More Than Dance

Make the most out of your learning experience by selecting the best teacher. We brief on the dance rollercoaster. The only way to get better is to go on the rollercoaster and its best if you have the best support around you. 

It feels vulnerable to learn and we want to learn so much, but sometimes we just want to learn faster than our capabilities. 

Great teachers do this:

• providing a safe space for students to learn
• name the language and then say what it means
• knowing your student's learning style and conversing to them in that language.
• Using tools and the timing of removal
• following a procedure for teaching (executing a lesson)

Really great teaching means being more patient than the student! 

I give some questions that can help you be reassured you are in the right space to learn and go over the responsibilities of the teacher and of the student to make a beautiful symbiotic relationship for best growth.

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

Have you ever left class feeling amazing and like you understood something so well and then you go to the next class to try and apply that same knowledge only to realize that it felt stuck.

We are not the same dancer every day and our bodies are always changing too!

Sometimes you have those aha moments where everything makes sense, and it’s tempting to hold onto them and try to recreate them in the next class. And our body shows up differently every single day based on stress, energy, focus, everything.

So instead of forcing it… we learn how to meet ourselves where we are.

We talk about:

• why progress doesn’t feel linear

• how to check in with your body before class

• adjusting your focus based on the day you’re having

• noticing patterns without obsessing over them

When you grip too tightly to a breakthrough, that’s usually when you freeze your learning.

You don’t need to hold onto it.

Your body remembers.

This episode is about trusting that and learning how to move forward without needing it to look exactly like it did before.

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

This episode is about hard skills vs soft skills and how practicing both is the key to becoming a better dancer!

Hard skills are the obvious ones:

Choreography, turns, technique… they’re exact, measurable, you know when you hit them or you don’t.

Soft skills are different and not as easy to point out; you feel them:

body awareness, musicality, transitions, spatial awareness, confidence, focus, adaptability.

And when you’re in class… you’re always practicing something.

You might think you’re just running choreography, but you’re also practicing how you listen, how you move through space, how you recover, how you show up.

There’s also different energies you can tap into depending on what you’re working on.

Sometimes it’s more structured, locked in, get it right.

Other times it’s open, experimental, letting yourself figure it out as you go.

Soft skills are the ones that don’t always get called out… but they’re the reason someone can do the same choreography and it just hits different.

This episode helps you see what’s actually happening when you practice beyond just getting the steps.

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

In this episode, I introduce four different types of schedules we can move through during different seasons of our lives and energy instead of forcing ourselves to live inside one rigid routine.

Humans fluctuate and so should our schedules. Our energy changes. Our focus changes. Our capacity changes. 

We break down the four schedules:

⭐️ The On-It Schedule: when you feel clear, focused, disciplined, and ready to execute.
⭐️ The Energy-Building Schedule: when you want to show up but need your life structured in a way that gives you more fuel.
⭐️ The Gentle Schedule: when energy is low and honoring where you are becomes the most productive thing you can do.
⭐️ The Transition Schedule: seasonal shifts, busy periods, or life changes where adaptability matters more than perfection.

This episode is about learning how to work with ourselves instead of constantly feeling like we're falling behind.

When we understand which schedule we are actually in, we stop judging ourselves… and start creating a life that supports how we truly thrive.

Growth is about choosing the structure that matches our reality right now.

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

In this episode, we talk about learning how to trust your body instead of overthinking every movement. When you challenge your body and give it the opportunity to respond, it often rises to the occasion faster than your mind expects.

When the brain takes over and starts analyzing every step, every detail, and every possibility, it can actually block you from doing something your body is fully capable of.

This episode explores how to quiet the analytical part of the brain and allow movement to become more instinctual. Instead of trying to logically solve every step, you learn to let your body lead and trust the training you’ve already put in.

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

Grief isn’t always obvious.

Sometimes it doesn’t come with a clear loss, a ceremony, or a moment where everyone agrees something ended. Sometimes it shows up quietly through big life changes like moving, starting a new job, shifting relationships, or realizing your identity is evolving.

In this episode, we talk about the sneaky kind of grief.

The grief of the life you thought you were going to have.

The grief that appears slowly.

The kind that disguises itself as fatigue, confusion, or feeling slightly off without knowing why.

We explore how expectations play a role in grief and how recognizing those expectations can help you understand what you’re actually processing.

This episode helps you:

• recognize grief when it doesn’t look obvious

• understand how identity changes can bring emotional loss

• create space for those feelings without judging yourself

And most importantly, we talk about how dance can help you move through it.

Dance gives structure, discipline, and a place to process what’s happening inside your body when your mind is still catching up.

*Disclaimer: I am not a therapist, nor do I claim to be. If you are struggling with grief seek professional help.

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

The mirror in dance class can bring up a lot. Sometimes we look at our reflection and the first thought is, “I hate how I look.” The mirror stops being a tool and starts feeling like a judge.

In this episode, we talk about changing your relationship with the mirror.

Longevity in dance is a goal, and part of that longevity is learning how to exist in your body with more comfort and curiosity, not constant criticism. Dance gives us a vehicle to explore that.

Sometimes the discomfort we feel isn’t actually about our bodies at all. It’s about unfamiliarity. Just like wearing clothes that don’t feel like “you” yet, seeing yourself move in new ways can feel strange simply because you haven’t embraced it yet.

This episode is about building comfort over time and understanding that confidence doesn’t come from changing yourself, it comes from learning to accept where you are right now.

We talk about:

• using the mirror as feedback instead of judgment

• building comfort levels gradually

• why dance clothing or movement can feel unfamiliar at first

• learning to see the mirror as information, not criticism

The mirror isn't there to question you or validate you ... its there as a tool to learn dance

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

In this episode, I talk about how to move through setbacks without turning them into something bigger than they are. Whether it’s illness, injury, or something unexpected like a snowstorm throwing off your routine, the real work is learning how to respond without judging yourself.

We don’t always control what happens  we can control how we come back.

This episode is your reminder to stay grounded, give yourself grace, and keep going… even if it looks a little different than before.  This episode is to help you get over your set back

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

Have you ever felt stuck? Like everything you are doing you are either really challenged and nothing is going smoothly, or your off?

I introduce a concept that changed everything for me: the rule of thirds.

Growth gets to live in three spaces:

⭐️ one where you’re killing it (your flow state)

⭐️ one where you’re working on it (your practice state)

⭐️ one where you feel challenged (your reset state)

When everything feels like the challenge zone, it’s overwhelming. You start to feel like you’re bad at everything, and that’s when motivation drops.

when you understand how to balance your thirds, everything shifts.

In this episode, I break down how this shows up in dance:

This episode will help you:

• understand why feeling stuck is actually part of growth
• identify which “third” you’re in
• rebalance your experience so you stay motivated
• stop labeling yourself as bad when you’re just learning

Growth doesn't feel good all the time and its not meant to feel terrible all the time either.

When you learn how to balance your thirds, you live with more motivation. 

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio

Reflection is one of the most powerful tools we as humans have access to. And its important to know how to use it because our brain plays tricks on us. 

Our brain can train ourselves to forget things and we might remmeber it a different way. 

As a dancer we have the opportunity to have immediate feedback through our experience in dance:

1. knowing if and when something felt wrong

2. our class and performance video footage

3. immediate feedback from teachers/instruction

When you are starting dance you able to build the muscle of reflection and learn how to move forward and catalog our info so our brain doesnt trick us. I walk you though a series of questions you as a dancer can ask yourself to do reflection without judgement

We are able to get more information when we know what we need and we

I teach you how to harness reflection as a tool to gain deeper practice with it and then you get to watch yourself being a more intuitive, thoughtful, reflective human because dance sharped your invisible muscle of reflection. 

Follow:

Krissy: @krissyphillipino

KDFSTUDIO: @kdfstudio