Here you are on your way to dancing tango, or not. You decide its time to take a private lesson. Everyone tells you that this the way to do it. Some visiting maestros from Argentina are here wowing you with their exhibition at your milonga or even your teachers in your own city. What should you know about taking a private lesson? Good question. I am going to try and answer that for you here.
I believe that group classes are a good way to start. I also believe that in many ways group classes are a good way to pick up lots of bad habits as well. Unfortunately, many teachers do not have the time or skills to watch students, therefore many students learn things they should not.
A private lesson should focus on you not the teacher. That sounds obvious, however having assisted many “name brands” when I lived in California, I can tell you that many times the lesson is not really a lesson at all. It is an hour for the teacher to tell you how wonderful they are and you get to pay for it. How lucky for you!
You should be working the second the shoes go on your feet. The class should be 80 – 85% work and 15% talk. There is no reason to talk about the life of the teacher, his or her philosophy on life. They can take you for coffee if they really want you to hear that. They are there to teach you a class.
If this is the first class with this teacher they should dance with you a little bit to understand your dance. It is the only way they can work with you to correct your defects. To start out teaching something when they know nothing about your dance is a little silly in my opinion. The class is about you, remember? Not about them. Do not let a teacher make the class about them.
If there is something special you want to work on, ask the teacher. It is possible a teacher may tell you that you are not ready. For example, in a class with one of my partners, we had a woman who wanted to learn how to do volcadas. She was not ready with respect to her balance and axis. Of course there are teachers who will teach you anything regardless.
Many times a teacher will introduce a new way for you to do something. This happens in private classes. Try to keep an open mind. A private class is all about you. Remember that. There is no way in a group class a teacher can focus only on you.
Just as in a group class, you should never be confused. A teacher should be willing and able to clarify anything they are teaching you. Sometimes the amount of material can be a little overwhelming, but it should not be confusing. You should never be afraid to ask your teacher to explain, re-explain, and explain again, how to do something. A good teacher will find a way to get a concept across to you. If you are still confused, perhaps it is because your teacher is more confused than you are. Never assume that because someone is a “teacher” they actually know what they are doing. Think of all the people out there driving cars.
A teacher should always be professional. They should come on time. The class should end on time. If it does not, and it starts to go over, you should ask if you will be charged for the additional time. A teacher should always maintain a professional demeanor whether they are male or female.
Always remember the class is yours. Enjoy!
® Deby Novitz 2008TangoSpam all rights reserved. No parts of this may be reproduced without permission of the author
Deby Novitz' blog can be found at
http://tangospam.typepad.c
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