Blog
10 Activities for Summer Dance Camps or Classes
Try something new in your dance classes this summer! The title of this blog post is pretty...
Dance technique tip: Lengthen, don’t hold
Welcome to the Dance Technique Tip Blog Series Welcome to another post in my Dance...
Dance technique tip: Lengthen, don’t hold
Welcome to the Dance Technique Tip Blog Series Welcome to another post in my Dance Technique Tips blog series! This series features short and simple tips to help dancers improve their dance technique. These tips are based on my experience as a performer,...
Guest Blog Post: Boundaries for the Dance Teacher
The Holistic Dance Teacher Guest Blog Series Welcome to the second post in The Holistic Dance Teacher Guest Blog Series! Through this blog series, I will introduce you to some of the amazing dance industry professionals that I have had the opportunity to work with and...
What I Really Teach as a Dance Educator …
What people *think* I teach as a dance educator ... Ok dance teachers, raise your hand if this sounds familiar: You are meet someone new. Maybe you are at your first visit to a new hair salon or making small talk while you wait in line at the grocery store. The...
Dance Team Bonding Strategies and Activities
Why is team bonding important for dance teams and companies? Have you ever watched a dance performance and been mesmerized by the way the dancers move together on-stage? The formation changes are seamless, the choreography is precise, dancers flow easily into...
Guest Blog Post ~ Oblique Strategies: Breaking Through Creative Blocks
I am thrilled to introduce The Holistic Dance Teacher Guest Blog Series! In the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with and be inspired by incredible dance teachers, choreographers, and professionals working in different parts of the dance field. Through this blog series, I will be introducing many of them to you! The artists and educators in this series all align with The Holistic Dance Teacher Approach, and I think you’ll find their contributions interesting and helpful for your own teaching and creative practices.
Our first guest blog post author is Angela Sigley Grossman, a dance artist based in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and Associate Professor of Dance at our shared alma matter DeSales University. I think you will want to save this post for the next time you experience choreography block or feel like you are in a creative rut!
A Letter to My Dance Students: Yes, this is hard – but that’s what makes it worth it!
Dear Dance Students, Hello again ... it's me, your dance teacher. I wanted to talk about something really important today. It might be a little hard to hear, but it's something that we need to discuss more openly in the dance industry. Honestly, I think will change...
How to Teach Empathy in Your Dance Class
Empathy is one of the most important skills that we can teach our dance students. It is vital for success on stage, in the dance industry, and in life outside the studio. There are many ways that we can teach empathy in your dance classes, or help our dance students become more empathetic individuals. In this blog post, I share 6 strategies for teaching empathy through dance, including movement exercises and discussion tactics. You can easily utilize these strategies in your dance lesson plans to help improve your dancers’ overall well-being through social and emotional learning.
Recommended Reading: Books for Back to Dance Season
Get set for a great new season of dance If you are a dance teacher gearing up for a new dance season, chances are you might want to implement some new practices in the dance studio. The "fresh start" of back-to-dance season allows us an opportunity to...
Four Habits for Dance Students to Start in the First Six Weeks of Class
Do you want to have a successful dance season and reach your dance goals this year? This dance blog post highlights four important habits for dance students to start in the beginning of the season. By adopting these four habits early in the season, dance students will be able to reach their dance goals and find more joy in their dancing all year long!
A Letter to My Dance Students: Every Performance is a Gift
Dear Dance Students, Hi, it's me again - Your Dance Teacher. As I am writing this, we are at the tail end of another spring performance season. Maybe you have another recital or two coming up, are preparing for a summer intensive showcase, or are gearing up for...
12 Simple but Meaningful Self-Care Practices for Dance Teachers
This blog post features 12 simple but meaningful self-care practices for dance teachers that have the power to transform our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Meaningful self-care can help reduce our risk for career-ending injuries, help prevent the stress and frustration that leads to burn out, and helps us find more joy in what we do for a living. They may not be as glamorous as a spa day, but they are important and impactful! When we practice meaningful self-care, we are better able to care for our dance students, our families, and our communities.
Recommended Reading: Books on Dance Pedagogy & Teaching Methods
Refresh your dance pedagogy and teaching methods We all get stuck in a rut with our dance teaching methods from time to time, right? It can be easy to fall into habits as a dance teacher: our favorite exercises, our go-to corrections, our usual metaphors and...
How to Give Dance Students More Effective Feedback
The challenge of giving students feedback on their dancing During my conversation with Joe Nickel and Michelle Tolson as a guest on JAM: Joe and Michelle's Dance Podcast, the topic turned to how to give feedback to our dance students. Many dance teachers have...
Join My Newsletter
Sign up for my newsletter for updates, coupons, and free resources.