Haley Hilton graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in News Media. She is from Salt Lake City, Utah, where she trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop. Haley taught at Center Stage Performing Arts Studio for four years, and has danced professionally with Odyssey Dance Theater. She interned for Dance Spirit summer of 2017. Haley covers the What my Teacher taught me, Chatroom, Face to Face, Teachers' Tools, Technology, List and Recommended beats. Haley also edits Ask the Experts and Ask Deb.
Cheyenne Murillo and her partner Sasha Altukhov at Millennium Dancesport Championship. Photo courtesy of Murillo
It seems everyone is trying to break into the ballroom scene these days, and we don't blame them—it's ALL kinds of fabulous!
But getting started can seem overwhelming for everyone involved. Whether you're a studio owner looking to implement a new ballroom program or a student looking to get started, you're likely to have A LOT of questions.
To help, we've talked with Cheyenne Murillo, U.S. Open Pro Rising Star Champion and teacher at Strictly Ballroom in Orem, Utah, to answer five questions every aspiring professional is sure to have.
Photo by Jacqueline Connor, courtesy of Nowakowski
In 2015, Houston Ballet demi-soloist Jim Nowakowski made a shocking career about-face when he soared into the heart of pop culture and made Top 6 on Season 12 of "So You Think You Can Dance." The commercial world was taken by his flawless technique and perfect lines, while at the same time classical dancers were surprised by his choice to leave a coveted position with Houston Ballet. He was an enigma—and now he's done it again. He has recently returned to ballet company life and is well into his second season with BalletMet.
Last Wednesday was National Stress Awareness Day, and all day we couldn't stop thinking about dance teachers.
Whether it's helping your students cope with anxiety caused by the pressures of our industry, unpacking your own anxiety caused by a lifetime in this industry or simply just managing the day-to-day stresses that come with teaching, you are dealing with a lot of stress, and we want to help.
Dance Teacher caught up with a Pacific Northwest Ballet School consulting psychologist Toby Diamond to get some professional advice on how to deal with anxiety. She gave a teacher's seminar at PNB on this subject earlier this year.
Try out some of her tools, and see how they can benefit your health and the health of your students!
Fall is arguably the best season of the year, and "Falling Fridays" are arguably the best day of the week on the @biscuitballerina Instagram page. So, we thought it was only fitting that we combine the two "bests" for a fall-tastic post today!
Heaven bless @biscuitballerina for making us laugh day in and day out. SHE. IS. EVERYTHING.
Get ready to laugh 'til you cry, ladies and gentleman.
There's just nothing that can hit your funny bone like watching dancers eat it!
Stacey Tookey and student at Camp Protégé via @sjtookey on Instagram
There are certain dance teachers out there who have a gift for making students feel loved, cared about, capable, encouraged and inspired—all at the same time. They're beautiful sparks of light in the midst of this competitive and at times exhausting industry.
Three of those special souls happen to have a gigantic reach through conventions and television, and have somehow made each and every one of us feel like they're our second moms. Don't believe me? Go take (or observe) class from anyone of them and then try to tell me they don't love you as their own!
Check 'em out below, and then share a time one of them said something that made you feel important and validated!
Being a dance teacher is hard work, but at the end of the day, it's one of the most gratifying jobs you could ever have! You're spreading the goodness of dance into the hearts of young children—it's positively magnificent!
The world needs love right now, and because you're giving it with all your hearts, it's only fitting you get a lot of it in return!
Here's a reminder of some of the most the gratifying dance teacher moments that make it all worth it!
Feet are game changers, people! Teach your dancers how to use them correctly, and they can be one of their most powerful tools! Fail to do so, and they'll become, well, a liability to them.
Here are three things every dancer should do each day to achieve blue ribbon–worthy feet!
Bodily with his Center Stage Performing Arts Studio dancers at Nationals (here) and (at right) with his Creative Arts Academy students at a competition. Photo by Tisha Dayton, courtesy of Bodily
Chaz Bodily consistently creates hip-hop numbers that take top awards at some of the most prestigious conventions in the country. His work is equal parts innovative, entertaining and tasteful. The Utah-based choreographer splits his time between three highly competitive dance studios: Dance Impressions, Creative Arts Academy and Center Stage Performing Arts Studio.
It all begins with a concept, says Bodily, who trained in hip hop, ballroom, contemporary and ballet at Center Stage Performing Arts Studio. "Coming up with the story is the hardest part," he says. "I run seven or eight miles every day, and the entire time I'm just generating ideas." Once an idea comes to mind, he writes it down, then runs it by a trusted group of friends and fellow artists to gauge interest. "I can tell pretty quickly if something's going to work or not," he says.
