Wow!! 1 year of Dance Teacher Pep Talk podcast! I am so beaming with joy at all that this podcast has become and will continue to become and I thank all of you for your listens & support & more through this incredible year!

This episode serves as a recap of this wild year, but also goes into a deep dive on the topic of purpose as the podcast was primarily started during a huge part of my search for purpose. I share my realizations, learnings, and more in the hopes that they will help those of you who are on your purpose journey and to let you know all steps along the way are so seen, so valid, and so important--even when you feel like things are not happening fast enough for you.

I also share a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT at the end of today's episode <3

Thank you all so much for this amazing year and I look forward to sharing, speaking on, learning, and more with you in Dance Teacher Pep Talk seasons to come!

Are you looking for a method for expanding your inspiration for choreography that is fun, different, unique, and may open a whole new window of thought you have not tapped into yet?

Then today’s episode is for YOU!

This is always such a fun one for me and I am amazed at the thoughts I am able to come up with by doing it. 

During the recording, I share 4 ideas for choreography right on the spot by using this method I share, and it is so easy and so fun to do!

It can be used for any style of dance and for any mood.

Don’t let “writer’s block” get the best of you and check out this episode for ways to unleash ideas that are already deep inside you . . . we are just bringing them to the surface!

And if you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure to share with a friend or colleague.

Thank you all for your support and listens!

IG: @danceteacherpeptalk

Hi Dance Teacher Pep Talk Audience!

I just finished up my Summer Intensive teaching for the year--now on to choreography setting and prep for the 2024-2025 year, but while getting ready for this I did some reflecting on my Summer Teaching and wanted to share some "aha" moments that I had with all of you.

In today's episode, I go into depth about how this is a great time for preparing your Fall syllabus now and also how one major thing cannot be overlooked as we begin this new year and that is, mental & emotional support or conditioning within our programs. One of the biggest areas I feel this generation of today is requiring support is around their mental & emotional needs, and as dance educators, there are things that we can do to help them and it starts with how we build our classroom environment as well as the energy that we share and emit in the space.

Meditation, mindfulness, awareness, opportunity for community building, and more are ways that we can help to build on this.

At the end of the day, it isn't always about the dance steps learned in your space, but the growth in our dancers as human beings. What takeaways do you want your dancers to leave with?

There is so much value in continuing education as dance teachers. It is not just important, I feel it is imperative! Great teachers carry the role of the forever student--never stopping to learn, so that we can always be the best we can be for our own students.

Sometimes though, CECs come with a hefty cost, and it may not be as feasible to us all the time. In this case, there are still things that we can do to progress our craft as creators and educators.

In today's episode I share 3 resources that we can use on a budget that directly impact ourselves as humans, educators, and dance creators!

3:45 Inspirational/Self-Development Books

Recommendation: The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma

8:40 Teaching Aid

Recommendation: Yardsticks by Chip Wood

Episode 42: Responsive Classroom & Its Part in the Dance Studio with Jill Krysil

12:33 Dance

Recommendation: Broadway Dance Center DVDs

Search on Amazon, ebay, Google, etc. or your Old DVD collection!

I hope today's resources help to spark your dance teaching to new heights--for yourself & for your students.

Thank you all for your support and listens!

IG: @dancerteacherpeptalk

Today's episode features the award-winning choreographer, teacher, mentor, author of "Success Is Just The Beginning," and CEO of New England Dance Academy, Stephanie Kemp!

Being of the New England area, I have heard of Stephanie Kemp, but to actually sit down and have this conversation with her expanded my outlook to a whole new level.

Stephanie has grown and scaled her businesses to monumental levels and she continues to make her mark on the dance world going on 40 years in this industry. Stephanie shares her insights into being a successful studio owner and dance teacher, ideas to propel dance education to new heights, and more in this jampacked episode.

Author of "Success Is Just The Beginning: 6 Timeless Lessons to Achieve More in Business, Love, and Legacy" she shares with us her eye-opening "W.E.A.L.T.H. Formula" in today's episode (33:00) and really gets us thinking about what does "wealth" look like to us and how is this modeled in the work that we do and the life that we lead.

Whether you are a dance teacher, dancer, studio owner, business owner, or even interested in taking on any of these roles in your life one day, this episode is one that will leave you feeling expanded, inspired, and clear on what is important and aligned for the trajectory of your life and your journey. 

A huge thank you to Stephanie Kemp for sharing her knowledge, insights, and more in today's episode!

To follow Stephanie you can find her at: https://newenglanddanceacademy.com/
IG: @newenglanddanceacademy

To purchase her book, you can find it where all books are sold or check out the link on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Success-Just-Beginning-Timeless-Business-ebook/dp/B0C7YV6TYT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=I8D4TDJFIOLC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vgllwye7GrxJk0LKppGWXQ.-0WlB35De_dpkn1aHMVwfM5ToOHIDg4HRI_AUgRfhQs&dib_tag=se&keywords=stephanie+kemp+success&qid=1718995780&sprefix=stephanie+kemp+succ%2Caps%2C977&sr=8-1

Thank you all so much for your support and listens!We will be back soon after a Summer break!

IG: @danceteacherpeptalk 

For so many of us, "Summer" has begun, even if it doesn't officially start until this Thursday!

We are in the midst of Summer Dance preparation, planning our 2024-2025 seasons for our competition teams, preparing our 2024-2025 plans for our studios, and more. And of course, along with all of this, it is so important to get some rest, refresh, and reset during our Summer if and when we are able.

I find that if I am organized and on top of things, I am that much more able to rest and refresh, because I am able to get things done when I need to and have the time left over for fun during the Summer months.

In today's episode, I share some of the tried and true tips I use every Summer Dance season.

I hope these tips help you to stay inspired and stay on track with all your needs so that you have room for fun and relaxation as well in your day to day. 

Timestamps--

Teaching 2:00

Competition Team Coordinator 7:35

Choreography 14:50

*Episode 52: Choreography Inspiration Tips Part 1

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6efPkWYLrTXdSGQmUa5Brl?si=fa1509533ad64d1f

Thank you everyone for your support and listens!

IG: @danceteacherpeptalk

Today's episode is not an easy topic, but it is one I feel that as dance educators we will face at least once in our career. Today we are talking about when a dancer leaves.

There are so many circumstances and situations as to why this may happen and I discuss many of those in today's episode, but mainly my goal is to reframe the way that we look at a dancer leaving.

The first emotion we usually feel is sadness and sometimes we even question who we are as a teacher and ask "where did I go wrong," but one of the biggest things I have learned is to not take it personally.

There is a lot that can be learned every time a dancer leaves, but there is also the awareness that we are only meant to be a part of everyone's story for a certain amount of time.

I hope today's episode helps you to reframe your mindset around the difficulty of a dancer leaving.

Thank you all so much for your support and listens!

IG: @danceteacherpeptalk

Though many of us are just closing out our season, so many of us also have choreography on the brain for the next year, the next show, the next competition grouping, etc. Sometimes those ideas flow easily, and sometimes we really need to take the time to sit down and think on things.

I thought this would be a great time of year to share 3 tips that I have used to help find inspiration when searching for choreography concepts in my career. I have so many tips, but these 3 are a great starting place and a fun one to incorporate if you have any down time at this "in between season" state you may be in.

If you are short on time, skip right to 5:00 where I begin diving into tips!

I hope these tips are helpful and inspiring for you and if they are, I'd love if you would pass the episode on to a friend of colleague!

Thank you all for your listens and support!

Have a beautiful day!

IG: @danceteacherpeptalk

In today's episode, I share about something that has been very beneficial in my teaching and that is musical cueing.

So many of us do this naturally, whether it is "singing" the steps or giving sounds to the steps, but there is definitely a bigger reason behind this.

I dive into what I have personally seen by being a musical teacher in not only my dance teaching, but in my Pilates instruction as well. 

Aside from teaching musically, I also discuss the importance of teaching and guiding musicality as much as we can in our dance classrooms--as music is a huge part of what we do.

Sometimes we do not have the time to sit down and give a full class on musicality, but there are ways we can go about it indirectly that will help our students build their versatility when it comes to the music they are accustomed to. 

I hope you enjoy the tips and ideas in today's episode to further strengthen that beautiful relationship between music and dance. 

Thank you so much for your listens and support!

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @danceteacherpeptalk where I'll be sharing more of my musicality tips this week. 

Happy 50th episode!

Thank you all so much for your support, listens, and follows of Dance Teacher Pep Talk podcast. I absolutely love what this space has become and I'm so excited to see it continue to grow.

In today's episode, I wanted to do something reflective to give back to your body, mind, and soul as you close out this season.

Prompts in the episode are given to help bring closure and awareness to all that went on in your dance life this year.

From celebrating the good, looking over the bad, and getting excited for what is to come, there has been so much growth for you this year from September to now, and it is so important to reflect on that as you wrap up your year. 

I hope you all enjoy this one!

Thank you again for all of your love!

IG @danceteacherpeptalk