What Kind of "Home" Are You Building for the Next 10 Months?
Want a dance team culture that is high performance but low drama? June is the month to set the standard before choreography camp begins. Instead of top down lecturing and let your dancers co-create a "Team Sanctuary," a secure environment where the floor is safe to fail on and the circle is closed to gossip.
Download the free 1-page "Team Sanctuary Building Guide" for coaches and captains to run a quick, culture workshop during summer practices. Help your veterans anchor the room and your rookies strengthen the circle. Click to read the blog and grab your free Essential Culture Corner printable!
What Kind of "Home" Are You Building for the Next 10 Months?
Decide what kind of "home" your team is going to live in for the next ten months. It’s about more than just setting rules, it’s about establishing a Team Sanctuary. This isn't a rigid contract or a list of rules handed down by the coaches. It’s a interactive, quick workshop guide designed for coaches and captains to do with the team.
Stop Demonstrating, Start Connecting: How to Break Through 'Rehearsal Brain' and Captivate the Judges
Stuck in your head during dance competitions? I will break down how to escape "Rehearsal Brain." Discover how to trade your "count-face" for genuine stage presence, trust your muscle memory, and build an authentic connection with the judges. Perfect for competitive dancers, solo preparation, and dance teachers looking for performance mindset tips! Click to read the full blog post.
The Judge’s Eye: Performing AT The Panel vs. Performing FOR Them
Stop performing at the judge. Start performing for them.
When your dancers invite the panel into the journey through sincere, grounded intention, everything changes. Authenticity is your best defense on the competition floor. When a judge is genuinely swept up in the humanity and unfolding of your piece, they become a fan of the work, not a critic of the minor imperfections.
Beyond the Marley: Presence Over Potential Journal Guide
This resource is designed to be your "Reset Button." The Presence over Potential Journal Guide is a gentle guide to help you ground your future goals and bring your focus back to the room.
The "Floor-Up" Cleaning Checklist: Stop Cleaning From the Top Down, Start From the Floor Up.
If you’ve ever felt like your formations looked 'jagged' or your transitions felt 'noisy,' you might only be cleaning from the top down.
I’ve put together a new "Floor-Up" Cleaning Checklist to help you hunt down these missed details. It’s a 4-pillar guide to help you refine the foundation of your movement.
The Pre-Performance Clarity Checklist: 5 Simple Ways to Refine Your Routine
I have put together my "5 Points for the Inside Edge," a simple guide designed to help you find the small spots in your dance that need a little more care. From balancing your formations to making sure your dancers stay engaged until the final pose, this guide gives you practical ways to polish your work.
Coach Approach: Coach with Pressure, Not Stress
Part of being a competitive athlete is the stress/pressure that comes with preparation & competition. How we nurture these in our team culture can create an environment that cultivates growth or one that impedes it.
Your Musicality Sundae: A Sweet Strategy for Bringing Music to Life
In competitive dance, musicality can be broken down into two categories: artistry and execution. I like to think of the creation and execution of routine musicality as the “Ultimate Sundae.”
DANCER CHECK-IN: From Practice to Progress: Your #1 Dance Reflection Journal Prompt
Use a reflection journal to help focus on the journey, keeping track of growth because looking at your success AS A WHOLE and not just an end goal, allows an individual to see the merit in even the tiniest improvements!
MINDSET CHECK: Remembering Why You Coach: Leading with Purpose in Dance
Coaching dance isn’t just about winning trophies or perfecting routines. It’s about leading with purpose and remembering the heart behind what you do.
The Dance Team Coach’s Guide to Cleaning Routines
How to organize, what to look for, and different ideas for drilling and setting routines across all styles.
DANCER CHECK-IN: THE POWER OF TEAM REFLECTION
Coaching isn’t just about perfecting routines, it’s about understanding your team. Learn how one quick reflection activity can reveal what your dancers really need right now.
PERFORMANCE TIPS: The Emotion Factor- Turning Choreography into Connection
Nailing the steps is one thing, but connecting your heart to the audience is what makes a performance unforgettable. Movement tells the story, but emotions give it life.
MINDSET CHECK: Remembering Why You Dance- The Power of Purpose in Movement
As the season goes on and practices get tougher, it’s easy to lose sight of that WHY. Between long practices, endless cleaning sessions, & the pressure to perfect every formation and count, the spark that started it all can begin to fade.
Here are 5 reasons why remembering your WHY is so important…
TEAM BONDING: APPRECIATION PARCEL
This holiday season, why not take a break from the grind and do an activity to show each person how they are VALUED as an individual in your dance program by creating APPRECIATION PARCELS.
DANCER CHECK-IN: “GOAL SETTING: ONE MONTH, ONE GOAL CHECK-IN TIME!”
How did you do from the goal you set in October? What do you need to modify? It’s time to get out those journals and check in!
It’s time to get out those journals and check in!
JUDGE APPROACH: “THE WORD PROBLEM”
To all my fellow judges, if I could give one piece of advice it would be to GIVE DETAILED, CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK! This month, Let’s address the why and the how!
MINDSET CHECK: “BALANCING ACCEPTANCE & AMBITION”
Finding the balance between accepting your current role on the team & pushing for more is absolutely possible with the right mindset & focus.
Save this post for when you need a reminder to stay focused, humble, and hungry to grow!
TEAM BONDING: THE COMMUNICATION GAME
Here’s a fun game to play with your team to work on communication!