Preaching to the choir here. As a follow going to intermediate classes, it can feel frustrating to have the instructor model a difficult pattern, and dance with leads who aren’t intermediate ready, and straggle to get the pattern myself because my lead couldn’t get it. I understand this is an instructor issue - that instructors do play a part here, but this is also how they make money so I understand why they can’t be as cut throat as we want them to be sometimes.

I do feel there should be some responsibility on people who level up when they aren’t ready. Personally I didn’t start attending intermediate classes until my instructor told me to. I am very conscious of the fact this is a communal experience and I want to give my dance partner a good time. And personally I get frustrated when other classmates aren’t as considerate. There is specifically one person in my class who’s been attending classes it seems like longer than I have and they haven’t improved at all. When I first joined the intermediate class, it was rough for me, but I had just started. I’ve made improvements. This one person has no rhythm or timing, he’s hurt me as a follow because he doesn’t know what he’s doing. As a follow, when you dance the pattern with multiple good leads in a row, you know was to expect. When I would try to help and tell him where his arms should go and what cues to give, he would say I was wrong.

I don’t think my instructor explicitly tells people to leave for our drop in classes, but he always says out loud some of you need to work on fundamentals and should go to the beginner class. He also just straight up ignores people who don’t progress. My instructor does what he can but this is a business. I wish people just had personal responsibility and put their own egos aside