How teaching adults ballet is different to teaching children

Dance is a wonderful form of expression that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Teaching dance to adults is a unique experience that differs from teaching dance to children in many ways. Unfortunately, these differences can sometimes be overlooked resulting in adult students being taught ballet in a way that doesn't suit their needs, which can in turn be off-putting to many adult dancers.

In order to understand the key differences between teaching ballet to children and adults, let's first look at how the requirements for both types of student.

An infant beginner dancer will likely also be in the process of developing related skills such as coordination, spacial awareness and even understanding self-discipline for the first time. Of course experience and skills will vary slightly from one child to the next, but overall most ballet classes for non-vocational infant students can be age-appropriate with relative success.

This is simply not the case with adult dancers as so many key factors will vary, including age, experience, physicality, musicality, artistry, spacial awareness and even confidence. That is before you consider how varied each adult dancer's motives and objectives are too. One dancer may see their classes as a way of unwinding after work and moving their body with gay abandon for an hour, while another may take ballet classes to master the technique and artistry, gain confidence or even use it as a workout or stretch. Being an "adult beginner" has many meanings in dance and there are over big gaps between Beginner, Improver and Intermediate levels.

Ballet has a multi-faceted nature and you could almost imagine it as many jewels in a crown- you have a jewel for physical strength, one for technique, for coordination, musicality, posture and alignment, the ability to take constructive criticism, and understanding of storytelling... the list goes on! Each skill does not make you a dancer on its own, just as one jewel does not make a crown; you need the ensemble. A beginner adult dancer may start ballet classes with a pretty big gem for their flexibility, but only a tiny diamenté for their coordination, then perhaps a slightly old and dusty jewel for technique and terminology. The dancer next to them will have a beginner crown that looks totally different and yet they are expected to do the same class. It's perhaps no wonder so many adult dancers and adult ballet teachers get frustrated with the set-up.

As an adult ballet teacher myself, I too worry when I have a particularly diverse group of dancers, all with different skills and wishes, since a group class can only offer so much. The best advice I have to ballet teachers looking to teach adult classes is to keep the following in mind:

Intent and motivation

It is important to keep in mind how an adult dancer's goals may differ from a child's. Of course enjoyment is (or should be) a factor for all students, but many children attend ballet classes simply because their friends do, or because it is a fun and popular after-school activity. However, an adult looking to start ballet classes will often have made far more of a concerted effort to find a convenient class; making room in their schedule and taking the plunge to dive into unfamiliar territory. An adult dancer will often have a good reason for why they chose ballet over another activity and so it is only natural this will come with specific goals that differ from the person next to them. Some may have danced at a younger age and now wish to rediscover it, or they perhaps explored a similar discipline like pilates or contemporary dance and want to focus on self improvement, while others may be simply looking to relieve stress and enjoy themselves.

As a teacher, especially if you are used to teaching children and following a pretty standard class plan, the expectation to give a class that meets everyone's expectations can be daunting. Finding a balance between teaching the more detailed elements of ballet without slowing the pace of the class is key.

Class Structure

The structure of a class can vary greatly between adults and children. With infants, a teacher will typically start with a few staple exercises and positions (like skips, jumps, first position etc) and build on them over time, gradually increasing the level of difficulty and adding to their repertoire of steps and expanding the breadth of their knowledge. Looking at the Royal Academy of Arts ballet syllabus for example, Grade 1 consists of 11 exercises, while Grade 6 boasts 21.

A beginner adult ballet class, however, will often start with almost all of the typical types exercises a professional dancer might do (pliés, port de bras, petit allegro etc) just far more simplified and shorter versions of them. Then over time, adult dancers will explore the depth of technique and artistry involved, but only a few additional types of exercises will be added over the following years. This can be very challenging for a total beginner, but also allows for a wider range of experience levels to follow the same class. As already established, a "beginner" can mean many things in adult ballet.

Learning Styles

Where adults may follow complicated instructions more easily, have a stronger attention span or understand the complexities of artistry faster than a child, children often have an amazing ability to mirror and copy a teacher, whereas adults typically need to really understand the movement themselves before the can execute it confidently.

This can mean going into quite specific details for new adult beginners and often involves the need to explain many things we take for granted, like which foot goes in front in a 3rd position while standing at the barre, or how to engage the core muscles while dancing. By contrast, a child will regularly copy their teacher successfully without truly understanding how they did it. They can be masters at adapting to new teaching methods, retaining information and learning new skills, but as we get older we often get more set in our ways. Some adults may be visual learners, some may learn best when attaching a certain step or exercise to a specific tune or piece of music, while other may be happiest physically repeating a movement by themselves numerous times if they struggling with remembering new steps. As an adult dancer progresses, they will gradually learn to self-correct to the point where a very experienced adult dancer will need more guidance with their artistry and performance than their technique. The subtleties of artistry are not taught to children until around Grade 6 in the Royal Academy of Dance's syllabus, by which point the student will typically have done at least 6 years of ballet and be roughly aged 14 or 15. A beginner adult dancer, however, can be capable of learning artistry and performance at a much more complex level and could be expected to understand the artistic qualities of Grade 6 in half the time.

Physical Abilities

The physical abilities of one individual to the next can of course vary greatly, regardless of age, but in general, these differences will be a lot more noticeable in an adult class. To start with, you could have a 20 year old and an 80 year old in the same class- one typically seen as being at their physical peak, the other not so much. But then it's always worth keeping in mind that the 80 year old may have danced their whole life or have been a professional yoga instructor and the 20 year old may be recovering from a serious injury or have never truly embraced physical activity before. You will find people from all walks of life in adult classes, which is a wonderful thing, and so as a teacher it is important to keep an open mind regarding their physical abilities. Offering modifications or different versions of an exercises is a great way to allow students to be in control of what they do, along with the option to take small breaks. Many middle-aged to elderly students will prefer not to jump, so providing modifications of an allegro exercise using temps liés, tendus or relevé piqués instead will usually be appreciated.

Children, however, will still be developing their motor skills and so the emphasis will be on simpler movements to develop their coordination, strength and balance. Jump exercises are encouraged among healthy children, but as they need to stay more hydrated than adults, teachers should offer regular breaks to drink water. Adults are typically much better at identifying when they are feeling dehydrated and will discreetly help themselves to their water bottle throughout the class.

Social Dynamics

Adults and children typically have different social dynamics in their dance classes. Adults are often looking for a community or a place for self-improvement, while children are still developing their social skills. This means that adults may benefit from socialising before or after class, while children may need more guidance on how to interact with their peers during class.

While a teacher will always need to be aware of creating a safe, friendly environment that is conducive to work, I would personally not behave in the same way with children as I would with adults. There can be a fine line between what kind of approach is suitable for a child, but can seem patronising or condescending for an adult. Children will enjoy learning from a teacher who is animated, upbeat and creative at making up mnemonics or songs to help remember a step. By contrast, as much as adults will appreciate an upbeat and welcoming teacher, a more relaxed tone can be used.

Offering constructive criticism is a delicate area for all ages. Finding the balance between showing a student how they could improve and encouraging the things they do well is key. Stickers and small rewards are are great way to encourage children, but I am yet to find an adult class that uses anything other than praise!

Teaching dance to adults and children evidently requires different approaches and as an instructor it can take real skill to master both. The main differences between teaching adults and children ballet will come down motivation, physical abilities, learning styles, class structure and social dynamics.

If you are an adult student or even a ballet teacher who instructs a range of age groups, I would love to hear your views on what could be improved in adult classes and what kind of changes you would like to see in your studio.

Drop me an email at info@myballetcoach.com to get in touch, or check out www.myballetcoach.com for on-demand training at your finger tips!