More Than Dance

This one is for the dancer who’s tired of feeling guilty for resting and ready to move with purpose, not pressure. Understand what it means to be dancing  on offense vs defense . Know exactly how to listen to your body and to understand when to go full out and when to protect yourself. You don't have to take yourself out of the game.. you get to just switch up your play. Follow: Krissy: @kris...

I came up with this method to help my students understand what to focus on when they are at dance.  The Cake Method is as follows: Layer 1 - Memory Layer 2 - Style and Technique Layer 3 - Performance Quality  Make dancing a "Piece of Cake" Follow: Krissy: @krissyphillipino KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

In this episode, I teach you the hack that I learned from observing my mom in action. My mom never strives for perfection she strives for getting things done and getting them done efficiently.  Being a dancer you learn quickly that there IS a right and wrong and there is an aesthetic demand on looking “perfect”. If we can logically know and understand that perfect doesn’t exist, why do we continua...

The door before the dream. The opportunity that comes and its slightly related to your goal and you don't know if you should take it or leave it, questioning if it is a giant distraction. It can be hard to know whether or not to take these opportunities and in this episode I walk you through my favorite techniques to check in with yourself to find out if saying "yes" will actually g...

We move so fast from one "there" to the next that we forget to actually celebrate the moment we are in. If we are always focused on what's next, it can feel like we are never doing enough even when we are hitting the exact goal(s) we used to dream about. I share a simple practice I recommend to all my students and clients: At the end of the day, write down two things: 1.A basic win...

The only way you win is when you do and the only way you lose is when you don't do. There is always going to be resistance to the unknown and here are some tips on how to combat this to move forward: Mistakes are not failures, they are information Messy action - the best way to get something done and lower your PERFECT expectations When you want to be better at something...surrender... and al...

This episode is all about knowing yourself as a dancer and as a learner. We talk about the difference between your comfort zone, your sweet spot, and your survival zone and why understanding all three is crucial for your growth and to avoid spiraling into overwhelm.  The comfort zone is cozy and you wont be able to stretch there The sweet spot is where challenge is approachable The survival zone i...

Being kind to yourself is a strategy and its one that we get to learn and practice if we aren't well versed in it. Softness isn't a weakness and when life gets hard we don't need to meet it with more hardness towards ourselves.  In this episode I discuss what it means to be with your hard moments without overanalyzing them. Sometimes things just happen and we don't need to find...

The dance space is a varying space and it can be a hard place to make friends at first. I am going to teach you some tricks to help you implement and position yourself to receive and to make the most out of your experiences at your dance studio. Doing things like: Showing up with intention and say it out-loud Introducing yourself and using names and asking questions. Finding connections with peopl...

Performance week is a fun and special week. Here are a few of my getting ready tricks that I love to implement during performance week. Snacks, hydration, and nourishment Get your back ups in place Nurture your body and always account for your injuries Slides... funny story  Dress Rehearsal and weight shifts Endurance training, 25 full outs Get an audience to practice on Back stage etiquette and e...

Let's face it, life is always life-ing and its hard sometimes to navigate the recurring obstacles.  I am here to walk you through what I see as the most common obstacles that prevent my current and prospective students from dancing. The Body - I'll help you reframe when you have negative thoughts on your body and I share a story about how I manage my own thoughts on normalizing modificat...

Sometimes we think we don't have expectations... and then we find ourselves disappointed and don’t know why because the expectation was quiet, hidden, unspoken. It was still there all along despite our best efforts to not have expectations.  This episode is the realization that to control it all is impossible. and that our "Suffering exists because of unfulfilled expectations." - (A...

The most frustrating thing as a dancer and a person is to feel like you are working so hard on something like a skill and not getting anywhere. I'm here to tell you that this moment, is where the magic is happening! Because when it doesn't feel like its working... it actually is.  I share a story about one of my clients and how she persevered and had a great result and the pleasure I had...

This episode is the kick in the butt you didn't ask for.  You want it... do you actually have what it takes to get it? We know what we want and we can make goals, yet we find ourselves not achieving them.  In this episode we talk about having what it takes: •Showing up consistently with discipline •Getting gritty (and how I love that word) •Understanding perspective enough to know what is a d...

In this episode, I define your "Green Area" and how every road you take leads you there. (Everyone has one, so don't worry) The green area is your abundant zone, the part of life that feels aligned.  This episode is about trusting your decisions and knowing that if you take a different road you will still end up getting to your "green" because life is constantly guiding yo...

Learning how to dance is one thing. Learning how to learn dance is another. You can have raw talent... or you can be really strategic with how you bring information in.  In this episode I talk about: Different learning styles and how to use yours to your advantage Why where you stand in class matters more than you think My motto, “get the f*ck there” and how use this to memorize MORE!  how to lear...

Mistakes, mess ups, f*ck ups are not optional. They happen on stage, at practice, at work and in life. The goal isn’t perfection. (Remember that's impossible because perfection doesn't exist!) The goal is knowing what to do when something goes wrong… and making sure no one else even notices. In this episode, I talk about what I call "rehearsing the f*ck-up*", the art of bouncin...

As we honor Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought it would be fitting to talk about the moments when dance is not enough and what you can do about it.  This episode dives into the difference between dancing for an audience and dancing for yourself and why that shift matters when you are healing or triggered. I talk about what happens when wounds get reopened, you get triggered, and when things...

We all carry beliefs we didn’t consciously choose to believe. Some we inherited and some we adopted in environments that didn’t give us room to be our full selves. In this episode, I discuss what it means to unlearn the old stories/ old beliefs that keep you stuck and reclaim the parts of you that you silenced to fit in.  I used to quiet my voice in school because teachers constantly told me I was...

Starting something new can feel overwhelming, whether you're starting a dance class, or just finally doing the thing you’ve been thinking about forever... like me and this podcast! In this episode, I share my three simple and powerful techniques to help you actually start : 1. Make the first step so easy you can’t say no... EASE 2. Get comfortable being uncomfortable (discomfort = growth) 3....

Comparison isn’t always the villain. It can actually point you toward your desires, your goals, and your next evolution… if you know how to listen without losing yourself. In this episode, I break down the truth about comparison: 1. Comparison vs. obsession 2. Comparison breeds awareness and awareness builds CLARITY which leads to the creation of GOALS 3. Remember that your journey is divine, pers...

Let's talk about the ugly stage ... that in between where things feel cringy, awkward, and honestly... not cute. The part where you are working towards a goal and you haven't seen (enough) progress. This stage doesn't mean you’re failing or that you're not getting there... it means you’re in motion. The results will come! Keep showing up through the mess and learn why the ugly...

Welcome to More Than Dance. I’m Krissy Phillipino, a dancer, choreographer, studio owner, and your go-to guide for the real stuff dance teaches you; the kind you actually use in life. I’m also your favorite source for pep talks, perspective shifts, and permission to be unapologetically YOU.  Dance has shaped my entire life It’s how I found myself It’s how I’ve rebuilt myself, over and over It’s ho...