Riot and Frolic

a mostly ballroom dance, but also a bunch of other stuff, blog

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I own and rock people’s faces off teaching ballroom dancing at Dancers Studio in St. Paul, MN. My husband and I compete professionally in American style and wrangle eight children in our spare time. I’ve been teaching and competing in ballroom dancing for over 25 years and have lots of opinions on it. I am an expert by any means, but there are quite a few dancers who are better than me and I have a solid knowledge of basic technique, so suck it.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

No, I'm not doing a recap of Stranger Things in anticipation of the second season.

Nope, I'm answering the age-old question:

Should I go to Intermediate Class?

There's a flowchart for that. 

GroupClassFlowChart

DISCLAIMERS:

- of course, if you have a good grasp of the basics of a particular dance (foundation patterns, the default rhythm, good frame, good posture), there is an opportunity to go to an intermediate class.  

– even if you're fully qualified for intermediate classes, there are usually plenty of reasons to go to beginning class.  Yes, ballrooming is a progressive skill and no one, especially me, is asking you to regress.  But practice, reviewing basic technique without the difficulty of advanced patterns, meeting new people who aren't in the same classes as you regularly, and learning from an instructor other than your own are all excellent reasons to hit up a beginning class.  Also, if a well-respected teacher is teaching a beginning or "basics" class, GO.  While the majority of teachers have great little nuggets to impart, certain teachers can really make a point resonate, important factors stick, and clear up questions you've had without having to ask them.  

– if it's a new class, instructor, or studio for you, no matter your level of experience, it's really nice to talk to the teacher before class to introduce yourself and compare your background with the material covered.  

– BE AWARE that after you check in with the instructor, you might be asked to audit the first class (for example, if the class is in the middle of a progressive session or the class and your proficiency level don't seem to align).  

– no matter what class you're in, be respectful (aka, quiet), pay attention, do what the instructor is asking even if it seems antithetical to everything you know and love, and have fun.  You're dancing.

Need more advice on how to go to a beginner class as a more advanced dancer?

There's a post for that: Dancing Down in a Group Class.

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Six years ago: LLLL

Five years ago: LLLL

Four years ago: Short Hair, Don't Care

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