Watch DT+ Teacher Talk: “Creating Safe Dance Competition Spaces”
In this engaging, hour-long Zoom session, Dance Teacher’s editorial director, Reanne Rodrigues, joins Cat Cogliandro, a dance educator, choreographer, and advocate for safer and more inclusive spaces in dance, and Geraldine Brown, creator of the Equitable Commercial Dance Program at Loyola Marymount University, to discuss strategies for reducing performance anxiety, encouraging positive reinforcement, promoting healthy social-media habits, and making competitions more inclusive.
10 Teacher Takeaways
1. Create a culture where students know their worth extends beyond scores, placements, and titles.
Celebrate effort, growth, creativity, and perseverance just as much as competitive success.
2. Use language that builds confidence instead of fear.
Your words can shape a dancer’s self-image for years, so give corrections that are constructive, respectful, and empowering.
3. Teach students to compete with themselves first.
Help dancers measure success by their own progress rather than comparing themselves to teammates or competitors.
4. Normalize disappointment as part of the learning process.
A difficult competition or missed placement can become an opportunity to reflect, grow, and build resilience.
5. Prioritize student well-being alongside technical excellence.
Healthy dancers perform better over the long term, so injury prevention, adequate rest, and mental health should never be sacrificed for results.
6. Build trust by encouraging open communication.
Create an environment where students feel safe asking questions, expressing concerns, and advocating for themselves without fear of punishment or dismissal.
7. Model the behavior you want students to adopt.
Demonstrate healthy attitudes toward bodies, food, mistakes, and learning—students often mirror what they see from their teachers.
8. Make inclusion an active, ongoing practice.
Consider different identities, body types, abilities, learning styles, and lived experiences so every dancer feels seen, respected, and valued.
9. Challenge traditions that no longer serve dancers.
Reevaluate practices such as excessive drilling, over-scheduling competitions, or equating achievement with personal value.
10. Commit to continual learning as an educator.
Seek professional development in equity, inclusion, youth protection, and student wellness so your teaching evolves alongside your students’ needs.
