Dance

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 troubles, crunches, or planks.  Do as many crunches as you

Packing for a dance competition can be very stressful.  Trying to make sure you have every accessory for each costume, the correct costumes and shoes, all your make-up, etc. can become overwhelming.  Plus, every time you attend another competition, a new item gets added to the packing list.  Here are a few tips for making your list and what to pack. Tips for making your list Adapt and change your list as you go along. Type up your list easier to make new copies for each competition easily add or remove items from the list easier to read than some handwriting Communicate with other parents on some of the extra stuff they are bringing.  (You probably only need a few trash bags not a few boxes of them.) Get a sturdy container or bag to hold all of it.  A FatMax toolbox, caboodle, toolbox, diaper bag all work well.  The large 31 bags are good for some of it too.  Dreamduffles or a dyi version is great for the costumes and shoes. Garment bags are a must for costumes.  It keeps

Every year I get asked the same questions.  What's next year's theme?  May I use [insert song title] for my solo next year?  What team am I on next year?  May I do [insert dance style] for my solo?  Will I be on team next year?  And every year I respond with the same answers.  Let's finish this year before we talk about next year.  Or talk to me in August.  I know they are excited about the future, and I want them to be.  But, I also need them to stay focused on the present: end of competition season and recital.  And that is the struggle, staying focused on the present.  The start of the year is easy.  Everyone is excited and learning new things and routines.  After winter break, I focus so much on running routines and making sure everything is the best it can be, that I can forget why we are there, because we love to dance. Fun days After a big competition have a fun day for part of practice.  We focus so much on the routines and getting ready to perform, that we forge

Every year, thousands of dancers travel to various competitions and performances.  Many are veterans to the competition and performance world and have learned tips and tricks to make it through the craziness of the weekend.  To help those parents and dancers who are new, I asked current and former dancers, parents, and teachers about what tips they would give or what they wish they knew their first few years. From  Dancers Be organized Hang your costumes up and put inside a garment bag.  This will keep them safe, clean, and together.  As our teacher says, "You would rather find your costume in the bottom of a garment bag then run over in the parking lot."  Garment bags lay them out a little nicer than just in a duffel bag. Make two check lists of everything you need to pack: costumes, hair stuff, make-up, shoes, etc.  Use one list to pack at home.  Use the other list to pack when you are leaving the competition.   Remember to double check your bags and car be