At the teacher training that I led this month, one thing that I emphasized was the importance of balancing stability and mobility. I feel this is important for teachers to realize because this is exactly why there is no such thing as a perfect program that works for everyone. Continue reading “Balancing Stability and Mobility”
A unique service for teachers brought to you by AerialDancing.com.
Many teachers struggle to transition into the role of teacher from that of performer or aerial enthusiast. This service is meant to help you become a more confident aerial teacher through direct consultation with experienced aerial instructors Julianna Hane and Elizabeth Stich. Our goal is to help teachers not only talk the talk, but walk the walk, demonstrating and verbally explaining skills with safety and clarity to help your students find success in your classes.
Both Julianna and Elizabeth are Certified Laban Movement Analysts, meaning they will not only analyze what you are teaching, but how you are teaching it through your body language. You will receive tips to help you become more connected in your movement and presentation so that you can more clearly communicate and express ideas to your students.
The most basic option is to receive a personal written assessment. A consultant will watch your video and give you personalized feedback based on your interests from the questionnaire.
The second option is to receive a written assessment followed by a one-hour Skype conversation with your consultant. This real-time discussion uses the written assessment as a starting point to address your deeper questions and concerns about teaching.
We will send written feedback within 1-2 weeks of receiving the video. If you choose the Skype feedback session, you will receive an email to schedule that conversation at your convenience.
1. What is your teaching/training background in aerial arts or other movement areas?
2. Why are you interested in receiving feedback? What are your goals?
3. Please circle topics below that are most relevant to your teaching needs.
4. Do you have any specific questions for your consultant? Please list them here.
When Elizabeth Stich’s older brother catapulted her off a makeshift teeter board and into the hospital at the tender age of 8, she never imagined it would foreshadow a distant career in the circus. A childhood ballerina turned college modern dancer turned aerialist, Liz has been an aerial instructor and performer for over 5 years – first with Revolve Aerial Dance and then Aerial Arts of Utah. She has taught aerial dance courses and master classes in higher education settings such as Weber State University, Snow College, and Brigham Young University. She has also taught a variety of dance technique and theory courses as an adjunct instructor at Weber State University and Utah Valley University and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Utah. In addition to her love of teaching, Liz is a passionate performer, most recently battling wind and water in over 200 shows of Cirque de la Mer at Sea World San Diego.
Liz holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance from the University of Utah, a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Dance Education from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate in Laban Movement Analysis/Baretenieff Fundamentals from Integrated Movement Studies. She has co-presented on the creative application of Laban theory to aerial dance with colleague Julianna Hane at the Motus Humanus Roundtable.
Julianna Gaillard Hane, a native of South Carolina, traded life on a cotton farm to be a dancer and aerialist. Julianna’s first experience in aerial dance happened at Winthrop University (where she received a B.A. in Dance) when she performed in two rope & harness works by Mary Beth Young. She then continued her study of aerial work at New England Center for Circus Arts with Elsie Smith, Serenity Smith Forchion, and Aimee Hancock. She has also studied with Bay Area artists Joanna Haigood and Elena Panova.
Julianna holds a M.F.A. in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. During her graduate study Julianna founded Revolve Aerial Dance, a school and performing company specializing in aerial fabric, trapeze, and aerial hoop. Through the company she co-produced aerial concerts, performed in corporate events, and set an aerial dance work on the Snow College Dance Company in Ephraim, Utah. She wrote her master’s thesis on aerial dance choreography under the guidance of Donna White, Eric Handman, Abby Fiat and Tandy Beal. Julianna has written an aerial dance curriculum for her studio and a teacher training course to mentor new aerial teachers. She also co-authored the Aerial Hoop Manual Series (Volume 1 is out and Volume 2 is going to be out soon) with Rebekah Leach.
The attitude of this blog reveals that experience and mentorship is valued in place of teacher training courses. While teacher training courses are available via the USAG, it is only a supplement, and a small one at that. In some ways it makes sense that in a competitive sport, coaches take on the aire of “been there, done that” and that gives them the credibility to take someone to a competition. It is recommended by the industry and common for a coach to have more than 10 years of experience prior to entering full time coaching. A Pilates instructor writes the following: “You cannot teach something you do not know and you cannot know it unless you commit to ongoing practice.” I find it interesting that with sports such as gymnastics, it is more common to find teachers not engaged in the practice, and that’s when they are called “coaches.” The word coach has a different connotation than teacher and to me, implies that they are done with the sport themselves, and now they are turning a new leaf to coach.
While aerial dance is just as athletic as gymnastics in my opinion, I feel that it is leans in a different direction in the way. Gymnastics seem to wreck your body and then you’re done (while admitting there are always exceptions to the rule!). Circus seems to be more of a lifelong activity. You’ll find plenty of people in their 50s, 60s, and up still engaged in the fun of the circus, where aerial dance has its roots. It’s more of an ongoing lifelong activity, and so instructors are just as much engaged as their students. Rather than coaches who no longer do the sport, aerial instructors are going to be just as much engaged as their students, so it makes sense that the way that they progress into teaching is going to be very different. There’s no such thing as someone taking a 2 week teacher training course and now they are going to coach a gymnastics student to the regional competition. You have to live and breath the industry for years. Simple as that.
ABT (American Ballet Theater) is well-known in the world of Ballet. Did you know you could become certified in ABT Ballet? As long as you meet the necessary skill level, you can get certified in as little as 9 days. This prepares you for teaching children ages 3 and up and you can be as young as 17 years old. A 6 day course prepares teachers to instruct intermediate and advanced ballet students age 11 – 13+. And another 6 day course prepares teachers to instruct advanced and pre-professional ballet students ages 14+. May I emphasis the skill level which allows someone to do this is not beginner, not intermediate, barely advanced. The skill level required to enter the program is advanced and professional.
In the United States, it is very common for dance teachers to receive a masters degree in fine arts from an accredited institution. This degree typically takes about 5 years or more and typically costs anywhere from $40,000-100,000+ depending on what college you attend. Many dance teachers go on to teach at dance studios or in the public or private school system, at levels ranging from elementary school PE to high school dance teams to college dance companies (or being a professor of dance). It is an interesting mix to say the least. Within the same dance studio, you may have someone with no college experience (qualified simply due to natural talent) teaching next to someone with a masters degree. The main thing that the local dance studio cares about is that the teacher can dance and they can teach. Credentials are great, but experience is valued even more within dance studios. In the school system, you absolutely must have your masters degree in order to teach, so that is why so many dancers receive theirs. It keeps doors open for job opportunities.
10,000 HOUR RULE
It is certainly a hard question to answer: What is an adequate length of time to train a teacher? Those who value their art form of teaching may cringe at the suggestion of two weeks. How can someone conquer the art of [fill in the blank with any art form] in 2 weeks if it wasn’t already in them? I remember Debbie Park (my aerial mentor) once telling me that it takes 10 years to become an expert at anything. I have also recently encountered the 10,000 hour rule.
The 10,000 Hour Rule is the idea that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill. For instance, it would take 10 years of practicing 3 hours a day to become a master in your subject. It would take approximately 5 years of full-time employment to become proficient in your field. (hmm…sounds like gymnastics coaches perhaps?)
It really is experience more than anything that will make a teacher blossom. I think that a solid teacher training program includes many hours of practice, as well as time for the teacher to grow to a place where they are confident in the skills. It is likely that a teacher may begin teaching while they are still a student of the craft themselves. It is not practical to require every student be practicing their art for 10 years prior to considering teaching. They simply must be a few steps (of course the more the better) ahead of their students, in recognition that it is all one big continuum of learning at the end of the day.
A wonderful yoga practitioner had the following to say on the subject at hand, “I believe people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I care because this practice, this community cares for me. This same care will lead me to the [knowledge I need]. .. I am a student forever, hopefully well beyond 10,000 hours, but today I teach by the minute.”
YOUR TURN
Do you think the aerial dance industry should have teacher training programs that are so common they become necessary part of the industry? What is the ideal length? How long should a teacher be practicing in the aerial arts before they take a teacher training? Lots of room for a million opinions!