Highland dancers are definitely high achievers, and we obviously love and encourage it! But… we’ve noticed that high achieving often translates to constant dancing, with no downtime, making rest or recuperation seem like taboo words. We see people dancing through repetitive-use injuries, strains and sprains, and debilitating pain because they’re afraid of falling ‘behind.’ We’re …
Most people picture Highland dance as a totally individual sport: you practice your own corrections, perform on your own, and compete on your own. And in many ways, that’s true; aside from the reel and most choreography, Highland dancers are focused on their individual journey, progress and future. Over the years, we found that this …
What are you REALLY building when you look for dance training shortcuts? Dance teachers see it all the time: dancers who have big leaps but who have sloppy positions, or someone with sharp shedding but 45* turnout, or feet that flop everywhere! It looks like they’ve only focused on one or two things in their …
Taking the plunge and enrolling your child in dance lessons sometimes feels like a monumental decision. What if they hate it? What about the competitive culture? Why does it feel like a whole world I have jump into? However to us, it feels like the easiest choice in the world! Ease in slowly, take some …
Read more “The True Value of Dance Lessons: What You’re Really Paying For”
The last post in our mini-series is here! We’ve looked at the teacher and parent roles (if you missed them, you should read them first! Click here for Teacher and here for Parent), and now it’s time to turn our attention to the final and most important part of the triangle, the dancer! While teachers …
When a dancer starts their journey, they require a LOT of support. At CSHD, we love both talking about and embodying the Triangle of support. Each point of the triangle plays an important role in helping the dancer thrive. When all three points are working together, that’s When the magic happens! In this three-part series, …
In our last post, we talked about what makes a great dance teacher and why the relationship between teacher and dancer is so important. If that relationship matters, the dancer-parent one is just as, if not more, crucial. Parents often wonder how they can help their dancers achieve their goals, whether it’s reaching championship level …
All dance teachers would probably agree that practice is important. Seems obvious, right? Yet, it might feel daunting, especially for dancers juggling classes and other commitments. So why do we emphasize practice so much, and how can dancers effectively incorporate it into their routines? While attending class, even twice a week ,is beneficial, it’s often …
At CSHD, we encourage our students to compete. Seems weird, right? It can feel backwards, because surely there’s kids that would prefer not to. So why would we encourage those kids, along with naturally competitive people? While it is always the dancer’s choice, there are so many benefits of competition that we feel are an …