đź’ˇ Get to that "aha moment" with ease!
October 2026
BTS: Beyond the Steps
Bite-Sized Tips for Dance Educators and Dancers
I’ve been thinking a lot about my teaching practice and reflecting on what I have noticed that works with dance students. I’m going to start sharing strategies here. Maybe you can use them in your practice, too.
What will dancers actually remember? What’s going to inspire them to go beyond the steps and really achieve the essence of each moment within the dance? What will help them to “get it?”
What does it even mean to “get it ?”
It’s that “aha moment” when the dancer connects to the movement at a deeper level and “allows” the movement to happen in a safe and organic way, rather than “making” the body do something or move a certain way.
Here are some of the kinds of prompts I use with myself and my students to facilitate this kind of connection:
What could happen if you allow gravity to do some of the work…
What could happen if you allow imagery to guide the movement…
What could happen if you allow lines of energy to direct you through space…
What could happen if you allow rhythms to echo in your body…
What does that look like? How does it feel? What is the quality of movement when you allow it to happen instead of forcing something?
These task-oriented strategies free you from just trying to do the counts, replicate body shapes, or mimic choreographic sequences.
...you can sense the weight of each movement and allow gravity to get you there in the right timing.
...you can feel the story or emotion of the dance and allow the imagery to inspire the flow of the performance.
...you can see the destination of each body part and allow the lines of energy to take you there.
...you can flow with the musicality of each sequence and allow the rhythm to synchronize with the movements.
Whatever it is you do, allow yourself to practice.
Practice makes progress. Practice makes creativity come alive!!!
You are already perfect ;-)
Let me know how it goes when you allow the dance to happen.