We all have taught those amazing classes where we leave feeling inspired because the energy in the room that day was so electric. You know, the ones where all your dancers are little sponges and retain everything, are focused, ask questions, connect the dots and dance their hearts out? It can be an incredible teaching and learning experience when everyone is literally in sync and all on the same page; each bringing the same amount of energy and work ethic to the table. This is where progress is achieved, ideas and cultivated, creativity ignited and dancers are made.
There are those days however, where teaching is anything less than inspirational. It’s inevitable if you’ve been teaching long enough, especially if you deal with adolescents. There are days where something as small as their body language during attendance will clue me in as to where my dancers are at that day. Are they yawning? Leaning on the barre? Gazing off into space? On auto-pilot during warmup? Marking? Void of thoughtful questions? Not picking up choreography? Talking over on the sides? Etc. Etc. Etc.
It’s on these days, when a good dance teacher must delve into their, “teaching bag o’ tricks” and learn to master the art of shifting that sluggish energy into a positive, upbeat one. At the very least, it will wake up your students and get them having to think and be on their game.
So what can you do? First have faith, all is not lost. Don’t get discouraged if you have one of these days. You can always figure out a way to change up the energy, even if it salvages the last fifteen minutes of class. Below are some easy ideas on how to do this. So, remember don’t get frustrated. You as the dance teacher control the climate of the room. If you stay upbeat and positive, the troops will soon follow suit. Check out these great tips I use in my classes
1. Change the order of things: Whether that be starting with something completely different than normal in their warmup or changing the sequence of events. For me, if I see it might be, “one of those days,” I start with a high energy cardio warmup. I will make my dancers do a quick circuit of running around the room, burpees, jumping jacks, etc. By the end of it, they are definitely alert, warm and ready to begin technique warmup.
2. Throw a curve ball: Introduce an element you have never done. Whether that be a new turn or jump they’ve never tried, a new variation across the floor, or choreography that may not be your typical style. Again, this will wake dancers up and present a fun, new challenge for them to have to think about and attempt.
3. New music: This is always and easy way to shift energy, especially if you have set music for your warm-up. Use music that is completely out of the box, music you know you the students love or something to undeniably pump up the energy in class.
4. Make them think: Think about subtle changes such as taking warm-up out the mirror, change facings for each exercise, start with things on the left, hold balances with their eyes closed, etc. Again a little twist on things but it will certainly freshen up the normal routine
5. Talk about it: Being direct and taking five minutes to be real and ask dancers, “OK, what’s up today?” is perfectly valid and cuts straight to the chase. Maybe there is something going on with them at school or at the studio that you are unaware of that can help you tailor their needs for the day to maximize class time. Conversely, maybe there is nothing wrong and they are just unaware of the energy they are bringing in. This little, “wakeup call,” can sometimes be a good dialogue to reiterate how everyone’s energy affects each other. It can also set the tone for them to be more aware of the vibes they are giving off both physically and emotionally throughout the rest of class and get them going a bit!
Good luck!
See you in the dance studio,
Jess
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