Dancer : Maggie Carey
Photo by : Geek With a Lens

Okay, so I have written what dance teachers should never say to students and what students should never say to their dance teachers, so I guess this is the next progression.

The other day a colleague of mine turned to me and sighed, ‘If only all our students were orphans, this job would be so much easier.’  Well, I’m not sure about that, but it did get me thinking that this article was long overdue.

Yes, all these things have been said to me over the years.  When I was a young teacher, I would just stare in shock at these comments.  However, as I grew older and more confident in myself and my profession, I used them as teachable moments to explain to parents why these aren’t exactly appropriate to say to professional dance teachers.  I learned that most of the parents weren’t trying to be rude or offensive; they just didn’t know how their questions and comments sounded.

Do you have a real job?  Excuse me, but you did pay for your child to learn from me.  Teaching dance, or any art form for that matter, is a calling that all of us teachers take very seriously…for us it is a very real job.

I know I don’t know anything about dance, but….  Please, stop right there.  In fact, that’s usually when I hold my hand up.  That’s right you don’t know anything about dance which is why you pay a monthly tuition for me to teach your child.  If I say the child isn’t ready to be moved up a level, have pointe shoes, or dance that role, I am not saying that to be cruel or unfair.  I’m saying those things to keep your child safe and because I know what I’m doing.  If you don’t trust my expertise, judgment and that, just like you, I want what is best for your child, then you really should find another teacher that you deem more trustworthy.

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Dancer : Maddie Welsh
Photo by : Geek With a Lens

Over my years of teaching for a variety of different studios and now co-owning my own, I have learned a lot of things. One of the most important things I have found is that good communication benefits everyone.  If there is a problem, how can it be addressed if it’s not communicated?  Ugly gossip, rumors and misinformation can occur when a parent or student asks a peer instead of coming directly to the teacher for answers.  As a teacher, one of my many jobs is to try to make myself approachable and to disseminate as much information as I can to my students and their parents about the dance world.  Here are some tools I use and things I encourage to make it easier for a dancer or parent to know where they stand as far as their progress goes and what they need to work on in order for them to be successful.

Check Lists.  At the beginning of every school year, I give each student a check list for their level that states clearly and concisely what they need to accomplish to be considered for advancement to the next level.  The check list also includes all ballet vocabulary and each term’s definitions that students need to know in order to advance.   Some of the things on the list are behavioral and some are technique based, but they are all important.  For Creative Movement, some of those things include: being able to separate from their parents, knowing not to hang on the barre, keeping their hands to themselves, demonstrating first and second position and skipping.   For advanced classes, some of those things include: being self-motivated, working on corrections without prompting, demonstrating coordination of upper and lower body including head movements, understanding that every step is important, the ability to reverse petite allegro quickly and performing well on the stage as well as in the classroom.  Every so often, a student will come to me with their check list and tell me they think they have accomplished everything on their list.  Most of the time, this is not the case, but it opens the conversation and gives us something concrete with which to discuss their progress and what they still need to achieve.

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