You’re not good enough for what??
By Matthew Loukopoulos August 2014
Not too long ago I was teaching workshops for a weekend up in northern British Columbia. I have been up there several times now. It’s a small, but great community of Westies. As I have done in the past, I taught some group classes and set aside a full day for private lessons.
While I was there I heard that one of the dancers there wanted to take a private with me but didn’t think they were a good enough dancer for a private. This mindset that is quite far from what it should be. I thought about this for a whole half a second before I decided to write about it. By the time my plane landed back in Vancouver I had also thought of a few other things to mention about privates that often get overlooked.
Skill level. There is no such thing as ‘not good enough’ or ‘too good’ to take a private lesson. The whole point of a private lesson is to improve your dancing. Whether you have only just started yesterday and have two left feet or have been dancing all of your life on stage, a private is about improvement. An instructor is there to look at your dancing from angles you can’t see to coach you in areas that need improvement. Anybody can benefit from a private. There will always be something you can improve. Always. That is what private and group lessons are for.
Location. Almost every private lesson you will take will be in a studio of some sort. Studios can range from very small home-based with one mirror to large dance schools with full length mirrors on several walls. Regardless of the size you will have to travel to the studio. If I had a dollar for every potential student who tried to convince me to come to their place because we could use the small space they have in the hall, or kitchen, or they could move the coffee table out of the way I wouldn’t need to teach a single thing. The location they teach out of is where they work and do business. Your dentist doesn’t come to you. You go to their office. The same goes for dance lessons. Dance lessons are more fun than root canals. With either, you’ll be able to chew away at something.
Timing. Ah, the t-word you hear sooooo many times. Timing in your dancing, as part of the 3-T’s if you have ever been in a competition, etc. Timing has a role in privates too. Please be on time. People get sick, called in to work, etc. Life happens. If you have to cancel of run late for any reason, let your instructor know as early as possible. Just like you would for your doctor or hair appointment.
Privates are very different from group classes. They are tailored to your needs at that stage of your dancing. As a supplement to group classes they are extremely beneficial. There is no set of skills you need to be eligible to take one. There is no experience or ‘level’ requirement. Privates are not about how good you are. They are about getting better than you are now.