Yay! I’m now a dance teacher!

6 May

The last two weeks have been hectic. There was so much I had to study and rehearse for my exam. I took the Friday before the exam off to rehearse in the studio that my exam was being held and practiced like mad. I was told on that day who my examiners would be – both teachers whose classes I attend regularly and have known for a couple of years.

Sunday came around and I nervously arrived at the studio and sat my theory test straight away. That was easy. Then there was a lot of waiting until it was time for my class. The nervousness grew.

Finally my students arrived. Eight beautiful friends of mine whom I all owe big-time! We piled in to the studio and I managed to sputter out a legible introduction.

As I conducted the class, I managed to relax and enjoy myself. My friends helped to ease the tension also – particularly since a few of them were rather uncoordinated. I think I actually taught them a thing or two which was great and they all seemed to enjoy themselves.

Class over, I was asked to perform the Level 4 dance. This was good, I was hoping for either level 1 or level 4. It was so hot in the room (heating for the examiners) that I could barely breathe and forget smiling! I didn’t “perform” the dance as much as I knew I should have but then again, I never do.

Then it was on to demonstrations and explanations. I was only asked to do 4 (instead of 5) – flat back, simple turns, standing posture and knee bends in 1st and 2nd. My nervousness was at its peak and I spoke faster than I ever before! They asked me to slow down as I was making them nervous and take a breath.

Then it was solo time. I changed into my Jazz shoes (better for the tarquet flooring, as there is a split in my routine) and began with gusto. This was my own choreography and therefore all my strengths so I had to make it look good. However, all of a sudden I caught sight of my friends watching from outside and destroyed a double turn. Seconds later, disaster – I ended a move facing the wrong way and subsequently panicked and forgot the rest of the dance. The examiners told me not to worry – they had seen enough (which didn’t bode well for me)

Next, came demonstrations and explanations of 2 level exercises. Thankfully they chose easy ones for me. And the exam was over.

I came out of the room thinking I had only completed half of my solo and that I would surely fail. On later reflection I realised that I had only missed 3 lots of 8 counts of the routine, which accounted for about 10 seconds – out of 2.5 minutes.

So, apprehensively I attended my normal casual Intermediate Jazz class last night (taken by one of the examiners, which the other examiner normally attends). My friends in the class all asked me how I went and I told them. After class the teacher asked me if I had asked for my results yet. I hadn’t as the exam results normally take 3 weeks. However, I happened to ask as the teacher in charge of the results was walking into the reception and she told me that I PASSED!!! She couldn’t tell me anything else yet but that was enough for me.

Then my teacher told everyone how nervous I was and they all told me stories about how nervous they were. I told here that I had known my solo back to front and she told me that I knew everything back to front and that I did very well.

Relief.

Wow, I am now qualified to teach levels 1-4 of the school’s syllabus as well as beginner Jazz. I’m also qualified to teach beginner Funk and Tap but I have to learn how to dance in those styles first.

Yay!