Impatient Instructors

I've heard from students before that they sometimes feel like their instructors get a little impatient from time to time and they've asked me why. Well, I've soaked on this a bit and think I've come up with fair reasons.

It is an instructors place to see where your dancing skills can go. It's their job to guide you, teach you, push you and dance with you. During private lessons, they're often over exaggerating movements and technique to make them clearly visible which requires a lot from their bodies. When dancing routines, they often times push the choreography to require more from them to create a more intriguing show. Now imagine doing a dip - after a dip - after a dip - after a dip to teach you how to dip someone? Now imagine leading a dip - after a dip - after a dip - after a dip to teach you how to dip properly? So now imagine doing this for several hours a day. Sometimes, the frustration (I feel) comes from an overworked body combined with the knowing that you can do what is being asked if you'll just go for it without searching for perfection (aka analysis-paralysis). Other times, it's because as the dance progresses so does the relationship. The student-teacher relationship almost becomes a partnership. What do I mean? Well, a partnership means that two people are committed to making something work. An instructor can show you, teach you and move you but, they can never dance it for you.

The majority of instructors teach dance because they LOVE to dance and want the world to feel what they feel while dancing. But remember, they are only human and not dancing machines. They too feel the aches and pains of a long day and they get up and do again for the same reasons you show up to your lessons....simply because there is a passion for dance (or better yet, an incurable addiction).

So the next time your teacher seems to get a little frustrated...just go for it! If you're not getting something, something hurts or you don't like something, communicate that with them clearly so the problem can be fixed asap. Remember, I'm not talking about your day to day sessions when your head is spinning because you're thinking of the 1001 layers you need to be doing while dancing. I'm talking about the rare moments that you may feel like you're instructor is asking you to grin and bear it for a moment to get through something. They are most likely trying to work out something themselves or get some muscle memory started knowing that it can be adjusted later. If they are still frustrated, perhaps they are incredible dancers but not good teachers. Lol.