Q – How important is frequency during your first few lessons???
A – It is at least vitally important, if not critically so!!!
Why, you might ask?
Frequency: The Key to Getting Off On The Right (or Left) Foot
Written by: Barbara Haller
Think about the process of learning any new skill… a language, a sport, really any physical or mental activity that is foreign to you.
If you immerse yourself in it (remember Berlitz language courses -a three week intensive with NO native tongue allowed) you SUCCEED!!
Do we want you to live at the studio for three weeks? Nope! However, we would like to encourage you to take at least two or three lessons per week when you begin your dance journey with us so that you succeed in acquiring a skill that is somewhat intellectual and primarily physical. This requires placing the patterns in your MUSCLE MEMORY. During an interview in our recent newsletter, a new student couple stated that taking two private lessons, a group and practice session per week not only gave them exercise and romance benefits (they are recent empty nesters) but also they said “[taking those extra lessons at first] helped us know we wanted to commit to this for a long time”. They love their new skill!!
Not to belabor the point, but as a teenager I was on scholarship at a prestigious ballet center. The goal was to form a renowned ballet company in as short a number of years as possible, starting with raw talent, relatively (sorry to our first teachers) untrained. This was our schedule after school- a two hour ballet class, a break for homework, another one and a half hour ballet class- five days a week!! Saturdays we had a two hour class and then pas de deux or character classes, after which we had the rest of the weekend to recover!!!!
Did we form that company?? You betcha! I am dating myself but Rudolph Nureyev and Eva Evdokimova were the guest artists on a three month European tour!!!
We are not suggesting this level of time investment by ANY means. However, what follows is a list of the reasons why frequency in your first few weeks is so important:
1). You get the best use of your investment of time and money because each lesson is new information versus a repeat of what your instructor told you a week or two ago!
2). You feel success with a new and awesome skill!
3). You get to develop a mind / body awareness that is actually proven to prevent the onset of dementia and early Alzheimer’s!!
4). You experience a continuing education; as we know, interrupted educations rarely make it to the cap and gown stage! And yes, we do have graduations! No cap and gown but rather tuxes and bling for the ladies!
5). You socialize and party while learning… That only happened once in my college career – thanks Dr. Camara!! (French prof who let us watch a film and party at the end of each semester.)
6). You are quickly incorporated into a family of like-minded , exercise-oriented, healthy and happy friends!!
7). You can forget about that gym membership!! This is the best full body workout next to swimming- scientifically proven. Even athletes like Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) said he was in better shape after competing in DWTS than when he was playing football!!!
