Part two in my part series on ‘good’ burlesque classes.
This is part two in my part series on ‘good’ burlesque classes.
I’ll explore some qualities that I think teachers can engage with to make sure that they are really living up to their student’s expectations and developing the best atmosphere they can in class.
This isn’t coming from a place of thinking that my approach is ‘the best’. It’s just about what I think works well from a teaching perspective. I hope anyone that is planning on running classes or is already doing a lot of hard work in this space sees ideas that adds to what they are doing. It’s not about beating yourself up or reprimanding yourself.
What makes a good instructor anyway?
There isn’t a formula, right. But if I was a potential student this is what I’d be after. It’s also probably a combination of things I have experienced attending burlesque classes or dance classes:
Looking professional and approachable. Not a fashion show, but being tidy wearing appropriate clothing for the type of class that you teach is important. It sounds the shallowest thing ever. But students and potential students might turn up for their first ever class and this is the impression that you make. Or someone will be searching for images of your class. You want to make sure you reflect your best self. I’ve seen teachers that 100% glam up for every class. Some (like me) that probably wear more active wear or a bit of a mix. Just make sure that wat you wear reflects the image of your school or you as a performer.
Good communication skills: Responding e-mails and messages or enquiries in a timely manner. I do think sometimes there is an over expectation for ‘instant’ response in society. But equally, this is the age we live in. If you know you can’t respond to people in 24 hours, perhaps pop an out of office reply on your e-mail or through social media channels.
Being organised: This one is pretty key. It’s about having the space ready for the students when they arrive. So making sure you give yourself plenty of time and having the props and equipment you need. I always recommend having spare adapters, chargers, sound equipment – because if that fails the class is a total fail. If you are using newer spaces, either check it out beforehand or make sure you have plenty of back up supplies. It’s important that you don’t assume that a space has all of your requirements.
Support your students: Stay in touch and communicate with your students. This makes a difference to the overall experience they have with you. I recommend if you offer full terms or regular classes that you set up way of communicating between classes – be that e-mail, WhatsApp, a Facebook group. Scheduling of posts can be a lifesaver if you aren’t chained to social media, or want to make sure you get regular breaks from working online.
Be a lifelong student: Learn from other people. Take different classes (burlesque or other genres). Stay passionate about your practice – because ultimately this will see you constantly evolve and constantly update your technique and skills.
Be confident: You might be more reserved in real life. That’s okay. But practice your public speaking - making eye contact, speaking loudly (not yelling) and clearly. Speak a little slower and make sure you repeat yourself. You are leading a group of students, so it’s important that you are clear in your instructions, that you can be heard and that you are confident that you are sharing something valuable (because you are!)
What makes a good class?
A good class is a different change of pace. I think a class shouldn’t just involve randomly choreographed dance steps. It should include or incorporate:
Icebreakers: Part of running good classes is building up the atmosphere. Help students get to know each other – especially those that are more shy and might need some prompting.
Safety always: Including time for some gentle warm up or cool down stretches. Making sure you check in on injuries. Build up your students capacity to know what stretches they can do that work for their bodies. Always have some alternatives – not everyone can get on the floor for example. So having a class that has options for stretching different body parts is important.
Core burlesque foundation moves: the bump, grind, shake, shimmy and burlesque walks are the building blocks. Unless you are running a super advanced class, you should always have some time to include a recap of these. And I can say as a teacher, that I always love it when an instructor does this because I learn new ways of explaining or sharing these core movements.
Sharing the rationale or history behind your steps or choreography: Put it into some context for your students. Part of keeping burlesque alive and ongoing, I think is sharing the history of the art form. It also is part of being a good teacher – understand where you come from.
Give students time and space: Don’t dump too much choreography at once. Be flexible with how the pace of your class is going - give students time to adapt and learn. If it means you teach a little less , teach a little less! Don’t try and overload and overwhelm anyone.
Share different cues or visualisations : explain things differently so that people have different opportunities to learn.
Different methods of learning. Some students will love just following along . Other people like time to experiment. Some people love group work or working in smaller teams. Just have some opportunities to encourage people to learn with you that might reflect different learning styles.
What else would you add to this list? It’s not comprehensive. And if you don’t tick all the boxes, it doesn’t mean your class or your teaching won’t be memorable or engaging. But these are my constant referral points that I like to check in on when I’m planning out my classes.