I woke up the other morning to a text from one of my dance parents. It had a link to a blog article and thanking me for making dance "decent". So, I opened the link, Why I Pulled My Daughters Out of Ballet , and started to read. It reminded me of the many conversations about appropriate dress/costumes, dance moves, and general body image I have had with parents and dancers over the years. It was a good article about teaching our children to stand up for themselves and not doing things that make us feel uncomfortable, even if told to by an adult. It was also a reminder for dance educators and parents to not only listen to your children but to not encourage sexualizing them. I felt proud of myself for a minute. I stress over the music to make sure it isn't too old or too young. I analyse the costumes for each student and body type. I do not allow certain dance steps to be done, because they are, in my opinion, only appropria...
How many times do you finish a class and tell the students to practice or stretch at home? How many times do they come to the next class without doing either? The answer: almost every class and every student. So how do we get them to practice at home when they have homework, chores, other activities, etc.? Multitasking! I know it sounds crazy, but it works. Stretching can be done just about anywhere and anytime. Everyone has to read. Younger kids often have to read nightly for 20 minutes. Older students have required books for English class. I encourage students to hold a stretch as you read so many pages, then move the book and read that many more. During other homework. Put it just far enough you are stretching as you write your answers. This is great for butterfly and straddle stretches. Don't fast forward those commercials. This is a great time to work on a step, work on that tap section giving you trou...