Teaching Tips – Page 10

Teaching Tip: Adult Ballet Class

November 18, 2009 by 4dancers

If you are new to teaching adult ballet, there are a few things you may want to consider. Teaching adults is not the same as teaching kids–there are a different set of concerns, and they are often coming to class for different reasons. Here are a few things to keep in mind that can help get you started off on the right foot (sorry for the bad pun!):

+ Ask about injuries. This is a very important thing. Many adults will have some type of physical issue that can limit them in certain ways when it comes to taking ballet class. I have a student with a hip replacement, one with a bad ankle and one with a bad back. You absolutely must know about these things ahead of time. Don’t try to play doctor–ask your student to check with their physician about what they can and can’t do in ballet class–and remember to follow up so that you are aware… [Read more…]

Teaching Tip: The Two-Minute Rule

November 10, 2009 by 4dancers

teach If you are just beginning to teach young children, you may want to keep in mind what I like to call the “two-minute rule”. Little ones tend to bore easily, so besides presenting an energetic demeanor, you can also make sure they pay attention by limiting each exercise to about two minutes or so (give or take).

This means some advance planning. If you have a 40 minute class and teach in two-minute segments, that means a lot of different activities! Still, you can use the same ones over again each week–just make sure that you add a new one from time to time to change things up a little bit.

If you are stuck for new ideas, take a peek at this piece I wrote some time ago for Dance Teacher on how to use games to teach a dance class for young students. It should give you some tools you can use.

Anyone else have any tips? Feel free to share them here–it’s nice when we can all help each other out!

Teaching Tip: Stretching

November 2, 2009 by 4dancers

teach Here’s a quick teaching tip to include in your class when appropriate…

Dance teachers often advise students to breathe when they stretch instead of holding their breath–but they don’t always explain why. If your students are old enough to understand more advanced concepts, tell them that holding your breath increases your blood pressure.

This isn’t a healthy habit to get into, and if they understand the “why” of it all, they may be more likely to make the change.

Teaching Tip: Mirror, Mirror

October 19, 2009 by 4dancers

teach Here’s a teaching tip for when you are demonstrating a step in class…

Instead of facing the mirror and doing it for your students, turn around and face them, reversing the steps so that they can copy you. This takes a bit of practice to get down pat, but it enables you to make eye contact, as well as helps to prepare you for any time when you may have to teach without the aid of a mirror… [Read more…]

Teaching Tip: Don’t Just Correct…Repair!

August 30, 2009 by 4dancers

teach It’s all about solutions.

If you give a student an “empty” correction it isn’t useful. You have to somehow describe–in a way that they can understand–how not to repeat the mistake. Corrections come with solutions that can be applied will make someone a better dancer. Those that don’t will just erode a student’s self-esteem and make them feel frustrated.

Try to show the student the right way of doing the step, rather than just pointing out what they did wrong. Then break it down verbally for them if possible as well. The more feedback you can give them, the better the chance they will understand how to correct the problem!

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