Simply Adult Ballet: the progress of one adult dancer who took up ballet later in life

[Fiz]

It sounds amazing, Lin! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much.

[RachaelMarie28]

Hi everyone!

I've just joined Balletco forum and am so pleased to find that there is an adult ballet discussion board.  I am setting up my own dance school for adults offering ballet and tap and I just wondered what other people think of the idea.  My school will operate in Berkshire and Oxfordshire and will not be attached to a children's school.  It will be a dance school solely for adults- I want to offer a non-competitive environment providing beginner and improvers ballet and tap classes.

I will be renting out studio space so it should be quite a nice environment with ballet barres, mirrors and wooden sprung flooring.   Please get in touch if you are interested in attending the classes, just curious or have any advice (I am also looking for advice as I will be running the school as a sole-trader!). 

Thanks, and its great to hear of so many adults dancing.

Rachael-Marie.

[Fiz]

It sounds great! Good luck!

[CrystalBallet]

Michelle, thank you for setting up this topic.

 

We're a film company predominantly but we branched out into adult ballet classes in September of this year. We've done one term and we're setting up the spring term at the moment. If anyone is interested in doing adult ballet class (and I guess by the topic of this thread people are!) then please go to www.crystalballet.com where we've got some info about how the past term progressed and what we're doing from January.

 

We basically offer two classes per week and three weekend courses per term. The weekend courses offer men and ladies repertoire days, "dance" weekend featuring Pilates, tap, contemporary and stage craft and a very popular adult Pas De Deux weekend.

 

I look forward to seeing loads more people this coming term!

[Anna C]

Hello Crystalballet, welcome to the forum. :-)

 

In line with the "Commerce" section of our forum guidelines, would you mind adding your commercial contact details to your signature? Do ask if you have any problems doing so.

 

Thank you!

[Michelle_Richer]

Michelle, thank you for setting up this topic.

You are very welcome Crystal Ballet.

 

I’m very curious about one of the term you used “Stage Craft” perhaps you could explain what you mean by that?

 

I know a number of my friends from ENB and LAB are already with you and speak highly of your classes. I don’t see much useful information in you offering on you website thought. Even facebook it seem you have to be a friend to view it. However there was a bit more info on twitter.

 

I see from Twitter you have plans coming together for a 5 day residential Easter course on Swan Lake Act 1 and 2.

 

1) Does this mean dancers live on site and perhaps the course extends in the evenings?

 

2) Do you have a skeleton time table for the course?

 

3) Has it been decided what scenes are being covered and against what artists version, As I have been caught out by this one many times. Do you actually give advance warning of the rep in the form of youtube clip for prep for the dancers, as that’s quite common with organisations like the Royal Academy of Dance, and City Academy and was also the case with LAB but sadly that seems to have disappeared with LAB.?

 

Finally but not related, how do you get enough guys for a Pas De Deux weekend or do the girls have to share? or alternatively do you have to provide you own?

[Kate_N]

My school will operate in Berkshire and Oxfordshire and will not be attached to a children's school.  It will be a dance school solely for adults- I want to offer a non-competitive environment providing beginner and improvers ballet and tap classes.

 

 

RachaelMarie, that's great news! I'm nowhere near that geographical area, but I know that there are always people looking for good ballet (and other dance forms) classes which welcome adult students. I've found a lovely studio in my town -- I've recently moved ito the deep deep south west, and one of the few things I missed about the city I left were very good and frequent advanced ballet classes. NBut I've now found a lovely studio, with a really excellent teacher. Not very advanced classes, but I'm getting up to speed after 2 years away from the barre, and happy to work on the basics.

 

Not sure about the next bit, but anyway ... [mods, please remove if it's contrary to your rules here] I hang out on another ballet message board and help moderate the Adult Studejts section. And I know there are a few people there looking for classes in the area in which you're setting up your school. So I'll post a link to here, and hopefully you'll have some more students!

[lartiste]

My new year's resolution for 2015 is to surpass the level of ballet knowledge acquired in 2010 and 2012/13 when I was at my peak. 2014 has many highlights - classes at the Royal Ballet School and London Russian Ballet School - but 2015 I have decided is going to be The Year, With that in mind I am investigating:

 

City Academy Workshops

Danceworks Masterclasses

English National Ballet Workshops

LAB Summer Intensives

McAlpine Ballet

Crystal Ballet Easter Swan Lake Workshops

Full Time ballet training - please this be the year!

Royal Ballet School Classes - please, please with all fingers crossed that these classes are reinstated

Possibly jollying across to Capezio Peridance or Sunking Dance in North America

 

 

As I've been out of the saddle in terms of workshops this year - are Birmingham Royal Ballet still running adult classes? I remember attending an excellent Aladdin 1 1/2 hour evening class/workshop at the BRB studios back in early 2013 and I was wondering if anyone knows off the top of their head whether these continued in 2014?

 

Compared to when I first started a summer intensive at The Place in summer 2010 there are so many options for adult dancers now as to be completely spoiled for choice in the UK it's an excellent position to find oneself in!  

 

A further resolution is to catch up with all the goings on of everyone I have missed by catching up with this thread.

 

I have already started picking out the leotards I would like for next year Bloch do an amazing range at the moment and not just their Mirella designer styles as do Wear Moi. Again compared to when I first began to seriously commit myself to ballet even in terms of adult leotard fashions there is so much selection I really feel the opportunities opening up to older dancers can only be seen as a positive thing!

[2dancersmum]

Birmingham Royal Ballet have an adults workshop coming up in March.  RAD also run associates classes in Birmingham now as well if Birmingham is convenient for you

 

http://www.brb.org.uk/dfl-insight-taster.html

 

 

http://www.rad.org.uk/events/associate-class-birmingham-5

[lartiste]

Thank you 2dancersmum I really appreciate your post!

 

I'm printing off a copy of the application form and it will be winging it's way to BRB asap. I actually live a good 200+ miles away from Birmingham but I'm always dotting around the country in pursuit of the next ballet experience I'm a balletomane in every sense lol!

[LinMM]

Thanks for the list of those 18plus classes run by RAD in Birmingham.

 

I couldn't see a workshop advertised though.

 

In January last year did a lovely RAD workshop on Cinderella at RAD headquarters in London and again like the ENB were very good value for money.

I might even be prepared to travel up to Birmingham for a workshop and hopefully combine with a visit to a BRB performance!!

 

Lartiste......you might also want to look at the workshops run by Franziska Rosenzweig. This year they will be held at the Place.

 

If you go to her website and go into the holistic ballet section(I will try to post a link) then you will see the workshops there.

These are really well taught and I love doing the hour of Pilates first so that by the time you come to the barre you are really ready for it physically. After the barre she usually then focuses on different sections or even just certain steps from a normal ballet class and then puts them in an enchainement .

A couple of the workshops focus on repertoire usually later in the summer.

 

Ive just booked her first one in 2015 which is on sat Feb 14th.

I missed all last years ones due to injury so am really looking forward to doing these again.

 

Good luck with your 2015 resolutions I hope you achieve at least some of them!!

 

Also I wish London Russian would start running Adult workshops!! I'm hoping to be back in my first class for a year with them from February.

Edited December 28, 2014 by LinMM

[LinMM]

http://www.holisticballet.com/Holistic_Ballet/13.html

 

Here is the link for February workshop.....just hope it works!

[2dancersmum]

RAD's ballet workshops for adults coming up are on the following link.

http://www.rad.org.uk/learn-to-dance/find-an-activity/adult-repertoire-workshop-1

[lartiste]

Thank you LinMM and 2dancersmum you are both stars for posting these links to the forum!

 

LinMM I will look up Franziska Rosenzweig asap and I completely agree next time I e-mail LRBS I may politely request an adult workshop as their teachers are brilliant and former principals familiar with a great deal of Russian repetoire on the whole! Recently Vladimir Varnara - a Golden Mask winner who has partnered Svetlana Zakharova - performed at their recital at Cadogan Hall I wish I had been there to witness it but was not discharged from hospital until the 18th December, just in time for Christmas.

 

I also feel your pain as I also missed many classes and all workshops in 2014 including summer and easter intensives due to injury - I've been in and out of hospital twice in 2014 and once in 2013 which put paid to some of my aspirations in those years. I hope 2015 is a fantastic year for all of us in ballet terms and beyond!

 

I have a lot of catching up to do but I know it will be worth it! Looking forward to catching up with you at, at least one of the workshops LinMM if you don't mind once it's finalised I will PM to you my workshop schedule and we can see if any of the dates intersect?

 

2dancersmum - sorry if this question has been covered by yourself earlier in the thread I still need to catch up - will you be scheduling for any workshops this year?

[LinMM]

Would love to meet up if possible Lartiste!!

 

We may find we already have!!

[LinMM]

I had to miss that December 8th performance at the Cadogan Hall unfortunately but did go to their Summer one.

 

Yes I feel London Russian should have the possibility of some good complete or adapted repertoire to offer their more adult dancers!!

They could start in a small way (half day workshops) and see what the take up would be!

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lartiste    

It’s a long time since I've seen you on this forum and welcome back, sorry to hear you’ve been in hospital and deprived of ballet.

I agree with Lin’s comment when she says ENB workshops are good value, however I think its better to keep them in the same context as BRB and think of them as tasters, as they seldom finish a dance to a particular scene and will contain a lot of adapted choreography in it. Mostly only one dance is covered, but occasionally two. The downside of ENB workshops for me, is, you have no idea other than the name of the ballet as to what you will be dancing.

 

 

RAD workshops: these are a little more expensive but still quite short, usually two dances from a particular ballet are taught. Mostly a week or two before workshop details of the rep are sent in the form of an email, mostly with a YouTube link to at least one piece of the choreography to be danced. Never the less teachers do sometimes change things, I’ve done Romeo and Juliet twice with RAD and both times we had “Dance of the knights” as our first piece and the same YouTube clip used as reference, but alas the second time (Edinburgh) the version was quite different.

 

I attended the same Cinderella Workshop as Lin and the teacher dropped one of the pieces we were to have danced, admittedly at that workshop there was some confusion over the ending time. I was extremely disappointed as I had put time in learning that rep, as the other pieces being taught was what I would call fun pieces and not one that I particularly wanted to remember.

 

Holistic Ballet (Franziska Rosenzweig), although Franziska only does a small number of repertoire based workshops each year, what she does teach is brilliant. She also publishes the youtube link on her website as reference, so you fully understand what's being taught, very little is simplified but she will remove a typical ending which ends in travelling turns etc in a circle on health and safety grounds. I can live with that as I can finish it off externally. I did Auroras Variation from Act 3 Sleeping Beauty, and the First Solo from the Pas De Trois variation in Act 1 of Swan Lake with her and they were extremely well taught.

 

 

LAB Summer Shorts; These were 2 hour workshops spanning two weeks, 4 hours in total per workshop. LAB launched a total of six workshops 3 pointe and 3 open workshops. I did two of the three open workshops, these were The Black Swan variation from Swan Lake (ABT version) and Gamzatti variation from Le Corsaire, in these some simplification was inevitable. The Black Swan required a double en dehors pirouette seamless into a double attitude turn, there were two of these in the sequence, we were taught to use a single en dehors with an attitude finish, only one girls in week two attempted a double en dehors with an attitude finish.

 

 

City Academy Workshops, Usually a day in duration (6 to 7 hours), a number of scenes taught from a specific ballet, scene info mostly available but not always. Taught quite close to the original choreography but cleverly simplified if some dancers need it, so they can dance along side the higher group with the same music.

 

 

Intensives: I was hoping CystalBallet was going to provide us with some additional info on their Swan Lake residential workshop, unless you have approached them lartiste and can shed some light on this.

 

BRB did run a taster class this year but I did not attend it, I've emailed Natasha Massie for details as to what is being covered in 2015, especially as many of the other BRB courses are using Coppelia as their topic, so I may attend it in 2015 not sure yet, so we may meet up again.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Michelle_Richer

[lartiste]

LinMM I truly hope so it will be excellent to meet you - or to meet again if we have already met. I am excellent with faces and abysmal at remembering names to my detriment I'm a very visual person!

 

Michelle thank you for such an in-depth overview of all the courses available you're making my life much easier as to which courses to decide upon please let me know which courses you sign up for as it would be lovely to see you again I remember meeting you at BRB fondly!

[CrystalBallet]

Afternoon all,

 

Sorry I left my early message hanging, I posted then promptly went to Spain for Christmas!

 

In answer to your question Michelle, we have the following available:

 

Monday class taught by Laura Carter at ENBS

Wednesday class taught by Deirdre Chapman at ENBS

 

Ladies day 11 january

Mens day 10 january

 

Dance weekend 31 January, 1 February

 

Pas De Deux weekend 21&22 March

 

Then from 2-6 April a fully residential Easter Course in Ongar, Essex. The program follows roughly the following lines but of course this plan is subject to change depending on the daily needs!

 

Friday 3rd April

 

The fun begins!

10:15 - 11:45 Pilates into ballet class

12:00 - 13:00 Act 1 waltz men only.

12:00 - 13:00 Act 2 Swans planning women only.

13:15 - 14:00 Act 1 queen and prince mime.

13:15 - 14:00 Act 2 Swans women only.

14:00 - 15:00 Lunch

15:00 - 16:30 Act 1 full call planning all concerned.

16:45 - 18:00 Act 2 full call planning all concerned.

18:30 a well earned dinner!

 

Optional evening activity: theatre converts to a cinema and we watch Swan Lake.

 

Saturday 4th April

 

10:15 - 11:45 Pilates into ballet class

12:00 - 13:00 Act 1 waltz ladies only

12:00 - 13:00 pas de trois planning

13:15 - 14:00 pas de trois full out

13:15 - 14:00 Von Rothbart planning

14:00 - 15:00 lunch

15:00 - 16:30 Act 1 full call

16:30 - 18:00 Act 2 full call

18:30 dinner

 

Free evening!

 

Sunday 5th April

 

10:15 - 11:45 Pilates into ballet class

12:00 - 13:00 Act 1 Waltz full call men and women

12:00 - 13:00 Von Rothbart planning

13:00 - 14:00 Act 1 Waltz into Pas de trois

14:00 - 15:00 lunch

15:00 - 16:30 Act 1 full call

16:30 - 18:00 Act 2 full call

18:30 Easter Dinner!

 

Monday 6th April

 

10:15 - 11:45 Pilates into ballet class

12:00 - 12:45 Act 1 Waltz into pas de trois into queen and prince mime

12:45 - 13:30 Act 2 pas de deux

13:30 - 14:00 Act 2 swans

14:00 - 15:00 lunch

15:00 - 16:00 Acts 1&2 talk through and final touches

 

16:30 - 17:30 final showcase!

 

17:45 Champagne!!

 

18:30/19:00 transport to Epping station.

 

Hopefully that's not an information overload but whets some appetites. Our aim is to provide some adult ballet experiences without having professional dancers guest and get the plum roles.....

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Crystal Ballet

 

Thank you for you response on your Swan Lake Residential School. For me I still not clear on aspects of your timetable and are inclined to draw some possible wrong conclusions, hence my questions.

 

Re Act 1: Composition:

 

The waltz which you start with, is that the same as would normally follow scene 8 (Arrival of the princess, Siegfried’s mother), Or are you taking it from part of scene 2 (Valse).

 

Pas de trois, are you including first, second and third variations following it, if so will dancers have a choice of which of these to dance or simply dance them all.

 

 

What if anything else is danced before the Queen and Prince’s mime (scene 8 I assume).

 

Re Act 2 Composition:

 

All that’s mentioned is Swans and Pas de Deux

 

It’s difficult to understand where this starts, logically knowing the time constraints I would have expected scene 15 (Entrance of Odette) and I would have been disappointed if that did not include Odette’s mime, even though many recent version have dropped it. Followed by “Entrance of the Swans” including waltz of the swans into Odette and Siegfried’s Pas De Deux. I guess there is little much time for anything else. Unless you included the ankle cracker “Cygnets Dance”

 

 

 

What does the term “Full call” mean as I haven’t come across that before

 

 

Two questions remain outstanding from my previous post (#1438) to you:

 

I’m very curious about one of the term you used “Stage Craft” perhaps you could explain what you mean by that?

 

Does this mean dancers live on site if so what type of accommodation is it at Ongar in Essex.

 

 

What is the dress code for the final showcase?

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Michelle - Full Call means the Full cast is called for a rehearsal rather than just principals or an ensemble.

[CrystalBallet]

Thank you "Picturesinthefirelight", a full call is exactly that. For example over a week you may rehearse "the parents dance", "the party children", "doll solos", "battle". But at some point you'll have to do a Nutcracker Act 1 Full Call.

 

In answer to your questions Michelle, Swan Lake is very long with lots of sections and would be very difficult to learn with adults over 4 days so I've chosen a few major parts to concentrate on. The order will go something like this:

 

Act 1

 

* Entrance of peasants.

* Pas de Trois

* Prince and Queen mime

* Grand Waltz

* Prince solo

* Polonaise into exit

 

Act 2

 

* Swans & Von Rothbart

* Prince and White Swan Grand Pas de Deux

* Cygnets (ankle-crackers!)

 

As you've pointed out there is a lot more that we could do but I don't want to ask of much of everyone over a short time period. In summer we'll do a more concerted intensive for 9 days that will culminate in two shows at a theatre. In that course we'll do a more extended interpretation.

 

We're not concentrating on costumes this time. For our purposes that will be the least important aspect of the "production". I'll ask that everyone wears black for Act 1 and white for Act 2.

 

The residential block that we'll be staying in is owned by Zinc Arts in Ongar where we'll be rehearsing etc. it's a 24 bed facility that offers 4 start hotel style accommodation with laundry and all meals on site. No need to leave!

 

I don't want to take this whole thread up with just our course though (maybe I'll start another one!). Feel free to email me on henry.stclair@crystalballet.com for more info on anything that we're offering.

[Anna C]

Good morning, Crystal Ballet! I'm not sure if we've asked you previously, but as you are posting as a commercial enterprise, would you please edit your signature to add your contact details and website? This is in line with the "Commerce" section of our Acceptable Use Policy.

 

Many thanks!

Kind regards,

[beckyl]

I hope it's OK to post in this thread (I can start my own if necessary) - does anyone know of any workshops/master classes for adults in the Oxford/Reading/Swindon area?

[LinMM]

Hi Beckyl there was somebody called Rachael in post 1434.. ......just back on the previous page who is about to start some adult ballet and workshops I think on your area

 

Also RAD are doing one Swindon sort of way.....in Chippenham I think later in 2015

If you go to post 1445 .....2dancersmum post.....just further back on this page the details are there.

[beckyl]

Thanks. Sadly Chippenham is a bit far for me, I have contacted Rachael and it does sound promising. Hopefully more will come to this area though I am pnning on trying something in London later in the year

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi CrystalBallet

 

I am impressed with the amount of Act 1 you have managed to packed in, thank you for the description.

Act2 however still leaves me with unanswered questions: Swans and Von Rothbart doesn’t tell me very much. Von Rothbart appears towards the back end of “Entrance of Odette, however I guess there are logical breaks you can make to that enchainement, for example the beginning could be dropped off before the mime scene, but I cant help feeling its a bit awkward starting after the mime scene with the introduction of Von Rothbart, probably at the point where Prince Seigfried takes Odette’s arm and waist and they walk away together just before Von Rothbard appears. I can only assume Odette’s mime scene is not included as the Act 1 mime scene was specifically stated.

 

Swans: I guess that’s the first part of Entrance of the swans, will that include the gorgeous waltz of the swans which logically goes into the PDD.

 

General:
I note from your first posting dancers are to do Pilates into ballet class

Pilates: Are dancers to bring our own exercise mats?

 

Ballet Class: I assume dancers will be using the Essex Studio at Zinc Arts, I note they do not have mirrors or ballet barre’s on site, is any provision being made for these or are dancers using chair backs as barre’s.

 

Final Showcase:
Is this to be split up into small groups as I note the stage area in the Essex studio with the rake seating in place is only 7m x 9m.

Class Size and Composition:
I note in your comment Zinc Arts have a 24 bed facility, can I assume some of these will be taken up by teachers, in reality Zinc Arts have 8 Single rooms and 16 twins. So how many male and female dancers are we expecting / accommodate on the course.

 

Costumes: Having recognised  photos of many of your dancers from your flicker site as dancers I have danced with at LAB Intensives and shows, there we generally dance in costume so to speak, eg romantic tutu’s or classical practice tutu’s which appropriate coloured leotards. So I expect a good deal of your dancers would have these, but I’m comfortable either way. If as you say it’s to be black for Act 1 and White for Act 2 Black and White what?, Leo’s and skirts, leggings? I guess I’m looking for some guidance here.

 

Cost: I think that is an obvious one we are all thinking about.

 

As for taking up the whole thread, please don’t worry about that, its is of great interest to us, but feel free if you want to raise the profile to start your own under “Doing Dance”

[Michelle_Richer]

Received from mail drop on 5 Jan 2015

 

 

The Tenth Annual Chelsea Ballet Adult Summer School

 

Chelsea Ballet – a well-established amateur ballet company – is pleased to announce that it will be running its tenth annual week-long summer school in London from Monday, 3rd – Saturday, 8th August 2015. The course is open to anyone over the age of 18 with an elementary and above standard of ballet who would like the chance to work on technique and performance quality in a friendly and supportive environment and receive correction and advice from the teaching staff.

Please note that this school is not suitable for beginners.

The Timetable will be:

Time Duration Class Teacher Cost
10.00-11.00 1 hr Pilates Paola Manfredi £10
11.00-11.15 15 mins Break
11.15-12.45 1.5hrs Ballet: Elementary Michael Branwell £12
12.45-13.00 15 mins Break
13.00-14.00 1 hrs Pointe: Beginners -Elem H e nrietta Branwell £10
14.00-14.15 15 mins Break
14.15-15.45 1.5 hrs Ballet: Intermediate Richard Ramsey £12
15.45-16.00 15 mins Break
16.00 – 17.00 1 hr Pointe: Intermediate Bethany Ramsey £10

 

The school will be held at Pineapple Dance Studios, Covent Garden, London.

We have not included an official lunch break so as to utilise the studio and include a fuller programme. Participants will have the option to sign up for as many or as few classes as they want – “Pic’n’Mix”.

The fee for each class has been held at £9 (1hr) and £11 (1.5hr) for the last few years therefore we are increasing the fee by £1 for 2015.
We will be arranging for a T-shirt to be available. Please let us know if you would like to order one. The cut-off date to order a T-shirt will be Monday, 20th July 2015. • Short sleeved: £10 (S/M/L) • Long sleeved: £12 (S/M/L)

 

For further details, please contact Louise Hudson at chelseaballet@hotmail.com

Edited January 5, 2015 by Michelle_Richer

[LinMM]

Will be doing this one Michelle!

[CrystalBallet]

Hi Michelle,

 

 in reply to your questions:

 

we'll be slightly reorganising Act 2 so that we get an entrance of the Swans with an appearance by Rothbart (that may change!), Swan waltz which leads as you say quite nicely into the PDD.

 

Our Pilates class will be floor and resistance band based and all equipment will be provided.

 

The studio at Zinc doesn't have barres and mirrors but we'll be providing barres (no back of chairs!) but probably not mirrors. I don't find them helpful as they help to mask what the cast know and don't know. This is sometimes only revealed at the final demonstration and I want to avoid that.... we'll only role the seating out half way so theres plenty of space to dance in. We certainly won't split into groups as we want the "performance" to flow as a the full ballet would.

 

The residential block is 24 beds and we're offering 20 rooms to guests with 4 taken by teachers and staff. However, I already have word from a couple of people that they're keen to share so I think we could accommodate 25. So far we have 14 people signed up with a 70/30 split in favour of female.

 

Making or sourcing costume is often a cause of great stress and doesn't add enough to the final demonstration to make me think its worthwhile. I'm more interested in the colours as that will give the illusion of consistency and clarity in the difference between Acts 1 and 2.

 

You're right, cost is all important! The total cost including four nights full board stay and all tuition is £650.

[beckyl]

That residential course sounds amazing I hope I will be ready for that in a few years, but...

 

Something kind of... discouraging happened to me in class yesterday.

 

My studio is very small and there were 13 dancers. We split into two to do the ports de bra so I went in the first group of six. I was in the second row on the right. Everything was very squished and there was an obviously advanced dancer behind me (it's an open class I'd never seen this woman before but she obviously goes sometimes as others knew her.) We were all kind of squished on the right and I didn't even open my arms all the way out to second (no-one really could) and she kind of... made this growling noise at me and then made some kind of whispery comment to her friend.

 

Anyway I felt really bad that I stopped her doing a proper second maybe (but no-one else did either) so for the rest of the class I got WELL out of the way, there wasn't even really space for me to do the choreography we are learning so I just stood at the back and marked it through with another lady.

 

I generally kind of try to get behind someone anyway so I can kind of follow along. I have been really struggling in the centre. What should I do? Should I just get right in the back (but then if we do a combination with a run or turn or something I'd be at the front again!) Should I just mark things through?

 

Otherwise everyone else is so nice and so encouraging. The other girls ask if I need help with anything and are so friendly. My teacher is also really nice and gives me good (and encouraging also!) feedback and correction.

 

I'm a pretty nervous/anxious/timid person in general so I don't know if I'm just overreacting or if I did something wrong. My teacher wants everyone in the class to have a go at everything including advanced steps.

[CrystalBallet]

Hi Becky, welcome to one of the most annoying issues about open class! Often the studio is small and the teacher will try to get as many people in as possible so that they can cover costs and make a bit of money at the same time - fair enough. But when that happens it means people are squished.

 

I would recommend actually going right to the front. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but there's a lot of space at the front there, people generally hang back a good 10 feet. You say that you're timid so this might prove difficult for you but try it for an exercise that you're really comfortable with. Don't forget that if you're just marking the exercise at the back you're really not getting what you've paid for......

 

Which studio were you in?

[beckyl]

Thanks for your advice. I dance at a studio in Abingdon, near Oxford. There aren't really any other options that are feasible for me at the moment. It provdes basically everything I need. When I go to Saturday class it's better because there are only six of us.