As a teacher, every time I set foot in a classroom, magic can happen.  Spending time with my students is delightful in and of itself, whether they be my college students, former students who come back to visit, my pre-professional students, the child that takes ballet once a week because it’s fun or my littlest ones who give hugs and draw me pictures.  I teach many classes a week to many different types of students and in each class there are moments when light bulbs go off, where enlightenment happens, where knowledge is passed from me to my students, moments of triumph over the body, moments of artistry and brilliance.

But once in a while, as a teacher you teach a class that doesn’t just have moments of magic, but is just magical from start to finish.  You are having a good day.  Your students are having a good day. ‘A ha’ moments are happening all over the room. The students are enthusiastic about what you’re telling them which makes you even more excited than usual to give them all the information you can. They are asking intelligent, thought provoking questions.  The students try it over and over until they get it and then get so excited when they execute it and you feel the pure joy that is teaching.  For me, that magic happens every single time I walk in the doors of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

About two and a half years ago, I received a phone call from DCDC’s   company manager, Gary, and he asked if I would consider teaching some ballet classes for them.  Absolutely, a chance to work with professional dancers, how could I refuse?  Then the nerves set in, that’s right, teachers get nervous too.  Would they want to be corrected?  Would they be cold and give an attitude when I tried to correct them?  Would they want me to just give class without corrections?  I would hate that.  Did they even want to take ballet…I mean after all they were modern dancers, would they think it was a waste of their time?

Before my first class, Gary told me, ‘We want you to teach them ballet, not just give them a ballet class.  Even though they are modern dancers, Debbie Blunden (the artistic director) feels that it is so important for these dancers to get real ballet classes.  Don’t be afraid to correct them.’  Well, that’s all I needed to hear and that’s when the dancers and I went to work.

Teaching these dancers feeds my soul.  I could not ask for more wonderful, enthusiastic and intelligent artists with which to work.  They tell me about the corrections they’ve been thinking about all week.  They ask amazing questions.  They have no egos and they really love to learn.  When I give them a correction, they look at me like I made their whole day.  When I give them a compliment, their faces light up and they tell me about how they’ve been working on that for so long and they are so glad I noticed.  They tell me that they had amazing rehearsals after my class the week before because they were on their legs and connecting to their inner thighs and rotators.  They are supportive of one another and clap when one of them has a ‘light bulb’ moment.  The excitement in the room is intoxicating.  I leave every week feeling so blessed to have these dancers in my life.  (By the way, I feel blessed to have all my students in my life.)

Yesterday was a particularly magical day for me at DCDC.  The dancers’ class work was amazing, as always, but as I left I overheard one of the dancers talking to the guest choreographer who was in town.  The choreographer asked how ballet class was and she told him, ‘Ballet class with Miss Erin is always great.  You always learn something new.  Even when you’re having a bad day and you’re tired, she makes you feel wonderful.’  Well, right back at you dancers!

You can see more of these wonderful artists here: http://www.geekwithalens.com/dance/dcdc