Too often, when people call to inquire about my classes, they ask, “Do you focus on technique?”
I don’t even know how to answer that. What is a class if not technique? Class is technique. Yes we explore style, artistry and expression, but without technique, none of that matters.
The details make the dancer. And those details take years to develop.
Invest in the long game. The basics never go out of style.
When kids, in my case girls, are growing into their bodies, they’re discovering what they can do. I don’t know where my 7-8 year-old students learned to move like they do when I give them some counts to freestyle, but they sure know how to isolate their hips, followed by a peace sign with their tongues out. Where did they learn that?! I’m sure I can guess.
I won’t inhibit them or shame them for moving in that way. They are learning to express through movement. They’re figuring out the different ways they can move their bodies, and they aren’t mature enough to understand what potential messages those movements can send or the kind of attention they’ll possibly attract.
We, as adults who do know, understand those potential messages. We have a responsibility to put kids on stage performing choreography that fits their age and maturity level, in costumes that fit their age and maturity level.
Let the kids move and be free with themselves during their own class time. I’ll never make a child feel ashamed of the way they move their body. But as their leader and mentor, I will protect them from being put on stage doing anything above their maturity level.
Learning choreography the whole time is not a class.
Rehearsing a routine the whole time is not a class.
30 minutes is not a class, unless the dancers are 6 years old or younger.
This applies to all dance forms, but let’s talk tap!
A tap class consists of a warmup, drills, exercises, traveling exercises (across the floor) and a combination. It needs to be consistent.
The exercises and combinations should change periodically (every 2-3 weeks) to build versatility, musicality, artistry and the ability to pick up and retain material. Dancers need a strong working vocabulary, as well as the ability to see something and replicate it. I go, you go.
Every-class drills are a great way to build and refine technique. These are constants and can be interspersed with exercises that vary. When we feel that it’s time for a change, we replace the current every-class drills with new ones.
If a class is planned with the specific intention to improve dancers’ capacities to pick up and retain a long combination (important for auditions and professional work!), OR the lesson plan is to work on a piece of classic rep, that is an exception to the first statement.
Add improv and games to encourage dancers to figure things out on their own.
Training dancers, training artists means checking all the boxes, making sure progress is continuous. Whether they train once a week or every day, the same principles apply.