Minute Masterclass Episode 165

Welcome to your one-minute masterclass. I’m Andrea Trench, founder of DiscoverDance and creator of the Foundations Course for Early Childhood Dance Educators and the DiscoverDance Experience Membership. Today, we’re talking about when to teach choreography. Does this class outline sound familiar? Warm-up, center work, progressions across the floor and then after all that really hard (mostly teacher-directed) work, it’s time for more teacher-directed work by learning our recital dance. If you have ever struggled with your students’ lack of focus, energy, or off-track behavior as you’re trying to teach their dance at the end of class, perhaps a new strategy is needed. I recommend you catch their brains and bodies while they are fresh and teach choreography right after warming up. Also, I encourage you to limit the time spent working on choreography during each class. Preschoolers can focus on a teacher-directed activity for 5-6 minutes. Since learning choreography is a teacher-directed activity, it’s best to keep it short and sweet.

For more information, to enroll in the Foundations Course, or to join the DiscoverDance Experience and access our full training on Improving the Choreographic Experience, visit DiscoverDance.com.