Been thinking about site specific work with your young dancers? There is no better time to change it up a bit and introduce the magic of site-specific dance to your students. The genre, made popular by modern based choreographic pioneers …
Many dancers in the studio setting strive to achieve the illustrious company status at some point in their training. Determining who is ready to advance and who needs some more time "marinating" is an important decision based on a variety …
Thinking about the fall season ahead? Thinking about how you as studio owner can best motivate your students, faculty and yourself to stay excited and focused through the new season? As the owner, you are the ring-leader, the master of …
When young, beginner dancers are learning choreography, whether as a class exercise or in rehearsals, they can sometimes become overwhelmed when trying to pick up material. Keeping in mind that picking up choreography is a skill and can be challenging …
We all have taught those amazing classes where we leave feeling inspired because the energy in the room that day was so electric. You know, the ones where all your dancers are little sponges and retain everything, are focused, ask …
Why do our dancers struggle with holding their relevé? This is an ongoing question we often ask ourselves and an aspect of training that we continually try to improve upon with our dancers. It is also one of the most …
Dancers are often known for their shapely, flexible, powerful legs. They are one of our most vital instruments. And while flexibility is often given great attention to, we must help our dance students balance that with strengthening exercises as well. …
One of the most wonderful things about dance is that it can be used as a vehicle for many interdisciplinary subjects. That crossover especially holds true within other areas of the arts. Even starting with your youngest dancers, we can …
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 …
Improvisation is still one of those areas of dance which mystifies some studio dance teachers and terrifies dance students (mainly older students.) Most of the time you’ll get an, “I love improv” or an “I hate improv” from the crowd …
Tell me if this sounds familiar. “Can we get up from the floor this way instead of that way because it’s easier for me?” Or, “Oh good, I can come on from that side? It’s easier.” Or, “Can we just …
Enjoy this beginner-intermediate modern technique lesson plan template for your students.
With every new challenge comes reflection and insight. Coming out of what has been a grim era for dance teachers and studio owners, we can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So what now? Well, …
When lesson planning for any class, there are vast avenues a teacher can take to teach the genre effectively. Jazz itself, in nature, is one of those idioms where teaching the technique correctly should also be compounded with other important …
You’ve asked and we’re here to help! I’m sharing a sampling of my beginner modern lesson plan for those of you that are interested in adding modern technique to your curriculum. Remember, this is a template to get your started …
When we choreograph for our students, particular multiple numbers in the course of a season, it’s easy to rack your brain coming up with concepts for those pieces. While we are often inspired by music, life experiences, various other art …
