by Rhee Gold A while ago I held a seminar for teachers and studio owners at a dance convention that included a competition. These awesome people were teachers for all the right reasons-everyone was excited about learning new approaches for the classroom and business. At one point, a conversation started up about dance competitions and the importance of age-appropriate music and costuming, and of giving students movement that they were ready for instead of tricks or flashy steps. Everyone agreed-these were the standards that they lived by and that they wanted to see all dance educators practice ..read more

Fun facts for teachers and students ..read more

I am pooped and feel like quitting this business. It seems the studio is growing faster than I can keep up with, and I am exhausted with trying to keep it organized like my customers are used to. I am seriously considering selling it all and walking away ..read more

by Karen White When it comes to teaching preschoolers, you can never have too many tricks up your sleeve. Here are three games to help refocus little ones’ attention. 1. The Fairies and the Sleeping Dolls Split the class in two. Give half the students “magic” wands (you can use substitutes like pencils)—these are the fairies. Place the other half randomly around the room, standing in first position with arms in first, head tilted and eyes closed. These are the sleeping dolls. To the sounds of a lullaby or gentle ballet music, have the fairies tiptoe randomly from one doll ..read more

Not all children will develop into professional dancers. One of our primary goals is to teach life lessons and skills that offer children the best chance for success. Dance education encompasses far more than technique and the steps the children learn. I believe the discipline of dance training gives young people a better understanding of commitment through learning, experiencing the spirit of teamwork, and discovering what they can accomplish through hard work. Our goal is to educate the minds, bodies, and souls of our students, teaching them the skills needed for a successful life, whether o ..read more

by Rhee Gold I have often wondered why we (dance teachers) can be friends with teachers and school owners who teach in another state or quite a distance from where we do, but if the teacher or school happens to be in the same town, then they are often considered the enemy? What is hard to understand is that the teacher up the street possesses the same passion that we do. We actually have more in common with them than we do the teacher who happens to do their thing quite a distance from us. Just a thought ..read more

Is the teacher who produces phenomenal ballerinas more credible than the teacher who produces the best hip-hop dancers? Is the teacher in small-town America less passionate than the teacher in big-city America? My thought is that all dance teachers pass on the gifts of dance in the most appropriate way for them. They share a common goal and I don’t judge how they do it. I always encourage teachers to get together to share the life with those who best understand it (even if the other teacher happens to be in the same town). One studio owner friend, whom I will ..read more

“You’re an artistic genius! How do you come up with an idea like that?” “Motivated to be different” is the motto of the teacher who choreographed the piece that everyone is raving about. She’s the one who doesn’t want to be like anyone else or follow the current trends in choreography. Tricks like grabbing a leg and yanking it behind the head (often, unfortunately, with a turned-in supporting leg) are nowhere to be found in her art. The even bigger feats like fouetté turns or multiple jumps are not in her choreographic vocabulary. Yet she continues to awe audiences, judges ..read more