Problems with teacher, feeling frustrated
- Thread starter Viola
- Start date
Jade Forest
New member
Hi Viola,
Everyone here has given you good advice. I wanted to add that I have been in a similar situation too. I stayed with my teacher for soooo many years longer than I should have. She wasn't a horrible person but she didn't provide encouragement, enthusiasm or performance opportunities and we learnt maybe 2 choreographies a year and wore ugly costumes.
I didn't think there was anyone else I could go to. She had me convinced all styles that weren't hers (baladi) were bad.
It wasn't until 10 whole years later that I realised that there was another teacher just one town away and she would have been a much better fit for me (I take classes with her now when the classes I run don't clash!).
Sighh, you live and learn!
I also agree with the other advice to look beyond your style particularly if you are in a rural area with less choices. eg. I thought I would hate modern Egyptian (my teacher said it was just glitz and tits) but turns out it has really grown on me and I love it!
I think it would be polite to tell your teacher if you are not coming back but you need not go into a lot of detail as to why if you are not comfortable with that.
good luck with it all
Everyone here has given you good advice. I wanted to add that I have been in a similar situation too. I stayed with my teacher for soooo many years longer than I should have. She wasn't a horrible person but she didn't provide encouragement, enthusiasm or performance opportunities and we learnt maybe 2 choreographies a year and wore ugly costumes.
I didn't think there was anyone else I could go to. She had me convinced all styles that weren't hers (baladi) were bad.
It wasn't until 10 whole years later that I realised that there was another teacher just one town away and she would have been a much better fit for me (I take classes with her now when the classes I run don't clash!).
Sighh, you live and learn!
I also agree with the other advice to look beyond your style particularly if you are in a rural area with less choices. eg. I thought I would hate modern Egyptian (my teacher said it was just glitz and tits) but turns out it has really grown on me and I love it!
I think it would be polite to tell your teacher if you are not coming back but you need not go into a lot of detail as to why if you are not comfortable with that.
good luck with it all
Hi Jade, thanks for your input, it's always good to hear from people who have been in the same situation. And from what I can tell, alot of dancers have encountered this problem.
Until recently I was staying in class as we were supposed to be doing student performances but my teacher had a change of heart and said she didn't want us to perform if we were'nt getting paid. Myself and the other girls in the student troupe were more than happy to dance for free, I mean we just wanted the experience as none of us had ever done anything like that before, but she wasn't having it and in fact seemed quite annoyed that we were prepared to dance for free.
So as much as I want to perform, I feel I should just focus on studying ATS at home via dvds and online classes and taking tribal fusion and maybe even some other styles. I just want to focus on myself and my dance technique.
I am gonna miss dancing with people though
, it's one of the many things I love about ATS.
Until recently I was staying in class as we were supposed to be doing student performances but my teacher had a change of heart and said she didn't want us to perform if we were'nt getting paid. Myself and the other girls in the student troupe were more than happy to dance for free, I mean we just wanted the experience as none of us had ever done anything like that before, but she wasn't having it and in fact seemed quite annoyed that we were prepared to dance for free.
So as much as I want to perform, I feel I should just focus on studying ATS at home via dvds and online classes and taking tribal fusion and maybe even some other styles. I just want to focus on myself and my dance technique.
I am gonna miss dancing with people though
, it's one of the many things I love about ATS.
Yame
New member
Leaving a bad teacher or a teacher you've outgrown is easier said than done. I've also stayed in this situation longer than I should have, way past the point that I had realized I wasn't learning anything new.
Why? Momentum. It's easier to keep doing what you've been doing than change something in your life. It's easier to keep going to class than to try to figure out how to approach the teacher about leaving.
The right choice isn't always easy...
Why? Momentum. It's easier to keep doing what you've been doing than change something in your life. It's easier to keep going to class than to try to figure out how to approach the teacher about leaving.
The right choice isn't always easy...
Thought I'd give a little update on my situation.
I have left my ATS classes,me and my teacher had a big falling out when I told her my reasons for leaving class (I couldn't have been more tactful by the way, she's the kind of person you can't say anything to without her taking it wrong).
I'm now taking online lessons with Megha Gavin and using my FatChance DVD's at home. I've also been studying the various cultures and dance styles which ATS takes inspiration from and practicing my zilling like a mad woman!! I also book studio time every week for a couple of hours for some more intense practice and because it is the only place I can practice my floorwork
I'm feeling much happier with my decision but I now have another problem. My told ATS teacher is no longer calling herself a Sister Studio and has now waivered in her ATS teaching and is teaching ATS/fusion/whatever-else-takes-her-fancy-that-day-style. I know for a fact she has no fusion training so I dont know how that works but that's besides the point!
As I was the most advenced in the class though, the girls who attended are now asking for me to teach them ATS. Alot of the times when I was in class the teacher would ask me for clarification (yep.. she would ask me for clarification...in front of the students) on a move as she wouldn't remember or if it was one of the new moves which she hasn't learned yet.
Basially I don't know what to do. I do want to teach but I am a baby dancer myself!!! I had planned to teach in future, my plan was to get my General Skills when I feel ready and then start teaching. I miss having people to dance with but I don't know if I should start teaching now, as much as I would love to, I just don't feel right about it due to my teacher and the fact that I'm a baba dancer.
Sorry for the long long post, just needed to vent!!
I have left my ATS classes,me and my teacher had a big falling out when I told her my reasons for leaving class (I couldn't have been more tactful by the way, she's the kind of person you can't say anything to without her taking it wrong).
I'm now taking online lessons with Megha Gavin and using my FatChance DVD's at home. I've also been studying the various cultures and dance styles which ATS takes inspiration from and practicing my zilling like a mad woman!! I also book studio time every week for a couple of hours for some more intense practice and because it is the only place I can practice my floorwork
I'm feeling much happier with my decision but I now have another problem. My told ATS teacher is no longer calling herself a Sister Studio and has now waivered in her ATS teaching and is teaching ATS/fusion/whatever-else-takes-her-fancy-that-day-style. I know for a fact she has no fusion training so I dont know how that works but that's besides the point!
As I was the most advenced in the class though, the girls who attended are now asking for me to teach them ATS. Alot of the times when I was in class the teacher would ask me for clarification (yep.. she would ask me for clarification...in front of the students) on a move as she wouldn't remember or if it was one of the new moves which she hasn't learned yet.
Basially I don't know what to do. I do want to teach but I am a baby dancer myself!!! I had planned to teach in future, my plan was to get my General Skills when I feel ready and then start teaching. I miss having people to dance with but I don't know if I should start teaching now, as much as I would love to, I just don't feel right about it due to my teacher and the fact that I'm a baba dancer.
Sorry for the long long post, just needed to vent!!
Shanazel
Moderator
If you are not ready to teach and want to concentrate on your own development,then don't teach. Teaching is more than just knowing the moves. It requires dedication to the welfare and advancement of others, sometimes at your own expense. Would these dancers be interested in chipping in to rent studio space and participating in informal practices with you?
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Darshiva
Moderator
What Shan said is pretty much on the money. Practice together with these girls and save up for your certification. When you feel confident to do your teacher training, do it & add classes to the practice sessions.
Word of warning though - if I'd waited until I felt "ready" to teach, I'd still be waiting. I did the teacher training when I felt ready and then I felt so overwhelmed by everything I had about 6 months of 'practice teaching' before my practice student & my husband said it was time to stop pretending I wasn't a teacher. That said, there is a difference between being overwhelmed by the responsibility of teaching and knowing you're still a beginner yourself, so wait until you feel confident in your dance skills before doing your teacher training.
Word of warning though - if I'd waited until I felt "ready" to teach, I'd still be waiting. I did the teacher training when I felt ready and then I felt so overwhelmed by everything I had about 6 months of 'practice teaching' before my practice student & my husband said it was time to stop pretending I wasn't a teacher. That said, there is a difference between being overwhelmed by the responsibility of teaching and knowing you're still a beginner yourself, so wait until you feel confident in your dance skills before doing your teacher training.
Yame
New member
In this sort of situation I would set up a study group with the girls. Schedule a get-together at one person's house, maybe even once a week, maybe rotating the location each week so each person gets a chance to do it from home. Play some DVDs and practice together, or just play some music and dance. You can take turns leading each other. Everyone should try to share knowledge so that one person isn't playing the role of a teacher. No one should pay.
This way you get the chance to practice and socialize, without giving yourself the burden of teaching when you are not ready.
Sophia Maria
New member
Wow. That sounds EXACTLY like the ATS/Fat Chance/Fusion teacher I had 2 years ago. Like exactly.
Viola said:
I second all the opinions above. Dancing together informally and socially also may be one of the best ways to learn improvisation and being comfortable with dancing and performing--it sounds like in your old class you didn't get much of a chance to do that. This informal group thing is pretty much what I'm doing now because sadly I'm away from home and my teacher. My friends and I get together and have a sort of "dance exchange" where I teach them some bd basics one day, next one friend will teach us what she knows of tango (her specialty), and next another will teach us basic contemporary/hip hop choreography. We're not formally teaching, but it allows us to continually grow our dance knowledge and gain experience working with others. My ambition is to teach bellydance, however I know with just shy of 4 years experience I am not ready. But I am making steps towards my goal!