If you didn't begin in a Teen/Adult Beginners class (as in, you danced with younger children), did you progress at the same rate as them?

What I mean is, did you move up to the next grade before they did? Or skip a grade when everyone moved up? Or were you with that particular group of classmates for your whole time at the studio? Did you ever catch up to your age group?

How many hr/week are you doing this? If you're studying seriously with younger kids, you will probably surpass your age group. Most people who start in Teen/Adult beginner classes typically don't make it past general intermediate level.

Even young dancers shouldn't really move up as a group, every dancer is different and responds to their training differently. Dance training isn't like school classes were we all end grade 1 when our teacher has taught us all of the grade one work, grade one ends when our muscles are ready for grade two and not everyone is ready at the same time.

This is what lot of people, parents and even dancers don't understand about dance training.

If you ever catch up with your own age group depends on how motivated you are. Just doing what the younger kids do, is not enough. You have to work harder than them and be more concentrated.
Also try to do more classes, even if it's all at a lower level, you will progress faster because you train more.

It is possible to catch up with your own age group, but it will probably go slower than you wish. Calculate like this:
Because you're older you don't have to start from level 1, but you can start (let's say) at level 3. Your own age group is at level 6 now.
If you count 1 year for each level, you are 5 to 6 years behind.
Starting at level 3 means you first have to catch up the first 2 to 3 years. BUT your age group has progressed to level 7 after that. So you still have 3 to 4 years to go.
With very hard work it is possible you catch it up within 2 to 3 years, although the difference between you and level 7 will be clear, but you will have to do more then your age group when they were at level 3.

My experience is that students in this situation ask me if they can go up already, after 2 or 3 CLASSES. Yeah, right. If you could catch up 6 years in 3 hours, I would be a lousy teacher because my level 6 obviously is still at a beginner level. So, no.

hummingbird wrote:

Even young dancers shouldn't really move up as a group...grade one ends when our muscles are ready for grade two and not everyone is ready at the same time.

Thank you, that explains so much!

I'm starting with 4 and a half hours a week, and adding more classes throughout the year.
It's not that I mind dancing with younger kids, but I think that as a teenager I would learn faster than a nine year old, and I wondered if that meant I would move up faster than they would.

Don't worry, I'm not planning on starting pointe and fouettes any time soon.

I've always danced but I had a five year break from ballet. When I went back, the teacher put me in where she thought I'd fit and I was 16 and in the Grade 5 class with 12-year-olds. I took my exam with them and because I had studied Grade 6 the whole time I took that shortly after and was in with 15-year olds within the two years.