Hello dancers and welcome back to a brand new From The Top blog post! We’re so happy that you could join us this afternoon and hope today’s entry will be of great help to you along your dance journey. Today we will be discussing three great tips that will help improve your dance teaching skills. Though we may now hold our place at the head of the class instead of being a student, as teachers we embark on a whole new journey of knowledge as we learn how to effectively teach the next generation. These tips that we will be sharing today are simple hacks that will make all the difference in your teaching ability for many years to come and will even help you get more out of your classes on a personal level! Let’s get right into it!
Tip #1
Have Confidence In Your Knowledge
While this may seem like a no brainer, it is still a very strong point. Having confidence in your own knowledge is key because without it you cannot not effectively lead your students to new heights and great achievements. Sure, even as teachers, there are some i’s that we haven’t dotted and some t’s that we haven’t crossed. However, just because we ourselves are still learning in a few areas, that doesn’t mean that we should be insecure in the teacher position that we are in. Always remember that it is perfectly okay to grow as you lead! So, have confidence in your knowledge in the art of dance and never be reserved to give your best to your students.
Tip #2
Keep An Open Mind
Tip #2 on our list is to always remember to keep an open mind, and by this, we mean “roll with the punches”. Sometimes being a dance teacher comes with it’s fair share of plot twists. Sometimes the choreography may have looked waaay better in your head than it does in real life and you have to fix major things on the spot. Or the classic recital dilemma when you get to the performance venue and the stage isn’t as big as you thought it would be, so you have to rework spacing at the last minute. The point we’re making is that there are many different areas where dance teachers have to think on the spot, which is why it is super beneficial for us to go into everything with an open mind. Every class, every competition, every recital, always be flexible enough to roll with anything that is thrown your way. This way, instead of panicking over the small hiccups, you are able to play off of them and use them to your advantage. Now THAT’s what we call a dynamite dance teacher!
Tip #3
Connect With Your Students On A Relaxed Level
And finally for our last tip! It goes without saying that teaching in any profession is so much more than just explaining to someone what you know. Teaching is also about connection . This tip is key to any great dance class. If instruction and effective results are two main goals in a class, then connection is the bridge that brings the two together. By connecting to your class on a relaxed level, you develop a bond with your students and establish a level of comfortability that allows everyone to let their guard down and become more vulnerable. This in return allows for everyone’s mind to be a blank canvas to retain all of the knowledge that is being poured into them. However, as a teacher, it is your responsibility to establish this atmosphere. The way I like to do so is by teaching my class as if I’m having a regular conversation, kind of like how I do here with you guys! I pull inspiration from everyday things and use them to create parallel comparisons that apply to dance. I’m not afraid to crack a joke or two and keep dance fun, all while retaining the “let’s get it done” energy of a standard dance class. By creating the balance between work and relaxation, you build trust and comfortability that flows over on to, not just your students, but on yourself as well. All of this comes together to make one bomb dance class and takes your teaching abilities to heights that will soar far above your own expectations!
Thank you again for hanging out with us today. We hope you enjoyed this entry and found it very useful to your journey as a teacher. We wish you a great weekend, filled with love and light, and remember…
Keep dancing!
Lexi
FROM THE TOP! 