“A teacher affects eternity.” Dance teachers who have the most positive influence on their students and future generations of dancers share these twelve characteristics.
encouragement
“And Remember To Smile!”
Do you now remind your students to smile as they enter their dance examinations or auditions? Angeline’s article challenges the practice of telling dance students to smile en route to an exam, noting that it may hinder instead of help many students. We ask you, what are some alternatives?
Accentuate the Positive
#responsiblesports asks “As a parent, how do you encourage and reinforce the positive aspects of youth sports?”
I Can’t!
Can’t Can’t Can’t Do you find yourself saying or thinking this word? When you consider it, it seems really silly that out of everything we practice in class (most of which we’re quite good at), we choose to focus only on what we have trouble with. Teachers, too, often forget that their students need to […]
Negativity
The mindset plays a very serious role in how we dance. Negative self-talk is damaging and has a way of oozing out to the people around you, actually affecting the performance of others. For instance, a little joke, a negative or sarcastic comment about your dancing can lead to another dancer feeling worse about any […]
Strengths and Weaknesses
Dancers are an interesting sub-species. Observing dance students in their natural habitat (the studio) reveals that they tend to revel in their strengths and dwell heavily on their weaknesses. Dancers maintain a detailed mental list of their shortcomings as they wistfully pine for the “natural” abilities of another. Meanwhile, a dancer will redundantly practice the […]
