How I Develop Attitude In My Students

Aluna Catarina Fevereiro, na Categoria Avançada no Oriental Dance Weekend 2019.

If you ask one of my students what is the word that most comes out of my mouth during classes, I bet most of them will say ATTITUDE (That’s why this blog is called ‘Dance With Attitude’!). Tough I am strict on technique and we focus a lot on developing it, I believe it’s of high importance to develop the confidence of students since day one. Otherwise they will not be dancing, they will be just moving.

Attitude while dancing is to be confident of who you are and your dancing, this is the only way a dancer can actually dance. If they are not confident, they won’t be free and so they won’t be comfortable exposing and expressing themselves, and that is not dancing in my opinion, it’s just beautiful body movement.
So, here goes how I develop the confidence in my classes:

1. Since day one I try to bring out Attitude in my students. I motivate them to enjoy the music and what they are doing (regardless of the technique) since the first level 1 class, I tell them to give their full power, “to have attitude”. Working their confidence is so important as learning the hip drop or the shimmy, don’t wait until they “master the technique” to teach them that. I also tell them that the first day they step into my class, so the “brain wash” may begin.

2. As soon as possible I put them on stage, no matter when they started dancing. The sooner they feel exposed and become ok with it, the faster they will become confident on stage and free themselves there (and that’s what dancing is all about). So, don’t forget to create opportunities of performance for your students and to motivate all of them to participate no matter what. (read this post to know more about my opinion and experience in this theme!).

3. I teach my students to breathe and feel the music, to breathe in and breathe out and enjoy. It’s not only about teaching them technique and choreographies, I tell them to think of what the music is conveying, what is its energy, and make them practice that. If it’s is a shaabi I make them jump and smile, if it’s a romantic music I tell them to sustain their breathing, to tense and relax. Energy and feeling are key in every style: oriental or folklore, make your students understand that, and teach them to switch, to breathe and feel. This will make them dive deeper into the music and become less concerned of external factors that don’t matter.

4. I am not strict on having my students performing exactly alike. My goal is to develop soloist dancers and not dance groups, so I let them put their personality in my movements and my choreographies. I am not too rigorous on facial expressions, arms or hands, which is where I believe the personality of a dancer comes most to life. Attitude is having their personality come to the surface, and for that, I cannot be limiting them all the time.

5. Finally, but most importantly, I motivate and tell them to be confident all the time. I want them to be free, to feel good about themselves, in dancing and in their life. There is nothing more beautiful than our pure essence.

What about you? What do you do to boost the confidence on your students?

My student Rita Pereira, in Folklore Category at Oriental Dance Weekend 2019.