Today’s episode is meant to be listened to on a drive at the start of a competition event weekend. This pep talk is for the Teachers & Choreographers!

Included in this pep talk are tips and reminders of how to care for yourself this weekend, mindfulness practices to get the most out of your experience this weekend, and more!

I hope you enjoy this centering chat before heading into your inspiring weekend ahead!

Congratulations ahead of time on all of the many special moments you will have in this season. 

With love, Amanda

Instagram @danceteacherpeptalk

In today’s episode, Amanda dives into the concept of achievement, and where we weigh certain aspects of our life as more of a success or less. 

When we think of achievement, sometimes we think of it as something tangible or something you can check off on a box, but have we ever looked at the feeling received from something as an achievement? Can it be an achievement to feel proud that we have come as far as we have? Or can an achievement be the absolute joy we feel when taking the stage? Can an achievement be feeling rested and rejuvenated? Does it always have to be performance-based or product-based? Can’t it just be enough to feel the effects of all the work you are doing and how much that fulfills us?

Through the years, one of the most “missed” items of dance Amanda has heard from alumni has been competition—not recital, not other performances, but competition, and today Amanda deep dives into her thoughts on why this may be.

If asked what medal you received on such and such a dance your 10th grade year at such and such a competition, will you remember? Or will you remember the dance as a whole and what it taught you, and how you grew with it, and most importantly, how it made you feel? And why do we feel more connected to competition as something we miss over recital?

In a society that gratifies big wins and accomplishments, it is so important in Amanda’s eyes that we find achievement in our sense of self first and foremost. We won’t always have someone to pat us on the back or to tell us good job and give us praise, but we can be that source for ourselves. We can be proud of the work we do, and we can feel joy in our days for what we do. But it is helpful for this to be modeled and worked with and collaborated on, and we have a beautiful opportunity to share this with our dancers. 

In a weekend where it feels a certain medal placement received is the achievement to our dancers, we should always make sure to help our dancers to connect the feelings and the performance itself on stage as the big win of the event.

Amanda gives some tips at the end of today’s episode about how we can create more sense of self-success and self-achievement for our dancers in our classes and it can start today!

Thank you so much for your support & listens!

Instagram @danceteacherpeptalk

In today’s episode I had the honor of interviewing an inspiration of mine, Tara Iacobucci! 

Tara is a dance educator, dancer, adjudicator, mentor, choreographer, and more! Her home base is as the creative director of the award-winning dance companies at The Talent Factory in Rhode Island, where many of her students have gone on to accept prestigious scholarships at such places as Marymount Manhattan College, Montclair State University, Elon University, PACE University, as well as professional schooling and companies overseas.

Something that has always stuck out to me about Tara is her energy, and I feel that is important to note, because as educators, we have a responsibility to think about the energy we give off, as it will make a huge difference in our interactions with others. You can hear Tara’s energy in this interview and beyond that, you can sense her true love and dedication that she has to not only her craft, but for her students and the people that are a part of her life day in and day out. 

This episode is full of incredible advice and words of wisdom from Tara, and I hope you leave as inspired as I was from it.

To see more of Tara’s work and to stay up to date with everything she has going on, check out her website at www.taramariechoreography.com

Instagram: @taraiacobucci

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TaraIacobucci

And don’t forget to follow us @danceteacherpeptalk on Instagram where I also share classroom tips and resources free to use!

Thank you everyone for your support and listens <3

Today's bonus episode was inspired by an amazing spark I felt after subbing some Modern classes last week and I knew I just had to share!

It reminded me that changing it up from time to time can be a spark for ourselves and a breath of fresh air for our students.

Feeling stuck with the same warm-up, the same playlist, the same drills? Change it up for the day!

What can we do that feels different and unique within our class time that also is a great supplement to the work we are doing?

Conditioning practices, mindfulness exercises, dance history lessons, and more!

Not only will our students benefit from this, but we also can find a fresh new take on the work we are doing.

So today's tip is, "stuck in a rut, change it up!"

Enjoy and have a great day everyone!

Instagram: @danceteacherpeptalk

Welcome back to another episode of Dance Teacher Pep Talk and this episode being the first of the month is geared towards how we can make this February the best February that we can!

Theming with the energy of Valentine’s Day, the question I asked at the start of this month is, “how can you show yourself more love this month?” And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how important of a question this was for our students as well. Promoting self-love and positive inner talk is one thing, but it is another thing to teach, implement, and provide the tools of how we can do this. 

In today’s episode, I give my tips on how I promote loving and kind energy for ourselves and for others and how the dance space can be a beautiful starting ground for this awareness. 

This is especially important for our competitive dancers in the midst of their season, because competition can sometimes bring out our strongest inner critic, and with the right tools and check-ins for mindset, we can help our dancers to find ways to process and shift their inner voice towards one that is filled with motivation. 

I hope you enjoy today’s episode and don’t forget to check out @danceteacherpeptalk on Instagram for some Valentine’s Playlists and class tips that launch every Wednesday.

Thank you all for your support and have a beautiful month ahead! <3

In today's episode, Amanda dives into ways that she has found to love cleaning over the years, and that wasn't always the case. Cleaning a lot of the time was a daunting task and one that felt repetitive and lacking of passion. In order to flip that mentality, Amanda shares what has worked best for her over the years including tools and tips and a shifted outlook about what the cleaning process is.

The cleaning process is an opportunity for growth and progress. It is an opportunity to instill team work and to get everyone working on the same wave of energy before hitting the stage. It is the chance for a soloist to further explore and develop their artistry. It is such an important phase of the performance process!

From differences with cleaning minis versus seniors, to discussing the dynamics of cleaning a contemporary piece versus a jazz piece, to exercise suggestions of how to get your dancers understanding what each person brings to the table, this episode is jam-packed with tips!

We hope you enjoy and find it helpful as you work through the cleaning process with your pieces <3

Thank you for your support and listens! Amanda

Instagram: @danceteacherpeptalk

In today’s episode, I have a conversation with a former student of mine, Sadie Guthrie, to discuss her journey in dance so far. Sadie has forged a unique path for herself, and something that I’ve always admired about her is that she is authentically true to her heart. Sadie discusses how she has found herself in her dancing and art over the years from studio life, to being a member of the first inaugural class of CLI Conservatory, to now dancing and working in LA. 

This discussion is such an important one for so many—for the dancer interested in pursuing their passions, for the choreographer who is looking for more inspiration and insight into new ideas for movement, and for the teacher to remind ourselves of the energies within our classrooms and for the role that we play in guiding our dancers through not just their schooling, but through the life lessons that are played out in dance as well. 

Sadie discusses her move from small town Massachusetts to big city Los Angeles, and it is a beautiful story of continued evolvement and discovery. 

I found my conversation with Sadie so inspiring, and I hope that you do too!

Make sure to follow Sadie on Instagram @sadieguthrie_ to continue to follow her journey and follow us @danceteacherpeptalk for more daily inspiration that you can apply to your life and your dance life!

Thank you everyone for your listens, and have a beautiful day!

I’m so excited to be back and sharing on the podcast! I hope you all had a restful holiday break. I know I personally am feeling rejuvenated and ready to go with so much content, deep topics, incredible guest interviews planned, and more to share on Dance Teacher Pep Talk podcast!

Today’s episode connects to a way we might look at creating our 2024 intentions specific to the dance teaching we do, and it starts with asking this question . . .

“What makes a great dance teacher?”

By asking this question, we can begin to form where we may need to focus more/less which would in turn create the best environment for dance and learning that we can create for our students. 

I broke down a list from A-L of important attributes I’ve observed and experienced over the years in today’s episode. There are SO many more I could have included, but I thought this would be a fun way to get the brainstorming started.

What attributes in your eyes help to make for an incredible dance teacher?

How can we bring these attributes into our goals and planning for our 2024 year?

Looking forward to diving into this topic together!

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @danceteacherpeptalk for lots of resources and free content and deep thoughts to carry you through your week.

Have a great day everyone! 

Today’s episode is the final Dance Teacher Pep Talk episode of 2023!

First of all, I want to thank you so very much for your support and listens to this podcast. I start off reflecting on my journey this far with the podcast, and I am just so filled up by all that this is and all that this will be. I am truly grateful to you all. 

In going after my dreams and thoughts, I want to ask you, where are you reaching for your dreams? Where are you holding yourself back? And why?

This podcast could have easily been a thought I had and maybe a moment of, “oh that would be cool,” and go on with my life, but because I acted on the thought, it is a reality, and it serves such a beautiful purpose in my life and I also hope it helps you and inspires you in yours. 

This break can be a beautiful time for you to reconnect with yourself on your dreams and goals. What is moving you? What isn’t moving you? What is working? What isn’t? 

Back in the day, I truly would work my entire break and I realized after many years of that, that the plan of doing that was no longer serving me, and in fact was making me less of a dance teacher than I wanted to be.

Rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation go a long way!

What are you doing this break to give back to yourself?

I share some of my favorite ideas to help bring more magic to your days in today’s episode, and also discuss the importance of intention setting and reflecting as we go from 2023 to 2024. 

"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different . . . "-C.S. Lewis

I share this as one of my favorite quotes in the episodes because I want you to reflect on the growth that you’ve had and celebrate how amazing it is. You are not the same person you were at the beginning of the year, or the same person you were 2 years ago, but where do you want that person to continue to grow to in your upcoming year?

Definitely some deep thoughts and work to be done following this episode, but I hope it inspires you as we begin a new year. 

Sending you all my best thoughts and love this time of year and thank you for being here! 

<3 Amanda

IG: @danceteacherpeptalk

At a time when Amanda felt stuck in a rut in her Ballet classes, she went back to the root of what made Ballet so special to her. What was it that inspired her most? Moved her most about the art form? And the answer to that was live performance! Seeing the direct result of the hard work that we do day in and day out of our Ballet classes over the years in a beautiful spectacle of art on stage was always so motivating and so she wanted to take that feeling into her teaching.

The use of stories in Ballet class developed and Amanda found not only a surge of interest from her students, but also a re-spark of love for her teaching. 

Today's episode is all about the special Nutcracker Ballet class that Amanda created and used during the month of December. Sometimes this class was stretched out over 2 weeks, and sometimes it was just a one day class. 

After a warm-up, Amanda shares how she uses brief synopsis/summary of each section of the Nutcracker to be practiced in center and across the floor work. This concept could be used and translated to any holiday story that you'd like in any dance style/discipline! 

This month we are talking about the magic of the season, and what better way to bring magic to your classroom, than by bringing stories to life through motion.

Thank you all for your support of the podcast!

Have a beautiful day!

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @danceteacherpeptalk for more holiday content and free resources!