How to Get the Most Out of Class

By Dana Parsons

This topic goes hand and hand for parents, dancers, and teachers!

Parents:

• Pre-class/practice- Ensure your dancers are well rested, well nourished, and in a positive headspace prior to arriving at dance.
• Be early- Having your dancers arrive early will let them get acclimated and prepared prior to their class starting .
• During practices- Let the dancer's dance, let the coach's coach, and let the parents be positive! Give them space to learn how to take class, socialize, and let them learn how to communicate with their coaches directly.

Dancers:

• Be prepared- Pack your bags the night before and lay out your clothes so you are prepared for class.
• Use your manners- Greet your teachers hello, silence your phones, get ready to learn! Say thank you and goodbye prior to leaving.
• Lock in- Be engaged, focus, and attentive during class. Respond to your teachers, acknowledge feedback and critiques, and have positive body language!
• Give 110% at all times- If you are working hard you will see results! You get back what you give!
• **If parents and dancers follow these tips for classes/practices they are more than likely to be successful, at ease, organized, and have positive results!

Teachers:

• PREPARE!- Prepare your practice plan with a schedule, prepare your curriculum, prepare you music, prepare your goals.
• Be efficient- Efficiency and planning is the key! What you get done during your practice time will determine how successful you and your dancers will be.
• Be realistic- Be realistic on your dancers abilities, their age level, their goals. This will eliminate frustration from you, your dancers, and their parents.
• Be a role model- Look professional, act professional, be invested, be involved. Look like a teacher and be a positive role model Be invested in their every day lives.
• Set a time line for the season- Not only plan what your day to day classes will look like, but what will your classes look like in two months from now? Should you be changing up their warmup, cleaned up to a certain point in their dances? Having an overlook of the season will keep you on track and you too will get the most out of your class.
• Change things up and have fun- You can be professional and fun a the same time! Repetition is key, but changing things up keeps the minds sharp and also keeps the dancers engaged. When you see things becoming boring and repetitive, find new ways to switch things up and challenge your dancers.

Teachers have to teach dancers how to take class and how to get the most out of your class. Set the tone, lead by example, and enforce expectations and a culture your dancers are excited to be a part of and follow.

Stage 8 Dance Brands produces high-quality dance competition events created “by dancers, for dancers.” Everyone on our team is a former competitive dancer in Studio, School, and/or the All-Star dance industry. We know first-hand what a dancer wants to experience while attending an event, and our team understands the small details important to a studio owner or coach when they choose a competition. This sets us apart from any other dance organization in the All-Star dance industry!

With 5 brands and a variety of unique dance experiences, we hope to give a studio owner more quality options when selecting their competition schedules. Each brand that was created has a new concept, theme, and experience that will engage dancers, coaches, and parents right when they walk in the door. We aim not to have as many brands as we can and over-saturate the market, but to offer unique experiences for dancers from brand to brand. We keep how customers feel when they leave an event in the forefront of our minds. Our ultimate goal with Stage 8 Dance Brands is to create opportunities for young dancers to learn and grow, giving them confidence on and off the stage!

We would love to see you at our many Stage 8 Dance Brands events across the United States! Visit our website at www.stage8dancebrands.com to view events and learn more about us, and be sure to follow our socials @stage8dance on Instagram and Stage 8 Dance Brands on Facebook.