As dance educators, we all want to help our students grow and develop their technique from a young age. However, there’s an important aspect of early dance training that is often overlooked: the developmental readiness of young children for certain poses and movements. One such movement is the arabesque.
Read MoreWhen you understand child development, so many things change in your children’s dance classes. I can remember when I first started teaching preschool dance. I expected to go in and teach a mini ballet class. I thought my students would stand in lines, wait their turns, and work hard just like my older students had. Boy, was I in for a surprise!
Read MoreOnce Upon A Ballet Certified Teacher Anastasia Jankowski (known by her students as LaLa) knows a thing or two about creativity. Her interactive children’s band, Sunny Train, is rooted in imagination and creative thinking, giving children opportunities to shake eggs, bang on drums, twirl hula hoops, explore yoga poses, or play with the world’s biggest bubbles.
Read More“I'm a biology professor, and so I found the neuroscience of children and very young children extremely fascinating. I find myself thinking about it just constantly in my classes, thinking: What are their bodies doing? What are their brains doing? How can we sort of tie that all together really holistically?”
Read MoreOnce Upon a Ballet Certified Studio Owner Nadia Giuliano remembers being introduced to dance for the first time at the age of four years old.
Read MoreLevels are a basic dance concept that you can do so much with! Movements and poses can be done low to the floor, at a medium level, and a high level. Here are a few ideas for your preschool dance classes.
Read MoreWhen it comes to teaching turnout (to any age), there are some tried and true tips you should always think about. But when it comes to teaching turnout to young children, there are a few more things you should be thinking about.
Read MoreIf you teach dance to preschoolers and have trouble keeping their attention, there’s one rule to fix that… You MUST include dance activities and games in your classes that are FUN and IMAGINATIVE. Read in to learn more.
Read MoreAfter almost 6 years of developing preschool dance curriculums, there's one question I've really found impossible to solve.
Read MoreThe best dance teachers I had when growing up were ones who saw each student as an individual—regardless of what curriculum, school, or method of dance they taught. So what makes a great dance teacher great?
Read MoreI think as teachers, many of us have our favorite ways to begin a preschool dance class. We bring our students into the classroom, mark the role sheet, then what?
Read MoreToday I want to give you a few quick tips for teaching tots—on helping your students wait for their turn during travelling exercises.
Read MorePlanning transitions for preschool dance classes is one of those things that can be easily forgotten in a dance class. BUT, if you teach toddlers or preschoolers, I don’t need to tell you what you already know: transitions will make or break your classes.
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