Riot and Frolic

Talking to students, teaching a lot, and always taking lessons myself, there's some common problems you shouldn't feel alone in making:

Everyone has the wrong foot ready.  "Start with your left foot," we say.  "Yep," you say.  "Your other left foot," we say.  "Oh," you say.  

Everyone thinks they are doing that.  You know, that thing that your teacher is telling you to do.  We are not in the habit of announcing to you things you are already doing.  If we're saying you need to do something, it's because you're not doing it.  STOP ARGUING WITH US.

Everyone begins at a different spot each time when working on the same move.  "Let's go over the crossover," we say.  "Okay," you say, starting with a cha cha cha.  "Again," we say.  "Okay," you say, starting with a lone side step.  "Again," we say.  "Okay," you say, starting with the whole basic.  What the hell, you guys?

Everyone rotates the wrong way. "You need to rotate to your left… counter-clockwise," we say.  "Like this?" you ask.  "No, the other way," we say.  "Like this?" you ask.  "Yes, that is both left and counter-clockwise," we say.

Everyone apologizes. You didn't nail that turn you've been working on and you say you're sorry.  This one is very confusing to teachers.  If you were doing everything correctly, we'd be out of a job.  If you suddenly started taking heel leads on 3 in Waltz when you're in Gold, then you can apologize.  If you screw up something that you've been actively learning, it's to be expected. 

Everyone dances off-time.  Sometimes you don't hear that beat, or there's not much off a downbeat in the intro, or you just stopped listening.  

Everyone swears.  Not a mistake, so much as uncouth, after being asked to dance something on your own, or doing the step wrong the 10th time in a row, an f-bomb or something else vulgar is bound to slip your lips.  

You're part of the club, man.  Embrace your mistakes, then make some new ones.