The addition of a set-warm-up to your curriculum for pre-professional dancers has its advantages and disadvantages. This week I wanted to give teachers something to think about in terms of what might work best for you and your students. A …
As dance teachers we are faced each day with not only nurturing our students from a technical aspect but more importantly from a psychological one too. The majority of dance teachers do not hold degrees in psychology and yet we …
As dance teachers, our goal is to move our students forward; to help them progress so that they can continually build upon the knowledge we give them. We do that specifically in their technique classes where we aim to start …
We can all agree, giving corrections and assessment to your students can be a delicate thing. Long gone are the days when dance teachers used to just call you out by your name and tell you bluntly what you were …
Have you been toying around with the idea of taking one of your choreographic masterpieces out of the vault? All of us have at one time or another created a piece that we actually really love and stands the test …
It is amazing, but here we are at the end of another year and as we come to the close of 2014 and look forward to 2015 it is a good moment to reflect back over the past twelve months …
As dance teachers, we are often thinking about our choreography, our warm-ups and our across the floor and center combos before the day's classes commence. Over the course of a season we exhaust ourselves trying to be creative and think …
We've all been there….the dreaded time of year when the ideas just aren't flowing and we are facing a deadline of ten+ numbers to be choreographed in a matter of weeks...We sit and barrel though ITUNES trying to find music …
The task of music selection year after year can be a daunting one, especially for those of us teaching multiple classes. We aim to be creative, fresh, innovative and contemporary, but the truth is, many struggle to deliver original and …
I have written many articles for Dance Teachers about issues with unruly students and how to get them over the hump and in line with the class structure. Students who are problems from a behavioral point can disrupt your entire …
Dance Studio Owners have a tough job because not only do we have to motivate ourselves but we also have to motivate our staff, faculty, students and even parents to help everyone stay on the same page and to ultimately …
The inclusion of dance education in the public school has stimulated lengthy debate over how to: evaluate the arts; define and justify dance's existence within an education system, and create meaningful experiences for students. With the 1997 inclusion of the …
Preparation and organization are perhaps THE most important factors to determining a successful year of teaching. Even before we get to classes and setting choreography, the way in which we enter into a new year will directly correspond to the …
As we start the new dance season, it's a great time for musical theatre teachers to start adding to their curriculum and look at the many components that are embedded in the musical theatre genre. First off, while it is …
Dance teachers, does the thought of incorporating improvisation into your classes intimidate you? While some have called it "free dance," "free movement," etc., the actual development and structure of an improvisation lesson is a lot more than turning on the …
The incorporation of a live accompanist, whether it be the classical pianist in ballet class or the sound of live drummers in modern or African class can change the dynamics of your studio curriculum. There is nothing more enlivening than …
