Category: dance teaching tips

The #Monthly Message: Find a Rhythm That Enhances Your Life, Not a Routine That Stifles It

October 2, 2018

As dancers, we tend to love routines. Plie, tendu, degagge. Warm-up, progressions, combo. Pre-show rituals. Post-performance commemorations – mine was always a cheeseburger and Coke! Routines are necessary to our dance training and can make performances special. But in our daily lives, routines can easily become stifling. With my son rapidly approaching his first birthday, I … More The #Monthly Message: Find a Rhythm That Enhances Your Life, Not a Routine That Stifles It

My Top 5 Creative and Performance Skills Your Students Should Strive For

September 25, 2018

This particular blog series – “My Top 5 Skills Your Students Should Know” – was inspired by a question posed in a dance teachers’ group on Facebook a while back: What are the 5 skills that you think are most important for your students to learn? As I’ve written in the past, I initially struggled … More My Top 5 Creative and Performance Skills Your Students Should Strive For

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My Favorite Introduction Games for Dance Classes

September 4, 2018

The arrival of September officially marks the arrival of the back to school season. The start of a “new year” affords us the opportunity to create brand new communities in our classrooms and studios. So often, we are tempted to immediately jump into technique and choreography, but taking time for team-building exercises and community building … More My Favorite Introduction Games for Dance Classes

Visions of Sugar Plums: Using a Nutcracker Workshop to Teach About Ballet

October 5, 2017

Most people might be reaching for their Pumpkin Spice Lattes right about now, but dancers know that it’s already Nutcracker time! Love it or hate it, the seasonal favorite is here again, with tiny tots and professional dancers alike heading into the rehearsal studio to perfect their performances as party guests, snowflakes, candy canes, and … More Visions of Sugar Plums: Using a Nutcracker Workshop to Teach About Ballet

Empowering Our Ballet Students, Part 2

July 11, 2017

This is the second in a series of blog posts considering the ways we can teach ballet in a way that leads to greater student empowerment. What is an empowered dancer? In my opinion, students who are empowered are: Self-aware and self-reliant (physically, cognitively, and emotionally) Confident and able to make their own decisions Adaptable … More Empowering Our Ballet Students, Part 2

Empowering Our Ballet Students, Part 1

June 27, 2017

This is the first in a series of posts on building empowered dancers in the ballet studio. What is an empowered dancer? In my opinion, students who are empowered are: Self-aware and self-reliant (physically, cognitively, and emotionally) Confident and able to make their own decisions Adaptable and open to new ideas Knowledgeable about their own … More Empowering Our Ballet Students, Part 1