At Expressions Dance, we love seeing how excited our students are to practice in class! Their motivation fuels their progress, and as they gain more experience in dance, they have the potential to advance even more quickly. But this path to progress also requires developing self-control, confidence, and discipline. Through basic class etiquette, our students are growing these skills and understanding how to use them in all aspects of their lives.
In this post, we wanted to share some of the age-appropriate etiquette expectations we have at Expressions Dance for our intermediate and advanced students. These expectations include:
Abiding by the dress code: Our dress code is intended to make the dance classroom a comfortable and safe learning space, so it’s essential for our students to understand its importance! The dress code reduces distractions and levels the learning playing field.
Asking for permission if they’re joining class late: For the experienced dancer, starting class late can be unsafe, depending on how much time is missed and how long the warm-up lasts. It’s polite for a student to ask the teacher before jumping into class after it has started.
Being prepared when taking turns: Some dance class exercises are performed in groups or one-by-one. It’s considered a sign of respect for a student to be ready to dance with their group or when it’s their turn, so the teacher doesn’t have to give reminders.
Remembering corrections: “Corrections” are the feedback students receive from teachers about what to improve. Retaining corrections from class-to-class shows the teacher that a student is engaged and wants to do better. Writing corrections down in a notebook after class is one way dancers can remember their corrections (we recommend tracking compliments too!).
Raising their hand to ask a question: Expressions Dance teachers love it when their students have questions! But they love it even more when students ask those questions at the appropriate times and with a raised hand, instead of interrupting the class or talking over their friends.
With all this in mind, there’s one last piece of class etiquette we want our students to learn and practice—and that is to say thank you. Whether it’s after asking a question, receiving a correction, or at the completion of class, we always encourage saying thank you to your teacher.
The benefits of these class etiquette expectations extend well beyond dance, and we’re proud to see our students using these skills to become more responsible and respectful human beings!
