Clarifications

Mostly due to the US Thanksgiving holiday, I only made it to two classes last week. I'm already three classes in for this week (Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday) and have two more scheduled (Friday and Saturday) because I have a scheduling conflict Sunday. I'm really enjoying the opportunity to take so many classes, and am envious of a former regular classmate who used to live only a short walk from the studios. It would be nice if I didn't have an hour-plus of round-trip commute time and weekday parking fees.

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A couple months ago I mentioned in a post here that I was surprised to be told by the director of the adult program that I shouldn't take an Advanced Beginner class I'd been hoping to take. This led to a discussion with other students about "gatekeeping" and whether it was appropriate for an instructor to tell adult students what classes they should or should not be taking. I decided to continue taking the classes with the instructors I was already taking, but decided not to expand to take others.

Then the instructor schedules changed, and that class is now being taught by a different instructor. I decided this gave me leeway to take the class schedule I wanted without actually doing something I felt I was told not to do. That might have been hair-splitting, but it was good enough for me. This did not go unnoticed, as evidenced by a passing comment to the effect of, "I've noticed you're taking quite a few classes". But nothing else was said and there were no repercussions .

This past Sunday, this instructor commented to the entire class, without singling me out, that if anyone was interested in taking other classes, she'd be happy to make suggestions on whether she felt the class was appropriate for that student. But that we shouldn't feel limited by her suggestions. 

Alrighty then! Problem solved!

Or was it ever a problem in the first place? Maybe this whole thing was really just a misunderstanding on my part. Her original "suggestion" had been made in a conversational tone rather than a stern directive, so maybe so. Or maybe she has reconsidered her position. I don't know, and at this point I don't care. It is nice to know that I'm not pissing off someone I really don't want to annoy.

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Later, outside of class, I ended up having a rather lengthy chat with this instructor on a wide range of topics. I mentioned that it was interesting taking classes with so many different instructors, two of whom were new to me. During the discussion, she suggested I try a particular Monday evening class with yet another instructor because she's a Level 3 Franklin Method Educator. I filed that suggestion away for later consideration.

This evening I looked at the class description. It's an Intermediate level class.

For those who haven't taken classes at this school, let me explain a bit about the odd naming of adult classes:

• Adult Intro to Ballet: This is a 5-week class is for complete novices with no ballet experience. Sometimes parents of children enrolled in the academy program take this class so they have a clue what their kids are talking about. Students actually learn quite a few steps in it.
  
• Adult Intro to Ballet II: I guess this is a continuation of the class above, but I think it's a drop-in rather than having a defined start and end. It's a relatively new addition and I haven't watched one.
• Adult Beginner Ballet: The lowest level of the regular drop-in type classes. When I first came to this school, I found this class to be more challenging than the beginner classes I'd been taking elsewhere.
• Adult Beginner II Ballet: The content of this class depends on who is teaching it. It ranges from a slow-paced class with a strong focus on form, to a fast-paced class that can be on par with the Advanced Beginner classes.
  
• Adult Advanced Beginner Ballet: More complex material with less repetition than the Beginner II classes. A fair number of former academy students who have aged out of that program take these classes. Three of my four classes are at this level.
  
• Adult Intermediate Ballet: Even more complex material than the Advanced Beginner, taught by senior faculty who are former pros. Most (all?) of the students have been dancing ballet for many years, with some retired pros and active ballet instructors mixed in.
  
• Adult Advanced Ballet: Oriented toward retired professional ballet dancers who can't quite walk away from their art form, taught by other former pros. Not currently offered due to the pandemic-related drop in enrollment.

As I've mentioned before, the Advanced Beginner classes, and even some of the Beginner II classes, are comparable to the Adult Intermediate Ballet classes I've sampled at schools in other cities. Why so many "beginner" classes that aren't really beginner level? Because many students said they would stop taking them if they were renamed, even if the content was the same. No, this makes no sense. It just is.

So... two months after being "suggested" that I not take an Advanced Beginner class, I'm being "suggested" to take one of the highest level classes currently offered. My reaction is to think that enrollment in that class must be really low. I don't feel totally stupid in my Advanced Beginner classes, but at best I'm somewhat below the midpoint. 

I appreciate the compliment, though. Maybe I'll drop in one Monday evening and really humiliate myself. But not this month.