Dance

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 appropriate in a club.  The stress and worrying i