Is the quantity of dancers in a class affecting the quality of training?

I have been doing a lot of thinking about the importance of dancers having the right teacher and learning environment whilst they are training. My thinking was sparked by reading about educationist John Dewey's reflection of "the quality of the education" being "linked to the level of engagement with, and consciousness of the experience." For many, dance training starts young and the teachers we have play a major part in our enjoyment, engagement and development as a dancer. A teacher who encourages and engages their students creates a much more positive atmosphere to learn. A positive atmosphere encourages a positive attitude which in time creates positive results.

With cuts to the arts funding, dance schools and companies are being forced to be more proactive in generating their own funds and means. I have observed that this has had an affect on the number of students many dance schools are taking on; more students -> more fees -> more money. But as the quantity of dancers in a studio increases is the quality of training decreasing? It is impossible for a teacher to be able to watch all the students at once and there is only so much time in a class to spend on personal corrections. The more dancers you put in a studio the less personal the training becomes. I was talking to my current teacher about this and he said the perfect class size for him to teach is 4-5 dancers. This allows him to have the time and ability to be able to watch us collectively and also give personal mentoring and feedback. It is good to have enough dancers in the studio for motivation, healthy competition, support and observation. But, too many dancers can be overwhelming and cause people to become shadows and key corrections may be missed, overlooked or not focused on enough.

Basic technique is crucial in all dance genres, and it is essential that a dancer has a clear understanding of how movements should be performed and how they get their body to do this correctly. Poor attention to detail and no thorough explanation and corrections from the teacher can result in a dancer obtaining bad habits which become an issue to correct later on down the line. Personally, I am currently having a hard time at the moment trying to overcome habits I have picked up from previous training as a result of not being made aware of my mistakes. If my errors had been bought to my attention earlier on the issues I am currently having may not be as big a problem. In previous training I felt very overlooked and overshadowed by other dancers due to favouritism and as a result I wasn't necessarily given equal opportunity to develop and thrive in the environment. Pointe Magazine's article on "Conquering favouritism" draws attention to how "being overlooked can mean being left behind". If a student receives little encouragement and acknowledgment in the classroom it can lead them to think they are not worthy of attention. It is essential that a training dancer is in an environment where they are receiving feedback and feel that they are improving and progressing. If you don't feel that your teacher is interested in you the "lack of support is emotionally draining." But, "a teacher's pet pupils get more than an ego boost" they are most often the ones who get given "roles that challenge their technique and let them shine in performance." A lack of opportunity can jeopardise a dancer's potential and stunt progression. For example I was given very scarce pas de deux experience at school because I was not selected for partnering parts and as a result I feel less confident in choreography requiring these skills
as I have little experience with it.

Would love to hear other peoples views and thoughts on this topic :)

(http://pointemagazine.com/inside-pt/issuesdecember-2012january-2013your-training-conquering-favoritism/)