6 WAYS TO GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH OUT OF PRIVATE LESSONS
One-on-one sessions can dramatically improve your dance - if you follow these steps
By Meagan Mayada Hesham
Reprinted from Yallah Magazine - Fall 2012
So you've decided you want to get serious about bellydance, kick your dancing up a notch, and take a series of private lessons from your favourite bellydance instructor, or maybe your schedule doesn't permit you to attend group classes so it's more convenient to schedule some privates, or… Whatever the case, privates sessions can certainly give your dancing a big boost. Private sessions are often quite costly, though - be smart: make sure you get the most out of them. Here’s how!
Pick the right instructor for you and your specific needs
Try to attend a group class with the instructor you’re thinking of taking the private with. Does she seem to have the knowledge you desire? Does she give lots of meaty corrections in class? Does she have a well-organized class structure? If you want to learn a folkloric style choreography and your main teacher specializes in oriental-style bellydance, try to go to another instructor whose specialty is what you’re looking to learn. Same goes if you want to try to soften your movements and really work on slow taxim- type steps: don’t go to the instructor known for her sharp accents and drum solos. Often going to an instructor who isn’t your usual or first dance instructor for privates can be a really interesting experience. You’ll get a whole lot of interesting new feedback and suggestions. On the other hand, privates with your regular bellydance instructor can be beneficial as she’s familiar with your body and how it moves, and you know her specific style of bellydance, so you can deepen your knowledge in that style with her.
Know what you want to get out of your privates and make sure your instructor knows as well
Even before booking your private, think about what you want to get out of it. Do you want a certain song choreographed and taught to you? Help and fine-tuning for a piece you've choreographed yourself? New combinations and steps? Cleaning up technique you already know? Advice on how to improvise to a live band? Or a combination of a few of these? Whatever it is, make sure you tell your teacher prior to the private so she can prepare anything necessary before the private. Also, you won't waste time discussing what you want to do during the private. Making a list of the items you'd like to work on and bringing it along to the session will go a long way towards ensuring you get to everything. During the class, if the teacher’s going down a path that seems to be veering too far from where you want to be – by all means, speak up! Instructors want you to be happy and satisfied with what they teach, but shouldn’t be expected to read minds; communicate and everyone wins.
Don't try to cram everything into one private
It’s a mistake to try to cram too much into one private - a whole choreography, new technique, and advice on improvising would be an example of too much. It may seem like that’s the best way to get real value for your class dollar, but it’s a false economy. Instead of feeling happy that you saved money, you’ll come away confused by too much information and frustrated at not being able to retain what you have learned. Much smarter to pick one theme - like refining technique, learning a new choreography, new technical combinations, etc. – and stick with it.
Take notes
Make sure you take detailed notes of things you’ve learned, specific steps or moves you need to work on, choreography, as well as ideas and inspiration that this teacher’s given you. Some instructors feel comfortable allowing you to videotape certain parts of the class, such as a new choreography or technique; if you’re not confident in your ability to remember, this might be worth investigating – just always be sure to ask first!
Be open to feedback
It can be difficult to openly invite feedback from an instructor, but when you think about it, this is really why you’ve booked a private, right? You’re basically asking for lots of specific input, and an excellent instructor will give you lots of objective suggestions, changes to make, ideas, etc. Being one-on-one, privates are naturally a lot more intense – the teacher can see everything you do, you’re not hidden by other students around you, and all the teacher’s focus is on your dancing. Try to adopt a welcoming attitude towards feedback. It’s easy to slip into a defensive mode, making excuses like “Well, my hip isn’t dropping as much as it could because my knee is sore today”, or “The choreography might look a bit sloppy because I’ve been working on deadlines at the office and I’m just beat”. Teachers don’t need to hear all the reasons you can’t do things they tell you to do or fix, plus if you’re making excuses like these you’re really only cheating yourself out of an opportunity to improve your dancing. Bottom line: if you don’t want feedback and to make a difference in your dancing, don’t waste your time and money on private classes … dance around the house and congratulate yourself on what a great dancer you are! If you find you are the type of person who tends to make excuses for every bad habit you have in dance, that’s not the end of the world – a lot of people take feedback too personally. Just try to consciously stop making excuses and start really listening to what your teacher is telling you. Really work at making the change she is recommending, then go home and practice a lot. Nothing is more rewarding to a teacher than to see you listen to her recommendation and make a change for the better because of it!
Work on what you’ve learnt in the private before your next session
Be scrupulous about arranging a few practice sessions before your next private. This way, your teacher can see what you’ve accomplished and will feel comfortable moving on to new stuff. Not doing work on your own in between often means the private turns into little more than a drill practice, which really isn’t deriving maximum value from the short time you have with your instructor.
One-on-one sessions can dramatically improve your dance - if you follow these steps
By Meagan Mayada Hesham
Reprinted from Yallah Magazine - Fall 2012
So you've decided you want to get serious about bellydance, kick your dancing up a notch, and take a series of private lessons from your favourite bellydance instructor, or maybe your schedule doesn't permit you to attend group classes so it's more convenient to schedule some privates, or… Whatever the case, privates sessions can certainly give your dancing a big boost. Private sessions are often quite costly, though - be smart: make sure you get the most out of them. Here’s how!
Pick the right instructor for you and your specific needs
Try to attend a group class with the instructor you’re thinking of taking the private with. Does she seem to have the knowledge you desire? Does she give lots of meaty corrections in class? Does she have a well-organized class structure? If you want to learn a folkloric style choreography and your main teacher specializes in oriental-style bellydance, try to go to another instructor whose specialty is what you’re looking to learn. Same goes if you want to try to soften your movements and really work on slow taxim- type steps: don’t go to the instructor known for her sharp accents and drum solos. Often going to an instructor who isn’t your usual or first dance instructor for privates can be a really interesting experience. You’ll get a whole lot of interesting new feedback and suggestions. On the other hand, privates with your regular bellydance instructor can be beneficial as she’s familiar with your body and how it moves, and you know her specific style of bellydance, so you can deepen your knowledge in that style with her.
Know what you want to get out of your privates and make sure your instructor knows as well
Even before booking your private, think about what you want to get out of it. Do you want a certain song choreographed and taught to you? Help and fine-tuning for a piece you've choreographed yourself? New combinations and steps? Cleaning up technique you already know? Advice on how to improvise to a live band? Or a combination of a few of these? Whatever it is, make sure you tell your teacher prior to the private so she can prepare anything necessary before the private. Also, you won't waste time discussing what you want to do during the private. Making a list of the items you'd like to work on and bringing it along to the session will go a long way towards ensuring you get to everything. During the class, if the teacher’s going down a path that seems to be veering too far from where you want to be – by all means, speak up! Instructors want you to be happy and satisfied with what they teach, but shouldn’t be expected to read minds; communicate and everyone wins.
Don't try to cram everything into one private
It’s a mistake to try to cram too much into one private - a whole choreography, new technique, and advice on improvising would be an example of too much. It may seem like that’s the best way to get real value for your class dollar, but it’s a false economy. Instead of feeling happy that you saved money, you’ll come away confused by too much information and frustrated at not being able to retain what you have learned. Much smarter to pick one theme - like refining technique, learning a new choreography, new technical combinations, etc. – and stick with it.
Take notes
Make sure you take detailed notes of things you’ve learned, specific steps or moves you need to work on, choreography, as well as ideas and inspiration that this teacher’s given you. Some instructors feel comfortable allowing you to videotape certain parts of the class, such as a new choreography or technique; if you’re not confident in your ability to remember, this might be worth investigating – just always be sure to ask first!
Be open to feedback
It can be difficult to openly invite feedback from an instructor, but when you think about it, this is really why you’ve booked a private, right? You’re basically asking for lots of specific input, and an excellent instructor will give you lots of objective suggestions, changes to make, ideas, etc. Being one-on-one, privates are naturally a lot more intense – the teacher can see everything you do, you’re not hidden by other students around you, and all the teacher’s focus is on your dancing. Try to adopt a welcoming attitude towards feedback. It’s easy to slip into a defensive mode, making excuses like “Well, my hip isn’t dropping as much as it could because my knee is sore today”, or “The choreography might look a bit sloppy because I’ve been working on deadlines at the office and I’m just beat”. Teachers don’t need to hear all the reasons you can’t do things they tell you to do or fix, plus if you’re making excuses like these you’re really only cheating yourself out of an opportunity to improve your dancing. Bottom line: if you don’t want feedback and to make a difference in your dancing, don’t waste your time and money on private classes … dance around the house and congratulate yourself on what a great dancer you are! If you find you are the type of person who tends to make excuses for every bad habit you have in dance, that’s not the end of the world – a lot of people take feedback too personally. Just try to consciously stop making excuses and start really listening to what your teacher is telling you. Really work at making the change she is recommending, then go home and practice a lot. Nothing is more rewarding to a teacher than to see you listen to her recommendation and make a change for the better because of it!
Work on what you’ve learnt in the private before your next session
Be scrupulous about arranging a few practice sessions before your next private. This way, your teacher can see what you’ve accomplished and will feel comfortable moving on to new stuff. Not doing work on your own in between often means the private turns into little more than a drill practice, which really isn’t deriving maximum value from the short time you have with your instructor.
