Receiving corrections – how to be a good student

Why do you go to dance? Is it a hobby? Is it a passion? Do you want to improve? Whatever the reason, when you attend a class, you will enevitably receive corrections from the teacher. Here is how you can be a humble student.

I touched up slight on corrections in my last blog post Class etiquette https://amummyfirst.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/class-etiquette-a-guide-to-good-class-manners/  so I’m going to go into a bit more detail to help you.
Firstly, your teacher will assume you are there because you want to be there, and want to LEARN. If you truely want to learn your craft, and excel in it, you have to be humble. No one but no one is born a perfect dancer, you have to work for it. You have to realise your weaknesses and work 10 times harder on them. 

ATTITUDE

Always remember, your teacher WANTS you to improve. They would not give a correction if they did not think you were capable of improving on it. They have faith in you! They don’t pick things out to be mean or embarrass you, it’s quite the opposite. So when you receive a correction, don’t see it as a negative thing, see it as an opportunity to impress your teacher. Prove to them you want to be there! Equally, don’t be offended by a correction. Watch your body language and always be thankful for recieving a correction.

MEMORY

Embarrassment is one thing, flippancy is another. You must REMEMBER what your corrections are. A good way to do this is to have a little notebook with you, and at the end of the class, write down any corrections you were given, while they are fresh in your mind. Once your teacher has given you something to work on, they expect just that. So if you’ve written them down and looked over them a couple of times through the week, you will be able to apply yourself more to those areas when doing that particular exercise. One step better than that, is actually WORK on them at home or in between classes! By practicing your errors over and over, you will slowly improve on them, to the point that one day, you won’t even have to think about doing it, your body will just automatically do it! Practice makes perfect! 

LISTEN

Your teacher won’t be just giving corrections to you during class. They will be firing them out to anyone at any time that they spot something isn’t quite right. This does not mean that it doesn’t imply to you. Whenever you hear a correction, take it upon yourself to self critique. Ask yourself “am I doing that too?” If you are, you can go about fixing it. Even if you’re not, it will only make you aware of what technique is required for that particular aspect of the exercise. By doing this with every correction, you will be improving on your own technique tenfold. Never assume you don’t need a correction, check if you don’t!!!!

So please above all, don’t take it personally. Take it as a chance to shine. There is no better feeling than working hard on something, repetitively over and over, until finally you crack it! The sense of achievement is huge! You will be so proud of yourself, and so will your teacher. Go make them proud!
Alicia 💗