Tag: dance teachers

Let’s Reward Kindness, Not Just Dance Technique

During dance class, a teacher’s verbal praise and recognition can reinforce students’ skills and boosts their confidence. A simple “That was a beautiful pirouette!” can mean the world to a student. But while the recognition of talented dancers and their hard work is necessary, it is just as important to recognize the other strengths that […]

Steps on Broadway’s Nancy Bielski Opens Up About Her Life as an Educator in New York City

On any given weekday between 11:30 am and 1 pm at New York City’s Steps on Broadway, Nancy Bielski offers an advanced-intermediate professional ballet class that keeps even ballet’s biggest superstars on their toes. By the end of tendus, her students (a mix of freelance ballerinas, former professional dancers and a revolving door of off-season […]

Stop Telling Dancers to Leave Their Problems at the Door

The dance world is often viewed as something beyond the toils of day-to-day living. When dancers walk into the studio, they are expected to be totally focused, exercise self-discipline and work hard towards perfecting their craft—and leave whatever occurrences happened outside the studio behind. “Leave your problems at the door” is a phrase that most […]

All Artists Welcome: Creating Gender-Affirming Spaces in Dance Education

Updated 9/29/22 This April, Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Ashton Edwards made headlines for a rare company casting: a nonbinary dancer, assigned male at birth, performing on pointe in the Swan Lake corps de ballet. More significant, perhaps, is that Edwards is not alone. Earlier this month, an article in The New York Times analyzed a new Centers for Disease Control report […]

A Protective Mental Hygiene Regimen for Dance Educators and Studio Owners

Working with young people can be incredibly stressful. As a dance teacher, you might often take on a lot of the emotional burdens of your students, so it’s extremely hard to proactively take a step back and consider how you’re feeling on a day-to-day basis.  But practicing self-care is essential. Because when you make your mental […]