My website offers education to parents and any boys or men who don’t know how to wear dance belts,” he says. Tom recalls attending a summer program at Milwaukee Ballet School when he was 14 years old and changing in the dressing room. He had put on his dance belt and was about to put on his tights when a fellow dancer informed him he had put on his dance belt incorrectly. Prior to this experience, no adult had told Tom how to properly wear a dance belt, thus he strives to provide that kind of information and support through his brand.
Read MoreHolly recently announced the opening of her own dance school, Precision Dance Academy, which has been a dream in the making for a while. Precision is a dance academy where young dancers can train in jazz, ballet, lyrical and more, with the goal of being “a home for every performer.” Precision strives to provide elite training and care for the whole performer, whether dancers are training to be professionals or for fun. The academy offers holistic performance training, providing dance classes, acting classes, and music lessons.
Read More“One of our core values is integrity and I feel like that shines through in the fitting process,” Samantha says. “We’re here to make sure that the dancer goes home in something that is as safe and comfortable as possible. We always prioritize the dancer over the sale, every single time.” She’s excited to be a part of a pointe shoe fitter community that works to empower dancers with informed knowledge about their pointe shoes, as well as help build out a larger fitter knowledge base.
Read MoreEnsuring that you can dance at your best for the longest amount of time possible involves much more than what happens in the studio. Making sure dancers take care of their bodies and fuel themselves in a sustainable and accessible fashion is crucial. However, myths and toxic misconceptions about nutrition abound within the dance world. People like Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Kristin Koskinen of Eat Well, Live Well are helping make the dance world a better place by providing nutrition and educational services to the dance community.
Read MoreBe empathetic and respectful to your teacher. We also have bad days, we also experience pain, and we have a non-work life that affects our jobs.
Read MoreIn talking with the older dancers, they all say that LYBW has really shaped their perspective of themselves and dance. It’s also found its way into their life outside dance. They’ve been quick to point out when a friend at school was being unkind to their body, and look at social media with less self-judgment. I’m so excited and proud that I’m able to work at a studio that holds this week with high regard. And we continue the ideas of LYBW throughout the year. It’s become so embedded in ATD’s culture, there’s a different feeling just walking into the building.
Read MoreWhen asked about what steps can be done to help alleviate these often harmful expectations, she shares that normalizing the concept of an everyday person dancing is something that needs to be more globally understood. She expresses that it can be hard for trained dancers to look at others’ dancing and not critique them in certain ways. Therefore, Santina believes that the mindset of seeing everyone as a dancer is something that needs to be adopted by dancers all around the world.
Read MoreIn ballet, I have struggled with confidence. I always felt unworthy and inferior to everyone. Being considered a late starter, I always had the feeling that I was constantly playing “catch-up” when it came to my peers. I spent too many years at my first ballet studio, receiving bad training and abuse from my teacher who always made me feel like I would never amount to anything as a dancer. These feelings of inadequacy negatively impacted my attitude towards dance and also contributed to my low self-esteem. I always felt something was holding me back from dancing my best. It wasn’t until I underwent a major surgery that I came back to professional ballet with a newfound confidence and a greater passion for the art form.
Read MoreAll aspiring ballerinas know that dancing in pointe shoes is the hallmark of being a professional ballet dancer. Yet, misinformation about fitting pointe shoes circulates across the country, leading many dancers to endure poor fittings and, in the worst cases, injuries. Entrepreneur, international award-winning speaker, and pointe shoe fitter extraordinaire Josephine Lee has made it her goal to offer educated and personalized pointe shoe fittings that leave dancers feeling empowered with information. Through her work at ThePointeShop, and her recent partnership with Dancewear Center, Josephine strives to promote education and inclusivity in all she does.
Read MoreWhen asked about what steps can be done to help alleviate these often harmful expectations, she shares that normalizing the concept of an everyday person dancing is something that needs to be more globally understood. She expresses that it can be hard for trained dancers to look at others’ dancing and not critique them in certain ways. Therefore, Santina believes that the mindset of seeing everyone as a dancer is something that needs to be adopted by dancers all around the world.
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