Thread: Mandatory Classes for a Troupe...Yes? No?

How many of you out there are required to take classes (not just troupe meetings) in order to belong to a troupe? From whom? How many times? Are there exceptions allowed? Tell me what's goin on out there beyond my cave dwelling in east nowhere, NM....

Additionally posted in the teachers group with more detail.

I'm in a troupe with this requirement. We don't work on technique in troupe rehearsals, so it's required to either be taking classes (or teaching classes) so we continue to improve and not get rusty. However, there can be exceptions for advanced dancers who don't teach, for example, if the directors trust them to work on their own a lot, like with videos.

Anyway, that's the official rule, but I'm not sure that its really enforced.

Also, I forgot to add, we can take lessons from anyone in town, whether they're in the troupe or not, and in any style of bellydance, and 1 class a week is enough.

requirement.

How is this tracked? If it is not tracked - isnt this more of a suggestion? How is it enforced? I know I am sounding a bit dictatorial here...but is this just a matter of trust between dancers? This is somewhere between good clean fun and deadly serious in my world.

We meet for practise and rehearsal every week and any extras we can. We also make sure we go to any expert workshops. We have all signed a constitution. We have a subscription scheme to pay for new costumes, DVDs, trips etc. Yes have fun but to be as good as you can,you has to take a more serious line.

To be in my troupe you must take classes from me. This is so everyone is on the same page technique-wise and so I know what's going on with the dancer's abilities, limitations and potentials. Troupe members only pay a small fee towards studio rental and troupe expenses (like props and business cards).

The members of the student performing group that Tedi and I direct have to take a class, either with one of us, or with another dancer (in our pro group) that teaches. If they wanted to fulfill this obligation by driving to a larger town and taking, say, occasional privates with a qualified teacher, they could do that too. They just have to be training.

Because real dancers train. Period.

Hi, my performing student troupe was required to be in classes with me and I encouraged them to attend workshops together as muxh as possible ( I went too I will add to be up on what materials they were learning)
The professional troupe Sahah that I was in brought in some top instructors during our formative years and all attended and studied with the same teachers. This helped to unify technique.

The members of my student troupe are required to take classes with me and to attend troupe rehearsals. It is all spelled out in the troupe contract. For my professional troupe, they are not required to take classes with me but are required to attend rehearsals and to continue their dance education through workshops or private lessons.

And I will add to what Sedonia said (as she only talked about our student performing group). For our professional troupe we do not have a written rule/ requirement on this, but each of us is either teaching or taking one of our three weekly clases in addition to our weekly troupe rehearsals. We also add additional weekly rehearsal time when needed as we prepare for specific events.

I have never had a troupe made up of my students. If I did, I think taking classes with me would be part of the requirement.

However, I have both been in and directed troupes with other dancers, most of them working pros and serious hobbyists. We always agreed that we would all be taking classes or workshops from someone on a regular basis in order to stay in dance shape, be learning new techniques and ideas to draw from, and to make sure our rehearsals were not class, but...rehearsals!

In general it was successful.

My troupe is a student troupe, and they do need to take class from me in order to be part of the troupe. I have it worded this way in the troupe guidelines:

1. Joining Criteria

Troupe members must be current students of a) Level 2 Group class with satisfactory attendance or b) Private/Semi-Private students at Level 2 equivalent taking at least 2 lessons per month.

I purposely the vague term "satisfactory" for attendance because it really does depend on the student how much class they can miss and still have the necessary skills to be in the troupe. I have some that practice so much at home, they could miss a few classes and still be sharp as a tack, and I have others that need every minute in class that they can get. I get to make the call - I refer to my student troupe as run with a "benevolent dictatorship". ..g.:

Dont you ever get cries of...foul...that's not fair...you didnt make her do it!!!

Originally Posted by anala

Dont you ever get cries of...foul...that's not fair...you didnt make her do it!!!

So far, no, because everyone is really dedicated and enthusiastic. But I've only had the troupe since September.

This is one of the reasons I don't charge for the rehearsals. The troupe knows that I am doing this because it's something I enjoy doing and fulfills me. If there's too much drama, I'll stop the troupe in a heartbeat because my time is more valuable than that.

It's my way or the highway, baby. :zillevil: If you don't like the rules, don't be in the troupe. I'm usually pretty laid back with students, but I'm hardcore with the troupe. There are a lot of rules that you need to follow to be a good performer (show up on time, costume properly, etc.), and there's no place better to start drilling than at home.

I know of one teacher who requires her troupe members to attend her advanced dance class once a week.

I know of another teacher who requires her student troupe members to take TWO classes at her own studio per week apart from troupe rehearsal.

I don't currently have a student troupe, but when I did, I required them to attend my class once a week.

no place better to start drilling than at home
huh?
The troupe pays a fee to cover the cost of utilites and rent for the 2 hours a week it uses my studio. This comes out of troupe dues and it equates to about half the dues every month...there are 13 of us. I think that without the troupe, my opportunity to perform in this small town is greatly reduced, so in the balance of power...it is a New Mexican standoff!

I know of one teacher who requires her troupe members to attend her advanced dance class once a week.

Unfortunatley...my skill set (as I percieve it to be ) is not up to snuff to do an "advanced class" at this time...so rather like Rodney Dangerfield...I dont get no respect!

Yeah, and without the troupe, *their* opportunities to perform are equally limited, right?

I think it's fine to require class attendance for troupe members, for all the reasons cited, but I would just add one caveat: Be sure that you are providing good value in class. Don't make troupers pay for a class in which you're going to teach a choreography they learned two years ago, or whatever. Drilling is fine, but be sure to keep the class content fresh and interesting. Otherwise it starts to feel like a rip-off.

I don't have a 'troupe' but I do have a 'student repertory group.' Semantics, I know...

The rep class is on the weekend and requires concurrent enrollment in my Level 4 choreography class. (you don't have to be in the rep class to take the choreo class, though). Students get a discount when enrolling for more than one class.

This way, students in the rep class already *know* the choreographies, they've been broken down & taught in the choreo class. The purpose of the rep class is to polish those choreos beyond the level that my non-rep students will tolerate (LOL) and to keep a repertoire of choreos rehearsed & fresh. Preparations for upcoming performances take place in the rep class so we're not taking time away from the level 4 students who don't want to perform. And I know my performing students are dancing a minimum of twice per week, which is necessary to keep them performance-ready.

I have a no-cut policy for my rep group, no auditions or anything, so this is how I make sure it's limited only to the most committed students. And I've made clear to them that I don't want the added expense of the second class to keep anyone away -- I've done work-study, scholarship and payment arrangements as necessary to keep everyone who wants to be involved in class!

Drilling is fine, but be sure to keep the class content fresh and interesting. Otherwise it starts to feel like a rip-off.

That is what has concerned me from the onset...when I was director only..mandatory policy was easy...it did not accrue to my financial benefit. Now that I am teaching as well...if a troupe member finds the class unchallenging, I have an ethical problem in coercing them to do so. However..do I just trust that they dance at home? The point of a mandatory class attendance is to keep the skill set sharp, and if you need better instruction than I can give ... hie thee to workshops at least 3 times a year.

I have a no-cut policy for my rep group, no auditions or anything, so this is how I make sure it's limited only to the most committed students

Dance speak...(duh )...please elaborate. I have virtually no dance background! If I lived in a bigger town...I assure you, I would not be teaching!

The "pro" troupe I was in required 2 classes a week from the troupe leader (or her sub). This was in addition to once or twice a week rehearsals. Because I had very little time outside my job, and because I was an advanced dancer already, (and I made all the rehearsals); I worked out a deal where a different fitness or dance class counted towards 1 of the 2 class minimum.
I have to say I did sometimes get bored in these required classes and would have rather taken more challenging ones somewhere else even though I wanted to stay in the troupe.

Originally Posted by anala

no place better to start drilling than at home
huh?
The troupe pays a fee to cover the cost of utilites and rent for the 2 hours a week it uses my studio. This comes out of troupe dues and it equates to about half the dues every month...there are 13 of us. I think that without the troupe, my opportunity to perform in this small town is greatly reduced, so in the balance of power...it is a New Mexican standoff!

"no place better to start drilling than at home". Wow, that came out weird! ..l;, What I meant to say was that there's no better place to drill into people that a good performer follows the rules set by the event promoters, than from day one within the troupe by making sure they follow my rules.

Luckily, one of the places I teach at allows me to use the facility for free for troupe rehearsals. I do have in the troupe guidelines though that if I can no longer have a rent free space, I'll have to institute troupe dues to cover the cost.

Originally Posted by anala

[COLOR="DarkRed"]

I have a no-cut policy for my rep group, no auditions or anything, so this is how I make sure it's limited only to the most committed students

Dance speak...(duh )...please elaborate. I have virtually no dance background! If I lived in a bigger town...I assure you, I would not be teaching!

Sorry, I borrowed the 'no cut' phrase from my son's sports teams. It means everyone gets in, no auditions, no exclusions, no one is ever told 'you're not good enough.' It's a student group, and I want it to be open to everyone who wants to participate.

But, at the same time, this group performs for the general public and they need to dance well. Casual students who aren't really committed to the group get weeded out because they don't want to commit to both classes.

And students who struggle do much better when they're attending class twice a week rather than once.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Sorry, I borrowed the 'no cut' phrase from my son's sports teams. It means everyone gets in, no auditions, no exclusions, no one is ever told 'you're not good enough.' It's a student group, and I want it to be open to everyone who wants to participate.

But, at the same time, this group performs for the general public and they need to dance well. Casual students who aren't really committed to the group get weeded out because they don't want to commit to both classes.

And students who struggle do much better when they're attending class twice a week rather than once.

Lauren,
Your policy sounds fair enough and I like that it gives all students an opportunity to play.

Originally Posted by Monica

and to make sure our rehearsals were not class, but...rehearsals!

That's the key element to me when it comes to being required to take classes when part of a troupe--I've been in a troupe where not everybody took classes from the instructor who was the troupe leader (or someone who was her equivalent stylistically speaking), and rehearsals would get bogged down with explanations and teaching. I also think that it's very important, if you want the troupe to have a unified look, for everybody in it to have the same training (not that they can't also do other things on their own, but they need to know the troupe vocabulary and accent).

I think that gives you the out if student A protests "but you aren't making students B and C take the class!" Your reply is "Students B and C already know how to do these moves in the way that I want them to, having taken my class for longer, and they do it reliably well in every rehearsal. You need a little more work to get to that level, and since I'm troupe director, my word goes. Keep working hard, though, and if/when you get up to that level I'll be able to drop that requirement for you too." Harsh, but if you have a vision for your troupe beyond "hey let's have fun together" it's the kind of approach that's necessary.

These questions can be hard, because I think there's such a huge difference between a student troupe (of course they'd all have to be students of the same teacher, that's the point) and a pro troupe (where one would assume that the auditions would be rigorous and the rehearsals frequent and demanding, and anyone who isn't training hard would fall by the wayside, no requirement necessary).

I think 80% of all BD troupes fall into some gray area in between "Jane's Student Group That Dances at Haflas and Nursing Homes" and the BDSS/Desert Roses. So these areas get really murky...

The thing about troupe work is that it's vital to rehearse as a group...it's all very well doing your own bit at home, but to be honest, you need to be regularly working together. There are so many considerations to good troupe training...including that the dancers must be able to work as a collective. There is no room for an individual to shine, and having one member who consistently tries to upstage the rest is a pain in the arse...and should be pruned from the group. It's also vital that each member know each other's part in each choreo so that there are no weak links, and each can appreciate what the other is doing. The other thing that I think is important is that there is always only one director for each choreo...or all. Nothing worse than too many chiefs and not enough indians.

If there's one area where not enough training, practice and drilling shows, it's in troupe work.

Yepper that's it. My crazy passion...I spent my first 4 years dreaming myself to sleep dancing and dreaming myself awake. The last 2 years have been spent working toward the reality of being a "real" dancer and instructor. I just cant stop pushing myself or anyone around me. This leads to conflicts. It can be deemed rather silly to work so hard just to dance next to the deli case at the Falafel Hut...but it aint about the Hut..it's about me - and my desire to work hard to express myself in the best way I know how. And for my troupe and this dance form to be respected and well represented.

I was in a troupe for five years and we only met once a week, except for extra rehearsals to prep for gigs. (which were haflas, workshops, fairs for the most part) We concentrated on choreography, rarely on technique.

There was no requirement for extra classes thankfully because the leader's other classes were primarily at rec centers, continuing ed...and while I'm not all that advanced, I couldn't/wouldn't spend time with the classes at that level.

Unfortunately, it also wasn't warmly looked upon when I took classes from other teachers in our community, or did workshops on my own in my effort to raise my knowledge and skill level.

I take classes at an excellent studio now, and am no longer in a troupe. The troupe out of that studio expects their members to take classes. From the outside I see that it really does build a more consistent technique among it's members -- and that's an important look to me when I watch a troupe.

I require our company members to attend company rehearsals, extra curricular rehearsals prior to performances as well as whatever classes they can fit into their schedule in addition that we offer at our academy. Attendance is tracked and anyone abcent more than 20% of rehearsals have to refrain from the next performance.

Premier company dancers also have to pass the EDA diploma program as a requirement. General company dancers are only required to attend rehearsals.

DaVid