When the weather becomes colder and the days become shorter it is sometimes difficult to keep our students motivated. There is something about the lack of sunlight and the freezing temperatures that can send even the most positive person into a funk. I can see it coming on and try to anticipate the gloom before it hits and casts a shadow over the entire class! First of all I try to get my dancers moving right away just to get the heart rate up and to help the dancers experience a warm glow in their bodies. On an early morning or on a particularly cold day I always ask my students to run around the studio at least four times lifting their knees up. This really works like a dream as not only do they start to feel warm but it generally gets them to laugh and so it also lifts their spirits and gets some energy flowing not only into their bodies but also into their brains. It is so much easier and so much more fun to work with students who are alert and ready to go!
There are, of course plenty of different ways that you can choose to use to at least get your students in a receptive mood. Another tool that I like to use is to give them a project to work on that will help them to work together as a team. Recently I gave a group of my teens a project to watch two to three Busby Berkley Films and to write a short report on them on how it had helped them as dancers. I gave them two weeks to complete the project. Two weeks later they came to class very excited to tell me their impressions of these film classics. One by one I had them stand up and address the rest of the class about their impression of the choreography the staging the costumes and props. I really was impressed with how in depth they went and I was happy that they really had sat down and watched these movies and not just handed me a computer printout. Busby Berkley, famous for his precision choreography in movies that hired hundreds of dancers was definitely not someone any of the dancers had heard about but it was really great to hear them describe some of the different scenes and talk about the amazing props and effects that made his work so renowned. It also helped them to realize that when they are working together as a group how important precision is. One of them commented that all those dancers had managed to be so together that there really wasn't a good reason why they couldn't be more precise as a group which I felt was definitely something good that they had learned from watching the movies. They also talked about how all the dancers really used their faces and were included in many close ups. The next time I had them in rehearsal they started to really work together well and to become so much more aware of one another. Those lessons that they learnt from a choreographer and dancers who lived long before they were even thought of were an important stepping stone to keeping them motivated to work harder in class and rehearsal.
Students can get bored and sometimes it just takes changing things around a bit to keep them mentally in a good place. It is extremely draining and unrewarding to teach students who are just not with you so it is worth doing whatever it takes to keep their minds alert and willing to learn. How much fun is it for everyone when there is a good energy in the room and everyone is eager and working well together. We all do our best work under those circumstances.
There are definitely certain times of the school year when teen students especially can become extremely distracted. Perhaps it is because they are in a panic about midterms or finals or they are feeling stressed about something that is happening at school or home. The key is to recognize it as quickly as possible so that it doesn't travel from one student to another! Helping them to deal with their stress and relax a little bit will also help them to cope with all that life presents. Personally, I have to say that it is humor that gets me through the day! I like to try to bring a little humor into my classes especially when I feel that the class is just not where it needs to be and I must say it generally works.
Whatever tactic you use the idea is to keep your students interested in what you are teaching them and to help them to approach their work with an open mind in a creative and relaxed atmosphere.
