Passion for Dance

If you hire choreographers for your dance team, you'll definitely want to listen to today's episode for some really helpful insights into that coach-choreographer relationship and how to work together to create championship-winning routines.

Today's guest is Nicholas Kade Clement of NKC Choreography. After his own professional career, Nick started choreographing for dance teams all over the country, and his work has produced multiple national championships, world championships, and numerous teams finishing in top spots at Universal Dance Association, National Dance Alliance, and Dance Team Union National Championships. Behind his many accomplishments, I know him as a hardworking Southern boy who will always make you laugh.

In today's episode, Nick and I chat about his choreographic process, cultivating resilience as a choreographer, and what it takes to create that successful coach-choreographer relationship. Coaches, listen into this episode for the many gems Nick has to offer!

Connect with Nick Clement on Instagram: @nkcchoreography

Other Episode Resoures: https://chelseapierotti.com/167

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This episode is a continued conversation about team leadership. Last week's episode was all about identifying a truly committed team leader and how to help the whole team be more committed. There is an entire spectrum of commitment, and it's very important that any team leader is one of the top two tiers. So if you missed that and are considering a formal team leadership this year, go back to episode 164 and check that out first!

Usually, I'm all for team leadership. There are so many good things that can come of it, but that's only true if it's the right people. There are team dynamics and situations where formal leadership doesn't make sense. In today's episode, I'll be sharing about the three reasons not to have dance team captains or formal leadership, especially in high school and college programs. I'll also discuss the benefits of creating a leadership committee if you have multiple strong leaders on your team. Tune in to hear all about my top three reasons not to have dance team captains and what you could do instead!

Journey to Elite Captain Course: https://chelseapierotti.com/leadership

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/165

I'm hearing coaches and studio owners tell me every day how commitment levels are different and how dancers don't seem as committed as they used to. Then you add the need to have leadership on our teams, either formal or not, and if most of your senior-level dancers aren't committed, now what do you do?

In this episode, I'm going to share the idea of a Commitment Continuum. I'll break down the six levels of commitment for you because understanding where your dancers fall on that continuum helps you improve their commitment to your program. This continuum will give you a solid foundation to open the conversation with your dancers in which you can set clear expectations about the level of commitment you're looking for from them. Tune in to learn about the commitment continuum and how you can use it to get more from your dancers!

Roadmap to Choosing the Right Captains: https://chelseapierotti.com/roadmap

Journey to Elite Captain Course: https://chelseapierotti.com/leadership

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/164

It's really challenging to teach resilience and confidence and motivation if the team culture is awful. Maybe you've been a part of some incredible cultures as a dancer, or maybe you've been part of some really bad ones. Either way, culture is the foundation that all other mental skills need to thrive. Whether you're at a studio or a school team or an all-star gym, the culture of that group can make or break your ability to work on those positive mental skills.

There are twelve ways that you can quickly destroy a culture, which is a lot to go into in just one episode. So in today's episode, I'll be sharing about three of those culture killers. I'll break down how a lazy warmup, complaining, and bad body language can affect your team culture. Listen in to learn how to take control of your team culture!

12 Culture Killers Free Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/culture

Other epidose resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/163

While I'm on a mission to create happier, more successful dancers through positive mental skills, I'm also someone who loves to be inspired by dancers who are living their dreams and are also honest about the hard work it takes to get there. My guests in today's episode are here to do just that and pull back the curtain on their journey from studio to competitive college team to the Radio City Rockettes.

Caitlin and Courtney Sullivan, known to many of you as The Sullivan Twins, are here today to share their journey and how their mental skills helped make their dreams happen. They talk about values, content creation, training plans, and, of course, the mindset behind it all. While they are professional dancers and they achieved their dream of being Rockettes, they actually didn't make the cut after their first year auditioning. But their story of resilience and being present in high-pressure situations will inspire you to never give up on your dreams!

Follow the show for more great episodes: https://followthepodcast.com/passionfordance

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/162

One of the most accessible mental skills that makes a real impact on your growth as a dancer is goal setting, but I've seen goal setting fail when it's not done well. While a method like SMART goals can be commonly used, I have a better way. This new method takes a very important step beyond the SMART method, and dancers that I've worked with who used this new method instead saw some pretty amazing results. So let's make sure you're setting yourself up for success.

This episode is part two of a two-part series about goal setting. We'll break down the GWHOP Method, and I'll give real-life examples of how I used this method with a team I worked with. By the end of this episode, you'll have a clear roadmap to the scientifically-supported new goal setting strategy, a method that improves motivation, focus, happiness, and performance!

Values & Goal Setting Course: https://chelseapierotti.com/catalyst

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/161

This short episode is the DANCER BONUS to Episode 160: The Achievement Mindset

Speaking directly to the dancers out there, Dr. Chelsea shares the importance of setting goals for yourself, why it matters so much, and the good things than can happen when you do.

Follow the show for more: https://chelseapierotti.com/follow

Goal setting isn't just about saying something you want to achieve, writing it on a sticky note, and then going for it. That's why a lot of goal setting falls apart. We mean well and we set some big goal, and then somehow it never happens. How you think about goals and how you approach them makes all the difference in making goal setting work for you. I've seen hundreds of dancers learn how to use goal setting properly and then turn around to have their most successful season ever, and it's time I share the insider info with you!

This episode is part one of a two-part series about goal setting. Today, we'll set the foundation of the achievement mindset. Then next week, I'll share with you my exact goal-setting process that has changed my own life and so many dancers and coaches I've worked with. In this episode, you'll learn the three key ways that an achievement mindset combined with good goal setting changes your performance!

Dance Team Catalyst Course: https://chelseapierotti.com/catalyst

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/160

At the end of every dance season, there comes a time to say goodbye. Every year, as both a teacher and a coach, I watch young men and women I've grown close to graduate and move on to the next phase of their life. Whether it's at banquets or graduations, watching a senior leave the program is usually heavy with some complex emotions. One mental skill I often focus on is resilience, and big life transitions like this usually need some extra resilience.

In today's episode, I'll be sharing my thoughts about saying goodbye to our dancers during this time of transition, because it can be hard. I've learned a lot over the years about saying goodbye and the mindset that helps you be resilient to this kind of change, so I'll give you three things to remind yourself of when you find yourself navigating the inevitable emotions of saying goodbye. If you're having a hard time letting go of your dancers this year, I hope this episode is helpful to you!

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/159

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Any dancer dreaming of a professional career is most likely working hard in the studio and honing their skills to be the strongest dancer they can be, but in the professional dance world, talent is only 20% of the equation. There are a lot of other skills to master that make up that other 80%. This 80/20 rule where success as a professional dancer is 20% talent, 80% everything else comes from my esteemed guest today, Menina Fortunato.

Menina's mission is to help the next generation of dancers create their dream dance careers. She had her own remarkable career for three decades in this dance industry. She has navigated the demands of both on-camera and behind-the-scenes work while also juggling the responsibilities of being a loving wife and devoted mother of three. Menina has worked on prominent television shows and films including America's Got Talent, Star Trek: Enterprise, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and she's graced stadium stages entertaining massive crowds with superstars like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Paula Abdul, and so many more.

Menina and I talk about maintaining motivation as a professional dancer, how our current generation could learn more about rejection and handling negative emotions through mental toughness and some mindset advice for aspiring professionals. And, of course, she'll break down her 80/20 rule and share what that other 80% is all about!

Resources -

Follow Menina on Instagram: www.instagram.com/meninafortunato

Connect with The Business of Dance: www.bizofdance.com

Connect with The Hollywood Summer Tour www.dancehst.com

Connect with Menina: www.meninafortunato.com

Sign up to the Passion for Dance Email List: www.chelseapierotti.com/email

Key Highlights -

[3m 51s] - Menina's Dance Background

[10m 12s] - Menina's Favorite Memory Onstage

[14m 17s] - What's Kept Menina Motivated Professionally

[17m 48s] - Menina's View on Values

[19m 19s] - The 80/20 Rule

[29m 16s] - Challenges Menina Sees in Dancers Seeking a Professional Career

[34m 45s] - Menina's Take on Balance and Mindset

[39m 03s] - Menina's Thoughts on Managing Chaos