WHY SHOULD I TAKE GROUP CLASSES AT FRED ASTAIRE??
Imagine your life of learning up until today. You studied history in class, you went to college, took classes. If you wanted to sing in school, you joined a group chorus. Karate? You took group classes. Yoga, kickboxing, art, photography, marketing – you probably studied them in a group. In fact, most of your learning has been in the group class format. At the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Upper Montclair, our entire system of teaching is based on the group dance class, the beginning of the 3-WAY SYSTEM of teaching.
I DON’T WANT TO TAKE GROUP CLASSES
Why Not?
You’ve probably heard it around the studio water-cooler, and even discussed it with your friends, “I don’t take group classes because…….(I want the private attention), (they don’t have a group class my level), (I can’t learn in a group setting), (I don’t want to change partners). I could write an essay on each category, but I’m only going to address the partner switch today.
Why you don’t want to change partners in a ballroom group class, and why you should.
You might be shy. You may have decided that you came to the studio to spend more time with your partner, or feel like you can’t learn as fast as the rest of the class. You may not want others to see you struggle. The fact is, everyone has difficulty at some point in the learning process. Rotating partners can actually give you confidence when you discover that Mr. Smith has trouble with timing, and you don’t, or that Ms. Cooper has trouble with directional movement and you don’t. You’ll develop empathy for sure!
Experience shows the couples who ROTATE partners in group classes tend to learn faster, have less difficulty dancing together and spend less time correcting each other. Rotating partners allows you to feel what the step should feel like with a wider range of skill levels. Changing partners can allow you to see that your leading/following skills may need improvement. You may discover that you aren’t a strong enough leader, or that you’re too strong. You may discover that in fact, you’ve been back-leading your husband in every dance, and have finally decided to stop.
I’ve always noticed that when couples who came together dance together, they chit-chat about the step or try to help TEACH each other *gasp! When you rotate away from your partner and dance with the 4, 5 or 6 other people in the class, you’ll come back to your partner having improved and you’ll BOTH BE HAPPIER!
Please remember, we do not INSIST that you take group classes. We simply encourage it.
OK, SO WHY SHOULD I TAKE GROUP CLASSES AT MY BALLROOM STUDIO?
The number one reason you should take group classes is MONEY. You’ll save $$$ by learning in group classes. We can teach groups for less money than private lessons. By learning new steps in group dance class format, you enable your private lesson teacher to get right into the refining process, or the feel of the steps. If you’re constantly learning new steps in your private lessons, you’ll end up spending twice as much, because learning new steps takes time! If you come to a private lesson having already studied the step with a group, your teacher can work out the bugs very quickly and start teaching you how to express the new material, how to make it feel authentic, how to relax while you’re dancing it, and how to present the step with (pardon us) your best foot forward.
*did you know some of our students take 3 to 1 (3:1) groups to every private lesson? – that’s a sure-fire way to save a lot of moolah!
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Win new friends and score a new dance partner with Group classes at Fred Astaire Upper Montclair! |