Late-beginning Students: A Four-part Examination into a Special Subgroup
Part Two: Mind and Body How do the mental aspects of dancing differ in late-beginners and children?
While the older body tends to be more stubborn than a childs, the more mature mind is able to achieve a mental awareness and connection that surpasses their younger counterparts. When teaching late-beginners, a teacher should respect this difference by giving them accurate and completely thorough technical information - information that in its complexity is not often discussed with young children. In addition, teachers should have a full understanding of dance vocabulary and be able to comment on the relationship between the different technical aspects of movements so that students can then integrate that information into clean, effortless dancing.
For late-beginners, the more the mind can understand, the more the body can react appropriately. To be more precise, instead of receiving information purely on a surface level, which is how children tend to be taught, the mature mind desires to know the mechanics and reasons behind technique. Late-beginners succeed much faster when given the whys and hows of things rather than simply given orders for their body to obey. When the mind understands the full picture, the body is much quicker to follow the minds directives and to make connections through the body that aid in its overall coordination. As an example, take tendus. When teaching tendus to children, a teacher explains that the knee stays straight, the foot slides on the floor until it comes to a point with no weight on it, and that you must keep the rest of the body quiet while doing so. When teaching a late-beginner however, you can break down the work of the foot, explaining how demi-pointe is involved in sending energy into the floor on the way out and how the foot then relaxes and connects to the floor on the way in. You can also explain that the reason for this is because it builds flexibility, strength, and dexterity of the foot for petite allegro and creates a sensual grace from the lower half of the body, which is useful in making artistic choices. This kind of detailed information would be overwhelming to a child but for an adult it is vital.
Another mental difference between children and late-beginners is in regards to the rapport between teacher and students. The older the late-beginner, the more they reach or even surpass the age, and therefore mental development, of the teacher. Naturally, this creates a different atmosphere in the classroom that opens the opportunity for a more relaxed and personable setting due to the mutual understanding of people who have experienced more life. This can be a good thing considering it may lead late-beginners into not feeling as intimidated as they would by the traditional yet necessary strict atmosphere that so often rules a dance classroom full of children.
Generally speaking, the older the student the more focus and dedication they have. Late-beginners have a greater ability to mentally concentrate on their work in and out of class, which allows the teacher to spend more time teaching rather than disciplining. We must, as teachers, understand the entire person coming into the classroom and not just their physical body or mental aptitude. Part Three of this article series will be devoted to looking at the emotional and artistic side of late-beginners and how it relates to the overall success of these students.