Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education
Gwen and Kate are sisters in the same ballet company. Gwen has left New York to be with her family in Michigan and a palpable, angry silence has developed between she and her sister, Kate. “the Crane Dance” an upcoming novel by Meg Howrey follows their personal and professional struggles with “flair, wit and honesty,” says our guest reviewer. Put this one on your summer reading list!
A young dancer dreams of attending Juilliard but has concerns about money and training. Should she continue taking free classes? And how important are the basics? See what I have to say in this Q&A Saturday installment.
As a ballroom instructor and competitor, Leon is no stranger to burnout. Sometimes getting to class or continuing with training can feel like a chore. When he needs a boost of inspiration, he uses these 5 strategies to re-energize and look forward to dancing and training again.
Enforced Arch is a dance and performance community of intelligent communicators who use their unique talents to bring life to environmental and social issues. They were also voted #2 in a very close race to decide the Top Dance Blogs of 2011. Learn more about the community and its creator James Koroni in this interview.
Preparing for a year-end performance in a school setting can add stress to an already full classroom schedule. However, it does wonders for the students and the program as you plan for the content and experiences that may actually be more important, like dance history and theory. Heather shares these wonders and some ways she prepares students for the “big show” ahead.
Every class has one… or two. That student that gets on your nerves or ruffles your feathers. Teachers of adult dancers are no exception and when certain students cause stress or strain in the classroom environment, a teacher just needs to vent a little. If you are a teacher, you will recognize some of the “personalities” our anonymous author presents. If you are a student, well, we hope you don’t resemble these students.
Carla Escoda is the blogger and ballet instructor behind Ballet To The People, voted the Top Dance Blog of 2011. Carla’s site is a feast for ballet-lovers everywhere. Learn more about her training and 20-year hiatus from dance, her teaching, her writing, and how she successfully battled her most severe arthritis symptoms with an active, rigorous ballet program.
Ballet training produces results, and Tristan thinks it’s time that tap dancers learn a little something from ballet class, consistently encouraging the 4 basics of tap technique, covered in detail within the article.
In honor of Black History Month Roger looks to a future with more African-American donors, board members, staff members — more diverse dance organizations as a whole. Dance has been a major part of the African-American culture since the beginning, but how can dance producers and presenters take a step toward this future and build black audiences?
When young dancers are accompanied by an adult for class it’s not enough to just keep the child engaged. A dance teacher has the added challenge of keeping the grown-up active in their participation. In part two of this series on Grown-up and Me classes, Maria provides tips for keeping the adults happy, too.
