Preparing for 2nd lesson at Dorsey

Friday will be my 2nd time teaching at Dorsey. I feel much more confident this week because I'm familiar with the school now. This week I would like to try to get to know the students more, their names and maybe get them to show me some of their own steps. It will be interesting to see if they practiced or if two weeks is too long for them to remember the last lesson. This Friday, I plan to revisit the material from the first lesson and build on that, bringing in new vocabulary and a new concept. I hope the students are looking forward to my coming again because I know I really enjoy teaching them and I can't wait for Friday!

First Day at Dorsey

My firt day at Dorsey was wonderful. The students are really focused and are up for the challenges I'm giving them. My first lesson was on partnering and presence in Hip-Hop dance, and also served as an introduction to b-boy/b-girling. I really enjoy the group's enthusiasm and I found myself smiling when I stepped back and whatched. There is an incredible amount of talent and soul in that class, I feel really honored and blessed to have the opportunity to teach them what I know. It was nice to be able to teach, without having a teacher constantly making comments to students, as was the case at Jordan. Mrs. Downing really handed over the class to me, which was nice because i felt I had some space to really take charge and teach. It's funny how nervous I made myself before the class, but I felt that this class was in some ways a test... I passed, what a relief. I wish the class met every week, however, the girls were really into the class and many of them left the class smiling and told me "I'm a preactice when I get home." I hope they really do practice because since I only see them every other week it might make it tricky to keep the rhythm and energy of the class, we'll see...

Preparing for new Residency

Today I'm preparing for my new residency at Dorsey High which begins tomorrow. I'm anxious, as I have to find my way there and then find my way around the school. Hopefully, the minor details will go smooth. I'm also excited to try out a new lesson which focuses on partnering and presence in Hip-Hop dance. The group of students i will be working with is advanced, so i want to try to give them a fun challenge that will strengthen their choreographic skills as well as develop their performance skills. I hope everything goes great. My main advice to myself is just to remember to have fun and breathe.

Meeting the girls from Dorsey

Last Tuesday, I had the delightful experience of meeting some of the girls I will be working with from Dorsey High. They were here on a field trip to see the Flesh and Blood show and I caught up with them on their way to lunch. They are a very enthusiastic group and I got excited about working with them. They seem excited too, and I can't wait to see where they're already at, so I can find ways to challenge them and help them become stronger dancers. I'm also impressed and happy to know that many of these girls have stepped up and become leaders, they teach their own class sometimes, and are also choreographing. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.