Dance teacher training – communication skills

When most teachers teach the pupils are sitting still, able to concentrate fully on what the teacher is saying. The teacher is also able to sit or stand still – perhaps sitting at a desk with all of their notes around them or standing at a whiteboard able to reinforce ideas with written words.

Dance teachers do not have these luxuries – they have to teach in the middle of a dance studio with no chairs or whiteboards, to students who are moving around and who are listening to music. Your voice is the only tool you have.

Do you find it a struggle to be heard above the music? Do you feel awkward correcting and teaching people who are older and more experienced in life than you are? Does you voice let you down?

The enthusiasm of the teacher must shine through their speech and they must be able to communicate with dancers, parents, management and schools.

These dance teachers need to have exceptional communication skills if they are to produce first class dancers This doesn’t mean that all successful dance teachers are extoverts who love to talk; it merely means that they know how to get the best from their voices.

I have written articles in the Dance Studio LIfe Magazine (USA) and the ISTD Dance Magazine about the importance of good communication between dancer and teacher.

I have also written an academic paper for the Voice and Speech Review on the effectiveness of learning to dance on people’s ability to speak clearly and confidently which you can access as a resource with this course.