Let's be honest: attending classes at a studio for a senior isn't as simple as just checking what's nearby. There's some important considerations - like how many stairs there are between you and the dance floor.
There's also the challenges of protecting your body during a lesson from partners who don't know better, as well as keeping up with the pace of the lesson. If you want your dance class to be an enjoyable experience, watch on!
Transcript:
Hi folks! My name is Ian Crewe, and I'm an instructor at the Joy of Dance Center in Toronto, Ontario, and the creator of Social Ballroom Dance: Where you can learn your dance, at your place, on your schedule.
Now, as somebody who is often described as a bit of an idealist, I've always believed that dancing was something available to anybody, whether you're young, you're old, you're in a wheelchair, or whatever.
The balance of that - and we've talked about this in the previous video - was that you must know your limitations. I mean, it doesn't really help you if you end up injuring yourself after your second or third class.
So one of the first things that we need to know is, how do we make a wise choice when deciding which studio we're going to learn from? Well, one of the first things is to pick a studio that's either close to parking or transit.
I mean, this isn't true for everybody, but I've noticed that my older students tend to get tired more easily. So try and make sure that the biggest workout of your day is in the actual lesson - not in the GETTING to the lesson.
Also, try and find a studio that's on the ground level. I know... If you live in Toronto that can be easier said than done, but they DO exist, or at least they'll have an elevator that can help to take you up to the right floor.
Now, when it comes to lessons themselves, I can't stress private lessons enough: You get an instructor who's familiar with your situation, who knows your learning style, and the best way to teach you, so it's just great!
Of course, that can be an expensive option for some people, so most of my tips today will be looking at how to make the most out of group classes - but don't worry, there'll be some carryover as well.
Now, one of the biggest fears that can dissuade many senior dancers from taking group classes, is the fear that they will be paired with somebody who doesn't know enough about leading and following to avoid hurting them when they're practicing.
Now, there's a few ways that you can get around this: First of all, you can call the studio, BEFORE you come in for the group class, and let them know your physical situation and ask for their help.
Often studios will come up with creative solutions to this, because they want to help you! For example, Joy of Dance will sometimes employ a teaching assistant, who will only dance with the older dancer, so that they don't have to worry about being paired with different people.
If you ARE paired with different people, let them know your physical situation as well - you know, what feels uncomfortable when you move in certain ways - and don't be shy about reminding them if they start to forget!
And if you're starting to have trouble keeping up with the speed of the music, ask them to slow down. Some students may not like slowing down; they may want to dance full speed all the time. But hey, they're gonna have 10 different partners after you!
They can dance as fast as they like with those people. It's important for them to respect your wishes, so that you can enjoy yourself just as much as they are.
And if you're really starting to get tired, don't be afraid to take a break and just watch the action. We can still learn a lot from just seeing what's happening on the floor, so that we can pick up where we left off after you've had your rest.
Now, another common issue or a common complaint that my older students have is that they just can't keep up with the speed of learning that the younger students seem to have.
Well, the reality is you may need to spend more time practicing in between classes to really get that information into your brain and body, but how do we remember all that information?
Well, one of the first things, the most important thing you need to do is understand your learning style. You know, maybe you remember things best if you write things down after a class, or practice for a little while after class, or film the instructor - with their permission - at the end of the class.
We all have different learning styles, and by thinking back on the different things in your life that you tend to remember, you'll be able to find out your own.
Also, find a specific time in the day to practice, and try and be consistent with it. Even if you spend only ten minutes a day every day to practice, you're still basically giving yourself another hour's worth of training, which means you're gonna come back into the next group class TWICE as experienced as somebody who didn't bother practicing.
And don't waste time comparing yourself to the people around you: Even if you get only two patterns down of a five-pattern combo, that's still two patterns more than when you started. And next time you won't be starting from scratch.
So, as Mary Schmich said in her famous poem, Wear Sunscreen: "The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself."
Above all, remember to ignore the gremlin that sits on your shoulder and tells you what a waste of time this is. When we get discouraged, it's easy to start feeling like what we're doing has no value, and we can give up on our dancing dream.
I could use today as a great example: When I woke up today, I was not in the mood to work at all. I felt tired, I felt out of it; it would have been very easy, and it was tempting for me to just blow off the day watching stupid videos on YouTube.
But instead I stuck with this, I got my mind back on track, I'm getting work done and you know what? I'm glad I'm doing that, because I BELIEVE in the results that I'm producing.
Sometimes you may not be able to see the finish line, but if that's the case, just aim for the next bend in the road.
Now eventually you'll get to a place where you're ready to start social dancing, which is a skill in and of itself. We'll talk more about that next week.
But before we leave off today I have a question for YOU: What is an age-related challenge that you faced in your lessons, and how did you get around it?
Post in the comments below, so that other people can be inspired by your words and so that they can be helped with their own challenges.
And if you have any questions about today's video, you can message me on my Facebook fan page, Ballroom Dancers Anonymous. Or you can email me at ian@socialballroom.dance.
And if you'd like to learn more you can subscribe to my YouTube channel, or you can visit my website - there's a lot of great material there. So thank you very much for watching, and until next time, happy dancing!