As dance educators, it's easy to get swept up in the pursuit of creating the next jaw-dropping routine. We spend hours crafting choreography—refining transitions, perfecting formations, and pushing our dancers to hit every beat with precision and energy. But when we zoom out, past the competition trophies and recital applause, there’s something far more significant shaping our dancers' experiences: the way we teach.
Teaching style is often the invisible thread running through every class, rehearsal, and performance. It’s not the steps we choose, but how we guide students through those steps that truly defines us as educators. Long after the music fades and the choreography is forgotten, our dancers will remember how we made them feel—whether we uplifted them, encouraged their growth, or helped them find confidence in a tough moment.
Think back to your own teachers. Chances are, it wasn’t their routines that impacted you the most—it was their presence, their energy, their belief in you. That’s the power of teaching style. It influences not only how dancers learn but also how they see themselves as artists and as people.
When we focus solely on choreography, we risk creating an environment where students feel like tools to execute an idea, rather than individuals participating in a creative and educational process. But when we bring awareness to our teaching—when we listen as much as we instruct, when we build trust and tailor our approach to different learning styles—our students begin to flourish in ways that steps alone could never produce.
In the studio, we’re doing more than training dancers—we’re shaping mindsets. The discipline, resilience, empathy, and confidence we help cultivate often comes not from choreography, but from the atmosphere we create in our classrooms. It’s in how we correct mistakes, how we handle challenges, and how we celebrate progress.
Great teaching doesn’t mean you stop choreographing with intention. It means you recognize that the choreography is only one piece of a much larger picture. You can have the most intricate routine in the world, but without a positive and thoughtful teaching approach, it may never resonate the way you hope it will.
The truth is, meaningful dance education starts with connection. And connection begins with how you teach—not just what you teach. So next time you step into the studio, remember: your teaching style may just be the most powerful piece of choreography your dancers will ever learn.
See you in the dance studio,
Jess
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