Great Moves! Successful Ideas for Contemporary Dance Educators - How Do You Want To Be Remembered?
Teaching dance is a magical job. For all its hard work, sacrifices, and emotions, teaching dance is an enviable career. Dance teachers are miraculous at camouflaging just how difficult the job is to the point where many people will say, "Anybody can teach dancing." In the land of opportunity as we are known, anyone with the training, the money, and the desire can try their hand at teaching dance, but it takes a special person to commit a life to the muse of Terpsichore and not only make a difference but change people's lives through dance.
It's never too early in your teaching career to make purposeful efforts to determine how you will be remembered by your students. Everyone has a favorite school teacher who took the time to listen and care, and these same things will make you a memorable dance teacher.
Memorable dance teachers exhibit particular qualities that make them stand out in their students' hearts and minds. Here are five ideas to help make you a lasting and positive influence on your students.
1. Training: No matter how many years you have danced, there is always something new in the industry. Continuing education will keep you energized and fresh in your approach. Attending conventions and workshops are obvious forms of continuing education but so are attending performances. Knowing the styles and what's hot in the performance world will help you give valuable tips to your students that they will remember in the future.
2. Preparation: Always come to class and rehearsals with written lesson plans. Students appreciate being kept on track and on task and this is easier from your standpoint if you have the class goals in writing and on hand. Lesson plans keep you focused by providing a to-do list for every class that you can use to keep track of class progress. Plans are a good place to make notes to yourself that will undoubtedly contribute to your growth as a teacher. Use a separate notebook per class and keep the notes year after year! They will be useful when you want to restage a number or look back on your history.
3. Listen: Every good teacher is a good listener no matter what the subject. Dance classes are usually tightly scheduled and talking is rarely part of the lesson, but some simple ideas infused into your classes will make your students feel like they can talk to you outside of class when they need to. And I don't mean gossip! I'm referring to meaningful issues that students always have from time to time.
Pre-schoolers often love to talk and it is part of the lesson to teach them when to talk and when not to talk in dancing. Try starting every class with a group circle where you pass the "Talking Shoe" from student to student. Decorate a tap shoe or a ballet slipper with wild and colorful designs and give the Talking Shoe to one student. That student may tell one quick "story" or event from their day then they must pass the shoe to the next student in the circle. During class time, if children talk, remind them that student talking only takes place at the start of class when they have the Talking Shoe! This tells them that you have dedicated listening time. Don't force anyone to talk. It's okay to pass the shoe without talking.
4. Read: The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said the only bad thing about teaching people to read was that they wrote less. A paradox for sure. I teach reading to adult college learners at a community college and I'm always dismayed at the vast number of people who don't read any more. The schedule of a dance teacher is sometimes so ferocious that sitting down to read a book or magazine about dance is out of the question. Schedule mini reading sessions for yourself once a week and use holidays to catch up on dance books. Keep Dancer by the bedside for those mini sessions and stock up on dance books to read when you have longer breaks. Reading about dance will give you ideas and information to pass on to your students.
5. Mentor: "Imitation is the highest form of flattery" goes the adage, and learning to dance is highly dependent on the student's ability to copy the teacher's movements. After years and years of copying the teacher, it's natural for some students to want to emulate her even further and teach dancing. Is this flattery or forgery? Art students spend hours copying the works of the masters and dancers learn early on that imitation coupled with understanding technique helps them become better dancers. Wanting to teach dance is a natural outlet of studying dance and teachers can choreograph a program of teacher training by mentoring serious students who express an interest.
Simple or complex, you can outline a teacher training program that keeps you safe from competition and allows you to maintain a positive relationship with those students who mature into dance teachers themselves. Prepare a written document that explains how you believe a dance teacher is best prepared to teach. From class assistant to lead teacher, lay out the details of what a student should do in your opinion to become a dance teacher. Include experiences as class assistant, attending conventions, going to college, and working for several years under an experienced teacher. When young students and their parents see in writing what is generally expected and accepted as training to become a dance instructor, they will have a valuable tool to help them make the decision whether to follow the career. Remember to say that these steps are recommended for teachers to work in your studio.
Some days Terpsichore can be a stern task master and we think seriously about closing the doors and selling make-up at the mall. Tough days aside, teachers help children grow in many ways. We remember those teachers who took the time to help us learn. The magic of being a dance teacher is that we are the muse for our students.
Joy Held is a dance and yoga instructor and the author of Writer Wellness, A Writer's Path to Health and Creativity, New Leaf Books, 2003. Contact her at yogajoy@suddenlink.net.