Let’s get this out of the way…
I’m a lefty. And yes, that is why I am doing this post.
As a left-handed dancer I know that there are a few special challenges that teachers should be aware of. For one thing, learning turns may go better on the left side. This is actually a safety issue when you are working on teaching pirouettes for the first time.
I always ask my students if there are any lefties in the room, just so I am aware of the fact that they may have more difficulty picking up combinations that are demonstrated and done first on the right side.
Not all dancers follow handedness in the dance classroom, however. For example–even though I am left-handed, my turns are better on the right. Each student will need to be assessed individually to discover their strengths and challenges. Still, if you are aware of them, you will be more effective as an instructor.
If you have not yet asked your students about this…consider incorporating it into your class. For some students it can really make a world of difference.
Hi, I have a question:
In your experience, is it harder for left-handed people to pick up on dance routines taught in parts before they see the whole thing, such as those taught in auditions? I read somewhere that Left-handed people need to see the whole picture before breaking it apart. I currently have a LOT of difficulty learning dance routines in auditions, which is strange to me because I have danced all my life. I can walk away from the audition and know the dance perfectly, but while learning it I feel confused and discombobulated, which often leads to a bad showing in the audition. Is it useful to try to go to more “pick up” dance classes, where they just teach routines on the fly, to try and train myself to learn in this fashion better, or would it be helpful to ask the audition choreographer to do the dance one time fully through while we watch and then try to break it apart? I am struggling to find an answer.
Great question. I’m a lefty myself, so I’ll try to answer, although I can’t really speak for everyone…
If you don’t have problems learning routines other than in auditions, then it is probably situation-specific and tied to your nerves. In that case, it may help to do more “pick up” dance classes. Also, try doing some relaxation techniques prior to an audition. Deep breathing, progressive relaxation and visualization may help. Try to go to more auditions that you don’t really care about–just for practice. It’s kind of like interviewing in corporate…the more you do it, the better you will get. (And hopefully the less your nerves will impact your performance) Good luck! Keep us posted…. 🙂
Thank you so much for this. I am also a lefty dancer, and have been dancing a lot for the past 4 years (I’m in high school). I, like you suggested, had a hard time learning pirouettes because when my teacher said, “turn to the right,” I turned the way I thought she meant and ended up turning opposite the way everyone else did. I find it helps if I think “towards the right shoulder” instead of just “to the right.”
As for the combinations, I don’t have a problem with learning or doing them, but I commonly start on the wrong foot and have to do an odd switch to be on the same foot as everyone else.
As to what mymorex09 said, I find it to be about the same, if not easier, in parts, probably because my studio teaches it part by part. Also, with all that’s flying around in my head, I find it hard to keep a whole dance in there from the beginning. But I will admit that I can’t get the order of the steps in the right sequence unless I can hear the music, either actually playing or in my head.
Thank you for your comment Lilie. It’s nice to hear the different experiences of lefty dancers! 🙂 All the best to you!
I should have known that Catherine Tully would have a blog post on this!
My 5-yr-old is a lefty. Her ballet recital is this weekend (her tap one is next month, so we have time) and I’m just realizing now that she’s having problems with wanting to start every step on the left. When she’s watching her teacher in front of the classroom or watching the video at home, she does every step correctly, but once she doesn’t have someone to follow, she’s automatically starting with her left foot and I’m pretty sure it has to do with her left-handedness. I tried to correct her last night, and she ended up in a heap on the floor, bawling about how it’s so unfair that everything is always right and everyone is right-handed and she’s going to ruin the whole routine.
I know that at age 5, the recital is really just for fun, but she was so devastated last night. She can definitely just watch her teacher (the teacher is way off stage left) but I know she didn’t want to. She wanted to look forward and smile out into the audience, but when she does that, she’s on the wrong foot from everyone else. 🙁
Speaking to some lefty friends, I think she’s become so accustomed to people showing her things with their right hand that she should do with her left, so her brain has become hard-wired into copying it with the opposite hand, that she now has a legitimate hurdle to overcome even in dance. Any suggestions? We have 6 days before the performance, so not much time, unfortunately.
Hi Amanda! Awwww…my sympathies on this – I know it can be hard! 🙂 First I would suggest talking with her teacher, who may not realize that she is having this problem since she seems to be ok when in class following the teacher. See if she has any suggestions. It may be that it is a little late in the game for it to be fixed for this particular recital, in which case, it might be helpful to just not fight it and emphasize how dancing with her heart is the most important thing…that way if she does “mess up” it just isn’t that big of a deal. Lefties have to overcome a lot in many arenas of life, but they can also be made to feel special rather than feeling the world is unfair for them–even though it is! Going forward with the tap recital, I’d definitely see what the teacher can do to address this issue. The kids are probably changing legs, so you can also talk to your daughter about how hard it will be for the other girls to do things on the left side. That might help a little bit too. As a Mom it can be hard, but it’s great that you noticed it – some don’t and their children may struggle on in silence. If you work together with your daughter and the teacher, you should be able to find a solution that works! Keep me posted, and all best to you on the upcoming performance! Hope this helped a little bit!