r/BALLET • u/MinaHarker1 Ballet Mistress • Jul 04 '25

Constructive Criticism Question for Recreational Adult Dancers

Hi all! I’ve been teaching ballet to kids and teens for many years now, but this summer, I just started teaching my first adult ballet class. Most of my adult students are beginners. My question for the adult recreational dancers on this sub is this: what words of advice do you have for me? What do you wish the wider dance world knew/understood/appreciated about adult rec dancers? Thank you!

Edit: thank you all for the very helpful feedback! I will keep these things in mind with my adult dancers.

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u/softsizzlesausage Jul 04 '25

I would agree with everyone who has already said they want to be treated seriously and not spoken down to because they’re not pre-professional children.

Also, an adult class is usually a very mixed bag when it comes to skill level. “Beginner” could mean anything from someone’s first day to two years of experience. Especially for smaller studios where they have only one adult class where it’s not specified what the level of experience is expected to be - give options!

I would teach to the middle of the class, skill-wise, and then give students the option to make combinations easier or harder. For example, adding beats to jump combinations to increase the challenge, or telling them to feel free to leave their arms in second position if they’re not ready for a full port de bras.

I would also emphasize épaulement, which adds so much artistry and beauty to dancing, especially if some of your students physically can’t do a lot of the more athletic movements.

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u/Strongwoman1 Jul 04 '25

YES! Epaulement and port de bras need to be taught properly. Critically important.