How to approach holidays in your dance classes
A while back, I received a message from a fellow dance educator who had a new student join their class. This dance student did not celebrate holidays, as per their family’s religious background. The dance educator enjoyed celebrating holidays in their dance classes, and doing so was part of the dance studio culture where they taught. They mentioned that they had used some of my holiday dance games in previous seasons. Now, they weren’t sure how to best accommodate their new dance student who didn’t celebrate holidays, while also maintaining the expectations of the other students, families, and dance studio. I’ve been thinking about this question a lot since this exchange, and I think that other dance educators can benefit from thinking about it, too!
Why some dance students don’t celebrate holidays
There are a number of reasons why dance students do not celebrate holidays, including religion, culture, or family preference. They may celebrate some holidays but not others, or be allowed to partake in some forms of celebration, but not others. Others may not celebrate any holidays at all in any way, including birthdays.
If celebrating holidays in your dance class is a part of your class or studio culture, it is important to determine whether or not this is acceptable and inclusive for all students. In many cases, parents or caregivers will let the dance teacher or studio owner know if their child cannot participate in holiday celebrations. However, there are other ways that dance educators can determine whether or not holiday celebrations are appropriate for all students in your classes, as well as help you know what holidays are important to them, individually and as a group. These include:
- Dance student get-to-know you surveys – I like to have all dance students fill out a simple survey at the beginning of the season so that I can learn more about their needs, priorities, and comfort levels with my class and their dance training in general. If you have new students in your class or are unsure of their preferences regarding holidays, one of the questions on the survey could be about the holidays they celebrate with their families or in their community.
- Get-to-know-you dance games – We usually think of playing get-to-know-you dance games or do introduction activities at any time of the year, but you can add them to you classes at any time. Some dance games, like Road Trip, can be adapted to help you learn whether or not a child celebrates holidays with their families or caregivers, as well as which holidays are most important to them. In the case of Road Trip (found in the blog post linked above), you can use “Favorite Holidays” as a category.
- Class poll or group survey – You might consider taking a poll or give a group survey that anonymously asks the students in your dance classes whether they want to celebrate holidays, which holidays they want to celebrate, and what kind of celebrations they prefer.
- Communication to dance parents about your lesson plans or curriculum – As a parent, I love receiving information from my kids’ teachers and coaches about what they are going to learn and do throughout a session. I don’t always send this information to parents or caregivers of the dancers in my class, but I think it can be a helpful tool – especially if you are new to a dance studio or program and have not built relationships within the community yet. In this communication, you can include information about what holidays you plan to celebrate in you dance classes, how you plan to celebrate them, and what caregivers can do if they don’t want their child to participate in the celebrations.
Should you celebrate holidays in your dance classes?
Before we go any further, I think it’s important to stop and consider another question: Should we even be celebrating holidays our dance classes at all? I don’t think there is “right” answer to this question, but it is good to consider both the pros and the cons. I have taught in environments where holidays were celebrated excessively, and where they were really not celebrated at all. In some situations, the celebrations were simple, such as using holiday-themed music in classes during the season. Sometimes, celebrations were limited to a single day and included a party atmosphere, complete with food and things like costumes or a gift exchange for appropriate holidays. At other times, the celebrations extended a few weeks, but just included a simple game or activity each week. It really came down to the culture of each individual dance studio or program, and how holiday celebrations fit into that studio or program culture.
The case for celebrating holidays in your dance classes
I didn’t always feel this way, but in general I am in favor of celebrating holidays in your dance classes. I believe that doing so makes dance more relevant for the students, as it connects what they are doing in the dance studio with their lives outside. Holiday celebrations in dance classes can be motivating for many dancers, as it gives them something to look forward to and enjoy. Celebrating holidays in dance classes can be a great way to foster healthy relationships among dancers, leading to improved social skills and team-bonding. Moreover, holidays can provide a special opportunity to include play-based learning in your dance classes, which offers creative, emotional, social, and cognitive benefits. Finally, celebrations of any kind, including holidays, can help relieve stress and bring more joy to the dance experience. Many current dance students are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress – socially, academically, and emotionally – and an overly strict or competitive approach to dance training can often add to that stress. I think that any opportunity to help reduce that stress and allow kids and teens to experience joy is worth exploring – including celebrating holidays in our dance classes.
The case against celebrating holidays in your dance classes
At the same time, I recognize that celebrating holidays is not always inclusive. Choosing what holidays to celebrate (or not) can be difficult, especially if you have a diverse group of dance students in your classes. As holidays – and life in general – becomes more politicized, you might worry about what families and caregivers might think about your choice of holidays to acknowledge and how you celebrate them. Some dance students may have trauma associated with or exacerbated by certain holidays (see more about this below). This is why I think it is important to get to you know your dance students, their families, and the community culture to the best of your ability. You can then design your dance lesson plans and approach to teaching in a way that best supports them.
Additionally, it is important to understand your own preferences and experiences regarding holiday celebration. If a certain holiday can be triggering for you, you may be wise to avoid celebrating it in your dance classes. You might also find the extra planning or preparation required for planning holiday classes to be overwhelming. Or, it may go against your own cultural or religious background to celebrate certain holidays. In these cases, you might be the one to choose an alternative to the holiday celebrations listed below, for your own sake.
However, it is important to recognize that if you are a dance teacher, you do not necessarily set the tone for the dance studio or program in which you are teaching. Usually, the culture is intentionally created by the dance studio owner or program director. You may find yourself required to adapt your approach to holiday celebrations to the dance studio or program culture in which you are teaching. You might have some flexibility to celebrate (or not) in your classes as you’d like, but overall, it is probably best to align to the dance studio or program’s expectations. If you do not feel as though you can meet those expectations, then it is important to be up front about this with your dance studio owner or program director. You may determine that this dance studio or program is not the best fit for you, and there is nothing wrong with that!
How dance studio owners or program development can develop a holiday culture that works for them
If you are a dance studio owner or program director, and are on the fence about how holiday celebrations should fit into your studio or program’s culture, you can consider the following questions:
- Does the general cultural or religious background of your city, neighborhood, or current client base influence whether or not you should celebrate holidays, or what holidays to celebrate at your studio? For example, what holidays are commonly celebrated in your city or neighborhood? Do you plan for your studio or program to participate in these community celebrations? Do you consider your studio to be faith-based, and are there certain holidays that align with that faith?
- Does your approach to dance training, or the kind of training you want to provide in your dance studio or program, influence whether or not you should celebrate holidays, or what holidays to celebrate at your studio? For example, a pre-professional studio may take a different approach to holiday celebrations than a community-based program – but not always!
- Does your own background influence whether or not you should celebrate holidays, or what holidays to celebrate at your studio? For example, if you love Halloween or Valentine’s Day – or any other holiday for that matter – and want to make it a part of your studio culture … then go for it! Your ideal client base will find you and love you for it!
As a dance studio owner or program director, you can decide how to handle holidays in your studio or program. You might choose in-class holiday celebrations or make them an optional special event that happens outside of class time. You might choose to limit celebrations to using holiday music or playing educational dance games, like those found in The Dance Games Bundle. Or, you may want to go all out with a potluck-style party, gift exchange or costume contest, and the like. There are no right or wrong answers.
No matter what kind of culture you choose to create in your dance studio or program concerning holiday celebrations, it can be very helpful to set studio or program-wide expectations that support that culture. Communicate your preferences regarding holiday celebrations with your dance teachers and parents. You can note how you would like teachers to celebrate holidays in their dance classes, or describe studio-wide celebrations in your Dance Teacher Handbook. You may also consider providing resources for the teachers in your dance studio or program, such as holiday-themed lesson plans, dance games, or playlists. Make sure that holiday celebrations are noted on materials presented to families and caregivers of students at your dance studio or program, including calendars, newletters, and social media. You may also consider adding descriptions of these celebrations to your Dance Student or Family Handbook.
What should you do if you have a dance student who doesn’t celebrate holidays?
If your dance studio or program culture includes holiday celebrations, both the dance teacher and the studio owner or program should be aware that some students will not be able to participate. It is important to have a back up plan for these dancers. Here are a few examples of back up plans that might work for these dancers:
Focus on seasons rather than specific holidays
If you have a dance student in your class who does not celebrate holidays, an easy adjustment could be to change your focus from specific holidays, like Halloween and Christmas, to celebrating seasons like fall and winter more broadly. For example, you may be able to play dance games that celebrate autumn-themed concepts, like pumpkins and falling leaves and apple bobbing, rather than Halloween-themed concepts, like monsters and ghosts and jack-o-laterns. (Check out my Fall Celebrations blog post for ideas!) Around the winter holidays, you can focus on snowflakes, ice skating, and hot chocolate, and in the Spring, on concepts like blooming flowers, beautiful rainbows, and gentle rainstorms instead of bunnies and dyed eggs. (You might like the ideas in the Winter or Spring Dance Games collections!) This still allows for the benefits of holiday celebrations, like play-based learning and stress relief, while still respecting the family’s boundaries regarding holidays. Before taking this approach, you may want to check with the students’ caregivers, and/or the studio owner or program director, to make sure seasonal celebrations would be an appropriate alternative.
Plan fun activities that are not related to the holiday
There are many ways that you could incorporate fun and novelty into your dance classes during holiday seasons without directly focusing on the holiday itself. A generic “day of fun” or “spirit day” may be a good alternative. For a day of fun, could play dance games or fun improvisation activities, like the ones found in The Holistic Collection of Dance Improvisation Prompts and Activities. They might also create their own choreography, watch and discuss dance videos, or do a team-bonding activity. Spirit day ideas might include wearing studio logo gear, silly socks or hairstyles, dressing like their teacher, pajama day, or wearing a certain color. As with the seasonal celebrations, having a “day of fun” or “spirit day” still allows for the benefits of holiday celebrations, like play-based learning and stress relief, while still respecting the family’s boundaries regarding holidays.
Let the dance students lead the class
Along the same lines as a “day of fun” or “spirit day,” allowing the students to design and lead the dance class can be a great way to change things up in your dance classes without celebrating the actual holiday. In my experience, most dance students love having a turn to “be the teacher,” and giving them this opportunity is a great way to help them develop their creative, communication, and leadership skills. You can allow the students to create their own class combinations like warm-up, progressions, barre or center combinations, or phrase work to teach to their peers. Alternatively, you can allow the dancers to make their own short dances individually or with a group to teach or even just to show to at the end of class. It is important to give clear instructions and set boundaries when giving such assignments, especially if you want them to avoid holiday-centric themes or music. In this blog post, I offer some ideas for helping students design and lead their own dance class.
Focus on creative rest to counter holiday overstimulation
Holidays, while fun, can also be stressful or overwhelming for some kids and teens. They may have lots of extra activities and events to participate in: school concerts, religious obligations, community events, family functions, and the like. Additionally, many kids may pick up on their parent’s or caregiver’s stress over holiday preparations, leaving them feeling uneasy or even guilty. Others may have broken relationships in their family, financial concern that are exacerbated by holidays, or have a history of trauma that centers around specific holidays. Kids may even just feel overstimulated by the decorations, lights, music, noise, advertisements, and sweet or rich foods that come with most holidays One great way to honor your students’ needs at this potentially overwhelming time is to have a creative rest class. Creative rest may look different for every dance teacher, and you may approach it differently with dance students of different ages and skill levels. In the blog post “Embracing Creative Rest in the Dance Studio,” I explain more about my approach to creative rest and how you can use creative rest in your dance classes.
Offer alternatives for students on holiday celebration days
If there are one or more students in your studio who do not celebrate holidays, it may be wise to schedule holiday celebrations for specific day. Ideally, this could be an optional special event, like a Trunk or Treat or Easter Egg Hunt. This way, all families can choose whether or not they want to attend, without impacting the dancers’ class attendance. If the celebration is scheduled for class time, the student can be offered the option to miss the class without impacting their team placement or attendance record. They could be offered a make up class or an account credit for missing those days. Obviously, this idea is less inclusive and may make the child feel alienated. However, there are times when it might be the best ideas for all parties involved.
If all else fails …
The reality is, not every dance studio is a good fit for every dancer or family. If holiday celebrations are an established or important part of your studio cultures, then all parties may have to come to terms with the fact that this isn’t the best fit for this family. I believe in being as inclusive as possible, and I think it is possible to be sensitive to individual student’s needs while still providing a fun environment for all participants in the class using some of the alternatives listed above. With care and creativity, I think that we can adapt our preferred teaching practices and activities to meet the needs and wishes of both the individual and the class. However, it is not always the dance teacher, studio owner, or program director’s decision. If a parent or caregiver is asking for an accommodation that you do not feel comfortable making, or if you feel that making that accommodation would unduly impact the studio culture or experience for the other students, then it is important to discuss that with the family. Should they decide that the studio is not a good fit, you may be able to recommend an alternate dance studio or program that can better meet their expectations.
Visit my Resources page for tools that support a holistic teaching practice. Keep in touch by signing up for my newsletter, or join me on Facebook at The Holistic Dance Teacher.
