About

If you are new to the dance world you might find yourself worried about joining a class and what to expect, how to dress and how to behave. Dance classes for adults are sometimes viewed as fitness classes, in which case not all of these things apply, however, some dance classes are run like student classes, and they will expect similar behaviours from the class. I have compiled a list of what to expect in a previous blog, feel free to go and read it here, https://jewelledbirddance.wordpress.com/2021/06/05/my-first-ballet-class/

In this post I want to address some of the dance class etiquette that adults might not be aware of! I hope this helps, let me know if there are any others you think should be part of the list to help people feel comfortable and confident on attending their first few dance classes.

Which class is right for you? Make sure you contact the teacher or studio owner in order to ascertain which class is the right level or genre for you if you are not sure. Please (and I cannot stress this enough!) don’t turn up to an intermediate or advanced class just because it is at a convenient time for you, if you are not at those levels you will feel out of place and self conscious and the teacher will struggle between making sure that you are ok and that the rest of the class is getting a good session. It is also a matter of safety and injury prevention, as you don’t want to hurt yourself the fist class you try! If you do attend a class that is the wrong level for you, it is easy enough to move levels, but you might not want to go back if you haven’t enjoyed yourself. If a class doesn’t have a level or is advertised as general level, then knock yourself out, the teacher should be doing a great job of differentiating and making sure that everyone is included in the teaching plan! Always good to double check though!

Placement in the class. This sounds like a silly one, but can honestly make all the difference. If you have placed yourself right at the back, you might not catch what the teacher is demonstrating, but if you place yourself right at the front you might have to remember the exercises with no one to follow in front! Dance class is different to a dance fitness class in that the teacher doesn’t demonstrate continuously throughout, but might turn around to watch and give corrections.

Whenever I go to any new movement class, I place myself towards the back, in the middle , so that I am not getting in anyone’s way, and I can ‘copy’/ follow someone who has been there before no matter which way we turn! I wouldn’t put myself at the front until I was way more confident with what I was doing, but as you gain confidence, you can move yourself to wherever you like in the room. A weird thing about us humans, and dancers are no exception, is that we are creatures of habit and comfort, so lots of dancers will have their ‘place’ in the studio. You can wok your way around that by asking if any one is standing there, especially when it comes to the barre, and maybe even ask the teacher where they want you to stand as a newbie so that they can keep an eye on you!