I just started dance lessons about 5 months ago. I take 1-2 private lessons a week and group classes about 3-4 week in swing, tango, and latin/rhythm.

Does anyone know how long it generally takes to achieve full blown Bronze level status? And how do you officially achieve that, do you have to take an exam at some point and have an examiner judge your ability. Do you have to coordinate with your instructor/studio for that?

Right now my private lessons are really casual, laid back and fun, so if I want to get more serious about dance I assume I'd have to bring up the bronze certification question with my 1-1 instructor?

Any feedback would be great, thanks!!

I wouldn't really set my metrics on studio medal exams. It's really bias towards them keeping your morale up to keep you as their customer. Also note, medal exams are designed for students as a tool for them to stay on progress. Only you can determine your competency level. I would recommend talking with your instructor and ask him what criterias he uses to judge if you are competent at whatever level.

I started back in may - and i was told that it can take between 1-5 years to complete a full bronze program - what you studio may do, is break down the bronze level, and from there they may make a few examinations of certain figures that you should know - basically you will be test at some point yes. certain studio may do it differently - some will take the highest teacher/ pro at your studio to be the examiner for your evaluation.

your lessons should always be fun, no questions asked, if you would like to get your bronze - i would definitively talk with your instructor and see what they have to say about your progress, and see what their plan is for you.

hope this helps

V

Is there universal acknowledgement and definition of Full Bronze category?

Don't know where you are taking lessons, however, the studio we study with has a syllabus and set school figure steps that are figured to move from level to the next level.

It seems to me the level of time is related to your ability, the amount of time you practice and the amount of steps you learn. Along with dance steps, comes arm styling, posture, head position, frame and a whole host of other variables.

I would discuss with other students and instructors your goals

Very good questions.

Exams, in any field, are simply a record of achievement to set standards within its genre.

Do medals make you a better dancer ?-- moot point - it doesnt guarantee anything, other than you have satisfied an examiner, in the areas in which you are tested.

Dancing , is far more than awards .I have taught people who have " danced " for 25yrs plus-- never took exam one-- did make a difference ? not one iota.

However -- sometimes validation is necessary . We each have to place that, in our own personal prorities .

They( exams ) will do you no harm, and will set a goal-- your call.

Ya I'm more of a "goal-oriented" person I guess. I'm really committed long-term to dancing, so I think I'd benefit from setting a roadmap or lesson plan for where I'd like to be in 6 months, 12 months, 2 years etc; hence the desire to follow a bronze level syllabus.

Thank you all very much for your responses!

RoxyGirl. If you are taking two private lessons a week by yourself with an instructor you should be at championship leval within 12 to 18 months providing you are spending enough time dancing with him. It's a lot different when you are taking lessons as a couple. On your own you should expext to progress quickly. Group lessons at the same time are not a good thing to do if you are dancing with other students,as this will cause you to pick up their bad habits and slow down your progress with your teacher. It's is important to try to capture and hold the feelings that you get from your teacher . Good Luck

I have to disagree with Doug. Perhaps he doesn't understand that, if you take two lessons a week, those two hours (or 2 45-minute sessions, in a lot of cases) are all the dancing you do with your instructor. Yes, I suppose you *could* learn all the steps up through gold and beyond in that period of time, but it is highly unlikely that you could develop the technique you need to dance it well, much less at "championship" level.

Also, whether group lessons are important depends on your dance goals. If your sole focus is on competing with just one partner, then yes, the variety of leads you get in a group class may confuse you at the beginning of your dance career. But if you want to do any social dancing, then group classes are a huge help. Frankly, to do social dancing, you need to learn to follow leads who are *not* as good as your instructor, and group classes will give you practice in that.

Whatever you dance goals, good luck with them!

There really is no " absolute " to the Q.
The advancement on any " learner " cannot be evaluated by this method (Posting.)

The talents, learning mode etc. varies as much as fish in the sea .

As for groups-- the value is only as good as the one who is giving the lesson .

Roxy, I hate to be a voice of reason, but ask yourself this. How long did it take you to learn how to walk? to talk? to drive? to use a computer? I hope you get the idea. Dance is a learned ability, setting goals is o.k. but instead of saying I want to learn bronze level foxtrot in six months. Think I want to learn bronze level foxtrot until I'm happy with the way I look doing it.
My personal opinion about exams, if you want to get serious abut dance start competing in whatever level your in now. If you want to be an instructor, work with someone who is already at least registered with one of the Dance councils (NDCA, WDC, ISBD, DVIDA) Dance for your self and try to be happy with your progress.