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  • Mariaelena Ruiz Leads a New Professional Training Program at Cary Ballet Conservatory

    By Candice Thompson

  • Best Recital Practices

    By Rachel Rizzuto

  • Kristin Sudeikis: How I Teach Contemporary

    By Rachel Rizzuto

  • Ask the Experts: Creating an App for Your Studio

    By Barry Blumenfeld

  • Face to Face: Kirsten Russell

    By Rachel Rizzuto

  • Music: Laurieann Gibson

    By Helen Rolfe

  • Health: 8 Things You Must Tell Your Personal Trainer

    By Andrea Marks

  • History: Eiko & Koma

    By Rachel Caldwell

  • Teachers' Tools: Kent Boyd

    By Rachel Caldwell

  • Is It Time for a New Challenge?

    By Karen Hildebrand

  • Theory & Practice: Train Dancers to Move Fast Without Sacrificing Articulation or Artistry

    By Julie Diana
The Conversation
If you like us online, you'll love us in print!
Dance Teachers Trending

Chelsie Hightower's Music for Ballroom Keeps Students Energized

Photo courtesy of Hightower

The beloved "So You Think You Can Dance" alum and former Emmy-nominated "Dancing with the Stars" pro Chelsie Hightower discovered her passion for ballroom at a young age. She showed a natural ability for the Latin style, but she mastered the necessary versatility by studying jazz, ballet and other forms of dance. "Every style of dance builds on each other," she says, "and the more music you're exposed to, the more your rhythm and coordination is built."

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Sponsored by Harlequin Floors

Your Expert Guide to Choosing the Right Dance Floor

Burklyn Ballet, Courtesy Harlequin

Whether you're putting on a pair of pointe shoes, buckling your ballroom stilettos or lacing up your favorite high tops, the floor you're on can make or break your dancing. But with issues like sticking or slipping and a variety of frictions suitable to different dance steps and styles, it can be confusing to know which floor will work best for you.

No matter what your needs are, Harlequin Floors has your back, or rather, your feet. With 11 different marley vinyl floors available in a range of colors, Harlequin has options for every setting and dance style. We rounded up six of their most popular and versatile floors:

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If you like us online, you'll love us in print!
Sponsored by Insure Fitness

The 6 Things Dance Teachers Should Look for in Their Insurance Policy

AdobeStock, Courtesy Insure Fitness Group

As a teacher at a studio, you've more than likely developed long-lasting relationships with some of your students and parents. The idea that you could be sued by one of them might seem impossible to imagine, but Insure Fitness Group's Gianna Michalsen warns against relaxing into that mindset. "People say, 'Why do I need insurance? I've been working with these people for 10 years—we're friends,'" she says. "But no one ever takes into account how bad an injury can be. Despite how good your relationship is, people will sue you because of the toll an injury takes on their life."

You'll benefit most from an insurance policy that caters to the specifics of teaching dance at one or several studios. Here's what to look for:

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Studio Owners

5 Tips For Having a Successful Studio Picture Day

Getty Images

If you're not prepared, studio picture day can be a real headache. But, if done right, it can provide you with gorgeous photos that will make your students and parents happy, while simultaneously providing you with marketing content you will be able to use for years to come.

Here are five tips that will help you pull off the day without a hitch.

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Studio Success with Just for Kix

The Key to Creating a Healthy Dance Team Environment, According to Just for Kix Executive Director Cindy Clough

Bill Johnson, Courtesy Just for Kix

Running a dance studio is a feat in itself. But adding a competition team into the mix brings a whole new set of challenges. Not only are you focusing on giving your dancers the best training possible, but you're navigating the fast-paced competition and convention circuit. Winning is one goal, but you also want to create an environment that's fun, educational and inspiring for young artists. We asked Cindy Clough, executive director of Just For Kix and a studio owner with over 40 years of experience, for her advice on building a healthy dance team culture:

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Just for fun

The Evolution of Competition Dance as Told by YouTube

Via YouTube

In its 14 years of existence, YouTube has been home to a world of competition dance videos that we have all consumed with heedless pleasure. Every battement, pirouette and trendy move has been archived somewhere, and we are all very thankful.

We decided it was time DT did a deep dive through those years of footage to show you the evolution of competition dance since the early days of YouTube.

From 2005 to 2019, styles have shifted a whole lot. Check them out, and let us know over on our Facebook page what you think the biggest differences are!

Enjoy!

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Sponsored by World Class Vacations

Why Dance the World Broadway Is the Ultimate Way to Experience NYC

David Galindo Photography

New York City is a dream destination for many dancers. However aspiring Broadway stars don't have to wait until they're pros to experience all the city has to offer. With Dance the World Broadway, students can get a taste of the Big Apple—plus hone their dance skills and make lasting memories.

Here's why Dance the World Broadway is the best way for students to experience NYC:

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Dance Teacher Tips

Across-the-Floor Combo Inspiration for Your Class From Top Teachers

Photo courtesy of Koelliker

Sick of doing the same old stuff in technique class? Needing some across-the-floor combo inspiration? We caught up with three teachers from different areas of the country to bring you some of their favorite material for their day-to-day classes.

You're welcome!

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Dancer Health

Ask Deb: How Do I Fix Lower-Back Pain?

Thinkstock

Q: I have a very flexible spine and torso. My teachers tell me to use this flexibility during cambrés and port de bras, but when I do, I feel pain—mostly in my lower back. What should I change so I don't end up with back problems?

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Studio Owners

How to Raise Your Studio Rates (Without Raising Your Blood Pressure)

Getty Images

If you're a studio owner, the thought of raising your rates most likely makes you cringe. Despite ever-increasing overhead expenses you can't avoid—rent, salaries, insurance—you're probably wary of alienating your customers, losing students or inviting confrontation if you increase the price of your tuition or registration and recital fees. DT spoke with three veteran studio owners who suggest it's time to get past that. Here's how to give your business the revenue boost it needs and the value justification it (and you) deserve.

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Dance Teachers Trending

Margie Gillis' Dancing (and Teaching) Are Driven by Pure Emotion

Margie Gillis (left); photo by Kyle Froman

Margie Gillis dances the human experience. Undulating naked in a field of billowing grass in Lessons from Nature 4, or whirling in a sweep of lilac fabric in her signature work Slipstream, her movement is free of flashy technique and tricks, but driven and defined by emotion. "There's a central philosophy in my work about what the experience of being human is," says Gillis, whose movement style is an alchemy of Isadora Duncan's uninhibited self-expression and Paul Taylor's musicality, blended with elements of dance theater into something utterly unique and immediately accessible. "I want an authenticity," she says. "I want to touch my audiences profoundly and deeply."

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If you like us online, you'll love us in print!

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