Watching Dance Classes
Is watching dance classes before you join up a good idea? There's a lot to consider here. Some teachers will allow you to watch a class before joining and some won't. There are two main issues to think about. Here are both sides of the argument.....
Some classes are happy to let you come and watch. And there are classes that are held in studios you can see into and it's therefore possible to watch dance classes unobtrusively anyway. Are they kind, encouraging and patient, or a screaming hag? It's really good to see this first hand before committing to the class. You will be able to clearly see what the overall ability of the pupils is like. And whether they seem to enjoy the class. Also clear will be the pace the work is taken at... If you are watching a dance class billed as 'Beginners', do they look like beginners? There are many valuable things you can spot when watching dance classes. Also, quite understandably, a prospective pupil who is not allowed to wach dance classes in advance of signing up for them may ask "What is the class hiding that I can't go along and see?"
It can be frustrating to have to sign up for a class, perhaps pay for clothing and shoes and a full course of lessons without actually knowing what the classes look like.If the studio you are thinking of going to for your lessons has viewing windows into the class you want to join, do go along and have a look. Or...
Even teachers who are happy to open the class to observers will usually say that it is very hard to fully get the flavour of learning a dance just by watching dance classes. You need to actually do the moves. There is an enormous difference between watching someone else do something and doing it yourself. Bear in mind the situation from the other side of the coin. Imagine that you have joined a small class and you have only had one or two lessons. Then complete strangers keep coming in and watching you. It'd be a bit intimidating having someone other than the teacher studying everything you do. It can be distracting. And if it's a common practice with a particular teacher to let anybody come and watch their class if they wish, it may not just be the occasional single person, but you could find yourself regularly dancing to an 'audience' of several.
You can understand how a teacher would be very reluctant to let people watch on a regular basis. Having to sign up for classes that you don't know much about is the case in many hobbies and lessons that you could try - not just dance. At some point you simply need to take a leap of faith and try it for yourself. And do bear in mind that trying to figure out how somebody else feels physically while just looking at them is impossible. You will never be able to tell just by observing a class which bit of the body, of your body, it will test more than others. So, for example, when lots of people have finished a fairly gentle beginners Salsa class, can you tell if their calf muscles are aching just by looking at them? Of course not, but they probably are! Some schools have open days or 'watching' days where everybody is welcome to come along and the classes are all open to observers. Do ask if your local school or studio operates one of these - they are a great idea when they are offered.
It'll help you every single step of the way, right to the door of the class and over the threshold. And of course the way to observe a good class is to do the right Dance Video - that way you'll always have something to compare the class with. All that said, you should be able to speak to the dance teacher before signing up for a course of classes. And this is probably the most useful thing to do, whether you decide watching dance classes or not.
Watch a dance class right now by downloading one!
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