08/05/2026
Happy Tuesday! So someone asked me if I could talk about a negative experience with a parent and how I dealt with it. Well it was about 11 years ago, and sadly has stayed with me. She had daughter had been with me since 3 years old. The sweetest girl. You could tell how much she loved music and to move.
When she was 7 mom went to the studio owner and said she was “ appalled at the lack of technique I was giving them”. So the studio owner came to me and talked about it. I was completely heartbroken. And then became pi**ed, like realllly wanted to go scream at her , But I took it to heart and tried to understand. Here is the thing, so your daughter was still dancing after 3 years, why is that? Plane and simple she loved to dance. Is there anything more beautiful? Sure I could be that nasty teacher that yelled and was one them. But let’s be real, she is 7! We want kids to try and experience things. There is so much pressure in the world just to get by, and being in the pressure of a dance career. Where does a dance career start? Very simple, the love of movement. If I can help nurture that, I feel that is where it has to start. I think about this often and I still would like to scream at this women, lol. But guess what, her daughter did go on in dance, but only till she was 19. There was too much pressure for her, she had lost her way ( that is her words)
I 💯 believe in technique and it is basis of any dance . And ballet is where it all needs to start. BUTTTTTTTT….without the love of movement and music there is nothing. This is not a job like being a lawyer. I promise you, if there is love in dance, technique will be there.
So please, let’s let our dancers first and foremost love it dance. The rest will fallow. As angry as I was with this parent, it ended up being a good thing and taught me so much as a teacher.
