The benefits of a private lesson

After teaching another successful 1 to 1 private lesson today, it made me think about the benefits of these sessions, for both the dancer and teacher.

As a busy Mom of twins and working 2 jobs I prefer to use my limited spare time (and any spare money!) on a 1 to 1 session with a teacher who I feel I will gain something from - maybe it's their style that I want to learn more from, or I feel they can help me brush up my technique, or even if it's with a certain prop I know they have extensive experience of using.

As a student taking a private lesson it's ideal because I can say what I need/would like to work on, and it doesn't matter if I want to go over that same thing 20 times, because that session is focused around my needs and progression as a dancer.

I have taught a lot of 1 to 1 sessions now, and I have really seen the value of them in my dancers.  Some come for help with ongoing class choreographies, others come for help with thier own solo choreo's, and others want critiquing and possibly for me to give them the confidence to feel they are doing moves correctly etc.

In class it is quite easy to overlook if a student is using the wrong leg/foot for their weight placement, or not executing a move correctly, especially if that dancer tends to place themself at the back of the room or in amongst the group!  I love being able to scrutinise (in a good way!) the dancer stood before me, and to be able to offer advice and tips on how to improve posture and technique, often by just making subtle changes.

I also love working with a dancer 1 to 1 to help with their own choreogrpahies.  Each dancer has their unique style, and I love the variety I see.  I am also encouraged that possibly because I don't stick to teaching just 1 style of belly dance, my dancers interests seem to really vary - from folkloric, to modern fusion, to ATS tribal, to gypsy.  I think it makes for a really rounded dancer if you can experiment with what style works for you, and the same goes for music preferences too.

Some dancers may also lack confidence within class and feel shy about speaking up if they don't "get" a move or if they feel they need to go over a part of a routine, as they don't like to feel they are holding the class back.  Therefore it's lovely to have 1 on 1 time with these dancers to discuss what they feel they need to work on, and I don't care if we spend their whole lesson going over 1 move... it's their time and I am there for them!

I would encourage more dancers to review their dance technique, development and growth - it's always good practise to drill moves and go back to basics and especially dancers who may have joined an established class they may have felt they never quite got to grasp the basics before being thrown in the deep end of choreographies and combinations!