October Dance Class Reset
October is a Great Time to Reset your Dance Classes!
By October, your dancers have had several weeks to settle into their classes—and you've had time to see what's working and what might need a little tweaking.
October is a great time to assess and reevaluate your dance classes to decide what's working and what needs improvements. Sometimes one small adjustment can make a BIG difference.
Focus and Distractions
When do your dancers seem to lose focus—and what might be competing for their attention?
Look around your dance space. Mirrors, windows, props, other dancers, friends, or even where you've positioned the barre can become distractions.
For example, I've noticed that my Ballet 1 dancers are becoming distracted by their reflections during barre. So this month, I'm experimenting with turning the barres away from the mirror to see if it helps them stay more connected to the exercise and instruction and less attention on their reflection in the mirror.
Class Flow and Transitions
Is there one part of class that consistently takes longer than it should?
Maybe it's getting dancers to their spots, moving to the barre, lining up across the floor, passing out props, or transitioning into the next activity.
Instead of changing your entire routine, choose ONE transition to work on this month.
Engagement
When during class do you consistently start to lose them?
Pay attention to patterns. Is it during center work? While they're waiting for a turn? Halfway through across the floor? Toward the end of a longer exercise?
Once you identify when attention changes, you can start experimenting with why—and whether adjusting the activity length, imagery, challenge level, repetition, or amount of waiting makes a difference. Identify one part of your class flow you can tighten to keep dancers engaged and focused rather than losing their attention spans.
Skill and Curriculum Pacing
Take a quick look at what you've introduced so far.
What skills are becoming consistent? What still needs more repetition? Are your dancers ready for the next progression—or would they benefit from spending a little more time building the prerequisite skills?
You don't have to rush the process. Your curriculum should respond to the pace of your dancers. What is one skill that your dancers need to continue to practice this month? Then add on a new skill to progress through their technique.
Your Dance Space
Finally, take a look at the room itself.
Where are dancers sitting? Where are you demonstrating? Where are props stored? How are your barres positioned? Are there areas of the room where dancers consistently become distracted?
Does your dance space need an adjustment? Perhaps moving your props to a different spot in the space. Or storing them in a covered cabinet can help limit distractions.
Perhaps it's closing observation windows if the watching eyes of grown ups and siblings draw focus from the class.
Make one adjustment to your dance space this month.