I recently read a great article about the learning curve of both men and women specifically in regards to partner dancing. In this article was a very interesting graph that showed the learning curve which helps to explain many issues when it comes to how differently men and women learn. Check out the article by clicking here.
As you can see this is a generalization but after years of instructing thousands of students I can attest for the accuracy of the information. Take a look at the males’ line. Men tend to learn slowly but consistently. There is a little bit of improvement over a longer period of time and it is only after much time and practice that this curve starts to shoot up and can eventually overtake the average female’s learning curve. If you look at the females’ line, it is very diagonal and steady in it’s rise from the beginner to intermediate level and then can plateau.
So when women approach me and tell me that they are frustrated by the men in their level, this is why it is so. Women learn faster initially. However, many women get an over-inflated sense of confidence and stop attending classes, choosing instead to just dance in the clubs. However, once they reach an intermediate level they get stuck in a rut and feel frustrated by the decrease in progress in comparison to the first months of learning. I know I went through this process and it takes a lot of hard work to get off of the plateau. As suggested in the graph, ladies styling, performance groups and competitions help elevate the dancing at this point.
So if you are a female, please understand that men initially have a tougher learning curve to deal with but with patience and support they will be eventually get to your level…be patient! And men, if you are frustrated by your progress remember that it will come if you keep at it and eventually it will be fun, easy and free.
Let me know what you think of the chart – would love to hear some feedback!
