I have a new student who is all smiles when she is in class. Her excitement and enthusiasm is exhilirating! She is focussed, attentive and keen to learn. Of course, these types of students make teaching and training a much easier and joyful experience for us. But it should be our goal as dance teachers to inspire and light a passion within each and every student. I wonder what percentage of dance students go on to professional dance careers? What happens to all those other tens of thousands of dance students? Do we neglect to give them value for their thousands of dollars spent and hundreds of hours in dance practice. I hope not. I hope we ensure that the value of dance does not lie in its movement alone otherwise these students could gain just as much from soccer practice or tennis (and have spent alot less money). No, the value of dance lies in its status as an art and in its diversity as an educational and therapeutic tool. Think about how you can improve the value of your teaching by not just looking at each child as a dancer, but by looking at each child as a human being (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual) who happens to dance.
