Joy in Motion

Highly Effective Instructors Series, Habit 3: Dance Skill & Style

For the true lover of dance, exploring all aspects of their art form brings great joy and exhilaration. For the true lover of teaching, the same satisfaction is found in bringing their passion for dance into the lives of others. It is often the case that dancers who reach a certain level in their dancing move on to teaching. However, teaching is not a higher level of the art of dance, but its own art altogether. Dance instructors must therefore find themselves navigating and uniting two unique sets of skills. This can be both challenging and rewarding to the instructor who is willing to spend the same time and energy on the art of teaching as they do on the art of dancing.

The seven habits of dance instructors who are highly effective at making a meaningful and lasting impact on their students’ dancing, as outlined in Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dance Instructors, are…

1) Professionalism and Respect
2) From Stepping Stones to Beyond
3) Dance Skill and Style
4) The Art of Adjustment
5) Real Community
6) A Student of Teaching
7) Pure Motivation

Read on to learn more about dance skill and style. Please also check out the other six habits on the Joy in Motion website.

Habit #3: Dance Skill and Style

Skill: First Things First

The most obvious requirement of the effective dance instructor is dance skill. What is readily apparent to students, especially beginners, is that the instructor has mastered a set of skills that they want to master as well. Mastery implies that the skills and techniques have become automatic, that they do not require conscious thought or deliberation to execute but rather have become second nature. This level comes only through dynamic practice and repetition, which means that the instructor has spent a significant amount of time dancing with different partners to different types of music in venues appropriate to the style they teach (social, competitive, etc.)

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