A teacher’s guide for dancing school cast, dancer silhouette and performance, plus tips on how to get your best out of the class.

1.

Know your target audience.

What does your target student’s target audience look like?

Are they looking to dance more?

Do they want to learn dance?

If so, what are their strengths and weaknesses?

Are there any other styles of dance they might enjoy?

Is there a class they might not want to dance in?2.

Know the dances that your students love.

You can’t teach dance to everyone.

There are certain styles of dances that people will dance to just because it’s cool, but if you’re going to teach them to dance, you need to know how to teach the dances to the right audience.

3.

Know how to set expectations.

Do you teach them the dance?

What are they expecting?

Is the class a beginner class?

If not, how do you set expectations and how to deliver?

4.

Set expectations.

Are there other classes they should be dancing in?

Do you have other classes that you can teach to the same audience?

5.

Get their input.

Is your class engaging, entertaining, fun and productive?

You want your students to be engaged, but also want to hear what they have to say about their experience.

6.

Find out how to be a teacher.

Is there any way to be more effective with your students?

Is it possible to be effective in your class, but not as effective as your students would be?

7.

Set goals.

Do they have any special goals that they want achieved?

Do their expectations change when they have time?

8.

Set up a time for feedback.

What is the most important thing that you want to see in your students’ performance?

How do you find out what they want and need from your class?

9.

Set a schedule.

How often do you have a class and when do you expect it to be?

10.

Plan your schedule.

Set aside a time each week to talk to your students about the performance and their goals.

Are you using a group schedule?

Do one-on-one time-sharing with your class is your best option?

Are you setting goals for the class?

What if you don’t have a group?11.

Make sure you’re working with a teacher who has a specific focus.

If you’re teaching a class for kids who are interested in dancing, but don’t want to perform at the dance, it’s probably best to teach dance for the first time with a choreographer.

If your class has a more traditional, family-oriented focus, or if you teach in a group, it may be best to use a teacher with more traditional interests.12.

Find ways to increase communication.

Do your students have a voice or a way to make their voice known?

Is a shared space available for students to communicate?

What is a “friendly” teacher to use?

Are teachers trained to be communicative?13.

Learn the basics of the art.

Do the students already know what you are doing?

Is your instruction based on the material or is it based on your own personal knowledge?

Do the class members already know the basics?

How does the art relate to your own life?14.

Make adjustments to make the class more fun.

Do students find themselves asking for more attention, or do they find their confidence growing?

Is time spent teaching more time spent learning and practicing?15.

Do some exercises.

Do teachers know how they should perform different movements?

Do your classes need to work on their own choreography?16.

Have fun.

Have a good time teaching your class.

Your students will have fun, and you will have a lot of fun with them.