hard and so often.

I will never forget the rush afterward. I don't remember getting off the stage or going to the dressing room. I think I flew. Eventually I turned to my instructor and I said, "If there was ever any doubt on whether I loved doing this, it has been completely erased! I want to go back out there!"

That was five years ago now. I saw that instructor this weekend (she was at a student recital where I had been invited to perform my own original choreography as a solo dancer. How far I've come!) While we were catching up, we joked about that night and the absurdly short amount of time we had to prepare!

Was it appropriate that we only had five weeks of training? Well, the performance went very well, so I guess the answer in this case is yes. We as students had enough time and dedication to push for it. If we hadn't, our instructor would have pulled us. And she knew it was probably not the best case scenario. But I don't think I personally would ever ask a group of students to do such a thing. Six months? Maybe. And only if I thought they were working hard to be ready for the performance all along.

Originally Posted by lplmuk

Has anyone here ever told a student they cannot perform at a hafla? If so, how did you approach it?

Yes.

Said student had not shown up for 3 of the 5 rehearsals I told the interested students they needed to attend. At the last two rehearsals, most of the students decided they would rather attend the show than perform, so we turned that number into a solo by the one student who 1) was getting it and 2) had been at all rehearsals. (She did a fantastic job, btw.)

Said student shows up at the venue THE DAY OF THE EVENT and says "So who am I dancing with?" and I said, "Well at the last 2 rehearsals we decided to make this a solo number." She took it okay, but later sent me an email saying she was taking a break from classes and hasn't been back since. That was in February.

Putting an unprepared student on stage is unfair to the students who DO practice and put the time in to rehearsals.

I think it is important to make a distinction between a student who has been working hard, faithfully showing up to rehearsals and practicing at home, but manages to blow a mental fuse on stage, versus a student who messes up because they didn't take rehearsals and practicing seriously. I'm a lot more willing to cut the first one some slack than the second one, because even the most seasoned performers can make mistakes.

I cringe when teachers laugh off rehearsals with magical talk about how "things always come together at the last minute on stage!" No, sometimes they don't. Sometimes a sloppy, inexcusable mess gets on stage. There is no such thing as a gig that doesn't matter enough to try to prepare for it adequately. Whenever you get in front of an audience it matters. It matters to them. It matters to your reputation, and your teacher's reputation, and the reputation of every other dancer in the world. It matters to the dance itself. Just because you're not getting paid, or the show has no admission charge, or your audience isn't full of experts, you're still obligated to do the best job you can. Audiences don't expect you to deliver the four most brilliant, insightful, and entertaining minutes of their lives every time you step on stage, but you do have to at least leave them with a sense that you respected them enough to put forth a good effort.

And a pox on teachers who dawdle around and don't pace teaching their choreographies properly. It's not the students' fault if you spent two months working on the first two minutes of the routine, and bulldozed through the last three minutes of the piece two classes before the show. It's your job to help them learn how long it takes to prepare, too. Set a good example!

Exactly! And not one single teacher who has posted here has been saying that's what they do...

Those of us who are preparing our students for performance are *not* the exceptions, we are the rule. I very rarely come across a student performance which is quite as shambolic and unprepared as seems to happen in Tourbeau's and Caroline's necks of the wood.

I watch *loads* of student haflah performances, and student showcase performances. And I can only think of one piece in the last two years, where I rolled my eyes and thought "What on earth was the teacher doing putting her students forward like this?". So I would say that *in my area, which includes London and the South East of England* the overwhelming majority of teachers are doing a stand up job of preparing their students for *student* performance.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

I cringe when teachers laugh off rehearsals with magical talk about how "things always come together at the last minute on stage!" No, sometimes they don't. Sometimes a sloppy, inexcusable mess gets on stage. There is no such thing as a gig that doesn't matter enough to try to prepare for it adequately.

Okay, I need to qualify this, because I DO say it and in my case I say it because it's true!

I adequately prepare my students, and they work hard. When I say "things always come together at the last minute" it is usually because we haven't reached what I call the tipping point. we can work for months and months, everyone putting in their best and folks are starting to get frustrated, because "it should look better than this by now" and I am about to start pulling my hair out... except that I do remember all the other shows and recitals, and things really do pull together in the last couple weeks that looked hopeless a week before that. It's a little like having a one year old. One day they can barely stand up and you think they are never going to walk, next week she's running across the living room. At some point, things really do just click. Now, if things really were still a hot mess at dress rehearsal, you bet I'd pull that number, no matter how many tickets those students had sold, how much the recital costume cost or whatever. This is part of the reason I think dress rehearsals are essential, especially if you have more than one group of dancers involved. I have never had to pull a number.

Okay, I take that back- my poor dancers- when one dancer called in sick, we hurried to rework it. Second dancer- sure, it would be tight, but we could do it. When the third dancer started throwing up, we pulled the number- only time in 8 years of teaching.

ETA: I guess what I'm saying is that's a legitimate phrase when it is used to mean "I know you're working hard, trust me, it WILL come together." I've never heard it used to mean "don't worry about putting in the effort, stage magic will take care of everything."

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

I cringe when teachers laugh off rehearsals with magical talk about how "things always come together at the last minute on stage!"

I never had a teacher who did that. I agree that's a cringe-worthy attitude.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

There is no such thing as a gig that doesn't matter enough to try to prepare for it adequately. Whenever you get in front of an audience it matters.

I agree. Each and every audience member is giving the performers the gift of their time and attention. It is the obligation of the performers to be worthy of that gift, whether or not money is involved.

Originally Posted by beafarhana

Exactly! And not one single teacher who has posted here has been saying that's what they do...

Those of us who are preparing our students for performance are *not* the exceptions, we are the rule. I very rarely come across a student performance which is quite as shambolic and unprepared as seems to happen in Tourbeau's and Caroline's necks of the wood.

What we're seeing here is mostly "singing to the choir," namely, that dancers who are conscientious and academically minded are more likely to congregate in a discussion forum like this than dancers who don't prioritize strong ethics and learning as much as you can. There'll always be some allowance for regional variations, and the farther you are off the beaten path, the more likely I believe you are to see lower standards.

I think things are better than when I started in 1999, which was just as the Internet was starting to take off, but it's not terribly uncommon today in my neck of the woods to encounter dancers who've taken classes for years but still have no idea places like Bhuz and OD.net even exist. The population on these sites is skewed toward the "high motivation" end of the spectrum, so it's not surprising the low end isn't well represented. If they were interested enough to be here, they wouldn't be at the low end.

I agree that there is a certain amount of preaching to the choir going on here, and no-one is going to dare post "Oh I just teach the routine in three weeks in class and then get students performing it with no rehearsal or thought as to costuming" here, now that it's clear there is a good number of teachers who do actually do their job properly and professionally.

But I still am left with the knowledge that I simply don't *see* those appalling unprepared performances. Maybe it's just that we are blessed in the area I work in, to have good teachers who do their job, without having to bang the drum about it. The student performances I see, at haflahs and showcases, are generally well-presented.

Hmm, is it a case of not seeing bad performances or maybe obliterating them from your mind after you've seen them

I know I've tried to desperately forget really bad performances, however, I noticed that often it's not the group performances that are unprepared but the solo efforts, they have a fancy costume but don't quite live up to its expectation.

A good teacher will work with the group to get them ready, but I suspect the students that go solo, either with or without teacher's blessing seem to be the ones with the least preparation probably because the teacher has been unable to spend the time with them. That's not the teacher's fault, that leap from group to solo can be a large one and some students just don't pull it off. I've seen it a number of times, but don't really know what the answer is besides maybe that they don't ever dance (a bit harsh, I know)?

another great topic, nothing to add because I have only taught beginner level and veil classes but ..great topic

Originally Posted by mafadalo

A good teacher will work with the group to get them ready, but I suspect the students that go solo, either with or without teacher's blessing seem to be the ones with the least preparation probably because the teacher has been unable to spend the time with them. That's not the teacher's fault, that leap from group to solo can be a large one and some students just don't pull it off. I've seen it a number of times, but don't really know what the answer is besides maybe that they don't ever dance (a bit harsh, I know)?

A friend of mine who teaches found that groups in her class were booking themsleves in to dance at haflahs but then reffering to themsleves as the class group from X.
I saw the performance and was astonished at the poor standard and chaos.
I called my friend and said 'what the XXX was that?' (because we know each other well and can address each other very directly) she knew nothing about it. At the end of the day it was a haflah so it was ok, but people did comment their surprise to me.

It's not possible to control everything and nor should we.

I cant stand teachers who are utter control freaks, but nor do I have sympathy for people who do not make clear boundaries.
I do however know from experience that it is a very difficult balance to make, it often comes down to the needs and love and of the dance for the students and respect for standards of dance in the public arena.