Are My Legs Straight?

I personally struggle with a very specific problem... I swear my back leg is straight in my leaps and arabesques when it in fact not straight. If your dancers are experiencing this, there might actually be a medical reason. According to the editor of Dance Teacher Magazine, Deborah Vogel, meniscal tears, swelling, trauma, or arthritis might all be the culprit. There is also the possibility your dancer is not properly working their turnout. If your dancer's kneecap of their leg is dropped towards the ground in arabesque, the leg will appear bent if it is in fact straight. Lastly, your student's body type may be the reason. If the student has a naturally knobby knee that protrudes forward, it could appear bent while they are trying to straighten it.

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The Secret Message

Is there a secret message to make all your dancers turn like Sophia Lucia? Sorry, I don't think so. However, reminders that build muscle memory are the key to having consistently strong turners. Below are bullet points to remind your dancers of every class as to what to think of while turning. One of my favorite tactics is asking my class what they need to think about while they are turning. My dancers will raise their hands and we won't stop until all of the bullet points have been checked off. High relevé Straight supporting knee High passé Shoulders down (out) Strong spot (spot your own eyeballs or a point in the room) Strong arms (like holding oranges under your armpits) Utilizing your closing arm In second turns, turning out both your supporting leg and your working leg Closing into a high, strong croisé and not swinging your leg Leading with your heel and not gripping your turnout muscles Not dropping your heel too hard in second turns or fouettes Pulling ...

Tips for Incorporating Improv

Every dance instructor is familiar with the look of sheer terror you receive back from your students when you ask them to improv. The following are a few tricks I have used to get my students more familiar with the concept of improvisation. Use a variety of popular of familiar music. If your students are more familiar with the music, and know chorus, versus, builds and the counts, they will be more comfortable adjusting their movement to suit the music. Of course they will not always know the music, but this is a great trick for improv novices. Go across the floor. By letting your dancers move from one side of the floor to the other, they will have freedom in how long they take across the floor. However, there will still be a controlled direction. Be creative. Ask them to focus on one body part, or use floor work the entire time, use a prop, not to implement any technique, use a partner, pretend to be an animal, etc. This will get them more exposed to moves or styles the...

Teacher Reactions

While we as instructors are so passionate about seeing our dancers improve, it is important to sometimes take our experiences with a grain of salt. From excuses like "I didn't have time", or "my Mom didn't tell me," we have heard them all. This article , is full of dance teacher reactions that we are all-too familiar with.

The Instructor's Dance Floor

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