My goal is to give you the tools and understanding of dance fundamentals that will make you a better dancer! I employ a variety of approaches to teaching a private lesson, depending on your needs. Much of the time, I will focus on specific technical instruction in order to give you an area of focus for practicing. Every student has different ways of learning, and each student has different strengths, weaknesses, and skill levels. Thus, my teaching process and ‘style’ will vastly change from student to student.
Some students simply need exposure to different movements and styling in order for them to have inspiring things to play with. In other situations, students need focus and review of specific moves and fundamentals that they’ve already learned. Still others need fewer specifics and more concepts, philosophy to reflect on. Many times, a combination of two or more various approaches get mixed into a private lesson.
A couple notes about private lessons:
- Lessons are typically 60 minutes
- It is your time, so ask for whatever you wish, and Birkley will do his best to provide it
- Birkley typically likes to do a bit of a warm-up, see you dance, and direct the lesson based on what he believes you need the most
- Think of a private lesson as a two-way conversation: you always have a voice throughout the lesson. If you don’t understand something, want to practice more, don’t feel comfortable, an old injury is flaring up, want to move on, etc. — then don’t hesitate to speak up!