Career Focus
January 31, 2017

Time certainly does fly. One day you decide to start a school, the next, it’s been 25 years. When we reached out to Patricia Reedy and Nancy Ng about being on our cover and learned this is Luna Dance Institute’s silver anniversary, it was a wonderful moment of serendipity. I think you’ll be inspired by this passionate duo as seen through the eyes of writer Claudia Bauer in “Finding Their Own Way.” Teacher training is an important part of their mission, and you’ll find details about the Luna Dance Summer Institute among the 54 programs listed in our annual guide to continuing ed programs.

In compiling the Teacher Training Guide, I was struck by the diversity of offerings. From acro to somatics, from French to Russian styles, from jazz to Laban/Bartenieff, there’s something to suit every dance educator. There’s even a special interest group for men this summer. Regardless of which program you attend, we know how energizing it can be to simply change the scenery and do something nice for yourself. To that end, I asked several educators to write about their 2016 study experiences in “Field Report.” Just as I was finalizing Thom Cobb’s contribution, the news of his passing came (see DT Notes). It makes me treasure his report all the more. We will certainly miss him at our Dance Teacher Summit this year.

It’s a little like preaching to the choir to mention here that one needs a lot more than a background in dance in order to teach—particularly when facing a room full of kids who don’t necessarily want to dance. Nevertheless, in “4 Essential Skills for Teaching Artists,” we asked our good friends at National Dance Institute, Dancing Classrooms and Island Moving Company how they do exactly that. Don’t miss their best advice about what dancers must know to be successful in the classroom.

Speaking of time flying… February is still early enough to set your studio business vision for the year. Editor Rachel Rizzuto asked seven studio owners: “What’s Up for You in 2017?” Some of their answers may surprise you.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

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