Growth Mindset Phrases for your Dancers

One of the key concepts in promoting a Growth Mindset in your dancers is to Praise the Process, not the Person. This is based on Carol Dweck’s research into Mindset where she found that after being praised for effort children were much more likely to seek out more challenging experiences and start to operate outside their comfort zone. In contrast, when they were praised for their natural ability they tended to shy away from further challenges.  This has HUGE ramifications for dance.

How many times have you heard, and most likely said something like. “Oh look at your lovely feet,” or “She’s got a wonderful facility for dance,” or “He is a natural turner”.   We grew up knowing that such and such had amazing feet or such and such had a super flexy back.  The whole dance industry is geared towards the rewarding of facility.  But wait, I hear you ask! What about all that operating outside of their comfort zone stuff? Isn’t that the kind of dancer that we want to create?  The kind that doesn’t fear failure but actually redefines it as a stepping stone to success.  The kind who is inspired by and not jealous of other dancers, the kind who will keep chipping away bit by bit until they reach their goals.  It sure is!  And the first simple step to creating this kind of dancer is to start using Growth Mindset phrases for dancers.

How can we implement Growth Mindset into our teaching?

But how exactly can we as dance teachers, with our busy schedule and constant demands, help our dancers develop a growth mindset.  You can read more about different tactics in this article on How to Praise your Dancers for Success. However, if you are like me, you want to get started with this growth mindset thing right away.  As luck would have it, there are some super simple things that you can do right now to start developing a growth mindset in your dancers. And it starts with just rephrasing your praise so that you are using growth mindset phrases for your dancers.  These phrases help us start to place more emphasis on praising the process rather than the person.   Try to choose words that emphasize or recognize effort such as:

5 Great Growth Mindset phrases for your dancers

• “All your hard work is paying off”
• “I can see how hard you were thinking about that correction we were talking about”
• “Remember how hard we found this when we first started learning it? I am so proud of your persistence”
• “I can see how hard you have been practicing”
• “Well done for taking on a challenge”

You can download these free downloadable Growth Mindset reward cards for dancers by entering your email below.  Print them out as many times as your like. You can use these to further emphasize effort over the person.

If you are ready to learn more about Growth Mindset for Dancers, check out some of the resources over in our store.

How to achieve dance goals

If you ask any competitive dancer they will be able to tell you at least ten things they think they could improve.  Dancers are good like that.  At a young age, they have a remarkable grasp of what they are good at and where there are areas for improvement. However, saying that you need to improve something and actually having the tools to make that happen are two very different things.  Learning how to achieve dance goals is a specific skill. Just like any other skill it needs to be learned, applied, and scaffolded.

Why are SMART goals important?

There is a brilliant and comprehensive Goal setting for Dancers pack available over in the Resources for dance teachers store, but if you are looking for something to get started with, please enjoy the free Goal Setting for Dancers printable below.  It shows dancers how to achieve dance goals, demonstrating each step from the brainstorming process right through to setting specific goals for each week.  It is based on the principle of SMART goals, that is, goals need to be Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based.  

SMART goals and dance

For dancers, this means that saying something vague like “I want to be more flexible’ is unlikely to lead to success.  This Goal setting for dancers printable encourages dancers to be much more specific with their goals.  A more specific goal might be something like, “I want to get my left leg splits.”  From there, it is important to set a deadline.  No goal was ever achieved just by wishing it.  We all know that there is nothing like a deadline to increase motivation and when it comes to how to achieve dance goals, the situation is no different.  If you know that you have set yourself a goal to achieve in 4 weeks, you are much less likely to miss a practice session.

To get started on guided Goal setting for Dancers and learn how to achieve dance goals, please download this free printable by entering your email below. If you are ready to take the next step and start accessing the kinds of performance psychology that Olympians like Michael Phelps used to perform at elite levels, check out the Success Mindset Pack for dancers.

If you are interested in learning more about Growth Mindset and Dance, check out these articles

How to succeed at dance competitions

Dancer Success and Growth Mindset

Dancing with a growth mindset, how to set dance goals

3 side-stage mistakes and how to avoid them

As dance teachers, we spend hours in the studio trying to perfect our dancer’s technique and bring out their very best performance.  We keep them calm backstage but once they are just about to go on, have we given them all the skills they need to really smash their performance? Those final moments before a dancer sets foot on stage can make or break their performance.  Hours of work in the studio can be undone, just in that few moments before a dancer steps out to perform!  What else can we do to help them during this crucial time? What can we do to help them avoid making common side-stage mistakes?

Why is side-stage such a big deal?

The last few moments before a dancer takes the stage are sometimes the hardest for them to deal with.  There are so many different feelings, emotions, and inputs to process and it is easy for a dancer to become overwhelmed.  As these are the last few moments before they step on stage, becoming overwhelmed at this stage can have a huge impact on performance. There are 3 common side-stage mistakes, nerves, the side-stage psych-out, and the on-stage psych-out.

Nerves

Just before a dancer takes the stage, nerves can really take over.  They know that it is make or break time, that there is no turning back.  How they deal with those nerves in that moment has a fundamental impact on their performance.  It is really important for dancers to learn strategies to overcome nerves and to build side-stage routines to keep them in the right frame of mind. It is important for dancers to learn how to deal with negative and anxious thoughts that creep in at the last moment, but once they have mastered this skill they will be able to overcome the negative impact of nerves.  For example, Michael Phelps likes to visualize any scenario and work out a solution.  That way he feels prepared for anything that might happen.  There is a full unit on this kind of visualization in the Success Mindset for Dancers Pack.

The side-stage psych out

Dancers deal with nerves in different ways and one very common one is the side stage psych-out.  Other dancers doing last-minute practices of their routine can totally psych your dancer out.  Imagine they are struggling with their turns and then moments before they go on stage, the dancer that is after them executes a series of flawless turns.  This kind of thing happens ALL the time so knowing how to deal with it is key

The on-stage psych out

It isn’t just other competitors side-stage that can psych your dancer out, it is also the dancer on before them. Standing side stage and watching an amazing dancer can rock the confidence of even the most prepared dancer.

The good news is that there are strategies to deal with this and they are all about mindset and creating a strong side-stage routine.  With the right mindset, dancers can learn to NOT  be negatively impacted by nerves and also to USE them to their advantage.  Dancers need to learn to know when they are nervous and use self-talk to combat nervous thoughts.  Focus and goal setting is also key. When dancers have clear goals they are better able to be ‘in the moment’ and to use laser focus to develop a side stage routine that minimizes the impact of other dancers.

The Success Mindset for Dancers pack was developed to help dancers create winning side-stage routines by helping dancers to unpack nerves, fears, and anxiety so that they can actually be used to help dancers consistently hit their routines.  From there, dancers learn how to connect their intentions with their actions and develop a laser focussed routine that will overcome even the worst case of the psych-out.  Once your dancer starts using mindset tools to improve their performance you will wonder how you ever managed without them.  You can learn more about the Journal here.

Dance class observation worksheet

We all know the drill, dancers need to sit out but we’d still like them to be doing something to enhance their learning.  Telling them to observe the class is fine but what is even better is ensuring that they still walk (or hobble) away as the case may be with some sort of learning experience under their belt.  This dance class observation worksheet helps turn those times when dancers have to sit out into valuable learning experiences.  In fact, it actually helps turn a negative into a positive. Sitting out and taking the time to really watch and learn from the class can really help give dancers a different perspective on a dance class.  It gives them a chance to think about their corrections, to process what other dancers are doing that looks good, and encourages them to think about how they might be able to incorporate all of this into their own dancing.  And if you are ever dealing with a serial sitter outer, this worksheet can really help turn this around or at the very least make sure that there is at least some learning and reflection going on.  

The Dance class observation worksheet is based on growth mindset theory.  In summary, growth mindset theory is based on the research of Carol Dweck. In Dweck’s research, she gave a group of children a basic IQ test. Half were praised for their good results by being told that they must be very smart, while the other half were praised because they must have tried very hard.  The group was then offered a second test.  They were told they could do the same test again or a harder one.  The group that was praised for their ability mostly chose the same test whilst the group that was praised for their effort chose the harder test. Furthermore, when given a third test of the same standard as the first, the ability group actually did worse than the effort group. The ability group, believed their success was due to something innate, something that they had no control over and therefore didn’t want to try something harder as they were afraid it would prove that they weren’t smart. The second group equated their success with effort and were therefore willing to try harder things as they were not afraid of failure and believed, that with effort, they could succeed at harder tasks    Dweck finds that individuals that believe that success comes from innate ability to operate with a fixed mindset whereas those that believe that success is based on hard work, learning, training, and doggedness are said to have a growth mindset.  Fixed-mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on their abilities, while growth mindset individuals don’t mind or fear failure as much because they realize their performance can be improved and learning comes from failure. This obviously has huge implications for dance.  As dance teachers we want our students to operate with a growth mindset, to want to try new, harder things without being afraid to fail.  Unfortunately, the dance world often tends to reward and praise students for the facility.  How often have you heard people talking about beautiful feet, dancers being praised for their natural flexibility, or being described as a natural turner.  This fixed mindset view of dancers can have huge repercussions for a dancer’s attitude to dance and their willingness to put in the effort and push themselves beyond their comfort zone.  If you would like to learn more about the growth mindset for dancers there are several packs that you can use to work through these concepts with your students. A word of warning though, once your studio starts to implement a growth mindset, the results are phenomenal, so get ready for your dancers to fly! Check out the Success Mindset and Goal Setting bundle here and the Correction pack for dancers here. The latest dancer correction pack which results in a huge shift in attitude and application of corrections is available here.

Feelings about and the ability to apply corrections is a huge part of growth mindset theory, so please enjoy this dance class observation worksheet with your dancers.

Dancing through lockdown 2020 – a guide to helping dancers through lockdown and the impact it has had on young dancers.

Lockdown 2020 has had a profound impact on young dancers around the world.  Many young dancers spend hours at their dance studios every week and they become not just a place of learning but a home away from home.  The vibe of being in a studio, of working as a team, and of dancing with friends is a feeling like no other.  Students attend dance studios for so many reasons.  Some look to make a career, others find a social outlet through dance, many enjoy the process of perfecting an art form, many love the thrill of performing and others find solace and a safe space within their dance studio.  Adapting to remote learning has been challenging for dance teachers and students alike. Without the energy in the studio, without the connection and with no clear goals to work towards such as performances or exams, many students have found themselves disconnected from an integral part of their being.  A dance year has a rhythm, learning new skills, learning routines, working towards exams, competition season, performance season, there is a comfort in that rhythm and that predictability.  As we continue to navigate lockdown and post lockdown in the studio, it is important to consider methods for helping dancers through lockdown. I have just come off 8 months of teaching on Zoom and over that time, a few things became very clear.

• A student’s motivation to dance plays a huge role in how well they cope with online learning.  Obviously, no student is motivated by only one factor, it is a combination of things that an individual loves about dance.  However, broadly speaking, students who are more extrinsically motivated, for example, by being in the studio, by being with their friends, and those that are motivated by displaying their dancing to others, whether that be having other students watch and admire them in the studio or in competitions, struggle on Zoom.  Without the camaraderie and the feedback and the feeling of performing, dance became a very different prospect. By contrast, those that are more highly motivated by intrinsic factors such as perfecting their art and by trying to become a better dancer, thrive on Zoom.
• Space to dance also plays a huge role.  Some students can avail themselves of empty rooms with plenty of equipment at their disposal whilst others have to make do with a kitchen bench and their little brother watching television next to them.  In the studio, every student can enjoy the space and facilities, at home it is a very different matter.  If motivation is waning, not having the space to dance can really start to impact.
• Attitude to Zoom.  I think we can all agree that the first time we logged onto Zoom, after getting past the thrill of seeing our students again, we all felt a mixture of disappointment, stress, and anxiety at our new teaching tool,  The way we as teachers feel about Zoom can have a huge impact on the way our students receive our lessons.  There are several great tips for getting the most out of Zoom classes here but the main message is to look for what can be achieved and focus on that.  Rather than looking at Zoom classes as a regular class that is now held online, it is an absolute game-changer when you start to view Zoom as a different way of teaching.  Whilst some aspects of dance class are difficult or impossible to achieve on Zoom there are many many things that can be achieved.  By focussing on this, the entire experience is totally different. And the good news, after 8 months I got back to the studio and I could absolutely see what we had achieved on Zoom.  Every student had improved.  I could see them applying corrections we had worked on in our Zoom class and some aspects of their technique had improved immensely.  After all those pirouettes in challenging locations, the kids could turn like tops!

In terms of helping dancers through lockdown, there are many, many resources that you can use on Zoom over in the store.  Why not spend a class working on growth mindset or goal setting, it offers not only a welcome change of pace but also introduces valuable life skills.  Meanwhile, please enjoy this worksheet to help your students process their time on Zoom.  Whether they are back in the studio or still learning remotely, talking about motivation, about how they feel about not being in the studio and looking for the lessons and positives they can take from their time away from the studio is incredibly powerful.  Just enter your email address below.  This sheet is from the Success Mindset journal for students which you can purchase here.  The teacher version is available here.

You can find more great Zoom resources here.

10 tips for great Zoom dance classes

Learn to love teaching dance on Zoom – what 8 months on Zoom have taught me

During 2020, I have conducted the majority of my dance classes on Zoom – we went into Lockdown and our dance schools closed in March.  At the time of writing it is early November and we are ‘due’ to go back to the studio in a limited capacity next week but Zoom will still be part of our lives for a while longer.  The first day I ever taught on Zoom I wanted to cry.  “This is no way to teach,” I thought!  I absolutely HATED it.  The energy and interaction that powers the studio environment were gone.  I hated seeing my students as tiny muted squares.  I felt like Zoom was just something to suffer through for a few weeks and that there was no hope of actually achieving anything from these online classes.  As the weeks turned into months, and it became very clear that Zoom was not in fact the big, bad evil that was keeping me from my students but in fact my only lifeline to them.  Slowly, I began to adapt to this strange new way of teaching.  I had an extra advantage in that I listened to my own daughter being taught ballet on Zoom for 6 hours a day.  Between my own experiences and listening into other teacher’s classes I ended up with a very firm idea of what works, what doesn’t, and what we as dance teachers need to do to not just adapt but indeed thrive on Zoom.

First things first, Zoom teaching will never replace in-studio teaching.  However, if 2020 has taught us anything it is that we need to learn to adapt. Zoom dance classes are not the same as in-studio classes and accepting this and trying to focus on what can be achieved on Zoom makes a huge difference. Just let that sit for a moment.  Step one in Zoom dance class success is to accept that Zoom classes are not just a replication of in-studio classes.  You need to approach them differently, look for what can be achieved, and focus on achieving that.  So what have I learned after 8 long months (and counting) on Zoom…..

1. Set expectations: This is one area where Zoom classes and in-studio classes are similar. When I first started teaching on Zoom, I, like many teachers focussed on having fun, on getting the students comfortable with this new medium. That was March.  Kids are beyond used to online learning now.  We no longer have to worry about that.  Of course, there is time for fun, but just as in the studio, nothing is possible without expectations and structure.  Set the ground rules and stick to them.  For me, my main rules were that students should not approach their device unless they had to adjust something.  Unless it is watching time, students should stand still and listen. No lounging on couches or using the chat function to ping their friends.
2. Cut down on demonstration wherever possible:  When you start on Zoom, make your number one priority setting a routine. If you have exam work to work on, great! If not, choose a selection of exercises that you can repeat weekly.  Of course, you can add to these but having a portion of the class where you don’t have to demonstrate is game-changing.  Demonstrating on Zoom is not like demonstrating in class.  In class, you can demonstrate AND watch but on Zoom it is really difficult to make sure your whole body is in the shot, deal with music, keep the interest of the class, and peer at tiny squares all at the same time.  It is draining!  However, once you can sit down in front of your computer and look at your students you can get on with the business of teaching. You can interact, you can use your personality to help the class along. You can give correction, you can give encouragement.  The whole tone of the class changes.  Another option is to have an older demonstrating student in the lesson. You can spotlight the student so other class members can watch them whilst you get on with the teaching.  For older students, if you have some students who are more confident with the choreography or syllabus work you can suggest to the students that they pin certain students so as they have someone to watch.  All of these free you up to teach more effectively.
3. Choose what you teach: There are many things we can’t do on Zoom.  Hello, grand allegro or across-the-floor combinations! However, there are many things that do work. Stretching and strengthening on Zoom is ideal.  It doesn’t take much room and students often have various tools at their disposal (yoga blocks, stretch bands, etc) and there are all sorts of ways everyday household furniture can be used for stretch and strengthen.  Because you can’t do certain parts of your normal class, it does mean that you, therefore, have more time to hone in on other areas.  You might choose to do a whole class on feet and ankle flex and strengthening, or a class on hip flexibility or on extensions.  When we are going full tilt in the studio, working towards exams, performances, etc, these kinds of classes aren’t always possible.  Embrace the opportunity to work on some areas you might not always have time to when you are in the studio.
4. Imagery, imagery, imagery: Not being in the same room means that you have to rely so much more on the words you use to impart correct dance technique to students. Pay attention to your use of imagery.  Think about what you are teaching that day and brainstorm some imagery to help your students understand how you would like a certain step to look,  Imagery can be further enhanced by the use of props (see below)
5. Use props: One of the huge advantages I found in teaching from home was that I had all sorts of props on hand. Instead of talking about a sparkly diamond on their heel, I could show them a big sparkly plastic jewel.  I grabbed icy lollies from my freezer to demonstrate what a relevé should look like, I used my artist’s model jointed figure to demonstrate placement, pieces of spaghetti, pieces of elastic, nothing in my house was safe during class.  The kids could come up to the screen and have a look at my props which gave a nice flow to the class and also really helped impart what I was trying to teach them. For Preschool and young school-age classes, the chance to introduce magic into the class was wonderful.  I could pretend my Cinderella Princess figurine had given me a high heel shoe that would lead us onto our tippy-toe walks.
6. Use spotlight: The spotlight feature on Zoom is a wonderful motivational tool.  The pride and excitement the students show when they are chosen to demonstrate a step on spotlight seems even greater than in the studio, particularly when mum or dad is in the next room. Spotlight is not only great for the students chosen but also a fantastic learning tool for other students to see what you are expecting of them.  As always when rewarding students in this way, be very aware of how many times students are chosen to demonstrate and reward effort over ability. You might find this article on giving praise to dancers within a Growth Mindset framework useful.
7. Use chat and share screen: The chat feature is a great feature of Zoom.  Unmuting can be arduous.  However, with the Private chat feature, you can ask students a question and they can answer publicly or privately.  For example, if you wanted to ask a little ballet theory question, having students answer using the Private Chat feature gives all students a chance to answer.  The chat is also great for worksheets, escape room type challenges, and more.  Share screen is great (well except for the fact that it takes about a thousand clicks and swipes to get there but once you have it working, it has so many uses.  You can share worksheets, you can share photos, you can do quizzes, and have the students answer using chat.
8. Use groups:  Just as in the studio, having students perform their work in smaller groups whilst other students watch has all the advantages of doing so in the studio.  It creates a nice rhythm in the class, it gives you a better chance to see students and it works as a learning experience for those watching
9. Private lessons work:  Private lessons on ZOOM are GREAT, in particular lessons focussing on technique and strengthening and conditioning.  Working one on one you can set goals, you can hone in on areas of flexibility or technique, and work on them with a level of focus and time that is just not available in a studio setting.  Depending on school commitments it is sometimes possible to hold these during the day.
10. Consider introducing other ideas:   Just like you choose what you teach, Zoom also gives you the opportunity to incorporate other material into your lessons.  The Growth Mindset and Success Mindset and Goal setting worksheet packs are perfect for sharing on Zoom.

You can find more Studio Shutdown resources here or if you would like to download a pack of free resources for teaching online just enter your email below.

Dance Studio shutdown resources

For many of us it has happened, rather sooner than we thought -dance schools have had to close their doors due to Covid-19.  Aside from offering online classes, what else can you do to stay connected to your students and keep them engaged with dance during this dance studio shutdown.  Resources for Dance teachers is committed to helping to provide dance teachers with resources that enhance and promote best practice dance teaching, however that may look in these challenging times. In this spirit, please enjoy this range of FREE dance teacher resources that you can use to stay in touch with your students during dance studio shutdowns and help keep them focussed, hopeful, and entertained.

Included in the free Dance Studio Shutdown resource kit is

1.  The Power of Yet from the Growth Mindset Resource kits, helping dancers understand that just because they are struggling with a certain skill now it is only a matter of time and effort before they achieve it.  Adding YET to the end of can’t sentences has an amazing impact.
2. SMART goals, an introduction – from the Goal setting for Dancers resource pack, this worksheet helps scaffold the process of setting SMART goals and breaks down the latest research into goal setting for young dance students
3. My Goal Setting worksheet – also from the Goal setting for Dancers resource pack, this worksheet is perfect for younger dancers to start exploring the goal-setting process
4. Failure versus Wisdom – this worksheet is from the Success Mindset for Dancers resource pack and looks at the concept of failure versus wisdom.  It helps introduce the concept that failure is just another stepping stone to success, something we can learn from.  After a failure we can choose to focus on the failure or the wisdom, that is the lesson we have learned, a powerful concept framed just for dancers
5. The every popular Ballet Theory Quiz, test your budding ballerinas with this cute quiz – based on the Mega Ballet Theory activity pack
6. Color and Trace – delightful for younger ballet students and part of the Ballet Activity pack
7. Stretch Tracker – what better way to utilize time off than to start working on flexibility – this cute stretch tracker will keep your dancers on track.
8. 2 cute Preschool coloring pages from the Preschool Printable pack to help you reach out to your tiny dancers while the studio is closed
9. Dance competition reflection – why not use the time to reflect on a previous dance completion and learn valuable skills for the next one.  This is part of the Success Mindset for Competitive Dancers Resource Kit – one of our bestselling kits.  This kit offers a complete mindset reset and has a tremendous impact on young dancers, giving them the skills to turn up week in, week out and not only deal with but thrive on the rough and tumble of the competitive dance circuit.  Change the mindset, change EVERYTHING!

To download your free Dance Studio Shutdown kit, just enter your email below.

You may also be interested in some of these articles.

Growth Mindset for Dancers – turning can’t into can

What to teach 3-year-olds in dance class

5 tools every Preschool Dance Teacher needs

3 ways to become a better dance teacher

Are your words hurting your dancers?

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will cut me deeply. In order to become a better dance teacher one of the most fundamental changes we can make is in the words we choose when we address our dancers.  Common corrections, given with the best of intentions can really start to hold dancers back. The way we speak to our dancers is in large part habit.  Habits built up over our own teaching careers and habits that we have internalized from our own years of dance training.  How many times have you been teaching and the words of your own teacher suddenly comes flying out of your mouth? It always makes me smile but now and again it has given me pause for thought. This type of reflection is crucial in order to become a better dance teacher. Not everything I was taught and certainly not necessarily the way I was taught it, is something I want to carry on to the next generation of students. The power of our words, especially when it comes to impressionable young dancers has the power to hold a dancer back or help them soar to new heights of success.

Become a better dance teacher with a Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck’s research into Growth Mindset clearly illustrates the importance of the way we phrase praise.  You can read more about Growth mindset and Dance here but in summary, when a child is praised for ability they can become risk-averse.  They start to believe that their talent is fixed, something out of their control, and as a result, start to avoid trying new things because it might disprove their talent.  This is known as a fixed mindset. Unfortunately in the world of dance, messages about natural facility and natural talent ABOUND! From having beautiful ballet feet to being a natural turner, messages that you either are or are not are all around.

It is, therefore, even more, important that the messages we send INSIDE the studio don’t back these messages up.  What we want to create are dancers that see the value of effort, that are faced with hard things but are willing to try to master them. We want our students to not be afraid of trying new things or of failing but to see this as all part of the process of learning.  Developing as a dancer is all about pushing beyond the comfort zone, to see what is possible.  It is also about the grind of hard work, about doing little things each day that whilst not the most exciting, all slot into place as the years pass by.  This is known as a growth mindset.

Praise the Process, Not the Person

How to become a better dance teacher

So, how do the words we choose impact our dancers?   Carol Dweck’s research shows that to help create a growth mindset it is important to praise the PROCESS not the PERSON. Here are 3 tips to help with this. You can also find a range of resources designed especially for dance teachers which promote growth mindset in dance here.  Using these Growth Mindset kits in conjunction with your newfound knowledge of how to choose your words more carefully is a POWERFUL combination that will not only help you to become a better dance teacher but will help lay the foundations for new levels of success for your dancers.

1. Praise Effort not Facility

 It is easy to get carried away with natural facility.  The child that comes to class, sits down and their toes touch the floor when pointed, the child who puts their legs in a straddle and without any prior training achieves a near flat split.  We are human and seemingly effortless ability is beguiling.  We are excited at what this child could achieve.  It’s ok to be excited but what is not okay is constantly praising the child for their innate abilities. In order to become a better dance teacher, we must pay particular attention to how we praise our dancers.

Praising for facility sends a harmful message that dancers are the sum of their natural talent, that they don’t need to work and that effort is unimportant.  The damage extends to the rest of the class. They see you constantly praising a child for something they just have. It doesn’t take the other children long before they come to the conclusion that they will never be as good as their classmates.  After all, they know that they don’t have good feet or flat turnout, or advanced mobility.  Instead, it is important to focus on effort.  Rather than talking about beautiful feet or a flexible back put the emphasis on how a student is using their feet or working hard to control their back.  

2. Praise Practice AND Ability

In order to become a better dance teacher, always be on the lookout for evidence of practice – of a step that was once challenging that is now being mastered.  Remind your students of how far they have come.  Praising practice doesn’t mean you don’t praise the students who might be finding new steps easy and are performing well, just make sure that you give praise for attributes other than ability.  Another way to think about this is to think about is to make your studio into a safe zone.  There is a big emphasis in dance on perfection, on perfect execution of technical steps, of the ‘flawless’ performance.  However, when this level of performance is expected during class time we can run into problems.  Class time is a time to experiment, to push the boundaries, to fall down and get up, and to try again.  It is just as important to praise and encourage these ‘failed attempts’ as it is to encourage mastery.

3. Praise Application not ‘the win’

Winning at a competition is wonderful and should be celebrated, just keep in mind that it is important to celebrate other kinds of wins too.  Focus on individual mastery, achieving personal goals, personal best performances etc. Though it is easy to get carried away with competition wins, in the general scheme they don’t necessarily represent what we are trying to encourage. A student may win for a variety of reasons.  They may simply be the best there on the day and yet not have performed particularly well or even put in a great deal of effort. Conversely, they may not win even though they have put in 100% effort.

I always find it useful to look at competitions in terms of what can be personally achieved.  If you have given 100% to your preparation, if you went on stage and did your very best, if you achieved some small goals that you set for yourself during your performance then that is what really matters, a trophy is just the icing on the cake.  If you as a teacher go into competition with this mindset and pass it onto your students, if your whole team is looking at achieving personal bests and setting and reaching goals you will be well on your way to getting the very most our of the dance competition experience. Check out the Resources for Dance Teachers Success Mindset kit to learn more about this shift in mindset.

You can learn more about Growth Mindset and Dance and how it can help you to become a better dance teacher in these articles.

Dancing with a Growth Mindset – how to set goals

How to get more out of your dancers

Success Mindset

5 tips to get more out of your dancers

As dance teachers, we are always looking for ways to improve our dancers.  We want them to be the very best they can be, but achieving that is easier said than done.  There are so many things to consider, technique, musicality, discipline, performance skills, self-belief…..the list can seem overwhelming.  However, there are two simple words that can make a mind-blowing difference to your dancers – Growth Mindset. Before we get to the 5  simple tips to help you get more out of your dancers, tips that can truly transform your dancers, let’s first recap what  Growth Mindset means for dancers.

Growth mindset for dancers – the research

Carol Dweck’s research on Growth Mindset stresses the importance of emphasizing effort over ability. In her study, two groups of children were given a simple IQ test. They all did well but the kids were then praised in one of two ways.  They were either praised for their intelligence – “you must be really smart at this” OR they were praised for their efforts – “great job you must have really put in a lot of effort”.  Then, the kids were presented with a second test but given a choice.  They were told they had the option of choosing a harder test that would give them a great opportunity to learn and grow.  Alternatively, they could choose a test the same as the first one which would mean they would surely do well on it.  67% of the kids praised for their intelligence chose the easy test while 92% of the kids who were praised for their effort chose the harder test. This is really quite astounding and you can see already the implications this has for kids both in the studio and at competitions.

“People always say I’m really quick at picking up choreography but this seems really tricky.  I don’t want to try it because I might not get it right and then everyone will think I’m not quick at all. I think I’ll say I’m not feeling well or I’m just going to be silly so people don’t notice I can’t do it.  Maybe I’ll ask to go to the toilet.”  

But wait…there’s more!

After the second test, the kids were given a third test which was at the same difficulty level as the first easy IQ test.  The kids who were praised for their intelligence actually did worse on the third test. In fact, their scores dropped by 20%.  Meanwhile, the kids who were praised for their effort raised their test scores by 30%.  This is a 50% difference in performance, just though a few simple words of praise!  Pretty exciting right!?  Carole Dweck explains why this happens. “The child or adult that hears: oh you think I’m brilliant and talented. That’s why you admire me — that’s why you value me. I better not do anything that disproves this evaluation. As a result, they enter a fixed mindset, they play it safe in the future and they limit the growth of their talents.”

Obviously, when it comes to how to get more out of your dancers, we want to avoid this fixed mindset.  Instead, we want to promote a growth mindset.  Dancing with a growth mindset means that dancers are willing to take risks, they are willing to operate outside their comfort zone, to try new things, and to persist when things get hard. These are EXACTLY the kinds of dancers we want in our studio! The good news is that there are concrete actions that you can take to promote a growth mindset and get more out of your dancers.

5 ways to get more out of your dancers

1. Praise

This may seem obvious but there is more to praise than first meets the eye. To really get more out of your dancers, it is vital to pay attention to the words you choose when praising them. According to Carol Dweck, it is important to focus on effort over ability.  In the world of dance, we are rather smitten with natural talent and comments about it are hard to get away from.  “Oh she’s got such great feet,” “or “she’s naturally flexible”, or “he’s got such beautiful lines”.  I’m sure you hear comments like this every day and maybe even say things like this yourself.  It can be a process to retrain yourself but it is oh so worth it.  The difference in my students has been phenomenal.  When praising your dancers, always seek the effort, the work.  Here are a few examples.

2. Growth mindset activities to get more out of your dancers

Words are hugely important and backing them up with specific growth mindset activities supercharges your words.  Hang posters around the studio that emphasize the importance of effort and start regularly including some growth mindset activities for your dancer. You can find a wide range of Growth mindset for dancers resource packs here.  These are specifically designed to help you get more out to get more out of your dancers.  There is a range of posters, activities, and ideas to help your dancers connect effort with achievement, to help them to push past their comfort zone, and to help mould them into truly coachable dance students, To help you get started enter your email below to download this free growth mindset for dancers printable.

3. Remind your dancers of how far they have come

When I watch my dancers master steps or skills that they previously struggled with, I am elated and I quickly jump in to remind them of how far they have come.  In fact, when we are first learning something new and they are struggling, I often say something like “ahh in a few months, we’ll look back on this and think, how did I find this so hard?”  When the day comes that they are beginning to master that new step, I remind them of the day we first started working on it.  Even better, if it is something like flexibility, I always remind myself to grab my phone and take a quick snap of their starting point.  I later make a before and after collage. It is incredibly powerful for dancers to see concrete evidence of their effort and commitment.

4. Teach your dancers to set dance goals

Teaching your students to set dance goals is like a magical elixir when you are aiming to get more out of your dancers.  Not only is it a valuable skill for their dancing journey but it is also something they can take away and apply to all areas of their lives.  You can find some great goal-setting resources for dancers of all ages here.  This pack is designed especially for dancers and helps to scaffold the process of goal setting for dancers.

5. Give your dancers teaching opportunities

When dancers become teachers it really helps reinforce the effort required.  It enables dancers to see how skills build up step by step and when they see younger students improving and developing they can relate it to their own training. Student teaching or assisting is great for this purpose but there are many other mini teaching opportunities that you can implement in your studio.  When I know there is a class of even slightly older girls waiting in the hallway to go into their next class I will often throw open the door and invite them in.  The younger children are delighted and it helps them as much as it does the older girls.  I quickly divide the class into smaller groups and hand them over to the older girls to work on whatever we are learning.  For example, when I am teaching my beginning ballet students the polka I will invite the older girls in each week to work with their young charges.  The results and rewards for all involved are immense.

There are many more ways, large and small that you can utilize a growth mindset to get more out of your dancers but this gives you a great start.

You can find more Growth Mindset resources for dancers here 

and some more great articles here

The Power of Yet – a tool for dance teachers

Success Mindset for Dancers

Growth Mindset for Dancers – turning can’t into can

How to help your dancers to set dance goals

Equipping our dancers with the tools to not only set dance goals but to achieve them, may well be one of the most valuable things we can do as dance educators.  Learning how to set and achieve dance goals not only helps us in our endless quest to help our dancers be the very best they can possibly be BUT it also teaches them valuable life skills that will benefit them in all areas of their lives.  Setting dance goals isn’t all that hard, but sticking with the process of achieving them can be challenging.  We all know what it’s like – a new year is here and we have the best intentions of starting a new health and fitness regime but then one day passes and then the next and before you know it another week is gone!

How to set Dance Goals – the research

Research shows that to give yourself the best chance of achieving a goal, your goals need to be SMART goals. This is particularly relevant when we set Dance Goals.  SMART goals are very SPECIFIC, they are MEASURABLE, they are ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT and they are TIMED. You can find the Goal Setting Resource pack, designed especially for dancers here.  This pack draws on the latest research into Goal Setting and scaffolds the process as it applies to Dance Goals,  Dancers are challenged to explore and understand roadblocks, overcome negative thinking, and fully explore the relationship between effort and success. The following is a summary of the basis of this pack.

SMART GOALS

Specific goals

Rather than setting a general goal like, “I want to become more flexible”, it is important to be very specific.  When you set dance goals, phrase them in a way that specifies exactly what you want to do.  Your SMART goal could be, “I want to have all my splits flat and be able to have a flat hamstring stretch”.

Measurable goals

It is important that goals are also measurable.  In the case of our flexibility goal, it will be clear when the goal is achieved so it is easy to measure.  If your goal was something like, “I want to be able to do triple turns on both sides”, you would need to set a way to tell if your goal has been achieved.  This might be something like being able to do 2 sets of clean triples.

Attainable goals

When we set dance goals that are attainable, they are known as ‘stretch’ goals (how appropriate).  A stretch goal is something that is just outside what you can currently do.  So for example, if you were flat in your right splits and almost flat in your left and middle, being flat in all three splits would be a stretch goal for you.   If, however, you were a beginning dancer and weren’t close to any of your splits yet, your stretch goal might be to achieve the right split first and then start working up from there. In order to set your goal, you should look at where you are and then set something just outside your reach.  Once you have achieved that you can set your next ‘stretch’ goal.  In this way, the sky really is the limit!

Relevant goals

In order to give you the best chance of achieving your dance goal, it is also important that it is a ‘relevant‘ goal, that is is something that will really have an impact on your dancing.  This will be different for everybody.

Timed goals

Finally, when you set dance goals, they should have a specific time limit on them.  Far better to work to a deadline than to just vaguely think about the future.  By putting a time limit on your goal, you are immediately more motivated to work towards your goal. Your time limit might be something like “I want to achieve flat splits by the end of May”

By applying each of these criteria to your dance goals you can turn any regular goal into a SMART goal.  So our initial goal of becoming more flexible becomes

“I want to be flat in all three splits and my hamstring stretch by the end of February because it will help me with my technique and will improve my solo. It will also mean I can contribute more to the group routines”.

How to set Dance Goals and be accountable.

Once you have set dance goals and turned them into a SMART goal, the next step is to work out exactly what needs to be done.  In the case of our flexibility goal, this would most likely be a series of stretches to perform each day.  One way to encourage dances to stick to this regime is to break some sort of ‘don’t break the chain’ motivation.  This free stretch tracker is perfect for developing a weekly stretch and or strengthening routine.  Have your dancers present you with their weekly stretch chart to add an extra layer of accountability. This works particularly well if you take before and after photos of the stretches they are working on.  The improvement in my own students has been exceptional. To download the stretch tracker just enter your email below.

For more resources designed to help your dancers let go of their fear of failure, start to operate beyond their comfort zone, fix their corrections and set and achieve goals that will fast track their progress to help them achieve amazing things, check out the Growth Mindset for Dancers resource kits over in the store.