Should classes always start on time?

[Cruella]

Good grief... how did I know that the poll would be skewed based on how it was categorised...
The posts that started this was based on a very specific event and to therefore generalise it to encompass all classes makes it irrelevant. So, this is how it should be titled and conducted if it is to be relevant to the thread whence it came:

Should Classes that form part of a 5 hour freestyle allow for 15 minutes discretion by the teachers in start times?

1.) Yes, they should always start at the advertised time regardless of the length of freetstyle subsequently on offer.
2.) It's OK to start up to 15mins late (but no later) if the teacher thinks that the gender balance is incorrect.
3.) I arrive late to avoid the class.
4.) I turn up half way through, sometimes and the I join in.
5.) I turn up half way through to avoid doing them.
6.) ALL, Freestyles regardless of the genre of dance style, shouldn't have a class.

and the 2 extra sections.

7.) Freestyles that cater for a specialist sector of the market should have lessons to encourage new people.
8.) Advanced dancers should participate more in beginners/intermediate classes to help new people along.

The poll is for general opinions on classes,( it's not always all about you Rocky ) Although you did also admit to delaying your Monday night classes. The link has been put there so people can read the posts from the other thread. By all means, go start another poll relevant to your specific night. Point 8 is a seperate issue completely though. (One that has been discussed to death on here)

[Martin]

Explain because I feel you are just arguing because you want to argue.

I am not sure what more I can say. I thought I said it.

Advertise a start time, and then start on time...

Observe what happens when companies do not do this....

Dancers turn up later, coz they cannot trust the "official" start time.


Happy to give you many examples...

[Trousers]

However the more important part to the majority of the dancers is the freestyle section of the evening.

If we assume that lessons can be edited on the fly to accomodate teachers getting stuck in traffic etc etc. If the lesson started late the freestyle section could still start more of less on time. Giving us the maximum time to enjoy our hobby.

This is the point I am trying to make which I think missed you.


Which is worse?:- you turn up at 8.45 dance for 25 minutes and start a lesson 10 minutes late and go into freestyle at 9.40

or you turn up at 9.20 not wanting to do the lesson having to wait 20 minutes while the lesson runs on and only get an hour twenty freestyle?

[DD+]

I think all classes should start on time - if simple out of respect for those that have showed up on time to do the class - those that arrive late will soon learn that they need to arrive on time if they want to do a class.

as to classes at freestyles - I think at speciality freestyles that is is good for those new to the speciality to have short taster class early in the evening - as it makes the speciality more accesible to those that are new to it. But it should start on time.

[Steven666]

If we assume that lessons can be edited on the fly to accomodate teachers getting stuck in traffic etc etc.

Or get the punters to demo it!

I'm not always a fan of lessons on freestyle nights, but some people just need it to get on the floor. Some people just seem to be scared to be first on the floor in case of people watching them. A lesson bypasses that feeling. Though I'm still not a fan!!!

Oh and they should always start on time whether on a freestyle night or a class night IMO.

[Rocky]

I am not sure what more I can say. I thought I said it.

Advertise a start time, and then start on time...

Observe what happens when companies do not do this....

Dancers turn up later, coz they cannot trust the "official" start time.


Happy to give you many examples...

I think if you really are so pedantic about start times Martin then I personally think that is wrong. I'll give you an example: Just after the New Year we ran our normal class on Monday night at Twickers and it also clashed with a sporting event on TV. So we not only had the usual influx of extra ladies start in the New Year but we also had a temporary scaricity of men. This meant that we had 2 men and 22 women.

So what we did was be creative. We put on some music explained the delay and Val and I danced about 2 mins with each lady to get them warmed up and to make up for the delay. We then started the class at 8pm whereby we had another 6 men through the door. We then shortened the freestyle between beginners and intermediate class by 5 mins and then also adapted our intermediate class to make it easier so that we could get through it, without rushing, with ten minutes to spare (We have always run a 45min intermediate class at Twickers rather than the usual 30mins anyway). Result, happy customers and freestyle starting on time.

If you really are telling me that in this scenario you would have started the class as advertised and on time at 7.45pm with 2 guys and 22 women then I think the sun has got to you mate..

As Trousers says it is much better to edit on the fly as required when situations dictate than to be rigid - if you're sensible about it you can turn a negative into a positive very easily. And for me I would rather be creative about the way we teach, than be set in stone regardless of what happens..

[Trousers]

As Trousers says it is much better to edit on the fly as required when situations dictate than to be rigid - if you're sensible about it you can turn a negative into a positive very easily. And for me I would rather be creative about the way we teach, than be set in stone regardless of what happens..

Bugger me. . .

[drathzel]

If we are talking about in freestyle classes i think yes they should start on time however if you only have 2 people then its a bit hard to do a class when you know the other 10 that want to do the class will walk in half was through you doing the first move.

If we are talking about class then yes too because every time you start a class 5 mins late people start turning up late so they dont have to wait then it gets later and later each time. In my belfast venue i start at 7:30 because normally belfast people can be quite prompt. In my bangor venue i start at 7:40 because bangor people couldnt be early if you paid them! But i know my venues and i know my customers so i know i can do this without getting people annoyed. The new carrick venue opens tom (ahhhh!!) and i know carrick people are like bangor people but i will be starting on time as you should always start the way you mean to go on. Plus it means i do have an extra few minutes buffer if the class runs over.

[tsh]

Should Classes that form part of a 5 hour freestyle allow for 15 minutes discretion by the teachers in start times?

No. Advertise the times, and stick to them, otherwise people will assume they can turn up when they want, and the schedule will be adjusted to accommodate them.

I will usually try and turn up either in time for, or after a class (depending who is teaching). At Vibe, as an example, the class was announced, venue setup completed, warm-up, 'short' class, and 80 minutes had passed since the advertised start time. Didn't give a good impression of the logistics for the evening.

I don't really favour classes at freestyles any more, since they seem to encourage people to delay their arrival, and take up time - but I used to find them a useful before I learnt to make use of an empty floor. Having a class mid-evening is less disruptive in a way, but then has to be exceptional to avoid people feeling their time is being wasted.

Sean

[Rocky]

The poll is for general opinions on classes,( it's not always all about you Rocky )

Silly me.. there's me thinking that because you had posted this on the other thread that you would have actually created a poll that was specific to that discussion..

But as you seem to think it's a big issue, I'll do you a favour and start a poll asking what people think about advertised class times. .

[Rocky]

Bugger me. . .

I'm sure if you ask our resident sex case, RobD, nicely he will oblige... especially when he sees you in that sailor outfit...

[Gadget]

I think that classes should start on time, no matter what. If there is some reason that the class simply cannot start at the advertised time, then i think that some sort of teacher/punter interaction should take place. If that reason is lack of a teacher, then I think that the crew should be able to do something.

I think that any 'fun' class in a freestyle should be towards the start of the evening (within 1/2 hour of doors opening) and be relatively short & easy.

I try and arrive before the classes - a whole empty dance floor to utilize
Joining in: normally join the beginners and if there are ladies over, then join in the intermediates too. If there are men over I tend not to join in the intermediates. (But I can only remember it happening about twice in ... well, a long time!)

[Twirlie Bird]

I personally don't see anything wrong with waiting 15 minutes to start a class when you have a 5 hour freestyle at the end of the class.

However it's a completely different story if you have a midnight finish. I have been to freestyle's where the class has started 30 minutes later than advertised, ran for the full length of time and that meant there was only three hours of freestyle left. That is NOT OK.

I do get frustrated waiting for classes to finish at times especially as I travel so many miles to get to events. However I do feel it's important to have a relevant class early in the evening. I attended a WCS freestyle the other evening and at the start of the night there wasn't many people there. Pete came round to us and the others there and asked us if we actually wanted to go ahead with the class. He explained that he wasn't going to start the class late as he knew there would be some dancers arriving later to avoid the class and he didn't want to eat into their freestyle time. I thought this was perfectly fair and I asked for the class to go ahead. I NEEDED that class that night. This experience helped me appreciate the importance of relative classes.

[Twirlie Bird]

For instance at the Jive Nites Spring Ball Adam and Tas taught a fun class about an hour into the night.

This would have driven me nuts. If there is going to be a class it must be at the start of the night. I strongly believe it shouldn't disrupt the flow of the freestyle.

[robd]

This meant that we had 2 men and 22 women.

Looking on the bright side Rocky, you could have sold the evening as intellectually balanced if not strictly gender matched

I'm sure if you ask our resident sex case, RobD, nicely he will oblige...

Well, there's a fist time for everything

[Trousers]

. . . . . .{Painful snip} fist {/Painful Snip} .. . . .

Ouch!

[tsh]

This would have driven me nuts. If there is going to be a class it must be at the start of the night. I strongly believe it shouldn't disrupt the flow of the freestyle.

How about a cabaret? I'm undecided, but an interlude mid-evening isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I can't stand DJs who feel the need to break in every so often to remind us that they've got a mic, or the pre-finale announcements that seem so popular at swing freestyles though.

Sean

[jive-vee]

My personal opinion is that it's better to try to start the class on time regardless of gender balance or numbers. If it's an event/venue where people will start dancing no matter how empty the floor then it's not so much of a problem as once one or two start then it encourages more to dance so the freestyle gets underway.

However, if people generally wait until after the class to start dancing then I think it looks better to latecomers coming in to see a small class/unbalanced class going ahead than to look around at everyone sat down, not dancing and notice there is a gender imbalance/low number of people. There is the possibility that it might even encourage those who have come in after the class has started to join in thinking - "let's help to make up the numbers", or "they need a few more leaders/followers so I'll join in".

[Twirlie Bird]

How about a cabaret? I'm undecided, but an interlude mid-evening isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Personally I would rather have no interruptions. Once I am in the zone I want to stay there.

[bigdjiver]

...If you really are telling me that in this scenario you would have started the class as advertised and on time at 7.45pm with 2 guys and 22 women then I think the sun has got to you mate..

A revelation for you ... women can lead.

An organiser should have a class prepared for such an eventuality. All could practise spinning technique, log walks, triple steps and other footwork, double trouble, attitude, stying whatever.