I was like that at first. I felt that I needed to hit every beat, and that is not what it is about. Maybe she needs to hear that you aren't supposed to hit every beat, and that the dance is about control with only the occaisional wild abandon thrown in. She may welcome this, as sustaining that energy can be exhausting!

Dear Nefabit,
I think this might be directed at me. If not, sorry for the interjection. I think I am one of the few dancers who does the year long beginner thing, because I don't think time constraints in many programs allow for it, such as classes at the YWCA, through Parks and Rec or through Extended Learning.. For this reason I have found it better to work in a studio, as I think you do, too.
I charge by the month and have a drop-in rate by the class because I tend to have a lot of visitors to class from town and from out of town.(Last Sunday, Cherri Bell from Juneau , Alaska took class while she was in town! Are you on this Tribe, Cherri??)) Very few people have the money to pay close to $500.00 in a single payment for dance. The most I have ever done was one student who paid for 6 months at a time, because that worked for her, and also she had made the investment and felt the need to honor that by being in class. She was afraid she might otherwise get lazy!
Beginning class is a class based on a lot of review in many different ways. We start with bare bones fundamental movement and the rest of the year is building our skills and knowledge of dance and music, cultural stuff, history, costuming, etc from there. Since we constantly touch back on those 10 fundamentals, we always have room for new students until after we learn a short choreography, about 7-8 months into the year, depending on the aptitude of the majority of the class. By then we have studied fundamentals in detail, musical relationship to movement, learned some variations and perhaps started with some layers, learned a little about phrasing through the use of choreography, etc. Since at this point, I introduce veils and cymbals, I like the dancers who are continuing in the beginning class to have some dance background, though if someone really wants to join and see if they can manage the class, I let them.
Even my continuing students are constantly guided back to fundamentals. Without them, there is no strong foundation in the dance. ( I only have continuing and beginning classes. I am structured a little differently because my beginning classes are a year long and after that point, those who move on have enough knowledge to take them on to any depth of study as far as becoming accomplished dancers, because they understand where movement comes from and what shapes the dance besides mere movement.
I hope this was helpful, even if the questions have been meant for another person, LOL!
BTW, you live in Spokane, I think,and if you ever want to take a class to see my method close up, I have a continuing class on Sundays from 10 AM- 11 AM and a beginning class from 6:30- 7:30 on Thursdays.
Regards,
A'isha

I usually don't have a problem with firm, professional touching to adjust their bodies. If I have any doubt that they're comfortable, I ask permission to touch them. I've never had a problem with it, and I find it's the best way to correct posturing. Sometimes people don't realize they're doing what you say they are, even looking at themselves in the mirror. Things like holding one arm lower than the other, pushing the chest too far forward, pointing the toes outward instead of forward, etc.

I only touch a student after I get their permission--such as when they need me to hold their hips to guide them in a move they simply aren't getting. I always ask, "do you mind if I touch you to show you?" After being in the legal field for 17 yrs. I am just very cautious.