The Casual Dance Teacher's Podcast

For the next couple weeks, I'm going to help you work through any aspect of choreography that might have you feeling "stuck."  In this episode, I provide some different examples of ways that you can choose a theme for your dance, and allow that theme to then help you come up with the music, movement, staging, etc for a piece.  You can listen to the Season 1 Choreography Month Series starting Here...

Are your students comfortable improvising, or do they freeze up at the mention of it?  In today's episode, I had the opportunity to talk to dancer/choreographer/dance educator/coach (etc!) Angela Gallo about her own experience utilizing improvisation in her creative process, as well as recommendations for the use of improvisation in the dance classroom, preparing our students to improvise in an au...

I am a firm believer in having as many tools on hand as possible for days when you need to quickly re-engage students, bring the class together, and/or reenforce a concept you're working on in a new way.  Today's episode is full of ideas for physical games that you can buy and keep on hand to easily achieve these goals without the work of DIY-ing or prepping materials in advance. All games mention...

It's arguably impossible to become a dance teacher without first identifying as a dancer, but what happens when you feel that that identity no longer suits you?  Is it fair to identify as a dance teacher if you no longer dance regularly outside of the classroom?  What if you're not regularly teaching classes - can you still call yourself a dance teacher?  We cover all this and more in today's epis...

 I don't care what style/age group/program/level/genre of dance you teach...I'd bet there's been some time in your teaching career that you "gamified" your teaching in some way.  Yes, games can be a fun "filler," but I also think we shouldn't undermine the value of teaching through games, even for older/more experienced dancers!  Here are a couple of the simplest games I've used in dance class tha...

As an experienced casual dance teacher, what have I learned to ALWAYS keep in my bag to be prepared for class every week?  Find out on today's episode! Listen to the "Props and Tools" Episode Here Listen to the "What's in My Dance Bag - Recital Edition" Episode Here Theme Music by GBMystical!  www.gbmystical.com Join the Casual Dance Teacher's Network on Facebook Here Follow me on Reddit Here Foll...

Are you a current dance fitness instructor, or thinking of teaching dance fitness classes or offering them at your studio as an added revenue stream? If so, today's episode is for you!  I sat down with Mariana Santos, founder of Brazily Fitness, to talk about creating a unique dance fitness brand, building confidence through dance, working with a wide range of skill levels within a class, and what...

In today's episode, I'm putting together some bits and pieces of what I learned throughout last season - both in the classroom and on the podcast! - to help you structure a season plan that will build your dancers' skills and athleticism so that they peak for performance time!  Listen to the "Curriculum Building" Episode Here Listen to the "Jumps Training with Coach Kristin Stam" Episode Here Them...

As much as we hate to acknowledge it, all of us have probably given some thought to what we'd do if an emergency situation of some sort were to arise in our dance classroom. Sadly, many of us have had to deal with these situations first-hand.  That's why I was really thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with Andy Roszak JD, MPA, EMT-Paramedic, Founder & Chief Executive Officer for the Ins...

As frequently requested, here is a quick run-down of some of my favorite ice-breaker activities to get students of all ages familiar and comfortable with each other - and you - in the first few weeks of a new class season.  You can listen to the episode on name games Here Theme Music by GBMystical!  www.gbmystical.com Join the Casual Dance Teacher's Network on Facebook Here Follow me on Reddit Her...

Ahhh, here we are at the start of season two!  Time to dive back in - but wait?!  I have some personal news to share with you!  Listen to a quick life update to catch you up to speed on where I'm coming from with this new season, and the direction(s) the show may (or may not) take moving forward!  Who knows at this point?!  Not me!  Enjoy :) View this episode in Video Form Here You can listen to t...

Well friends, I told you we'd be taking some time this season to delve into identity and personal development this season, and I didn't waste any time getting to it!  I had the honor of sitting down with Jess Grippo to talk about her practice of Creativity Coaching, and even get a little mini-session just for me!  In this episode, you'll learn about Jess' background and what led her to start coach...

In today's special bonus episode of The Casual Dance Teacher's Podcast, I chat with decorated choreographer Tiffany Rea-Fisher about her work as a choreographer for Classical Theatre of Harlem, including (but not limited to!) how the process of choreographing for theatrical productions differs from concert dance, how Tiffany's background as a competitive dancer shaped her career, the traits she lo...

Oh my goodness, it's the end of season one of the Casual Dance Teacher's Podcast! We're wrapping up with a quick recap of the amazing highlights of season one, how you can keep up with The Casual Dance Teacher's Network during our brief hiatus, and what's to come! Big thanks for a great first season, and see you in season two! Theme Music by GBMystical!  www.gbmystical.com Join the Casual Dance Te...

How can I stay up-to-date on the latest dance news without falling down a social media rabbit-hole?  How can I convey current dance events to my dance students without taking up all our class time?  What trends are happening in the world of dance, and the way that we consume dance media?  In this episode, I delve into all of these questions and much more with Dance News Daily founder Danielle Guil...

Are you interested in offering dance programming for adult dancers either picking up dance for the first time or continuing their education after time away from dance?  Do you currently offer adult programming but feel that it's not quite working or you have questions and challenges to work through to improve your teaching?  Lindsey Dinneen is here today sharing TONS of knowledge around how to app...

The great debate - should you organize your dance class levels by age, or by technical level?  Today's episode isn't really about defending one side or the other on this one, but I'm sharing my insight on the strengths of breaking up classes by skill level, even if that means including a wide range of ages within a class, followed by some tips for training dancers within a mixed-age classroom, whe...

You can have all the drills, exercises, and teacher "hacks" in the world, but if there's not meaning and intention behind everything you and your students are doing in the dance classroom, what's it all for?!  Acclaimed dancer, choreographer, scholar & educator Anabella Lenzu joins us to explain her philosophy and theory of dance education, and how she helps students understand that their body...

Wrapping up our "recital prep" unit on the podcast, I thought it would be fun to share a breakdown of everything I make sure to have with me in my dance bag during tech week!  As a mega-planner, I feel like I'm pretty thorough, covering everything from snacks to spare bobby pins - so give it a listen to make sure you're fully stocked and prepared going into your own recital week! Theme Music by GB...

Next up in our "recital prep" unit on the podcast are some of my favorite ways to get recital dances clean without boring your students (too much 🙂).  What's your favorite?  Let me know in The Casual Dance Teacher's Network on Facebook! Theme Music by GBMystical!  www.gbmystical.com Join the Casual Dance Teacher's Network on Facebook Here Follow me on Reddit Here Follow me on Instagram Here Pleas...

We're kicking off a new "recital prep" unit on the podcast with today's episode taking you line by line through my mental checklist of items I need to cover with my students to make sure both I and they are fully prepared going into tech week!  This includes lighting and sound cues, entrance and exit logistics, hair, makeup, and costume requirements, rehearsal and recital etiquette and more!  Did...

Dancer, educator, choreographer (and more) Jason Pickett, who you may better know as @heyitspickett on social media, is here to talk us through his process for creating innovative and meaningful solos for dance students.  I personally find solos so challenging to choreograph because I can't lean on the use of different formations and/or layering of bodies doing different movements, so I was deligh...

Today I'm breaking my own "we don't need business advice; we're casual dance teachers" rule by having dance studio owner and business coach Alison Foster-Jones on the show to share her story and tips on growing a studio from 5 students in a rec. room to hundreds of students across multiple studio locations!  Alison has such a great message of leveraging passion and positivity for business success...

Love is in the air! <3  In honor of Valentine's day, today I'm reading listener-submitted notes on why YOU love teaching dance!  Cozy up with your Valentine's treat of choice and join me in celebrating our collective love for the art of teaching dance together!  Theme Music by GBMystical!  www.gbmystical.com Join the Casual Dance Teacher's Network on Facebook Here Follow me on Reddit Here Follo...

Ian Howe is Back!  And today we're talking dance photography!  The burning question on my mind - what made the man with 500 jobs decide to start a dance photography business on top of all that?  Then we get into some more practical questions like:  What are the basics needed to do your own dance photography?  How to pose dancers quickly and efficiently for recital photos without them all looking t...