Or, as the case may be and is- when I'm teaching.
I recall many a person who has said that it's not good to think and dance at the same time. And while sayings like that used to annoy me to an extent, I have to admit part of the reason that ballet in particular and dance in general sucked me in was because you couldn't think of anything else and dance at the same time. You had to be so completely focused and in the moment, only thinking about what you were doing at that moment, not all the other junk that may have happened during the day.

Well, so I'm teaching an adult class the other night, and one of the students isn't there. (By the way, this has happened multiple times in this class when particular students don't show up, so it's getting embarrassing) I give a barre combination, and do the combination along with the students for the first side. 3 different types of tendues 4x each en croix is the combo. So, in my head I'm going "1,2,3,4, 1,2,3,4 why the heck isn't she here? grr. I'm not going to change class just for her'
Back to reality I see all the other students are doing a la seconde while I'm still doing devant. "Oops, musta lost count there!" So I do a ls seconde, and then derierre. '1,2, seriously, she couldn't have let me know? And now if she shows up late cuz she always does it's gonna throw everyone else off!' Back to reality again, I see the students beginning the second set of the barre combination. 'Crap I have got to stop thinking about things when I dance!'

But despite that mental observation, sure enough every so often during a longer barre combination I space out and start thinking about things. After I thought about my student, I began wondering if center would be too hard for them that day, and how to give these students an adequit ballet class that IS a ballet class without being too challenging. Then I was thinking about a group of hooligans who I suspected of vandalizing the trash cans outside the building!
And sure enough, even though it only took a few seconds for those thoughts to go through my head, I would always end up off count- and seeing as I am the teacher and at certain points leading the exercise that was really bad.

I could have told the students, "You can tell when I'm thinking, because I mess up. Some people can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I can't think and dance at the same time, apparently!"

Anyone else as looney as me? Talk about embarrassing! I'd never do that as a student, but apparently as a teacher somehow it just leeks out? lol. Oh boy. I have GOT to be more focused!

He he. I do that when the student is present. Everytime I see her face my bloodpressure goes up and I start with negative thoughts again. Focus on someone else is a solution, but it doesn't always work.

What you describe, I do that at different moments (not so much during teaching). But don't you have the moment - after an hour of thinking like this - that you get angry at yourself: 'I am still thinking about this!', and than I start to keep thinking negative, but then about me , 'Why can't I stop this thinking!!'.

How to stop it? Well, the other posters will tell us that .

I'm a very hands on teacher, I can't really say that I've had this problem since I'm usually crawling around on the floor manually fixing legs/feet or running around the room poking and proding backs, ribs, arms etc.

I try to give at least one or two corrections to every single student in the room throughout the class, even if it's something as simple as finger placement or eye focus. This keeps me pretty focused on what's going on in the classroom, as opposed to other stuff in my life or head

Generally, I do not demonstrate beyond giving/setting the exercise, I have assistants in most of my younger classes that sometimes will demonstrate or lead the exercise for the class while I go around doing corrections. But in general I expect the students to pick it up and be able to do it without help. For the little ones, I repeat exercises for a few months so after the first 2 or 3 lessons they are familiar with the exercise and don't need help to remember it. When I introduce new exercises I'll have my assistants demonstrate for the first few lessons until the kids are comfortable.

By level 2 (our 3rd yr of ballet) my students can do the exercises without help. If students are really struggling to remember the exercises and can't do them without a "visual aid" perhaps the exercise is too complex for their ability.

Haha! I have to admit, it's funny because I've been there before, but it's also frustrating!

The same thing tends to happen to me when I am tired. I can usually handle it early in my night or my week, but at 7:30 on a Friday night? Yeah, I've lost it by then. Many MANY times I'll give them a combination, and then as I am walking around calling out the combination, I'll call out a totally DIFFERENT one! Usually the class follows my directions as I call them out, but every once in a while a student will say "Uh, Miss Kristin, that's not what you said before". *headdesk* Darnit.

rincedragonfly wrote:

Many MANY times I'll give them a combination, and then as I am walking around calling out the combination, I'll call out a totally DIFFERENT one! Usually the class follows my directions as I call them out, but every once in a while a student will say "Uh, Miss Kristin, that's not what you said before". *headdesk* Darnit.

Oh, yes! Or I'm dancing a step along with the class, and I suddenly slide into another, similar step from another class. Suddenly I notice no one is moving behind me. They've all stopped and are staring at me like I've lost my mind. Which I may very well have.

When I first started teaching, I also found it tough to demonstrate and keep an eye on my students at the same time. I'd be watching them to see how they were doing, and in the process I totally forgot what I was doing and messed it up. Years later I'm much better at that, but I still prefer to either demonstrate or watch, not both at the same time.

Yup. Me. Totally. I'm also a very hands on teacher so my problem is I'll be calling the combination then randomly make something up as I get distracted by someone placement and fix it. Then there's confusion and when we get to the other side, someone asks, "Do you want us to do the combination you gave or the combination we did?" *sigh*

There was one time I was describing a step as "riding a horse". Of course that got me thinking about cowboys... bullriders... and next thing I know, I blurted out, "act like you're riding a cowboy". It was my older teens and they got a good laugh out of it. I was so embarrassed!

I was drilling beginners on grapevines and would occassionally blurt out "grapefruit". I guess my mind got bored. lol It was in a class of little kids, so they were sent rolling.

Happens to me all the time!

I do things like that ALL the time! I will be walking around the room, watching a combo and counting out loud or saying th steps - then go to correct someone and say the wrong step. A lot of times the kids get it right and laugh - I say "Just testing you!"

My main problem is falling - when demonstrating a pirouette combo you should demonstrate only - don't try to watch the students turn or you will end up on the floor! At least I always do...

HAHA That happens to me all the time...my usual line is "and that's why you should know the dance and not watch the teacher!" Now my older students say it before I do sometimes, and we all get a little laugh.

ALL THE TIME. I'll space out and if I'm not counting out loud as I demonstrate a combo I'll get lost but luckily I have the students in each class that are quick learners and let me know when I'm off.

This happens a lot when we learn choreography- I tell my students if I don't have it in my notebook and I'm following it I'll forget since I have so many dances in my head. It does give them a chance to work extra hard on memorization so they can 'correct' me the next week.