Dance Teacher Blog: Teaching "The Basics" About Dance

POINTE 5*6*7*8
Dance Teacher Blog: Teaching "The Basics" About Dance

By Brandy Curry 

If you are not teaching your students the "basics" how do they understand what dance is really all about?   When former students contact me about their current dance class in college they always mention how prepared they are about the following: stage etiquette, audition etiquette, performance make up and performance hair.  I’ve heard stories from my well-prepared students about how other college dance students did not know how to apply their own make up do their own buns. (My fifth grade students get a bun and make up class Week One.)

Even though my advanced dancers are ready to learn the dancer's tricks, turns and leaps they love having a class about the dance basics.  I have made these fun basics into activities with and without movement. There is great content that is both engaging and age-appropriate for your students on You Tube if you want to add a video along with the lessons.

SAMPLE DANCE BASICS LESSONS

1.     Points of the Room (Russian Method)

2.     Upstage/Downstage /Stage Left/Stage Right

3.     Dance Bag Basics

4.     Student to Teacher Etiquette; Reverence, Corrections

5.     Rules/Etiquette for Master/Guest Teachers, Guest Choreographers

6.     Stage Make up and Stage Hair for Dancers

7.     Sewing your ballet shoes; Sewing your pointe shoes

8.     Bun class