Passion for Dance

Leaders who are happy and effective will create a team of hardworking dancers who enjoy their time together. A negative leader though, can ruin an entire season. I've always loved having strong leaders on my dance team, but sometimes the dancer who is chosen to be that formal leader turns out to be a nightmare. Good leaders can motivate others and help the rest of the team stay positive, but what...

Since it's Thanksgiving week here in The States, I'll be taking time off to be with family and away from screens and work, but I didn't want to leave you without another episode to help improve your dancer's mental toughness. This is a re-release of episode 51 from way back in early 2022, where I talk all about the three things that we can do as teachers to encourage our dancers to work harder. I...

Why do people choke? You've been cleaning your routine for months, you've spent hours in technique classes, and the routine looks flawless. Then finally the time comes to take the competition floor, and someone chokes with a random mistake that you've never seen before that unfolds before your eyes in slow motion. Let's talk about the number one reason an athlete chokes. Side note: it's not just a...

As a passionate dance teacher, do you ever feel overwhelmed or struggle with making decisions? I know after a day of teaching, I often struggle to make a simple decision about what to eat for dinner. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, especially with a big decision, I have some guidance for you. I understand how making so many little decisions is mentally taxing, and then when there's a big decision...

Do you feel like your dancers are focused, dialed in, and confident when it's time to take the stage, or do they seem nervous, distracted, and scared? As a passionate dance teacher, you might feel like you've done your best to prepare your dancers for success, yet they still get anxious and say things like, "What if I make a mistake?" In this episode, I'll share how to help your dancers stay focus...

Have you ever looked at another dance teacher who you admire and just felt jealous or had the thought, "How can I compare myself to these top people in the industry whose career I wish I had," and then use that comparison for inspiration, or if you get trapped in that sense of, "I'll never get there." If you've ever had these thoughts, you're probably a passionate dance teacher or someone who also...

Have you ever trained your dancers for a competition, drilling a dance routine over and over, only to have the dancers make a big mistake onstage that came out of nowhere? It feels so frustrating when you think you've done all you can to help your dancers prepare, and then something happens and the routine is just not up to par onstage. The good news is there's a mental skill you can strengthen to...

If you want dancers with more focus in class or more personal accountability, there is one mental skill that dancers need first. Maybe you're frustrated right now because dancers aren't taking corrections or are just going through the motions in class without much drive or purpose. I get it because I've seen this type of mindset in studios and school teams all over the country. In this episode, we...

In this episode, I'm talking with New York City-based professional dancer, Courtney Ortiz. If you've ever wondered what it's like to audition and perform in New York City, she shares some great advice on the mental aspects of being a professional adult performer and how to pick up choreography quickly.  Courtney's career spans from stage to screen with credits including the Broadway National Tour...

 Do you need confidence to perform well, or do you need to perform well before you can feel confident about yourself? Confidence is one of the biggest mental skills dancers are usually working on. Whether we are a new studio dancer or a professional on Broadway, we are always trying to find that confidence boost to control our nerves and put our best foot forward. The question is how do you get th...

Good leaders think about the legacy they want to leave behind, even if they are years away from leaving the helm of the ship. I had the extreme pleasure of watching the national tour of Hamilton when it first came to town, and I left the show inspired and thinking about legacy. How do you build a legacy that you're proud of? What does that even mean? One of the parts that stuck with me was Alexand...

Helping your dancers find the drive to work hard in class is a constant struggle for a lot of us. I think we all want to help our dancers show up with confidence and work hard every day and teach them to keep fighting when it gets hard. There are a lot of ways you can motivate your dancers, but today I'm gonna talk about one specific idea you can use to help motivate your athletes. It boils down t...

My guest today is inspiring the dance world by documenting his return to dance. Miller Daurey is a former professional team dancer who quit dance at 19, just when his career was really taking off. He has a new docuseries called Back to Great where he explores returning to dance training three decades later and all that entails. In today's episode, we talk a lot about his message that it's never to...

Welcome to part three of my goal-setting series! If this is the first time you're tuning in, please feel free to back up a few episodes and start with part one of this goal-setting series. However, if you're a loyal listener, you're set up and ready to listen to this episode! There are a lot of common problems that come up for dancers, and they derail you from reaching your full potential and clim...

In last week's episode, we talked about the different types of goals and why dance competition goals can actually hurt your motivation. In today's episode, I'm going to add some more info about why goal setting works and how it works, so not only do you understand it better, but you can explain it to your dancers. We'll do a recap on outcome, process, and performance goals as well as discuss the f...

Summary: Good goal setting improves confidence, motivation, and your actual performance. To be completely real with you, most people get this wrong. I spend a lot of time helping dancers set goals over the summer, and I hear a lot of goals like, "I want to get stronger this year," or "I want better turns," or "I want to place top ten in my solo at competition." I understand why those are common go...

Grit is in the dancer who works so much harder than the naturally-talented dancer who slides by. Grit is in the dancer who doesn't quit on a new skill and in the dancer who gets back up every time she falls. Even if you're not familiar with this term, you've probably seen it as a coach and a teacher. In today's episode, we'll be talking all about this mental skill of grit. We'll discuss the two ke...

In today's episode, I'll be tackling one of the biggest issues I hear about all summer: accountability. I hear from teachers and coaches who feel like it's gotten so much harder to get their dancers to follow through on expectations lately. I hear from dancers whenever we talk about team values, talk about how much they need more accountability, responsibility, and self-discipline on their teams....

In today's episode, I am back with Dr. Megan Babkes-Stellino to answer some of your questions about dance parents! If you missed part one, pause and go back and listen to Episode 115 (link below!). We had some great feedback and incredible questions come in regarding dealing with dance moms and sport parents that Dr. Megan graciously agreed to come back and share some more insight on. In this epis...

Summary: Each year I set a word of intention rather than a New Year's resolution, and I usually stop and do a deep reflection on my intention at the end of the year. Like most of us, I'm always learning and growing, and I've learned if I don't do a deeper reflection in the summer, I usually get off track. That was one of my big reflections from last year. Today's episode is going to be a mid-year...

Summary: If you've ever talked to your dancers about taking the floor with a confident mindset or using visualization before a competition, you probably understand the importance of mental skills training. But do you have any beliefs about mental toughness that are holding you back from your personal best? In my experience, there are four major myths that keep coaches from implementing mental toug...

I was working with a group of dancers recently, and after our discussion about competition mindset, two dancers came up to me and asked, "What do I do if I'm standing backstage about to go on and the negative thoughts are just going crazy? How do I stop it?" Negative self-talk is probably one of the biggest issues that dancers talk to me about. Most dancers understand what negative self-talk is an...

I think we would all love a hack for peak performance, wouldn't we? Peak performance is when you are able to perform at your personal best to reach your full potential. Think of it like reaching your full potential. All of that work you've done in class, all the long practices and drilling routines is worth it, and you perform your personal best when it counts. When you're under pressure, you hit...

Summary: Do you have dance moms and dance dads at your studio or school that drive you completely crazy? I know crazy sport parents can be super challenging, and I've heard coaches say things like, "I love everything about teaching dance except the parents." In today's episode, we'll be talking all about dance parents with my guest, Dr. Megan Babkes-Stellino. Megan is actually my academic mentor....

Summary: Do your dancers have the growth mindset it takes to really push themselves to improve? In today's episode, I'll be talking with the one and only Katie Groven of Dancer-Fitness.com about all things mental and physical flexibility for dancers. Katie was one of the first guests on the show way back in episode ten, and we both believe in challenging our dancers to be the best they can be whil...