Let’s face it, Ballroom dancing can be an expensive hobby, especially when talking about private lessons. Making you ask the question are private dance lessons worth it?
What is The Cost of Ballroom Dance Lessons?
The cost of ballroom dance lessons ranges from $45-$110 (these are just an average, some private dance lessons may cost more or less) for just one private lesson depending on the ballroom dance studio you take lessons from.
At these prices most people want to gain the most value possible. There are a few things that you can do to increase the value of your private ballroom dance lessons.
How To Get The Most Value From Your Private Ballroom Dance Lessons
In order to get the most value from your private ballroom dance lessons, you need to make sure that you are taking advantage of the other classes and practice sessions that your studio offers, such as group sessions and practice parties. The more often you dance and practice the better you will get.
Keep reading and I’ll break down all the things that you can do to gain value from your ballroom lessons and advance faster in your dancing.
Take advantage of Group Ballroom Lessons
Group ballroom dance lessons are a great place to learn the patterns and footwork that you need to give your dancing more variety. A group class is one dance instructor with anywhere from 1-20+ students. These classes are designed to teach to the middle of the group and will show you how to do a few patterns either from one dance or more.
Group classes are not designed to teach you specifically how to make the move your own, or really delve into lead and follow.
Some classes are technique based, meaning they will focus more on how to dance the pattern to fit with the dance and the music. Such as introducing rise and fall in the waltz, or hip movement in the Latin dances.
There are also styling classes that teach you how to style the steps or patterns. Group classes are also a great way to meet other students that share your hobby. A lot of my students usually know the best places to go out dancing, so make sure to get to know your fellow students.
Pay attention and ask questions on Your Lessons
Your private ballroom dance lessons are designed just for you. If you have taken advantage of the group classes to work on patterns then your dance teacher can focus on the “how” of dancing not spend time on the “what to dance”. Here on your private lessons, we focus on movement, style, and the technique of the dances.
Make sure you understand what your teacher is asking you to do and if you have any questions make sure to ask them.
Taking notes is a great way to remember what you have covered on your lessons, and taking them while on the lesson ensures that you are taking the notes correctly, while trying to remember later may lead you down the path of practicing the wrong thing.
Attend and Dance at Practice Ballroom Dance Parties
Most studios have weekly or monthly practice parties and I can’t stress enough how important these are for developing your dancing.
Getting the opportunity to dance on the dancefloor, surrounded by other dancers, moving to the music, and performing your steps over and over is one of the best ways to make progress in your dancing.
You work on floorcraft, timing, lead/follow, and musicality all at once!
By making sure to dance with a variety of different dancers, which can range from very advanced to a beginner, you know that your dancing will only improve.
Advanced ballroom dancers will challenge your ability to keep up and will generally allow for more freedom of expression. New dancers keep you on your lead/follow toes. Followers have to pay attention to what the new dancer is struggling to lead and leaders have to make sure that they are leading clearly and are easily followed.
If you only dance with your teacher you may very well develop overconfidence in your own ability to lead/follow.
Practice Your Ballroom Dances
In order to get the most value from your dance lessons, you need to practice what you learned o your lesson. For every private lesson, you should spend a minimum of one hour practicing each thing that you learned in your lesson.
That way when you go back to your lesson your teacher isn’t having to reteach you what you already paid for. Not that we won’t, but it’s your money and if you want the most value you MUST practice. Now that being said, you must practice correctly, so take notes or ask if you can video what you need to practice.
Nothing is worse than practicing something wrong and then having to unlearn it. Remember ballroom dancing is about developing muscle memory which can only be done through repetition.
Just as you see athletes training and running plays before they ever play an actual game, dance is the same way.
Go Out and Dance
Dancing and learning at a studio are awesome, but you also need to get out and dance at other places. Going out to dance allows you to meet and dance with people that probably don’t know the same moves that you do, so it’s like a practice party at the studio on steroids.
There is no one telling you what the dance is, the music isn’t set to a strict tempo and you are forced to develop your floorcraft surrounded by people that don’t ballroom dance. If you want to make progress quickly, please go dance outside the studio parties.
Want to learn to dance better, faster? Make sure to set a dance goal. Signing up for a performance or even a competition will help you reach your dance goals faster and make you a better dancer faster!
