It’s only mid-June, but for most dance teachers, and studio owners, that already means that summer is well underway. You’re probably already thinking about fall: fine tuning your schedules and planning out your promotions. If you’re looking to get more students into your dance classes this year, or hoping to avoid the dreaded emails that come in over summer with the subject line “Taking a break from dance”, today’s blog is for you. I’ve been teaching dance for over 15 years, and been directing dance programs in both small, and large scale studios and recreation programs, and in my experience ..read more

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, which doesn’t phase me much since I talk about mental health all the time, but I felt it did deserve a mention, and today I want to talk about 3 things dance educators need to do before having mental health conversations with their students. Often (and especially when there’s an awareness day, or month, like this month), we get real excited to dive into the topic, and aren’t as fully prepared as we could, or should be. So, let’s set you, and your dancers up for success with these tips to consider as you work to support their mental health, this mo ..read more

No matter how you came to be a dance teacher, I’m sure along the way, someone told you, or you decided for yourself, that reassuring your students was of the utmost importance. When they’re little, we reassure dancers that they’ll get it if they keep trying, and compliment their progress. As young and pre-teen dancers, we reassure them that with practice and dedication, they will get to that milestone they’re yearning for, whether it be pointe work, a competition solo, or a specific role in a production. And as teen and adult dancers, it seems all we do is reassure. The older dancers get, the ..read more

At the risk of sounding dramatic, I’ll venture to say that anyone who’s ever been in a dance class, at some point, will struggle with body image. Your average dance class is steeped not only in cultural and societal expectations of what looks “good”, but also has the added pressure of being a visual and aesthetic art form, and, the dance classroom is surrounded by mirrors. So it’s pretty hard to escape reflections, comparisons, and judgements. But what are the red flags that dance educators need to watch out for when it comes to poor body image? What can we keep our eyes and ears tuned into ..read more

16 dance brands team up for the Ukrainian Red Cross Crisis Appeal I consider dancers, teachers, and artists in general to be givers. We tend to feel deeply and want to give, help, and contribute. We do this in a number of different ways: through sharing our art and talents, through teaching, and through creating. So when we see hard and painful things happening in our world, we naturally want to help. Watching the war unfolding in Ukraine has been troubling and heartbreaking, and if you’re anything like me, you desperately wish there was more you could do to help. Now you can! Dancespiration ..read more

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted the first ever Body Kind Valentine Week over on my Instagram account, and it was amazing! I interviewed dance wellness experts, offered free trainings on incorporating body kind practices into dance classes, and got wonderful feedback from dancers, teachers, and studio owners. If you missed it, you can view the videos on my Instagram account! Just click here and find the Body Kind Story Highlight on my profile. One question that kept popping up into my DM’s after these videos went along these lines: “this is such important work, thank you! But I don’t know how ..read more

Ever wish you had concrete ways to help your students develop a healthy body image? Ever wish you knew how to respond when your students said things like, “I hate my body"? Do you cringe when you overhear students talking about the latest fad diet and how much weight they plan to lose trying it out? Me too, me too, and me too. That’s what Different Drummer is all about, really. I knew that dancers and dance teachers needed these kinds of resources, because we deal with these types of situations all. the. time. My own experiences are proof enough that dancers have poor body image, unrealistic b ..read more

Does the term ‘befriend your body’ make you scoff? If you’re a dancer or dance educator, it probably does. It might sound nice, but also unrealistic. The dance world is full of habits, practices, and messaging that bodies vehicles for training, perfection, and technique, not something that you befriend. Dancers spend so much time training, and willing their bodies into ballet, and dance standards, that we often don’t even think of our bodies as someone we know, much less a friend. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, I’m on a mission to change that. I believe dance should leave dancers ..read more

We think dance studio teachers are superheroes. You balance tons of different tasks — from creating choreography to managing class schedules to making every student feel special, you’re unstoppable.  But there’s probably one particularly challenging task that’s always on your mind when it comes to running your studio. What’s this infamous task? Student recruitment.  Recruiting new students is crucial to sustain your studio, bring in new talent, and raise the next generation of fabulous dancers. Bringing in new students also means that you can make an even deeper impact on your commu ..read more

I’m gonna be upfront with you, dance teachers. I don’t set New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve never liked the term ‘resolution’, because to me, it’s served with a hot side of steaming guilt, and that’s never a productive or inspiring mindset to start a new year with. Most of us, when we hear the phrase, “new year’s resolution”, automatically think of dieting, being in debt, eating more salads, and a slew of other things we feel pressure to do, but usually don’t do. To me, the word “resolve” feels hard, and stoic. It feels unmoving, and inflexible, like a toddler digging his heels in at the playgrou ..read more