Clear Expectations - A Dance Teacher’s Secret Weapon
My first experience teaching dance was in college. I was double majoring as a Dance and Exercise Science major, on my college dance team (Go Lakers!), and somehow decided tacking on a night of teaching to my already crazy schedule would be a good idea.
It’s a tale as old as time - I was an incredibly well-trained technical dancer but a complete novice teacher. I had no knowledge about how to run a classroom or manage expectations.
I was teaching at a recreational studio, which was also an atmosphere I was unfamiliar with. I had been trained my whole life as a pre-professional dancer, so the concept of doing dance exclusively for fun was completely foreign to me.
I remember thinking some of the students were SO disrespectful. They would cross their arms and lean on the barres. They would ask to go to the bathroom in the middle of executing the tendu combination. They would be raising their hands to ask questions before I had barely gotten out the preparation. They would just stand there when I gave them corrections.
How rude right? Or was it?
As a dancer growing up in a strict ballet environment, I assumed that some of these etiquette rules were common sense knowledge for all dancers. I took all the indiscretions really personally. When my students weren’t living up to my expectations it felt like a personal affront instead of what it really was - my failure to communicate what my expectations even were.
Here’s the thing - every studio has its own set of rules and expectations. What might seem totally disrespectful to one teacher could be extremely normal to another. I thought my job was just to go in and teach technique - I completely bypassed the part where I laid out the classroom standards
Welp - lesson learned. Establishing expectations and boundaries is essential to setting up a healthy learning environment for both students and teachers. It’s important to consider what you expect out of your students and communicate it clearly (more than once!).
Here are some expectations you should consider setting in your classroom:
1. How should students enter the class?
Do you want them to come into the classroom before you arrive to warm up and prepare their bodies? Or should they wait in the hallway or dressing room until the teacher has entered the studio? Is it OK if they use the time before class as social time, or do you expect a quiet atmosphere of focus as soon as they enter the studio? Are they responsible for setting the barres out and finding their space or will you assign them spots?
2. When is a good time to use the bathroom?
Of course, emergencies are emergencies. Dancers need to know they have autonomy over their own bodies. But in an ideal scenario, when is the best time to use the bathroom? Is it between barre and center? Would you prefer them to take time before class to go (even if it means they might be a few minutes late) instead of coming in and having to go a few minutes later? Can more than one dancer go at once or do they need to take turns? Do you want them to raise their hand and ask or do you have an understanding that they may go as needed without asking permission?
3. What should a dancer do if they’re late to class?
Should they come in and join as soon as possible? Or should they wait until the current combination finishes and then ask to enter the classroom? If they’re more than 10-15 minutes late, is it OK to join in and start dancing? Or should they do their own warm-up to get ready or maybe even observe and take notes?
4. What should dancers do when they receive a correction?
Should they acknowledge that they heard you with a nod and a thank you and move on? Or do you want to see them practicing it right away? What about when another student receives a correction? Should they also be physically applying the correction? (Of course, we know the answer is yes! - but do they know?)
5. How do students finish class?
Should they clap when class is over? Line up to curtsy individually and say thank you? Do you need to remind them to also thank the accompanist? Once they’ve thanked everyone are they free to leave the classroom, or do you want them to line up at the door and exit all at once?
These are just a handful of ground rules you will want to set with your classes. It’s important to remember that these expectations will change as dancers age. Your rules for a class of 3-year-olds will likely be different for teenagers. You’ll need to continue communicating expectations even if you have had the same group of dancers for many years.
It’s OK if you don’t get to as much dancing the first few weeks of class while you’re setting these expectations - it will make everything run so much more smoothly in the long run! As teachers and veteran dancers, we know these rules like the back of our hands. But for a brand new dancer, entering dance class can feel like crash landing on a foreign planet. Don’t assume anything - the more clearly you can communicate your expectations, the better the environment will be.
If you want to learn more on this topic, Dance Educator Anna Morgan and I hosted a live discussion on Instagram! Tap here to listen in to how we create an environment of respectful discipline in dance class.
Meet the Author
Caitlin Sloan is a Dance Educator and Career Mentor based in Madison, WI.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri.
She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). Caitlin has taught at schools all over the Midwest, most notably serving as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and Youth Company Director for Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the School of Madison Ballet.
Caitlin founded The Brainy Ballerina® in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Follow @thebrainyballerina on Instagram for your daily dose of dance career guidance and inspiration.
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