University of Wisconsin’s off-campus program lures adults to dance with fun, no-pressure classes

By Maureen Janson

Dancers gather in the hallway, stretching and awaiting the beginning of class. A few students peer into the studio, giggling. When a file of energized, sweaty dancers saunters out, a new group rushes in. It’s a familiar scene at dance studios filled with children. But in this case, all of the dancers are adults.

“I try to say something positive to all of the students, not just the best ones,” says Maya Kadakia, foreground at left, teaching an African danceclass at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.(Photo by Maureen Janson)

As part of my job at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, I supervise a collection of teachers and dance classes geared toward getting adults into the studio. These off-campus classes provide a noncompetitive atmosphere devoid of pressure. That’s not to say that the expectations aren’t high; the qualified staff raises the bar for learning in these classes. But there are no tests, no grades, no credits—and hopefully, no competition. The only thing at stake is learning. Although these classes accept students over age 13, the majority are post-college age and older.

While kids’ classes provide the bread-and-butter for most studios, offerings for adults are often limited. Under the umbrella of the university’s Division of Continuing Studies (DCS), these classes fill a dance void for adults in the community. And because DCS provides an organizational structure that allows educators to focus on developing classes and teaching, the program attracts freelance teachers and part-time UW staff. The university handles the rest: marketing, studio rental, scheduling, recruitment of students, and other peripherals. For nearly 50 years, these classes have averaged more than 200 adult enrollments in each session. With the workday in mind, most classes meet after 4:30 p.m.

Through the DCS program, adults seeking to learn a new technique or refine their skills can study a full progression of ballet, modern dance, or tap. They may also choose from introductory courses in cultural dance forms such as African, Irish, or Middle Eastern, or from somatic movement classes, including yoga, Pilates, and tai chi.

Working with older learners offers unique challenges for teachers, so I asked some members of my teaching staff to describe their experiences. All of them bring their personal philosophies into working with adult dancers, although some of their experiences and observations overlap. The teachers echo similarities in adult attention span (greater than kids’), energy level (lower than kids’), and habits (harder to break). Adults bring a mature sense of curiosity about how their bodies work but also can get hung up on how they look.

Darrell Dieringer takes time away from his own studio to teach the ballroom and Latin dance continuing-education courses. He is familiar with teaching adults and enjoys the break from having to publicize and track down students on his own. He finds that his classes work best when he can reduce the fear and resistance some adults bring to learning a new dance form.

“Developing the atmosphere where adults feel safe and are willing to take personal risks is an important part of the classes I teach,” Dieringer says. “Many young people learn to dance very quickly. Adults are sometimes slower and can feel intimidated. If they are able to remain lighthearted about learning, they tend to learn faster and with more enjoyment than those who become self-critical or focus on minutiae. Details are important, but it is more important to embrace the bigger picture.” Dieringer establishes an atmosphere of trust by encouraging humor, fun, risk taking, and athletic discovery.

“Adults bring experience to the classroom, positive and negative,” says Georgia Corner, instructor of DCS’s Erick Hawkins–based modern dance courses. “I appreciate the ability to communicate with adults on a more cerebral level. You can reference other arts and experiences and they get it. On the other hand, they may bring bad habits from previous training to the class.” Corner notes that although children tend to be receptive to new physical ideas, adults can bring resistance.

Irish step dance teacher Heidi Hakseth reiterates Corner’s observations. She reminds herself before each class that her students might be coming to the studio after a long workday, so she considers stress relief part of her curriculum.

Hakseth’s early training came from exchanging steps with dancers in the Irish pubs of Milwaukee. That experience made her feel like part of a community, and she strives to re-create that sense of community in her classes. “I level the playing field by introducing them to a wide variety of dances,” she explains. “That way, I know everyone can have a chance to excel at something.” Over the years, Hakseth has learned that varying the class helps reduce the chance of a competitive atmosphere.

“Developing the atmosphere where adults feel safe and are willing to take personal risks is an important part of the classes I teach.” —ballroom and Latin dance instructor Darrell Dieringer

In the African dance class, Maya Kadakia minimizes competition by making encouraging comments and corrections both publicly and privately. “I try to say something positive to all of the students, not just the best ones,” she says. At the beginning of the session she gives students a letter outlining class goals and emphasizing the noncompetitive atmosphere.

Drawing from her training in Mali and Guinea, Kadakia introduces her students to the history and cultural background of learning and performing West African dance. She feels that adults appreciate the intellectual concepts and cultural contexts of the dances they learn. A frequent teacher of children, Kadakia says that compared to adults, young students need to be given clearer directions, guidelines, and expectations but have less fear and inhibition about how they look doing the work.

After a 30-year break from studying dance, student Gail Brassard is not too concerned about how she looks. Her return to ballet class was “not exactly like riding a bike,” she says. “It was humbling to put on a leotard and tights, but most of the people in my class are returning dancers, and they are around my age.”

Brassard returned to dance in her 50s, after years of working out at health clubs. She decided to revisit ballet when she realized that dance training had provided personal attention and mental involvement, which her gym regimen lacked. “I always loved ballet and wanted to reconnect with something joyful. I enjoy it way more than working out on a machine. Now that I’m older, I think my brain is different. I grasp things in a different way.”

Brassard thinks she’d be intimidated if there were kids in the studio; she says the adult atmosphere gives her a stronger sense of freedom in the class. She credits her topnotch childhood training and her current inspiring teacher, Vivian Tomlinson, for her improvement in the class. “He gives fabulous verbal explanations that I might not have been able to understand or apply as a younger dancer. Now I know what I’m striving for, not just making a shape or an image.”

Many adults come to dance class simply because they want to, even though some may not be prepared for the rigors of dance technique. The teachers agree that making accommodations for their students’ limitations comes with the territory. “Teaching adults often means teaching people who have various injuries and health conditions that keep them from even trying some of the steps,” says Hakseth.

She recalls a student with a foot injury that kept her from participating in most of the class. “She really wanted to dance, but I was so surprised and thought, ‘How is she going to do this?’ ” Concerned that the student might reinjure herself, Hakseth encouraged her to work at her own pace and helped her find ways to accommodate her injury.

According to Dieringer, “the reasons why an adult might be attracted to studying dance are as wide and as varied as there are people.” Some take class for exercise. Some have a boring day job and want to do something expressive and creative. Some have always wanted to learn but never made the time before. Some love new challenges, setting and meeting personal goals. “The participants are enthusiastic, ready to learn, and usually surprised at how much exercise dancing can be,” he says. “The most touching reasons I hear from people involve their personal growth.” He cites examples of people who had been self-conscious about their height or weight or felt shy or awkward but gained confidence through dance.

Hakseth believes that most adults want to study dance because it feels good. “Dancing relieves stress and works the body in a way that is much more freeing and happy than exercising at a gym. I think there is something in dance that makes them feel youthful again,” she says.

Corner’s philosophy is similar: “Adults look for the opportunity to experience the joy of moving.” And like many of the DCS teachers, Corner recognizes the curiosity that adults bring to the studio and works toward providing a more mature perspective than she would with children. “I try to go beyond just dance and make sure my classes connect movement to the wider worlds of culture, nature, science, and art. I feel strongly that our bodies can help us experience those worlds, something that often is forgotten in our contemporary lifestyle.”