r/BALLET • u/PearHot8975 • 1d ago
Is my learning style the issue?
I’m a geriatric millennial and I’ve only been doing ballet for 3 months. I’m a hands on learner who likes repetition but my teacher shows us the steps once or twice, then we do it once on each side and move on to a different sequence of steps. Every week is like this so people are supposed to remember from the week before but my brain doesn’t work this way and this doesn’t work for me. Is this the normal way of teaching?
I can’t even practice on my own because most of the time I don’t even remember the steps once we do it once.
31
u/bakedcrochetgirl 1d ago
What youre describing is quite a typical ballet class, you move from 1 sequence to the next - you've only been doing ballet for 3 months, it'll get easier over time!
20
u/VirginiaDare1587 1d ago
As an adult beginner, like you, I found I needed more repetition. Part of that was that the steps were new so I had to concentrate on the individual parts of a step instead of considering the step as a whole.
It got better as I kept taking classes and the steps became more familiar. I also took the opportunity to mark the steps every time. If we were broken into groups, I at least marked the steps with every group whilst I stood to the side and watched. (That can result in overuse injuries especially if you’re not used to ballet.)
You can also get repetitions doing a class with a YouTube video or even just putting on some music and doing a barre yourself. The downside is that you don’t get corrections so you can develop bad habits.
Hope these help.
12
u/OliveVonKatzen 1d ago
As a geriatric millennial myself who went back to ballet at 38, just give it time. I danced ballet for 13 years growing up and knew all the terms and had a lot of muscle memory when I came back, and it took me a good year until I felt like I could pick up combos. Now I'm the one everyone in class follows to remember the combo!
10
u/PearHot8975 1d ago
I’ve never done ballet in the past so everything is new to me
I think the issue is that I need a class for beginners. In this class they learn combos for a performance at the end of each semester which I just learned. I don’t want to perform, I’m just doing this as a hobby for something fun
3
u/Playmakeup 1d ago
Yes that will help so much. Look for “introduction” “foundations” or “absolute beginner” as course descriptions. I’ve been dancing as an adult beginner for like 5 years, and I still pick up new things in the foundations class.
11
u/TheUnfedMind 1d ago
This is the normal way of teaching. But I get your frustration.
I'd recommend watching company classes from Worls Ballet Day on Youtube (or any other class tbh). You will find similarities in the way they are structured. There will always be plies, tendus, degages, ronde jambe,...
Your classes are probably somewhat organised like that (depending a bit on the level and if it's 90 minutes or just 60 minutes). Work your way through understanding these basic steps. How these steps are integrated into exercises may vary but the technical fundation is always the same so you'll actually get lots of repetition over time.
You can find a lot of good resources online if you remember the names for the moves. Putting it together is still challenging. But remember that you can also ask your teacher about the parts that are still unclear to you.
Also if it's more beneficial for you to executing something than studying it I recommend to imitate your teacher when they demonstrate the exercise. That's what I did for the longest time and it is a bit more exhausting but marking with my hands was not an option at the time as I had to get my brain and body used to these strange types of movements first.
1
u/PearHot8975 16h ago
I imitate on on side and nail it, then we switch sides and my mind goes blank!
3
u/malkin50 1d ago
A few of my classmates take a pic of the teacher's notes so that they can practice the combinations at home.
3
u/Counterboudd 1d ago
It’s hard at first but as time goes on you learn how to coordinate your body better and most exercises are at least similar, if not the same over time. It might help to just watch a beginner YouTube class and pause and rewatch as many times as it takes for you to succeed fully in basic exercises. If you’re really struggling with every single combo tho it’s possible your class is too advanced for you. A very beginner class usually goes excruciatingly slow so that it’s easier for beginners to learn the combos at a slower speed.
2
u/PearHot8975 1d ago
They only offer one class for adults. It’s not for those who are looking to go to higher levels, it’s quite recreational.
3
u/Playmakeup 1d ago
I’ve asked my teacher to teach me something for the 6th time. You just gotta kinda do it till it sticks.
I have visual processing problems, so I would sometimes just miss things when the teacher demonstrated. I bought Gretchen Warren’s Classical Ballet Technique book and it helped a ton, because it breaks down steps into snapshots. (Just keep in mind, it’s an old book with some shitty attitudes about bodies. Just ignore those parts. It needs revision).
TikTok or YouTube will also help. Slow it down to .25 or just pause and go frame by frame.
There will come a time where you find that these steps just somehow materialize out of your body under the right conditions. What’s a step over turn? I don’t really know, but if I need to, I just pique turn on the other leg and it works. Tour jete? Cant explain it to my husband but if you tell me what leg to brush, then I’m off.
2
u/Some_Cat91 1d ago
In my adult beginner classes it was the same for me in the first year or so. Then the common combinations started to stick better. It's still like that for me in the beginning of the year when we have all new combinations but it gets easier with time :)
2
u/JohnSmith183974 1d ago
I had the same problem starting out, especially since my classes were in the evening and my concentration was depleted after a day of working.
Sometimes I tried to type on my phone the steps I’ve learned, even if it meant me having to google a lot of the names of the steps or hyperlink to websites which describe them with pictures. Sometimes, a friend in my class would join me in continuing to practice after it ended in order to reinforce memory.
I’m not sure if you’re being taught according to a syllabus, but the RAD has an app on which you can buy videos of the steps and variations which you can use to familiarise yourself and practice, even if at home.
I’d honestly suggest just keeping a note of steps and/or the names of steps, then as far as you can what the expected exercise was and try it at home. Over time, even if you don’t know the combination in the correct order, you’ll get better at picking up certain positions which will help with memorising combinations!
And you’re only in month three. So long as you enjoy it, you’ll get natural motivation to memorise. You’re clearly dedicated and I’m sure it’ll work itself out over time with more practice and classes!
2
u/lovehateikea 1d ago
We are the same vintage. Im at month 9 and only just starting to get my head around it. I still rely heavily on copying someone else but some of the time i can do it independently now. It really is a matter of time and slow absorption of the lingo/concepts. The initial overwhelm is hard though
2
u/No-Tennis-5991 1d ago
Ask if you can record? It always helps me to be able to watch it. You can always frame it as you want to be able to watch back and correct yourself. This way you have the combo, and can learn it! And can repeat as many times as you need! Yeah it gets easier and easier as time goes on! Do you find that most of your classmates are coming back to ballet?/ already have precious knowledge? This could affect how the teacher is teaching pace wise, but usually that’s about average. Don’t feel bad speaking up and saying you need it slowed down!
3
u/Katia144 Vaganova beginner 17h ago
How can you be a "geriatric millennial"? If you're a "millennial" (that is, Gen Y), you can't be older than about 44...
1
u/PearHot8975 17h ago
Geriatric just means old. So I’m an older millennial
3
u/Katia144 Vaganova beginner 8h ago
If you think early 40s is "old," you've been buying into society's BS too much.
1
u/reddittobe 1d ago
I am an adult learner and I get this. I love and need repetition. I think I am a slow (but sure) learner with a sprinkle of perfectionism. I am in MAX concentration mode in class. I mark the steps as much as possible with my hands and my feet. I try to burn the image in my brain. I remind the steps in my head over and over, like cramming before an exam. After class, I write in my ballet journal, and watch some yt videos. I did this until it became a muscle issue, not a memory issue.
1
u/certifiedskooter 1d ago
As many people have already said, it is normal and it will go better with practice and time. It will take your body a while to automatise, but ultimately there are only so many sequences you can do and eventually you will start to recognise the patterns
1
u/ellendavis1 17h ago
I'm a geriatric gen x and after a year and a half of classes, I'm able to remember most steps. It's a learning curve! It'll get better!
2
u/PearHot8975 17h ago
Each semester she teaches combos for a new performance!
2
u/ellendavis1 16h ago
Try making videos. That was the only way I memorized the recital's choreo
1
u/PearHot8975 16h ago
I’ve been wanting to do this since the beginning but I’ve been too embarrassed to ask
1
u/ellendavis1 16h ago
The way I did it was, I picked up my phone, made sure everyone saw it and asked "is it ok to make a video for my own learning later? Not posting it anywhere!". Everyone was happy to say yes and even asked for the videos, so I created a private Google drive folder and shared with everyone. I hope they let you do it, it's really hard to memorize choreo without a video...
1
u/No-Complaint5535 16h ago
Ballet barre usually has a predictable sequence, even if the exercises may change slightly from week to week.
For example, a typical progression will go from relevés to pliés to tondues, etc.
Because you're brand new, it's a fairly steep learning curve since a barre is usually around 45 minutes to an hour.
However, once you get the hang of the progression of movements, they will become second nature.
49
u/Falikal 1d ago
Over time it will become easier, especially once you know the movement and just need to learn the combination. Its really typical especially for a adult open class on the Barre.