Years ago I had a student who was constantly falling down in class. On purpose. Every time I asked the pre-ballet class to do an arabesque, balancing on one leg with the other stretched out in a straight line behind them, this student tumbled to the ground. And then the other kids laughed. And she laughed. And I got frustrated. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

I was much newer to teaching then. I spent so much time and energy trying to gain control of the situation with very little success. If I were to teach that class today, my approach would be completely different. How?

Today I want to talk about the runners.

You know, the kids who will run circles around the classroom for 45 minutes and never seem remotely tired.

I love these students. Every time I have a kiddo with this much energy in my classroom it teaches me something new about how to be a dance teacher.

My mentor once told a story about a family who had learned about Focus in dance class and then went home and the parent was able to say “You’re running all over the house right now with multi-focus. It’s time to leave so I need you to have single focus and put your shoes on.” And the kid got it. Brilliant.

Now, I’ll admit this is not the only time I’ve struggled with directions of some sort. But I do wonder, if my dance education had been more concept-based when I was younger, if I would’ve strengthened that directional muscle in a way that would’ve served me inside and outside of the dance studio for the rest of my life.

The concept of DIRECTION is important in dance - and life - for orienting your body and your movement to the space you’re in.