No matter how well-trained your students are, when they’re suddenly faced with dancing with another human, panic can ensue. Whether they’re learning to partner in ballet, taking their first contact improvisation class or delving into a ballroom style, the foundation of almost all partnering is weight-sharing, the basics of which extend across genres. Introduce your […]
Recital season brings a mix of emotions for dance educators: Excitement, joy, fear and anxiety are just a few. Days fill with extra rehearsals, and nights become saturated with tech and programming. These busy routines commonly result in patterns of unintentional undereating. According to dance educator Meredith Rabil Sibley, “Meals tend to take a back […]
This month, Cynthia Harvey wraps up her tenure as artistic director of American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School after a six-and-a-half-year tenure. In addition to increasing enrollment and scholarships, and instituting mentorship programs for male students, Harvey was instrumental in expanding the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and helping students continue with remote […]
From the moment the LSU Tiger Girls begin their national-title–winning number, “Like a Boy,” every dancer is in perfect unison. (And we’re talking not-one-hair-out-of-place kind of unison.) They strut forward with their arms placed sharply by their sides on count one, and it’s difficult to find where one dancer starts and the other begins. That […]
Cross-training is key for developing strong, well-rounded dance technique and reducing risk of injury. This has only become truer in the era of pandemic shutdowns, when many dancers are returning to their full training schedules after forced breaks and may still be looking at periods of quarantine following COVID exposures. By investing in some props, […]
Dear Dance Colleagues, Are you seeking new ways to develop your students’ technical skills and artistic range? Do you need professional advice on supporting their mental health and physical well-being? Would you like on-the-go musical inspiration for your classes? If you answered yes to any of the above, then it’s time to join DanceTeacher+! As a DT+ […]
Contemporary teacher Brandon Coleman knows a thing or two about side hustles. Not only is he now a career coach for dancers, but in the past he’s walked dogs, served pizza, delivered wine, donated plasma and done social media work at various points alongside his dance work. “We look for side hustles when we’re trying […]
Whether you teach ballet, contemporary, tap or hip-hop, you and your students might be all too familiar with wearing a variety of dance shoes when it comes to training and performing. Which means that it’s especially important to train your students’ feet to adapt to these different movement styles. Each dance shoe, whether it’s pointe […]
“Lift!” That’s what tap artist Josh Hilberman heard week after week from one of his tap instructors as he was learning wings. After a year of practice, Hilberman mastered the famous flash step, and years later even created an instructional DVD teaching advanced wing work. Hilberman, who runs a tap studio and performance space in […]
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many throughout the dance industry gathered to discuss ways to navigate the challenges of the time while keeping everyone’s health and well-being at the forefront. The hula community was no different, and on August 17, 2020, an advocacy-based coalition of “kumu hula,” or hula teachers, convened to discuss a […]