Back-to-Dance Tips for Dance Teachers

The special part of back to dance season

 

I love the fresh start of a new dance season. The air feels electric with potential and possibility. I tend to spend the weeks leading up to the first class polishing my dance lesson plans, perfecting my playlists, developing assessment tools, and brainstorming recital and concert ideas. With these plans in place, I always feel energized, excited, and ready to take on the new season.

We can take advantage of the fresh start to help make the most of a new dance season. We can develop class routines that encourage our students’ holistic growth in dance technique, artistry, and overall wellbeing. We can develop habits that support our own wellbeing, including how practice self-care, set boundaries, and show up as our most authentic selves in and out of the dance studio. We can help our dance students recognize and work toward the habits, skills, and qualities that they will need for success. We can build strong, healthy dance class communities by getting to know our dance students, teaching team-building skills, and providing opportunities for team bonding.

As a dance teacher of over two decades who has worked with a variety of age groups, skill levels, dance styles, and school settings, I have seen the lasting impact that a great start to a new dance season can have. In this blog post, I’ll share four important tips that can help dance teachers take full advantage of the fresh start of a new dance season.

 

Why the first six weeks of dance class matter

 

The Holistic Approach to Dance Education is inspired, in part, by my experiences as a middle school dance teacher in a school that practiced Responsive Classroom. In Responsive Classroom, the first six weeks of school are considered crucial. Teachers who adopt Responsive Classroom follow specific steps to ensure that their students start the year in a way that sets them up for engaged and productive learning.

As described on the Responsive Classroom website, “The early weeks of each new school year offer teachers distinct opportunities and challenges. It is during this time—when expectations and routines are established, rules generated, and goals articulated—that the foundation is laid for a productive and cooperative year of learning.”

In The Holistic Dance Teacher Approach, dance teachers apply a similar mindset during the first six weeks in the studio to help set their students up for success throughout the year. We use the first six weeks of class to set our students and ourselves up for a successful year.

In the first six weeks of a new dance class, The Holistic Approach to Dance Education encourages dance teachers to focus on:

• Establishing expectations and explaining consequences
• Getting to know our students
• Creating class community
• Evaluating our students’ abilities, needs, and goals
• Adapting our lesson plans accordingly

The tips in this blog post will help you make the most of the first six weeks of a new dance season, so that you can set yourself and your dance students up for success all year long. You can learn more about The Holistic Approach to Dance Education in my free guide, and find a complete guide to the first six weeks of a new dance season and other helpful resources in The Holistic Dance Teacher Back to Dance Resource Kit for Dance Teachers.

 

Four tips for dance teachers at the beginning of a new dance season

 

1.) Help your dance students develop good habits – and model them in your own dance life

 

As dance teachers, we know that establishing good habits is crucial for success in dance and in life. Dance students simply cannot improve if they are not regularly present in class, from start to finish, and prepared for class in a way that will keep them safe and help them focus. This includes how they prioritize nutrition, hydration, recovery, and emotional health.

But sometimes, our dance students (and their families) fail to see why even these most basic habits make a difference. In the first six weeks of a new dance class, dance teachers should help students develop strong habits, especially in the areas of attendance, dress code, behavior, and self-care. We can do this by:

• Making sure that attendance, make-up class, tardiness, and dress code policies are clearly listed in all studio materials or in your class syllabus so students and parents are aware of them before classes start.
• Discussing expectations often with students and their families during the first six weeks. Explain why:
  • Attendance is crucial
    • It’s the only way to improve individually and keep the class moving forward as a group
  • Tardiness is disruptive and dangerous
    • The late student distracts their peers, and missing warm-up could result in injury
  • Dress code helps students learn effectively
    • It addresses safety issues, limits distractions, and helps the teacher see and correct potentially dangerous alignment issues
  • Good self-care can help improve dance technique and performance
    • Students learn and dance their best when they fuel their bodies with nutritious food, stay hydrated, get adequate rest, warm-up and cool down properly, and seek help for physical or mental concerns
• Providing plenty of resources that support dancers’ success in the first six weeks. These include tips for purchasing dance wear and supplies, securing hair, fueling and hydrating their bodies, and taking care of their physical, emotional, and mental health. Handouts, in-class demonstrations, and videos are all great options.
  • Ensure that dress code and hair resources are inclusive of a variety of skin tones, hair lengths and textures, and gender expressions.
  • Create dress code options that are inclusive and make students feel comfortable, regardless of their shape, size, or skin tone. For more, check out this article from Dance Magazine.
  • Make sure that any resources on nutrition, injury prevention, conditioning, or mental health come from a reputable, experienced professional.
• Modeling good habits in our own dance teaching practices. The best way to help dance students (and their families) understand the importance of good habits is to model them ourselves. It is important that our attendance is consistent, we are on time and prepared, we dress safely and appropriately for class, we warm-up and cool-down effectively, and we hydrate and fuel our bodies during or between classes.

Remember that the first six weeks are a time for setting expectations and informing students of consequences. There will certainly be learning curves as students and families adjust. Be kind and give some grace. A nice option for these first weeks is to have a stack of reminder slips with the expectation and potential consequence that can be discretely handed to students or their parents after class if they are late or not dressed properly.

 

2.) Create a consistent dance class routine

 

Most dancers thrive on routine, and having consistency in the class routine can help them feel safe and comfortable. This is especially true for pre-school and middle school students. A consistent dance class routine gives students an idea of what to expect, and can even help mitigate behavioral issues that arise from anxiety or fear of the unknown. A good dance class routine is designed to support every part of the learning experience – dance technique, artistry, and overall wellbeing. It includes everything from how the dancers enter the studio to how they say thank you at the end of class. Most dance class routines include:

• A welcoming opening ritual that can help students transition into class more easily. These can include a high five on the way in to the studio, a question of the day, check-in time, or intention setting.
• Structured, generally consistent warm-ups that help students prepare their minds and bodies for the challenges to come.
• A basic class outline of activities, exercises, drill, and progressions that review and build on previous learning, introduce new concepts, and provide time for creative exploration.
• Cool downs and closing rituals, that help students process their class experience and leave on a positive note. These can include anything from a reflective meditation to a formal révérence to a casual high five on the way out of the studio,

Spend a good portion of the first six weeks helping students adjust to the routine and become comfortable with it. It is important that dance students learn the class routine and navigate class transitions with focus before focusing on complex dance technique concepts and combos.

In The Holistic Guide to Dance Lesson Planning guide dance teachers through the entire dance lesson planning process. You can learn how to develop consistent, highly effective class routines that foster dancers’ holistic growth in dance technique, artistry, and overall wellbeing.

 

3.) Cultivate a positive class culture

 

The first six weeks are a time to cultivate the culture you want for your class: in which everyone is included, cared for, valued, motivated to do their best, and encouraged to be their most authentic self. One way that dance teachers can cultivate this culture is through specific activities designed to bring out the qualities they want to see in their dance students, such as respect for self and others, focus and disciplined work, energy and enthusiasm, and kindness. These include such as partner exercises to develop teamwork and empathy, and goal setting to help students find their internal motivation.

• In the first six weeks, you should focus on getting to know your students well, so that you can best support them throughout the year. Are they introverted or extroverted? Do they thrive on attention or withdraw when you correct them in front of others? What kind of music do they respond to? What hobbies or interests do they have that you can connect to their dance training?
  • The brand new Holistic Dance Teacher Back-to-Dance Resource Kit for Dance Teachers includes four great resources that will help you get to know your students and create a strong and supportive community in your class.
• Remember that your class culture starts even before the students walk into the studio! Take time to greet students and parents in the lobby before or after class if your teaching schedule allows. Make it a goals to know not only all of your students’ names, but also as their primary parent or guardians’ (when possible) by the end of the first six weeks.
• Teaching social-emotional skills is an important part of our role as educators, and the process should start in the first six weeks! Some of the most important social and emotional skills that students learn through dance can be found in this blog post: 5 Vital Social-Emotional Skills Students Learn through Dance – and How to Teach Them!
  • You can find practical, concrete tips and activities for teaching social skills through dance-based activities in this blog post: How to Teach Social Skills in Dance Classes
  • You can find ideas for teaching team-building skills in dance class in this blog post: My Favorite Team-Building Activities for Dance Classes
  • You can find practical, concrete tips and activities for fostering empathy through dance-based activities in this blog post: How to Teach Empathy in Dance Classes

 

4.) Put a stop to detrimental movement habits – your students’ and your own

 

Many dancers will come into class with postural and movement concerns that can get worse or be increasingly detrimental if not addressed in the first six weeks of class. For pre-schoolers, it might be the “W sit” or toe walking. For older students, it could be not getting all the way over the box of their pointe shoe, not reaching to the end of their kinesphere, or slouching between exercises. If you allow students to start the year off with detrimental habits, they will only get harder to correct. It is important to address these fundamental issues before incorporating new or advanced technical elements into class.

• For little ones, it can be a good idea to have a set waiting posture to encourage good posture and energy in transitional moments of class. I like to provide students with several options that they can choose from and allow them to shift between them as needed. My favorites are pike, butterfly with tall back, or a mermaid sit with legs to the side. Some students have difficulty maintaining a set position for long periods of time, so giving them a few choices and letting them shift slightly can be helpful.
• For older students, spend some time correcting the postural issues that come with modern life, such as swayback resulting from tight psoas muscles due to sitting too long, or hunched neck and rounded shoulders caused by texting. Remind students to be cognizant of their posture both while dancing and in transitional class moments.
• During the first six weeks of class, it can be fruitful to spend significant time on conditioning exercises to help make these corrections. Encourage at home practice with a checklist of these exercises and incentives for completion. Of course, postural corrections probably won’t happen in those first six weeks, but the early focus will help set students up for success throughout the year. You can track their progress with photos and videos, helping them to see the results of their hard work!

But a beginning of the year posture check isn’t just important for our students. As dance teachers, we can also benefit from a renewed focus on our alignment and movement habits. Teaching dance can be hard on our bodies, and if we want a long and healthy career, we need to do all we can to prevent wear and tear.

If you are able, give yourself a good warm-up before your classes start – or at least participate in your students’ warm-up as much as you can.

• Use your best dance technique when you demonstrate, and try to alternate which side of a combination you show most often so you don’t get imbalance injuries.
• If you have several classes in a row, give yourself some downtime by planning time for your students to improvise or do a creative activity that doesn’t involve demonstrating. (You may like these improv activities, choreography prompts, dance history activities, and dance games.)
• Mind your posture as you sit, stand, or walk around the room to observe your students.
• Cool down at the end of your teaching block – its tempting to run right out of the studio, but even a short cool down goes a long way!

 

Get all the dance teacher resources you need to get to know your dance students and create a strong class community with the Back-to-Dance Bundle!

Let’s connect!

• What are some of your best tips for back to dance season? I’d love to learn from you …share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!
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