If there’s one thing that’s on any dance teacher’s mind as we approach recital and competition season, it’s choreography—pristine, perfectly synced choreography.  In fact, cleaning choreography is the type of skill that seems like it should be intuitive but is actually pretty elusive. Do you simply run the routine over and over again or just tidy up a portion of it that isn’t working? And is there a go-to method to tidy things up or is it just a matter of improvising? In our next DT+ Teacher Talk, “Choreographing Squeaky-Clean Dance Team Routines,” on Thursday, April 10, at 12 pm […]

Radha Varadan’s ingenious reimaginings of some of ballet’s most famous variations using kathak, a form of Indian classical dance, have earned her serious traction online. Based in India and the U.S., Varadan trained in both ballet and kathak growing up. She later studied postmodern dance (and molecular biology) at George Washington University, and today she dances with the Abhinava Dance Company in Bengaluru, India. Varadan took a moment to talk about her viral hybrid videos, her creative process, and how Indian classical dance is perceived in the West. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Radha Varadan (@radha.varadan) What inspired you to […]

“The body never lies,” Martha Graham famously said. With these four words and her stage work, Graham brilliantly countered the fixed belief that the body and mind are separate entities. Inspired by this revolutionary view, Marian Chace (1896–1970), who briefly studied with Graham, began exploring the mind-body interrelationship on a very different stage—the wards of psychiatric hospitals. In 1942, she became the first government-paid dance therapist. For three decades Chace helped shell-shocked soldiers, sexual abuse victims, and the mentally ill use movement to communicate their feelings. Her work forever validated dance therapy as a profession. The former Denishawn dancer proved […]

1. For three decades, Chace helped the mentally ill use movement to do what? 2. What famous dance company did Chace join and tour with, after spending one summer training with the group in New York City? 3. Not only was Chace one of the first dance teachers to accept black students into her school, but she also taught _____ _____ children. 4. Name the famous modern choreographer that Chace studied with for a short period of time. 5. Who brought Chace’s work to the attention of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital? 6. Chace always played this type of music in her […]

Curated by Bengaluru-based Kuchipudi dancer, Sri Gururaju, the dance will feature TD Rajendra, Dr Satyanarayana Raju and Dr Gajendra Kumar Panda along with Gururaju

During Rachel Cantor’s performing career in musical theater, she would often teach dance at a children’s play space in between shows. She realized that teaching was not only something she enjoyed and was good at, it also provided more stability. “I thought, Instead of doing this for someone else, I could do it for myself,” Cantor tells Dance Teacher. Hence, Dance with Miss Rachel was born in 2012.   Now, the popular studio has locations across Manhattan—in Tribeca, the Upper West Side, and the Upper East Side—and, on Long Island, summer classes in the Hamptons. Dance with Miss Rachel engages kids […]

Since dance teachers spend long hours on their feet, the shoes they wear to teach class are an important yet tricky decision. Should you always wear ballet slippers to teach ballet, and always be barefoot during modern class? Or can you instead slip on those comfy sneakers that keep your arches from aching? Well, the truth is that there are different schools of thought, both within the dance industry and the medical field. Dance Teacher spoke to a range of experts to help you make the decision that makes the most sense for you. The Traditional Route Many podiatrists and […]

At age 11, Adam Vesperman was ushered into an impromptu audition for Billy Elliot: The Musical at a West Coast Dance Explosion Nationals. Despite an off-key rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” his strong dancing skills secured him a callback. After a few intense audition days in New York City, Vesperman landed the role on London’s West End, launching the professional dance career he’s pursued ever since. Growing up in Kent, Washington, Vesperman began dancing at age 8 at Allegro Performing Arts Academy. After booking the role of Billy, he moved to London for two years, where he quickly learned […]

Dance teachers everywhere dream about pristine, perfectly synced choreography. But what does it take to achieve it?  If you’re on the quest to bring ultra-satisfying precision to the stage, join our next DT+ Teacher Talk, “Choreographing Squeaky-Clean Dance Team Routines” on Thursday, April 10, at 12 pm EDT to discover the sure-fire ways you can make dance choreography compelling, innovative, and clean. In this live hour-long Zoom discussion, Dance Teacher’s editorial director, Reanne Rodrigues, will be joined by TRIBE 99 founder and CEO Carsen Rowe, and J’aime Griffith, a professor at Grambling State University and the director of the school’s dance line, […]