Dance Advice:
What can help me when trying a new style of dance?
I want to start a dance school/studio/company, what should I do?
What if I am scared to give dance a try for the first time?
How do I make it as a professional dancer?
Chio Yamada
When trying a new style of dance, you just have to go in with an open mind and not be afraid to mess up and try it. Just go in stay in the back at first so you don’t get too overwhelmed, do your best and have fun. Don’t get frustrated too much, it might take a while to get used to it, but it will get easier!
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You must do your best for any opportunity, even in classes. I think doing your best, being kind, and working hard brings you more opportunities and those opportunities bring more things to you. I don’t have any experience opening a studio, but do your best and being kind and hard work bring more dancers who want to dance with you.
Eric Campros
If you're scared to take your fist dance class, take a class with a friend, and check it out online if possible first.
Having an idea of
what you are walking in to will take off some of the pressure. Plus, remember we as teachers want you to succeed and thrive!
Never give up. Study as many genres as you can, even the ones you don’t feel a huge connection to. GO TO CLASS and always do a little more than what is asked of you.
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Korie Genius
What do you have to lose for trying it for the first time? With students that take my class for the first time, even if they don't get anything, it's up to me to make them enjoy it and want to come back.
After trying it, you can make the decision to keep going or try something else.
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Just go forth and embarrass yourself, enjoy it and laugh. Remember it is your first time, don't be so hard on yourself, you don't know to expect but that's why you're here to dance and learn.
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Dance is all about having fun and enjoying yourself
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Academy of Dance
If you’re interested in dance, TRY IT. How can you know if you like something or are good at it unless you give it a try? You might hate it, but chances are you’re going to really like it. Chances are, you’ll have fun!
We have a motto at AoD that’s “We don’t expect perfection, but we DO expect you to try!”. Get up and try. It’s the first step in anything you’ll do in life. When trying something new, you have to allow yourself to fail. Watch and listen to your instructor, observe the way the other dancers in the class move.
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Caitlin Camuccio
Dance is a road that requires such fierce determination and will. You have to trust your talent, trust your instincts, and know that you have a light and a talent to share. You’re going to hear a ton of “no” in audition rooms, but that doesn’t mean you ever stop finding ways to share your talent. Artists are meant to showcase their art. Never ever stop creating and performing
When starting a dance studio, ask yourself, Would you want to dance here? When it gets overwhelming, remember why you do this. In all you do, try to remember why you fell in love with dance, and create as many opportunities for your students to have similar experiences. Be your dancers’ biggest fan! They will all work so hard just to make you proud. Don’t forget to let them know how proud you truly are to be their teacher. .
Academy of Dance
To begin your own dance school, you have to find a delicate balance between the artist and the business person. It’s a balancing act, there’s no “right way”. You have to find your own way and slowly navigate a plan of attack that best services you and your demographic of students.
Get a team around you that share and support your vision. A team you can trust with any aspect of your business should you need them step in. Think quality, not quantity when you stress about the number of kids you have or the number of staff you’ve acquired. You may not be the largest studio, but is the quality of instruction all it can be?
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Jessica Lourenco
Just go for it! There’s no such thing as a wrong way of moving. Dance should be about expressing yourself through movements and should be liberating!
Start small. I would say to pick a style to try, look up some videos or take a beginner class to try it out.
I think being comfortable with stepping out of your comfort zone is very important. This is something I always struggled with when trying new styles, but all styles are different and at first will feel a little weird. But being open to trying it and not giving up right away is what I would suggest.
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Nicole Lemoine
Take a deep breathe, exhale, and go for it! It's not really about am I going to be good, am i going to get the steps, get your feet wet. Go in the door, do the stretch, feel the vibe. Even if the only thing you get from the dance is the vibe or the essence of the class and you have two left feet, you're still leaving with something!
Then you'll practice and go back! I believe that dancers are not born, I believe they can be trained. You can absolutely be born a dancer and be phenomenally talented but you can have to left feet and grow into a dancer. I didn't believe that until I became a teacher. Once I became a teacher I saw it, I witnessed it! You can absolutely do anything you want to do.
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Nicole Lemoine
When trying a new style of dance, break yourself of technique which is terrible to say because there are so many classical traditional forms of dance such as ballet, modern, and jazz where you are required to do so many specific things. To turn out the leg, open the chest, this and that, it can hinder you when you want to try something new.
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If you want to take a dancehall, African or hip hop class, it can hinder you. So you have to be able break free and start your body fresh. Hit the reset button and allow your body to go into something new.
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Karla Garcia
Doing something you’re uncomfortable with is the best vitamin! If you love to move, no one can take that away from you.
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Don’t be afraid. Those are two very different things, but both involve fearlessness and persistence. There’s a ton of rejection that will test you, but always recalling the PASSION will set you right. Train hard and do all the checklist things, but make sure to have a support system whether that be your friends, family, dance peers, or whoever.
Sophia Sabino
Just try! What do you have to lose?? So what if you're not perfect, you have to start somewhere. Why not start now! Fear is the greatest thief of missing out on life-changing experiences.
I think it’s just open-minded and try to feel the music and connect the movement. Try to step outside your comfort zone to grow as much as it might not feel like your style. Be true to yourself, stay confident, and humble. Take as many classes as possible and connect with as many ppl as you can learn from. Start a YouTube channel if you want to choreograph. So much is about your followers these days.
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Nicole Lemoine
To pursue a professional career in dance, get seen! Got to every club there is, go to every class there is. If you know that somebody choreographs for a famous artist and they're coming to do a workshop, you do it!
Fly to L.A.go and take classes, go get exposure, bring it to yourself! In L.A. that's where a lot of the commercial jobs are happening, where a lot of the tours are booking. You need to get out there and be seen! You have to constantly be out and be seen!
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Sophia Sabino
Try to work professionally before starting a business or work with a great mentor. Start small and get a great business partner or know the business side if starting a studio. Most people think they want to own a studio until they do, or most think they are great teachers but they have never really had dance or teacher training.
I think it’s great to have as much experience as possible before figuring out what it is you really want to do. Nowadays there are fewer limits. It’s just hard making a living being a dancer but I think no matter what, if you work hard at it anything is possible.
Mary Mallahan
Taking class can definitely be intimidating. Start with one of these online classes so you can be anonymous and comfortable in your own living room. When you try an in-studio class, find a teacher and a community that feels safe and supportive. It might take a few tries until you connect with a specific class or instructor. Don’t give up. You’ll know when it clicks!
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Be a student of your craft. Instead of just walking into class, stumbling into an audition, or seeing a performance, do some research. Learn about the history, the choreographer, the context…it will help inform your ability to execute, understand, and appreciate the dance.
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Everyone says, “It’s not easy.” They’re right. That doesn’t mean you aren’t up for the challenge. It’s not a bad thing to have other interests, hobbies, friends, and passions. Honor when your heart pulls you (it’s never wrong). I believe that honoring your truth keeps you healthy, grounded, and present in the moment.
Delfina Chirigliano
Just go for it. Let loose and don’t be afraid of failure, learn how to turn your failures into achievements. When I’m learning a new style I think about it as I do with anything I try to learn in my life. If someone else can do it I can do it too. Never go into something already defeated because it restricts you from giving your full potential. You have to go in thinking you already won that way you’re confident, your nerves are calm, and you’re ready to take on the challenge.
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Don’t stop trying. The professional world is full of amazing talent and sometimes people will tell you no. That doesn’t mean you’re a terrible dancer or that you just wasted your time at an audition. You can take something from every experience and just have to recover quickly. Pick yourself up and keep it moving because someone’s “no” might be a “yes” for someone else.
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Esther Nunes
Just go for it! At the end of the day, you’ll never know until you try. Look for a class that is for beginners and try it with no commitment at first. Go with the flow and take different classes to find your style and see what works best for you. You could end up finding something that you love and keep with you forever.
When trying a new style of dance, get in touch with your emotions. At the end of the day, I think what helps me the best is seeing how I feel at the end of the class. It’s always good to have your options and try new styles to improve.
Be ready to hear the word “no.” Your hustle is everything. You have to go after what you want and staying in your comfort zone is never going to help you get there. So chase after it and go for it and don’t stop until you get there. Hard work will always pay off and remember that your journey has value. The sky's the limit!