Speak in a confident tone and set class expectations and boundaries during the very first class. You could even ask the class to help you create 3 rules or guidelines to follow during every dance class. Encourage your students to seek you out if they’re having problems or just want to talk.
If you don’t know what level each of your students is on, take the time at the start of the class to ask each of them. You can also send out a survey before the class starts to find out more information about their dance backgrounds. If you have more advanced students in a class with beginners or intermediate-level students, you can either teach the whole class more advanced terms and steps, or you can go around the classroom occasionally to give individualized instructions to more advanced dancers.
If you have a learner who understands mathematical terms best, try to give the precise degree of a turn or the exact number of steps. Put an emphasis on counting to the beat.
If a student doesn’t want to perform a step in front of the group, or they aren’t comfortable holding someone else’s hand in a routine, don’t force them to do something they’re not comfortable with.
When you are talking, make sure you clearly enunciate your words and are talking loud enough for everyone to hear you.
You don’t need to know all the details of someone’s background. Simply make sure that you’re being aware — this means watch for any signs that your students are uncomfortable with something, and tell them often to come to you if they have problems or concerns.
You can let them practice individually, put them into groups, or split the dancers in half and have one half practice the step or routine while the other half watches.
Always pick out your music ahead of time, and keep it age-appropriate.
Be comfortable with making mistakes, and even be alright with making fun of yourself. If your students see you brushing off your mistakes, they’ll be more likely to do the same.
Always plan more activities than you have time for. This way, if one activity isn’t working out or you need a different way of bring up their energy level, you can jump right to your next activity without worrying about running out of ideas.
Your routine can be as simple as leading them through a wiggle warm-up, teaching them a new dance term or move, and then playing a game. Of course, there are going to be times when you stray from the routine, but more-or-less sticking to a schedule will help keep your class under control.
Children love to play pretend, so use this to your advantage in a dance class. Telling kids to run across the room “to catch the Big Bad Wolf” or reach their arms up “to hold a cloud” will make the class more fun for everyone.
You can use words of praise to correct children as well, saying things like “I love all of those pointed toes!” when you want them to point their toes.
Spend 5-10 minutes warming up.
Since many times you’ll be chopping up or only using part of a song when you’re choreographing, it’s especially helpful to give this edited version of a song to your students. If you’ve created a detailed syllabus or lesson plan, consider posting it online or sending it in an email so that your students have access to it.
