Anyway, I digress, back to the holidays.... Only a few weeks in to my 'holiday' I begin to prepare myself for the courses I have booked myself on and look forward to the dance classes i can participate in. Very excited.
For me, I think it is important to attend workshops, classes and courses so that I can update my skills, get some new ideas and remain in touch with what is being taught outside of my world, my classroom. It can also feel rather iscolating at times, just you and the students.
I dont wish to sound presciptive but you cant allow yourself to stagnate and rely on what you learnt all those years ago to see you through the rest of your teaching career. Can you? I teach contemporary, amongst other things, various contemporary techniques including, Graham, Humphrey, Cunningham often fusing together the three in one class, and yes, they do have their traditional vocabulary but i'm sure those pioneers of modern dance would want us to evolve from those ideas.
We only have to look at the new generation of choreographers and their styles to watch the evolution unfold. Wayne McGregor, Siobhan Davies, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant , Christopher Wheeldon, Hofesh Shechter etc etc ...Or head along to The Place Prize, Spring Loaded or Exposure Dance..... not to mention all the other genres. The dance world has evolved so much and continues to, if you don't move along with it you might get left behind!
I have seen some fabulous courses advertised, several of which i must attend or want to attend, however the cost of everything, once it is all totalled up, is ENORMOUS!!
It is a case of picking and choosing, as dance teachers know, it is not the most lucrative career in the world, particualry off the back of having a baby who is a year old and came with a pair of scissors to cut a big hole in my purse.....(and my abdominals...thank you Beatrice!)
I have decided to have a look around and see what courses, classes, workshops are on offer that are either:
a. Free of charge (unlikely)
b. Low cost
c. Great value for money
c. Just too good to miss!
I will post these up on a blog and on the Dance Bank website, but in the meantime if you are running anything or come across anything that isn't too expensive or free, please forward the information to me so that I can add it to the list.
Don't forget Dance Bank is a resource for teachers to access choreography and lesson plans, to download, free of charge. Please visit the website to register and to find out more information about it. Right now we have a huge library of routines and warm ups to retro music from the 80s/90s and current day pop.
I'm off to watch some of my students in their choreography competition. Can't wait!.... The next generation...
xx
