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, we’re going to break down what each point of the triangle does, the challenges you might face, and how you can best support your dancer. We should note that the triangle analogy may not apply to every dancer— for example some older students might not have a parent involved, and others may have more than just three support groups—but for most, the triangle works really well! Let’s kick things off with the first point of the triangle: the teacher! After all, this is usually where the dance journey begins.
What Makes a Great Dance Teacher?
A great dance teacher can be the game changer in a dancer’s journey. But what makes a teacher truly great? In our experience, it all comes down to connection and the dancer/teacher relationship. When a teacher and dancer click, it’s like everything just falls into place, their progress takes off, and the experience is so much more fun!
Sometimes, personalities don’t quite mesh, and that’s okay! It might slow things down a bit, but finding the right fit is super important. At CSHD, we have many instructors, which helps ensure there’s a connection that’s right for everyone. It also helps the rest of the teaching team see the beauty in that student! When we see a dancer flourish with one of our teaching team, their reports of hard work and motivating tools helps the rest of us incorporate those into our classes with that dancer. We want every dancer to feel seen and cared for —because when that happens, amazing things follow.
At CSHD we believe that while dance is the dancer’s passion, it’s the teacher’s job. That means that even if personalities vary, it’s the teacher’s duty to find a way to connect and meet a dancer where they are. Finding the beauty and love in each personality takes time and effort, and it takes a truly dedicated team of teachers to ensure every dancer is cherished.
Finding the beauty and love in each personality takes time and effort, and it takes a truly dedicated team of teachers to ensure every dancer is cherished.
The teacher-student bond is huge, and there are some qualities to the bond that make CSHD teachers really stand out. Here are a few to keep in mind:
They Show Care: You want a teacher who shows you – and everyone else around you – that they love you and want you to succeed. At CSHD, we purposefully find variable ways to deliver information and technique in ways that resonates with our dancers:
- We care about their progress, check in on goals, and help understand what it will take to achieve them.
- We strive to always make dancers feel welcomed and loved, both through instruction and as people – engaging with them about their lives and other activities.
- We also work tirelessly behind the scenes to understand each dancer’s personality and drivers, develop plans to motivate, guide and encourage our students when the going gets tough.
They Treat Everyone Like Their Best Student: No matter your skill level, you should always feel like your teacher values and respects you, wants you to improve, and thinks you have a future as a dancer. A teacher who lifts everyone up is going to take you further than someone who plays favourites, even if that favourite is you.
They Are Prepared: A great teacher shows up to class with a plan, ready to pick up where they left off, and is up to date on all dance related things. At CSHD we spend time behind the scenes on dancer development, supplemental training and progression plans. We have purposeful, science-backed programming that is consistent across classes. This ensures minimized injury rates and a more well-rounded dancer.
“A teacher who lifts everyone up is going to take you further than someone who plays favourites, even if that favourite is you.”
Hopefully reading all that you’re thinking “Wow! My dance teacher is really fantastic!” That’s the way it should be. Knowing that you have a one of a kind teacher, it’s good to know what you can and can’t expect from them. Let’s start off with what you can expect:
- Energy matching: Your teacher will put in as much energy as you bring to class. This means that, no matter how skilled you are, a dancer who comes and gives it their all will get their teacher’s all in return.
- Giving Feedback and Recognizing Progress: A great teacher gives constructive corrections while also celebrating how far you’ve come. They’ll attend competitions, performances and exams to observe and help the dancer realize if they achieved what they set out to do that day.
- They Will Push You: When you have that solid connection, a teacher can push you to your best. Sometimes that feels great and sometimes it can be uncomfortable, but as we all know, progress isn’t always comfortable — you can’t change by staying the same.
- Mutual Respect: Your teacher should always respect you as an individual, helping you feel seen, heard, and supported on your dance journey. This includes being inclusive of things unrelated to dance, such as neurodiversity, learning differences, sexuality, gender identity, personal expression, and special interests.
- Keeping You Informed: Whether it’s updates on technical rules or upcoming competitions and experiences, your teacher should be in the know and share that info with you.
Your teacher should always respect you as an individual, helping you feel seen, heard, and supported on your dance journey. This includes being inclusive of things unrelated to dance, such as neurodiversity, learning differences, sexuality, gender identity, personal expression, and special interests.
Just as important as knowing what you can expect is understanding what you shouldn’t expect. Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Quick Fixes or Magic Solutions: Sorry, there’s no magic wand in dance! Progress takes time, practice, and patience—there’s no trick, or teacher, that replaces hard work.
- 100% of Their Attention All the Time: It’s totally normal to want a lot of attention from your teacher, but learning to take charge of your own progress is empowering! Plus, sharing that attention helps you grow in other ways. Watching other dancers as they get corrections can help you implement those things into your own dancing, meaning extra fast progress.
- More Effort Than You’re Willing to Put In: Here’s that energy matching again….at the end of the day, your dancing is about you. Your teacher can guide, motivate, and cheer you on, but they can’t do the work for you. You’ve got to put in the effort if you want to see results! When there’s an imbalance of effort given on either side, it creates disproportionate or mismatched expectations, which can also lead to resentment. A good teacher knows how to prevent this by investing more or pulling back during the ebb and flow of a dancer’s career.
So there it is, the 101 on the first point of the triangle. At CSHD we make sure all our instructors are qualified, continually training, enthusiastic about Highland, and striving to make the studio a place your dancer wants to be!
In our next post, we’ll be talking about the second point of the triangle: the dancer’s family, and how they play a crucial role in supporting dance dreams. Stay tuned—it’s going to be a fun one!
