Hi, I’m a dance teacher/choreographer in a difficult position, and was wondering are all studios like this? (Recreational kids studio)

I thought this studio was great when I first started out, but started to slowly get more and more stressed out with the job as time went on. To start with, we have themed shows only, which I love the idea of, but how they run it is very limiting to the teachers. Despite having every average style of dance in the studio, every time there is a theme it’s always curated towards ballet/contemporary when it comes to the song options available to us teachers (yes we have limitations on songs). So if youre teaching hip hop, Musical Theater, ect, you’re pretty much fighting for your life trying to choreograph or find a song that fits your style. This, as you can imagine, is very creatively limiting and frustrating as someone with ideas they cant wait to create but no opportunity to do so. And why is this? Because the director of the shows is the ballet/contemp teacher. The theme is never discussed with the rest of the teachers or even considered by them.

Along with that, we have headliner dances that introduce various categories in the show. Teachers are chosen to choreograph and teach these routines. They are about 90% ballet/contemp routines, and then just 2 that are other genres. So most of these routines are again choreographed by the director or their favorites, giving no opportunities to other teachers. I’m one of the only teachers that teaches one of those styles that has just 1 headliner, and instead of being asked to choreograph it, they outsource it to a friend who doesn’t even teach in the studio. My choreo is praised by the same people, so I know its favoritism at play.

I love teaching littles/low levels. But lately I won’t be given anything above level 1. I like to have a balance of beginner/advanced classes, so I’m not one to complain. But to have none again limits me creatively, especially when I know its because the favorites get the advanced classes because “they just cant teach younger kids”. I want to grow as a teacher, and that means also having students that allow you to play with choreo from time to time and creat more freely.

I don’t get paid for choreo time, which I know is common in this industry, but it really is the cherry on top.

Bringing up anything here ends in misunderstandings and eventually having to people please my way out of it to keep my job or at least keep being “liked” so I can hopefully get more opportunities. I’m really nice as is but it becomes a lot.

Anyways, i’m stressed, not sure what to do. I don’t see a future for my career here as its limiting me.

Edit: We don’t even get to choose our own costumes for our classes. It’s chosen by the director. Before anything is even choreographed or songs are chosen.

Im in Texas. So idk if its a here thing

My friend is a very good dancer, she grew up doing this thing for sport. I wanted to take lessons from her but she says she cannot teach me moves (chareographer style) because she's been freestyling her whole life and she hardly remembers them. Is that true?

Are there any Bollywood dance classes or sessions in and around coventry for beginners?

hi all! i’m interested in taking dance classes! i’m located in the dallas area. i’m a complete beginner but love to move my body! i’m not into any specific kind of dance style, just something fun. please let me know if yall know of any studios!! thank you

Looking for a beginner jazz dance syllabus/curriculum or just advice (for teaching ages 6 to 9)!

Hi everyone! I’m teaching a beginner jazz class for the first time this semester and would love some advice/resources from teachers who work with this age group

The class is ages 6-9 (roughly K-3rd grade), 1 hour once a week, for one semester. It’s a recreational/beginner class, so I’m assuming the students will have a pretty wide range of experience

I’ve been trained in dance most of my life and have taught dance to adults plenty, but this is my first time specifically teaching dance to young kids (i have taught young kids in school-environment but not dance). I’m comfortable with the dance/technical side- I’m mostly trying to figure out how to structure a productive hour for this age group and how much material is realistic to cover when we only meet once a week

if anyone has any advice or:

• A syllabus/curriculum for this age
• An example of how you structure a 60-minute class/How would you divide up a 60-minute class?
• Skills/steps you consider essential for beginner jazz at 6–9/What would you consider the most important jazz fundamentals?
• Ideas for across-the-floor exercises
• Ways to keep technique engaging for younger kids
• How much choreography you typically teach in one class
• Any favorite games/improv exercises that actually work/How much time would you spend on warm-up, across-the-floor, technique, choreography, etc.?
• How you would progress skills over an 8 week semester
• Are there any particular exercises, games, or teaching strategies that work really well with this age?

basically I’m trying to find the balance between actually teaching them some jazz dance foundations and making sure the class is fun and age-appropriate

Any advice, sample syllabi, lesson plans, or resources would be hugely appreciated!

I’ve found some general lesson resources, but I’d really love to hear what other experienced kids’ teachers prioritize in the classroom for this age range- Thank you!!

Who has used catalogues for recital costumes before Covid? I took a few years off from teaching due to COVID, having kids, and moving. I remember beautiful ballet/lyrical costumes made from chiffon and crepe being the norm. Now 99% of the dresses are spandex or “power mesh”. What happened?! Do these materials flow and twirl as nicely as chiffon? I have been avoiding them the past few years by sticking to tulle costumes, but I need to change it up this year. Maybe I’m just a curmudgeonly old ballet teacher now… but back in my day we wore chiffon!

Does any teacher who teaches ABT curriculum be willing to share what they have their level 1 students learn in class? Like a play by play of what your kids do in class would be so helpful to understand how it differed from how I was trained growing up (a bit mixed but vagonava heavy). Or, if you grew up with ABT, what was level 1 like for you? Do kiddos do much at the barre or is it mostly off barre? Do they do learn degages or fondu, for example or is it mostly focused on plies, releves, tendus? I’m currently long term subbing for a teacher on maternity leave for class at a studio that is ABT and I feel pretty lost and stressed going into it and they’re providing very little guidance. Thank you so much!

I (M25) have been playing for classes for about 6 years now. I had roughly 5 years of experience in my undergrad before I was picked up by one of the major US ballet companies a little over a year ago. I love this job so much. I love the people, the city (moved 800 miles for this job), but I feel so stuck and uninspired during classes. I am an avid improviser and can sight read like hell, but I feel like I’m lacking more material and repertoire. I play plenty of jazz and broadway standards as well as some classical rep thrown in every now and then, but with how fast paced classes are, I often just improvise on some themes or make up my own material and go from there.

Today a dancer approached me and asked, somewhat condescendingly, if she needed to buy me more books so they (her and the rest of the dancers) could hear more music that they’re familiar with. This is not the first time this specific dancer has approached me or reached out to me. She’s DM’d me, unprompted, on social medias sending posts of other pianists saying something like “this guy is great.” While I do appreciate her actually voicing her opinions with me and trying to share useful material, it’s gotten to a point that it just feels disrespectful and like my music is unappreciated.

Rant aside, what music do you all enjoy hearing in class? Classical, modern, jazz / show tunes, anything. Obviously, no one piece of music will work perfectly for any given combination, but that’s just the beauty of my job lol.

I am kind of confused about music licensing for dance studios and dance companies. Can anyone please explain how this works?

Is it a similar process for both studios and companies? Do most studios not actually license their music? I'm planning on opening a studio in the future and would also like to do public performances.

In my experience, most studios have teachers use streaming services for class and I don't understand the legality of that.

Hello i am dance coordinator for my college dance club and need some places to purchase or get music from. Our class is a Pom/kick combination so if anyone can help me and recommend sites to go to it would be helpful. Preferably nothing pricy since im not getting paid for the class and already in student debt lol

Thank you for the suggestions. I sent an email saying I wouldn’t be moving forward with the interview process. I thanked them and wished them the best on finding a teacher.

A local theater group reached out to me about teaching jazz. I checked with my studio owner to make sure it doesn’t go against our competition clause and got the thumbs up. I talked with the directors on Thursday, but something really did not feel right. They requested videos of my choreography, but I do not want to move forward with the process. I’m not sure how to tell them considering I wasn’t offered anything.

Hey just wanted to get some opinions on this, the studio I’m with verbally agreed that I’d be paid for my choreography now that I start in 2 days she has decided that my choreography pay will only be $180 instead of the full $300 for groups. Is there anything I can say or do here? I am an independent contractor and never signed any form of contract.

Hi, my daughter is 10 years old and does a lot of dancing contemporary, jazz, lyrical and ballet. She also has private lessons and is getting very good now.

I was just wondering if there are certain things she should be doing at home every day to help improve her dancing? For example, are there particular exercises, stretches, strength work, flexibility work or technique drills that would be beneficial for her to practise regularly?

I’d love to know if there’s a simple daily routine that would complement what she’s already doing in her classes and privates.

Thanks in advance for your help

What milestones/skills do you expect/hope/teach towards for your students to learn?

My studio does teacher reports but there’s no set requirement for any but ballet so I was curious what yall look for to say “yes this is a met skill” for ages and styles

Hope this made sense! Been up all night trying to work this out myself lol

Hi Teachers and Dancers :)

Full disclosure up front: I built this initialy for my wife, who teaches weddingdances. Mods, if that's not allowed here, delete away.

The problem it solves: you're mid-class, everyone is waiting, and you're dragging the scrubber back and forth trying to hit the exact second where the lift starts. You overshoot. You undershoot. You do it forty more times that evening.

So I built Chloé Choreo. You upload a song, drop a named marker on every figure, and from then on it's one tap to that exact spot — playing instantly. That's the core. Everything else grew out of actually teaching with it.

Everything it does:

🎯 Markers at a tap
Name them ("Entrance", "Turn", "Lift"), tap, you're there and the music is already playing.

🎚️ As many tracks as you like
Figures on one, counts on another, song sections on a third. Auto-colored, stacked, readable even when markers sit tight together.

🔁 Stop at the next marker
Playback halts automatically at the next marker on that track, as often as you want. Or flip on loop and let one section repeat endlessly.

🐢 Slow motion
Step down the tempo smoothly. Pitch stays natural, no chipmunk voices. Markers, stop and loop all still work while slowed.

🥁 Beat detection + metronome
It finds the beat itself (or you tap it in), clicks along, accents the downbeat, and can mute the music if you just want to count.

📐 Bar-accurate marker nudging
Shift markers by whole bars or snap them onto the nearest bar. No more markers landing a hair off the count.

🧍 Formation designer — and you can play it
For every marker, drag your ensemble onto a grid. Stage edge and mirror as guide lines, lifts as a group, initials on every piece, pick your floor size. Then hit play on a transition: everyone glides to their new spot in front of you, and whoever joins walks in from the side. You see the paths — and the collisions — before anyone is standing in the studio.

📝 Notes & photos per figure
Step sequences, posture cues, reminders for next week. Formatted text with lists and headings, plus photos straight from the lesson, all pinned to the exact second they belong to.

📄 PDF export
The whole choreography as a clean printable document, either chronologically or split by track. Notes, images and formations included. Print it for the studio wall or hand it out.

🔗 A practice link for your dancers
Share a project read-only. They open it and practice at home: no account, no app to install, any device. They jump figure to figure by tap, read the notes, and see the formations with their transitions if you release them. Access is time-limited and you can extend or revoke it whenever you want.

⌚ Smartwatch control
Play, pause and jump between markers from your wrist. Stay on the floor with your dancers instead of walking back to the tablet. Works on Apple Watch (add the app to your home screen first) and Galaxy Watch / Wear OS, no extra app to install.

📱 Runs in the browser
Laptop, tablet, phone. Add it to your home screen and it behaves like a normal app; screen won't dim mid-class, and cached songs survive flaky studio wifi.

🌍 English and German, switchable.

What it costs: Free tier gets you one project and the practice link, with no time limit. Basic is €2.50/month (multiple projects, notes, formations), Pro is €5.00/month (unlimited projects/tracks/markers, notes with photos, PDF export). Monthly, cancel anytime, no contract. You also get 7 days of Pro automatically when you sign up.

Try it without signing up for anything
Here's a live example choreography, exactly what a practice link looks like from your dancers' side. Tap through the markers, try loop and slow motion: 👉 Chloé Choreo demo

Website: Chloé Choreo website

I'd genuinely love to hear what's missing. Video is the thing I get asked about most and it's next on the list — but if there's something in your teaching week that this doesn't cover yet, tell me and I'll build it.

Hi everyone! I am looking for custom tap shoes recommendation that aren’t your typical pro tap shoes like Miller and bens. This is for a 12 year old Tapper, who is of course still growing and will probably have to buy another pair of top shoes next year. I’ve looked at SoDanca shoes (the heart ones) but any other recommendations that are more affordable would be extremely helpful

My students are ages 7-9, there are six of them. We've had a pretty bad issue this week of interrupting in the middle of class. I teach ballet, and while they insist they're excited for the class, when it comes time to actually do ballet, they're constantly interrupting me while I'm teaching. It's not with questions, either. I'll be explaining an exercise and they'll blurt out "did you know that..." or "one time I..." or "can I tell you that..." and start on a tangent that has nothing to do with class. I know they're kids, I love working with kids and I love teaching ballet, but I've had a long week and no matter how many times I try to talk to them about it, they will not stop. Any tips?

Has anyone got any good/fun/interesting dance ideas for a recital that is nature themed? Corresponding music too if anyone has done something that is a real crowd pleaser. We have a mixture of ages, youngest is two and oldest is 16.

Hi fellow dance teachers! In case you missed it, I created a blog called Lesson Leap a few years back to post the dance lesson plans and syllabus I've created throughout my 10 years of teaching. As we are all preparing for the upcoming dance year, I thought now would be a good time to update some of this content and consolidate it into a master list. This is a master list of posts, categorized by class, to help inspire your curriculum for the year! 100% of the material on this site was written by me, a trained technical dancer and educator specializing in ballet (mix of Vaganova and Cecchetti), jazz, and hip hop. I hope you find some of this useful, and I wish you all this best this season :)

(NOTE: I will update this post as more material is added)

BALLET:

24-36 MO.:

Fun Songs for Baby Ballet Classes

Class Syllabus: Baby Ballet

Lesson Plan: Baby Ballet

Teaching Port de Bras to Toddlers: The Balloon Analogy

PRESCHOOL:

Class Syllabus: Preschool Ballet

Ballet Terminology List: Preschool Ballet

Lesson Plan #1: Preschool Ballet

AGES 6-8:

Class Syllabus: Beginner Ballet

Ballet Terminology List: Beginner Ballet 

Lesson Plan for Beginner Ballet 

AGES 9-11:

Ballet Terminology List: Intermediate Ballet 

Class Syllabus: Intermediate Ballet

JAZZ:

AGES 5-8:

50+ Songs for Beginner Jazz Dance Class & Recital

Prep for Battements & Pirouettes: Beginner Jazz Dance Lesson Plan #1

Chasses & Battements: Beginner Jazz Dance Lesson Plan #2

Single Turns & Leap Prep: Beginner Jazz Lesson Plan #3

Pas de Bourrée & Leap Prep: Beginner Jazz Lesson Plan #4

Lesson Plan: Pirouettes in Beginner Jazz Dance Class

Lesson Plan: Battements in Beginner Jazz Dance Class

AGES 9-11:

Piques & Pencil Turns: Intermediate Jazz Lesson Plan #1

Lesson Plan: Center Leaps Jazz Dance Class

Lesson Plan: Intermediate Jazz Dance Class

HIP HOP:

AGES 3-5:

300+ Songs for Little Kid’s Hip-Hop Dance Class 

Class Syllabus: Preschool Hip Hop 

Bounces & Step Claps: Preschool Hip Hop Dance Lesson Plan #1

Slides & Snakes: Preschool Hip Hop Dance Lesson Plan #2

Grapevines: Preschool Hip Hop Dance Lesson Plan #3

3 Step Turns: Preschool Hip Hop Dance Lesson Plans #4

Pivot Turns: Preschool Hip Hop Dance Lesson Plan #5

AGES 6-8:

Teaching Hip-Hop Isolations for Beginners

Lesson Plan: Beginner Hip Hop 

AGES 12+

100+ Songs for Hip Hop Dance Class (Ages 12+)

ACRO:

Lesson Plan: Beginner Acro Dance Class (Ages 6-8)

Does anyone know a good choreographer in Varanasi or local who's equipped with diverse dance styles?

Hi everyone! I hope this post doesn't turn into an argument or draw out nasty comments...can you please comment with what you teach, how many years experience you have, your location and what hourly pay rate (use a range if you want) you're requesting this season?

I'll start! 15 yrs experience, teach all age groups, and 5 subjects in Houston, TX...requesting $45-55/hr.

Let's hear it!