Making It Stick

Help your dancers learn choreography faster.
You’re setting choreography on your class and most of the students are picking it up. One dancer, though, is having difficulty remembering the steps. You review the material several times, … Continue reading →

Building Body and Brain

Tips for teaching dance to 3- to 6-year-olds
Creative dance means creative teaching, too. Though leading a class of 3-year-olds may sound like fun and games to the uninitiated, there’s a serious side to early childhood … Continue reading →

Character Building

Coaching the artistry of three popular ballet variations
In a professional production, Giselle’s Act I variation is set in a small forest village. Trees and a cottage fill the scene as she joyously dances for family … Continue reading →

No Pain, No Gain

Help students build and maintain stamina.
When it comes to physicality, dancers are athletes. Watch a New York Knicks game, for example, and you’ll see the Knicks City Dancers work just as hard as the basketball … Continue reading →

Turnout 101

Help students find, maximize and maintain their rotation.

Whether a dancer has too much or too little, turnout can be one of the most frustrating aspects of technique. Students often feel they must achieve 180-degree rotation … Continue reading →

Making Friends With the Floor

Help students tackle floorwork smoothly and without fear.
Choreographer Mandy Moore is perplexed about the way students in her convention classes transition from standing to the floor. “It’s like kids turn off their brains!” she says. … Continue reading →