teacher

Pas de Trois: What Is The Most Important Quality In A Dance Teacher?

August 30, 2010 by 4dancers

If you didn’t catch our post last week, I’d like to explain again what we are trying to do here–and encourage you to join in!

Pas de Trois at dancing3.com is a collaboration between David Hunter from Ballet for Men, Henrik Lamark from Tights and Tiaras and myself–as well as all of the readers out there. We are coming together to discuss various issues and ideas about dance. We are actively exploring ways to work together so that there can be a better sense of community on the web for those interested in exploring dance in depth with one another.

Each week we’ll pose a question and answer it one by one on our blogs. This week’s question is “What is the most important quality in a dance teacher?”

I have been both a student and a teacher, so I really had to stop and think this through from both perspectives. I find that the answer is similar–I think that the most crucial skill is the ability to communicate.

As a student, I was striving to understand how to improve my technique. As anyone who has taken dance knows–this does not come naturally. The teacher must be able to tell the student exactly what they need to do to adjust what they are doing to make it right. Those teachers that could do that for me made me dance better. And what’s more–I found I really gravitated toward their classes. I didn’t necessarily like them more, but I learned from them.

As a teacher, I know that finding the right way to communicate with a student can take a while! When I make corrections or comments I try to say things in a variety of different ways, because I know that what impacts one person and gives them that “eureka!” moment may not do anything at all for another one. It is also important to use visual repitition so that students who don’t do well with verbal direction can see what you are saying.

There are many important qualities that dance teachers should have. It’s hard too choose just one, but after a bit of thinking, I’d say I’m pretty comfortable with the one that I picked. What do you think? Join us here and share your answer!

4dancers: Guest Posts Wanted

January 26, 2010 by 4dancers

Today just a quick announcement…

I am looking for a few guest posts on the following subjects:

+ Triumphs and tragedies–send me your biggest accomplishment or your most embarassing moment as a dancer. Or send both.

+ Inspiration–share a story about a teacher that inspired you.

+ Recital advice–what have you learned that you can share with others?

If you are interested in doing a guest post on one of these subjects–just send it to me in the body of an e-mail, with the subject line “guest post”. If you have a photo as well, that would be great, but it isn’t mandatory. Please include your first and last name, your location and a sentence about how you are connected to the dance world.

My e-mail is writer (at) catherineltully.com (Make sure you include the l)

I look forward to hearing your stories!

Teaching Tip: For The Older Teacher

January 18, 2010 by 4dancers

I am a teacher who is over 40, and I have noticed a few things that I would like to pass along to teachers who are no longer dancing full-time. Please feel free to share your own if any come to mind that aren’t on this list:

+ Be sure to warm up your feet and ankles prior to teaching a class. Taking a few minutes to stretch out your Achilles tendon and calf muscles can make a world of difference. I’ve noticed that my ligaments and tendons need a little blood flow to work properly now. Demi plies and slow ankle circles make a good warm-up.

+ Choose shoes carefully. I found that once I stopped dancing full-time it was less comfortable to wear regular technique slippers. I now use “dance sneakers,” but have seen teachers wear everything from character shoes to jazz shoes for teaching class. The important things are comfort and the ability to show the steps clearly to students.

+ Utilize students for demonstration. I’m no longer up to doing a grand jete–much less doing one without having done a barre first. When you can, use a student to demonstrate steps that can possibly cause you injury. It makes the student feel good and saves your body the impact.

+ Schedule yourself sensibly. You may want to spread classes out over a few days rather than doing four of them back-to-back. Your body will tell you what it can and cannot handle, so be sure to pay attention to the signs of overdoing it. If you feel stiff, bruised or exceptionally tired, you may be taking on too much at once.

It can be very difficult to adjust your teaching style to adapt to changes in your body as you get older. As dancers we don’t like limitations–we have been taught to push our bodies as hard as we can. Even so, making some minor adjustments can mean that you are able to teach more effectively as well as feel better physically, so it really is worth it in the long run.

Any tips to share?

Introducing…Karen Hersh

January 6, 2010 by 4dancers

In 2010 4dancers readers will hear from a range of guest contributors here and there, talking about different styles of dance, or just sharing thoughts about the dance world. Today I would like to introduce Karen Hersh, a teacher and performer in the American Tribal Belly Dance style. I’ve asked Karen to share some information about how she became involved in dance so that you can get to know her a little bit…

My name is Karen, but I dance under and answer to the name of Piper. I began dancing close to 20 yrs ago in California when I decided to get in shape. I signed up for a what I thought was a ‘ballet’ workout class but in reality, it was a ballet floor bar class that was taught by a woman who studied and performed in Russia.

After a few years of that, I moved back to the Chicago area and started taking modern dance classes in Oak Park and in Chicago, and eventually had the privilege to study for a few years under the direction of the dance company Deeply Rooted. While I loved dancing with Deeply Rooted, I felt I needed to leave and focus on my personal life (as I just moved in with my now husband Brian). After about a year being away from dance, he suggested I find something to do. And so I did: belly dance.

I took my first class at Belle Plaine studios with a woman named Taj. I had no idea that I was at the beginning of my tribal fusion dance career. After Taj, I moved onto taking American Tribal Style (ATS) with Gabrielle Deschaine in Berwyn/Forest Park. And the rest, they say, is history.

Since that little beginning with Taj, I’ve taken as many classes as possible to improve on my own unique style of tribal fusion. I’ve been blessed to have been invited to teach overseas in the UK at Tribal Ford in England, (which is a weekend long group of workshops held in the Ford Castle located in Northumberland, England), and then 2 different workshops in Dublin and Glasgow. I am currently teaching my style of tribal fusion at Pineapple Dance Studio in Forest Park.

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