Tag: how to

How to Perform Without a Mask…Again

The world is slowly opening back up. And if we can be honest, none of us will miss our sweaty masks sticking to our faces. Wearing a mask while dancing is nobody’s favorite thing. But there’s another downside to masks that dancers must now grapple with: a year and a half now spent practicing performance […]

4 Ways You Can Disrupt Dance Class Power Dynamics

There’s a reason why most dance classes are taught the same way—with one person leading and the rest of the room following—and it has a lot to do with how fruitful that relationship can be for dancers. When one person leads a room, dancers know exactly who to follow for direction. But this classroom structure […]

Help Support the Beginner Dancer in Your Life

Plenty of us have been dancing since we were teeny-tiny tappers and trinas, but walking into a dance class as an older beginner can be seriously intimidating. Luckily, one silver lining of the pandemic is that it’s easier than ever to try out a two-step without even stepping into the studio—virtual classes seem to be […]

How to Stay Organized in the Pandemic-Era College Dance Application Process

The college application process can be, well—let’s be honest here—downright maddening (#IYKYK). But for dancers, there’s an added layer of stress: College dance applicants not only have to get into a school academically, they must also be accepted into its dance program. There’s twice as much to prepare for and, on top of that, 2020 […]

How to Reap the Benefits of Your Convention Experience—Long After the Weekend Passes

Between travel restrictions and the economic burdens of COVID-19, you may not find yourself able to convention-hop every weekend as per usual (or you might find yourself attending virtual, rather than IRL, convention events). But that doesn’t mean your dance training has to suffer—especially if you’re conscientious about applying your convention lessons and corrections to […]

Experts Break Down the Tap Jam—And How Best to Play Your Part

Pullback, shuffle, and Maxie Ford are tap terms you’ve probably heard all the time. But what about shed, cypher, and trading? Those are all words that have to do with a tap jam. You may think you’ve never jammed before, but if you’ve ever participated in an improvisation circle at the end of a tap […]

The Silky Spiral: How to Master Renversé

Renversé, with its dynamic combination of a grand rond de jambe and a luxuriously arched upper body, can be breathtakingly beautiful when done correctly. But many dancers struggle to find the right quality. Pop the relevé, and you lose the step’s smoothness. Drop the knee to attitude too quickly, and you miss that picture-perfect wraparound […]

Spin Class: How to Master the Backspin

The backspin is a classic breaking move we could all use in our special skills repertoire. We asked Robert Taylor Jr.—a Broadway Dance Center faculty member whose resumé includes dancing with Rihanna on “So You Think You Can Dance” and in Spongebob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical—to walk us through the backspin step by step. Watch […]