A lot goes into crafting a successful Zoom class. You can’t simply download the app and launch into your usual syllabus. Is your teaching space set up properly? Are you wearing an outfit that will pop on-screen? These and other factors can make or break your students’ experience. Commercial performer, choreographer and master teacher Dana […]
Like most educators, I have been teaching online since early March. My undergraduate Dance and Culture course was relatively easy to deliver remotely (as long as I could pre-record lectures while my son was taking a nap), but my tap classes? Not so much. This is because tap is a percussive dance form. Sound matters. […]
In fond memory of a legendary teacher, we wanted to revive some timeless wisdom David Howard shared with us back in 2001. • Instead of talking to students for 15 minutes, put what you are trying to say in the steps. • Give students a physical analysis to see the kind of bodies that they […]
1. Turn their backs to the mirror. When students face away from the mirror, they have to remember the dance without watching each other. —Kasey Cosentino, Silicon Valley Dance Academy, Cupertino, California 2. Introduce improvisation exercises. Not only does it warm up their bodies, but also their ears—to hear and feel the music—and their imaginations. […]