Parents, Teachers, and Students Balance Educational Responsibilities

Like most teachers, I enter into the instructional relationship with such immense commitment that it feels to me like being a second parent.  The reciprocal exchange between a teacher and a student is not complete without the real parents being on board.  Alternately, the same is true with the exchange between parent and teacher or the parent and the student.  Education works best when the third party carries as much weight as any other.  When that balance is thrown off, the value of the participation shrinks unless adjustments are made by all three.  Good communication will bring that to light.

Understanding that there are communication problems in the best of relationships, it is best to double efforts to understand one another.  Part of one's efforts to connect and complete the circle of communication will unintentionally miss its target.  One party may not hear it, or understand a message the way it was intended.  A listener may not even realize they have slipped off in their efforts to be cued in; and still may not remember fully.  Furthermore, one's definition of understanding may differ.  We all know people who think you understand them only when you agree with them or change your viewpoint to accommodate their wishes.

When teaching / raising a child into taking on knowledge and responsibility, there are bound to be different approaches.  When I was young, I thought the differences would be confusing for a child and set them up for inconsistencies.  As I have matured, I realize children are resilient and can work with different parameters with different people and actually gain more from the varied approaches they inevitably experience.

Parents', teachers' and students' messages can be different; communication styles can vary, but understanding is the tricky part to make the connection complete.  Everyone in the circle wants to be understood and wants to understand.  It is insecurities that can camouflage any one of the key people into the appearance of arrogance, reluctance or indifference which sets up road blocks to good communication.  Understanding and allowing for insecurities will bring down those walls, engaging those involved back to a willingness to work together.

Every person in the circle of communication is a human being worthy of the effort to communicate.  In the end most people gain from exchanges in perspective and sharing actions.  If not, it is okay to disagree and carry on to those thing where you do agree.   Productive communication is essential for learning to take place.

The Lily-of-The-Valley Lesson

For years, I have been bringing some Lily-of-The-Valley flowers into my youth division ballet classes with the hope to inspire my students' sense of beauty beyond princesses and fairies.  The flowers' fragrance alone is captivating.  Their appearance is unique among flowers, but not among the principles of construction and growth.

The children and I breath-in the perfume to understand that beauty extends beyond what we capture with our vision.  Together, we discover that all our senses contribute to a sense of beauty.  Then we try to incorporate all our senses into our dance so we can engage an audience and fellow cast members in breathing, seeing, and feeling movement with us as we dance.

My students and I look at the hierarchical structure of the largest bell flower that opens first at the bottom of the stem and leads to blossoms of diminishing size as it grows taller.... much like the progression of learning.  People appear to learn the most quantity at introductory stages and later learn smaller detailed amounts that depend on their earlier foundation.

Lastly, we look inside to see that six petals have merged into one formation creating a bell shape around a center point, not dissimilar to the way individual corps de ballet dancers move in space and time to create one image around a soloist.

Nature teaches us about beauty; then, we dance with it!

5 Things Young Artists Must Have In Place to Leave Home Successfully

What does it say about a young artist who goes off to further their training and join a company, only to fall apart?  To me, it says, he / she was not fully prepared.

Teens who study their craft for as long as they can remember often feel ready to take on the world and become the next sensation before they are 20 years old.   I know; I used to be like that.  Parents who invest time, effort, and money in their child's artistic education are equally eager for their talented child to realize their dream especially when they are offered scholarships, even contracts.  I know; I was once that parent.  Teachers and coaches who historically launch teen artists into the first step of their training or career can be too willing to encourage their protege to take initial offers eagerly putting a feather in the student's and his / her cap.   I know, in my early career, regrettably and unwittingly, I did that.   My apologies extend to my early students.  At each phase along the way, I learned a thing or two:

1. talent is not enough 
2. parents and teachers cannot make 'it' happen; students must be able
3.  immediate success at their next step did not determine long-term success

I made adjustments in my teaching, coaching, and advice to parents to create lasting success for my students.  Bottom line, artists must shape and mange their own

• sense of responsibility (in and out of the home)
• ability to communicate (sometimes negotiate)
• health and well-being
• education
•  emotional resilience                                                                                                                                                       

My students' parents are encouraged to establish and uphold responsibilities at home that includes a set of chores and care-taking of family members.  They are asked, at a time when consequences are not so severe for mishaps and accolades are more meaningful, to do less for their child so that the child can do more for his / her self.  Children love being in charge of their own lives.  Showing them how and letting them grow into doing so keeps children from rebelling, and moves them toward lasting confidence and independence....success!

Practicing the use of those five essential skills ...sometimes above and beyond those in their art form takes vigilance on everyone's part.  Any inconsistencies detour the progress.  The goal is to build and maintain a life-skill-set that is likely to be instrumental through many career moves.  It is a rare person who's talent is enough to start in the industry, and a rarer person who can grow their abilities once in the industry.  Staying sane and financially solvent in the teen years is an anomaly when at home, never mind living away from family.  The patience and diligence of parent and teacher must be in place to help them achieve their potential without sacrifice to their financial and emotional well-being.

Before leaving home, young artists must be proven in their ability to

1. take care of their belongings:  laundering and mending their clothing, pack their own equipment, dress themselves for all ocassions
2. ask questions to superiors on their own behalf
3. bounce back from disappointments, meet and set appropriate goals
4. be socially adept without falling into poor peer influences
5. academically self-directed
6. attend to the care of their own physical, mental, and spiritual health

A lot to ask?  No! Ask my parents and students.  They will tell you they once thought my expectations were unreasonable or old-fashioned, until they saw results.  Start today; the sky is the limit!

Ballet Companies and Modern Dance Companies Share Repertoire

Back in the day ballet dancers and modern dancers worked separately.  They each took to their own corners of the dance world... ballet keeping to its traditional vocabulary to re-stage or create works, and modern dance exploring new ways to express the human condition through movement.  The times are changing.  Like ballet companies, modern dance companies now spend similar efforts to maintain and re-stage their signature classic works.  Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Revelations comes to mind as just one of the many companies passing on the tradition of their legacy.  And, like modern dance companies, ballet companies, are back to investing in new classical works.  Christopher Wheeldon is a current day classically trained dancer who has become an international resident and guest choreographer who is recreating old ballets for new audiences. 

Increasingly, both ballet and modern dance companies are expanding their training to include other disciplines, adding repertoire from other genres, and thus increasing their audiences.  One classical company on the leading edge is Nederlans Dans taking on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, as well as other ballets such as Giselle, and Pacific Northwest Ballet taking on Twyla Tharp's new choreography.

Since 1979, the Dancing Arts Center anticipated this fusion of two dance worlds and has trained its students to be equally proficient and employable in both.  Right out of the creative movement program, students begin PreBallet and PreModern classes at age six or seven.  They continue into the main division to further their study in classical ballet and modern dance in a complimentary schedule.  Until the advanced level when students take the traditional foundations of modern dance and push its boundaries, students learn the fundamentals of the Horton technique over the course of several years, then over a couple more years, they add the Limon technique to their experiences, and at the intermediate level study the Graham technique.  In their ballet lineage, Dancing Arts Center students begin their studies learning about three Tchaikovsky ballets in one year of their PreBallet program and learn about three Minkus ballets in the other.  From there, the slow careful training to turn out and be on balance as a beginner, leads to crossing and raising the legs for adagio and allegro patterns in advanced beginner classes, then elevation, beats, pirouettes and more at the upper levels.  Eventually, the vocabulary of ballet becomes repertoire in variations and pas de deux classes.

At the Dancing Arts Center, equal respect and devotion is dedicated to both modern and ballet in separate classes, and over the years students blend the two for choreography, company auditions, and ultimate employment.  There are many students who have gone on to professional careers in performance, teaching, company direction, journalism, costuming, even motor development and massage therapy.  While the study of ballet is crucial to all other forms of dance and provides its greatest benefit when studied early in life, students learn, dance is dance.  One genre is valuable to the next, but not more important than the next.

Only the timing of what to study when is important.  Creative Movement ought to be integral throughout a dancers training.  Being able to think on your feet, find and build you own inner voice, and move dance toward fresh new ideas gives a dancer artistic skills beyond technique.  At the risk of minimizing its value by describing its contribution in one sentence, classical ballet introduced in elementary school, shapes a dancers body and universal lines of movement from which all dance genres benefit.  Modern dance broadens the scope and depth on the use of weight, force, emotion and vocabulary to express any human condition.  Tap instills dexterity and musical syncopation.  Hip hop, developed on the streets (not in the studio), is finding a home in many studios giving dancers an urban expression.  Folk dancing builds more collaboration, unity, and a sense of group formation.

At the company level, it is new for ballet and modern companies to cross territories. The Dancing Arts Center has been doing it for decades.  Join!

Measuring the Value of Participation in Activities

It is good for parents, teachers and students to take stock periodically of where we have come from, where we are, and where we are going with the participation in any activity.

Some people measure the value of an activity in monetary terms, others might assess by losses or gains (pounds and inches for instance), and still others look for more intrinsic change (character development). Be careful not to look for progress in comparison to another, but instead to an individual's past, present, and potential.

I smile when a parents exclaims how much money they spent for their child's dancing. I want to say right back how much time I spent on the planning, execution of their child's lessons, how I delicately chose my timing and wording to coach their child through challenges, how much physical strain I put my body under to demonstrate over and over again or to maneuver their body so that he / she can feel the proper placement or action, and how much sleep I lost in caring about their child's development. Instead, I just smile and try to say something to lighten the mood, like "It beats the high cost of drug rehab or mental health care."

Defenses aside, I understand everyone, including myself, wants a bang for their buck. Getting something for our time and money is the American way. Measuring growing skill is easy enough...strength of character, not so much. Measuring the quality of incremental changes of the body is tricky for the layman. Noticing if a child's arm movements can express romantic, classical or neo-classic choreography is hard for parents to distinguish. For instance, when watching her child during an observation class, one parent said, noticing the subtle differences is like watching paint dry. I get it. I would feel the same watching someone program a computer. If parents are able to notice improvements in physical ability, they feel like there is progress worth paying for; however, many times improvements are hardly visible. It is common for growth to appear stagnant while the new skills take hold, and before the next step forward is obvious. If a parent chooses that plateau period in their child's participation to determine if there is any value in their child's lessons, they could be disheartened and miss the long-term worth of what is likely to blossom with time and experience.

It is even more difficult to measure changes in mind and spirit. These intrinsic parts of growth show up not necessarily where you might think you would see them. Confidence, courage, patience, tenacity (to name a few) appear when we least expect them. My own daughter who studied dance through her childhood says she is thankful for her dance training that made earning her second college degree sufferable when her peers faded into the background. She credits her persistence, her attention to detail and self assuredness from her years in dance carrying over to her new profession. I believe most parents realize such return on their investment and continue to allow their child to participate season after season. 

If a child does not seem to measure up when a  parent needs reassurance regarding spending their time and money well, their chances are interrupted with parental doubt if not curtailed all together.  It is too early to call the score.  Children do not know how to defend their efforts and interests when they are not demonstrating growth.  Teachers / coaches are perceived as leading a parent on when progress seems small.  Parenting patience is what is needed.  For how long, you might ask?  I say, for as long as it takes. We do not like it when people give up on us, so we ought not give up on our most precious children.

Have you ever watched one of those NASCAR races that go on and on and on?  Sometimes it appears that the cars are glued together traveling in circles.  No one is getting ahead.  Then suddenly a driver edges out over another, but wait ...there is a crash and several cars go down in flames.  Later, different cars stop periodically into their pit for retooling. By the end of the race, the one we assumed was best wasn't, and another driver came from behind to win!  There are endless anecdotes on tortoise and hare scenarios.

Just as the driver in the lead and the driver in the back of the pack change, children change with ability over the years.  Remember during your childhood some years you may have had trouble with math and other years your were good at it.  Staying the course is the key.  I have helped many ducklings become swans over the years.  When a family decides not to continue their lessons with me, I feel like I have been judged on work unfinished even if it is at the end of a semester. My relationship with most students is from the age of 3 or 4 until 16-19 years old (depending if I can place them with a company school).   It is said it takes 10 years to make a dancer or a person with dancer attributes.  I plan to invest at least a decade with each and every student.  When a student's training is interrupted, my commitment to the student seems tossed aside.  Instead a measure of trust, a duration of patience, and good communication go a long way in taking actual stock of the real value in any child's participation in an activity.  A glance at where the student started, is now, and where / what are the next goals is a good place to begin.

Learning to Dance Through the Integration of Experiential and Observational Methods

------------------------ Carpe Diem, Seize the day! Let's not allow another moment to pass without acknowledging what we learned so far today. It is said, we learn something new everyday. What is it and how are we learning it? ------------------------ Nearly every time I start another class with my students I ask, What have you learned already, what corrections do you remember, and what goals do you have for today's class? I try to enlist each student's participation in their own learning, not relying on spoon-fed information to regurgitate back. I encourage my students to study themselves not in an indulgent way, but to have much to give the world through their art. Their job as a student is to remember their lessons and improve so they can ultimately have such command of their emotional, physical, and mental being to express whatever a choreographer imagines. To be the ideal muse requires intense study and in-depth learning. ------------------------ Observational learning is instinctual and often the dominate way people (including dancers) learn. Dancers cannot afford to depend on just this one way to build their talents. They must be willing to explore, experiment, and discover through experiential learning, too. Unfortunately, many dance teachers instruct young dancers to mimic movements and positions establishing a method not dissimilar to the 'monkey see, monkey do' effect. In this limited method of exchanging skill, young students miss the personal, artistic experiences of how, why, and emotional investment of the movement, then retain nothing to pass along to their audience except the imitated movement on the proper count of music, in the designated space on stage. ------------------------ Because it is hard for new dance students to tap into their imagination and courage to explore their possibilities, and even harder to manage a class of students trying to find their individuality in this art-form of dance, many teachers stick with measurable left brain approaches to instill a sense of dance. In this way, students who usually come from an educational system that approaches learning from an analytical way, continue in their right / wrong assessment of their artistry. I actually have to break down that barrier, teaching students, there is no right or wrong in dance. There is only clear and interesting. ------------------------ In an effort to impart artistry with technique, some teacher / student relationships alternate between observational learning and experiential learning. That approach leads to dividing the brain into right brain / left brain. It is better to merge the two sides of the brain into a coordinated expression. ------------------------ Experiential learning is one tool that dance teachers use to help a student deepen his / her skills. Yes, there must be some planning and organization that precedes the endeavor, much like a scientist collects materials, and sets a plan for carrying out an experiment. Both the dancer and scientist work from a level of curiosity with a base of anticipated results and openness to unexpected, but equally valuable discoveries. That openness to the unexpected is what leads to integrated learning of the right and left brain. Imagery combined with planning, inspiration paired with intention, and creativity blended with fundamentals bring brain activity from both sides into one. ------------------------ You can learn to dance best with both sides of your brain involved. Choose a teacher who engages both your artistry and technique.

Educating Children for the 21st Century May Benefit From a Look Into the 15th Century

The needs of the work force in the future change as fast as technology allows. We know how fast that has been; and it only advances faster with time. Unless any of you can look into the future and provide more than a predication, we will need to prepare our children to be creative and brave to evolve with the work force of the 21st century. ------------------------- People of the Renaissance (13 to 16th century) may just be the ones to emulate. Their way of thinking became more open to innovative ideas, reinventing methods in all areas of life, particularly arts and sciences..the most creative of all disciplines. ------------------------- To question common practice, search beyond the known, or look for answers not provided by the Church, government, and traditions of the day was as risky then as it is now. Consider Leonardo Da Vinci, a man who did not distinguish between art and science, math and philosophy. He explored them as he saw them: woven together, not separately. He created in all realms. ------------------------- Compartmental thinking and teaching each subject independent of other subjects was never as useful as society thought is would be. It needs to give way to whole education where students can realize the interconnectedness of the world. In this way, a student who might have felt inept in one subject will gain confidence approaching a difficult concept with supporting topics and concepts. ------------------------- Studying dance teaches 21st century students to pull it all together in their efforts to master their mind, body and spirit. As their body grows, they adjust to the longer limbs, stronger girth and mental capacity. As their experiences broaden, they incorporate more elaborate skills, coordinate more complicated intangible concepts, and strive for the refinement of details. They become willing to explore, experiment and persevere until the desired results are present. ------------------------- Many a past student has contacted me well into their adulthood thanking me for the dance education they received, reporting that they happily survived career changes more easily than their peers who complained that expectations were too high, hours too long, superiors too demanding, etc. They claim that their dance training gave them the work ethic to be unruffled by the demands of the 21st century work force. ------------------------- Dancers speak a universal language that will stand the test of time, as well as possess the creativity, discipline, and ability to evolve to every changing circumstance to excel. Students, study dance not necessarily to become a dancer, but to become a master of thyself and thus any task at hand. Employers, hire a dancer. Their nature is to actively re-tool and be ready for the increasing demands of any job. ------------------------- Be like a Renaissance person who strives for critical thinking, questioning, problem solving, assessing, analyzing, synthesizing and communicating information for the world at large. Avoid provincial thinking: 'If it was good for me, then it is good for my child.' Run from narrow thinking and the small focus of people who agree with you. Search out the challenges for yourself and in your children's education. Choose the Dancing Arts Academy where the study of arts and academics coincide deeply!

You Want Excellence in Education? Follow Your Teachers' Directions and Back Them in Their Efforts

American schools are constantly compared to an international standard, yet continue to fall short. Why?! We spend lots of money; we standardize testing, we grade, level, and offer a variety of courses. What is wrong? ------------------------- I have an idea. The respect afforded teachers in America is low compared to the countries where students are excelling. I spent some time in Japan where my daughter was teaching. The respect afforded her was drastically higher in every respect. If she suggested the parents do such and such, she could consider it done. If she provided feedback about a student, it was considered the truth. She answered to her bosses, not to the parents. The parents answered to the teachers. ------------------------- Who answers to whom in America? Hierarchy is detestable, but when all is said and done, we do have to acknowledge that people have expertise from which we can benefit and excel if experts are allowed to take the lead. It is great that Americans are raised to question and think for themselves, but it is spilling over to doubting the authorities in their field. ------------------------- Questioning, doubting, and not trusting specialists is making America insecure and continues to grow out of control. It is bad enough for individuals who are out of control in their own lives to try exerting control over others. It is multiplied when a family or government is out of control; it tries to exert control over an institution (school, police department, etc.) instead of dealing with what is within its realm. This misplaced effort to gain control stands in the way of making necessary improvements. I suggest the tables be turned. Let the school do what they do best and families return to managing their home life.

" Watch the Penny's and the Dollars will Take Care of Themselves"- DR Horton

I do not know about you, but I am careful about how I spend my money, time, and effort. Life is too short to waste any of it. When I spend money, I want to be sure it is on something that will generate a lasting positive effect or not break-down soon after its purchase. I choose my purchases carefully. If you are like me in that regard, look carefully at the investment you make in your choice of activities, too. Spend your money where it will not only give you a quality experience while you are engaged in it, but the lessons learned will far out last the experience. -------------------------- Let me pose a question, would you appreciate spending your time, effort and hard-earned money in an academic program that bases its value on fun? Would you like, a math teacher (for instance)to teach not caring if students learned their calculations and logical organization correctly and concerned themselves only with enjoyment? No! Why do that with the arts? -------------------------- The arts are the base of all humanity. They reveal the inner most parts of oneself to oneself, and deserve the same scrutiny of purpose as academics. Knowing and mastering the expression of ones emotions, requires more than honesty and courageous self discovery, self-discipline, and attention to detail. Because there is no score, goal line or end of period, there is no limit as to how far one can achieve; yet because the there is no score, goal line or end of period, it leaves society uncertain of its comparative value. Society supports that which we can measure, and hesitates to commit to anything that cannot be quantified. -------------------------- Time and time again, I listen to parents say, if my child likes it, I will pursue it seriously. My question to these parents is, how will you know if your child likes something if they are measuring the appeal of a program in a non-serious way? Frequently, I enroll children who are eventually dissatisfied with their start-up dance school finally seeing its short comings. By then, the (mental, physical and emotional) habits instilled by the non-serious program have to be corrected, requiring much more time and expense than if the students had studied at a serious school to begin with. -------------------------- Serious does not mean severe, boring or stringent. It means being in earnest, sincere and committing importance. Who does not want to spend their hard-earned money in a place where their investment will be met with equal importance? I gander to guess, not you! -------------------------- Take your self, your time and money seriously. Do not be penny wise and pound foolish. Invest your time and money in quality experiences. Know the real thing.

What is in (the coaching of) a 50 Second Variation?

I keep my office door open welcoming all questions. ------------------ Recently, a parent shared that she has been wondering, what her daughter has been doing all these months in her coaching sessions to learn a 50 second variation, with the incredulous tone that demonstrated humor in her 'out of the loopness'. In respect to her daughter's new journey of working with a coach on a classical ballet variation, I could tell she was wondering, but didn't want to ask, Doesn't she have it already? Being glad she voiced her curiosity, I smiled back and began to explain. Then I realized my timing was off. She didn't want to know now. She wanted to leave the experience in her daughter's realm. Terrific for her daughter and kudos to her as a parent. ------------------ Nonetheless, conveying all that coaching (a student or young dancer to performance level of a classical variation) entails is important. Every coach handles the process differently from dancer to dancer, but all of the issues are addressed. ------------------ The time involved is longer for the novice than for the experienced dancer. One dancer may be experienced with one kind of role and not another. To the outsider, dance is dance and one role is like another. To the insider, the subtleties between one classical role and another are large and grows more vast when comparing a romantic era role to a classical role or neoclassic role....not to mention character or contemporary roles. Each time a dancer embarks on learning the portrayal of a new (to them) choreographer's style, the process consumes more time. ------------------ Not dissimilar to a dance rehearsal, coaching sessions work on many facets of the dance: the repertoire and technique, the musicality and phrasing, the character development and acting, as well as the obvious physical, intellectual and psychological training to prepare for the stage and audience. Make-up for the role under bright stage lights is tricky and deserves special attention during the process. Even the costume's weight, dimension, and movement which impact the dancer's use of force, energy, speed, and characterization is worthy of devoted time. Not all concepts are presented at once nor are they presented in any particular order. ------------------ Unlike a dance rehearsal, the personalization of the process and the fine tuning of every detail is deeper and more intense in coaching sessions. Sometimes, only one small section of the dance is the focus of the first several sessions working and reworking epaulment (upper body language), and the lines of the movement in relation to the lines of the classical stage. Other times, the whole variation is taught; then the coach layers and weaves in the many facets of the role as the work continues. Through the process, the coach does not always work on the movement, the artistry, or the staging, instead focuses the performer on the mental, physical and emotional toughness to meet expectations. While the coaching process is broken down into this explanation, one cannot underestimate fostering the dancer's trust in their own instincts. ------------------ Knowing all the work of guiding emerging dancers from student to performer is difficult to relay because so much of the inner most experiences do not trickle down from body to body, but from a passionate heart to a trusting heart, from the coach's inspiration to the dancer's imagination, and from the studio to the stage. ------------------ Rarely does a dancer or coach feel the performer is ready by the performance date as there is always more detail to bring out, but at some point the dancer must go on. Rest assured in the value of the coaching process. With accumulating coaching seasons, the coach and dancer can dig deeper, produce more quickly and making the dancer more versatile and valuable to a company.

Learning Begins with Courage and a Sense of Humor

Recently, I gave an interview for a local cable television show about my dance school founded back in 1979. When asked what I teach, I replied, I teach students to be brave and to use their sense of humor. You can imagine the response of surprise and curiosity on his face. Oops! I realized I was expected to list dance genres: ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and so on. While the syllabi of each genre imparts very important lessons and skills, I prefer to extract two life skills first: learn to laugh at your self and trust that by pushing past your self doubt you can eventually achieve. ------------------------------------------------------------ Once students find and use their courage and sense of humor, they begin to trust themselves in the learning process dissipating much of the mental and emotional garbage that interferes with progress. I often quip, What we do in class, stays in class. While that statement is trite, the students somehow know it is true. We agree to look 'funny' before we produce a more polished look. My classes have a pot luck dinner atmosphere where everyone brings a talent to share. Teaching respect to each other and to the artistic process emerges before teaching respect of oneself, but we do not give up. We hate it when others give up on ourselves, so we learn to persevere finding our own self-respect. ------------------------------------------------------------ Laying out challenges that move a student to a level of accomplishment is one thing; getting them to realize their progress and believe in their potential is another. That is why those life skills must be prioritized ahead of the dance skills. ------------------------------------------------------------ I use dance to teach students about life and themselves. I let them know they are safe to be who they are and that I trust them to start when they are ready. There is no specific date, age, time or way to begin. I know, there are the September to June programs, there are the 6 week programs. To me it makes sense to remove a time frame around inspiration. Students determine when they are ready. Teachers serve as the tour guide. ------------------------------------------------------------ My daughter taught ballet in Japan. She also taught English as she presented each dance lesson. The first phrase she taught her students to say was, I can do that! ...a belief in one's ability is the first step to learning. Not only was I so proud of my daughter who summed up her upbringing to such a succinct phrase, I marveled at the obviousness of the message, and have forever since used it in my classes. ----------------------------------------------------------- I do not teach lessons. I teach people and each person is different (even when they look alike in buns,leotards and tights). While people share common traits, they realize and use them differently. ---------------------------------------------------------- Dancing in one studio with people from all walks of life, varying ages and backgrounds requires courage to find out what is beyond the music and steps. Like writing, there is no right or wrong way to dance, only clear and inspiring. Dance is a universal communication. On the way to learning how to express an image or story with clear precise lines and movement, students explore like Magellan and experiment like Einstein. Sometimes the the best of intentions and planning leads to new found ideas and skills. Dancers who learn to be brave and trust the process are generally open to realizing that discovery. ---------------------------------------------------------- Take your first steps(back)into dancing. All you need is courage and a sense of humor. I look forward to working with you in the studio!