2 posts tagged “class”
One of my fellow dancers had asked me if I thought the 6 to 10 classes per week requirement (for the advanced levels) was too high. At first, I said yes but then I thought back to when I was 13:
I was taking (I think) 9 classes a week.
Mon & Wed: Ballet
Tues & Thurs: Ballet, Jazz
Fri: Ballet (private lesson)
Sat: Ballet, Modern (and a pas de deux class, but I don't really count those because it's an easy class).
In high school, I was taking 6 ballet classes and a modern class a week. I took class every day, without fail.
So I have to change my answer to no, it is not too many classes. However, I don't think this requirement at the studio produces the desired effect. These dancers sometimes will take 2 or 3 classes a day (lower level classes) but then not come the next day. It's more effective to take class every day, then multiple classes every other day.
Plus, how much are you working in class if you can take 3 classes in a row and not be tired? One good class should wipe you out. I'd rather work at 100% for one class and go home.
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After about age 11, I've been in the top level at whatever studio I was at. I wasn't a prodigy, there just wasn't dancers in a higher level (the one exception was when I was 13 - there were adult/semi-pro dancers that were obviously better dancers, but they don't count because they weren't in the school levels). Anyway, so I never got the thrill of "moving up" and thus, kind of pooh-pooh how the studio handles promotions. The director will pretend to make it a hush-hush thing, which of course makes more of a spectacle than if you just promote the student outright.
However, by that same token, I have also never danced roles where I was just standing in the background as scenery. My first performance on pointe was a solo variation. So though I never got to experience getting promoted, I also never had to endure mundane roles. I guess it's a win-win situation :)
I walked into the classroom. It's a big room, could seat about 30, though there are less than 10 in the class. I felt really awkward.
Student #1: (whispering) He's not coming?
Student #2: (whispering) That's his assistant.
Me: (puts down the exams on the table and sit down, trying not to feel too awkward)
Student #1: Are you proctoring the exam?
Me: No, but TBIL's students will be dropping by periodically to answer questions.
Student #1: Oh. So you're just handing out the exams and getting us started?
Me: Yeah.
I know a couple of the guys in there and when one of them saw me walk in, he kind of smirked (but not in a mean way). I looked at the clock on the wall, which was a minute or two faster than my cellphone, but what the heck.
Me: Okay, I guess I'll pass out the exams.
Student #2: How long do we have?
Me: Until class is over... so 3:50pm. (students looked kind of surprised, so I just shrugged). If you are done early, just put your exam back in the box (some of the students snickered because I suspect they highly doubted they would be done early).
At least nowadays, I'm older than the students... I remember once several years ago, I had to proctor an exam for a graduate course and I was younger than all of them. Though people can't usually tell how old I am anyway.
I guess the reason why this (proctoring or monitoring an exam) is more nerve-wracking than public-speaking, for me, is because if I'm talking about something (whether it be about ballet or work) - it's because I know what I'm talking about. But when I have to do something like this, the students aren't expecting me to be there, they're noticing every little thing I do or say, and there's no script. I'm very much not an on-the-fly kind of person.
It's like back in school - I mostly got B's on history or English literature essays. I'm a better writer than that, but I didn't know what I was writing about so of course the essays would turn out bad.
