Give Your Dancer The Best Online Experience
So many dance studios have been forced back into online classes, and the dancers (and their teachers) are struggling. Taking a dance class online is difficult - "wait! which way do I turn?" "Did my teacher just cross her foot in the front or back?" "Should I be standing on my left foot?" - it can be so frustrating. It's tough for the teachers too, and we really do want to see our dancers succeed. We'd much rather be with them in the studio rather than teaching them online.
So, what can you do to make it the best experience possible? Here are a few suggestions...
Dress for class - leotard, tights, hair up, and the proper shoes. It doesn't feel like dance class if they are wearing their pajamas.
If he/she is old enough to log into class on their own, let them. Give them the power to be in charge of their dance class (like walking into the dance room without you).
Give him/her their own space to dance, free of distractions. It doesn't mean you can't watch at all, but I've noticed that younger dancers are distracted by mom or dad in the room, and older dancers get annoyed when parents are watching.
And, speaking of distractions, ask siblings to not interfere with dance class. And, if you can, it would be helpful if pets weren't around. When your dancer is actually at the studio, her siblings, most likely, are not in the same room bugging her. And he's not tempted to pick up your dog and show the entire class. Give them the distraction-free dance room that they have at the studio. Or at least as close to it as you can!
No cell phones. It seems obvious for the little ones, but I recently had a 6 year old tell me in class "people keeps texting me!". My guess is that it was her mom's phone. But, again, that wouldn't happen at the studio. And teenagers can't leave their phones alone if it's nearby. So ask them to leave the phone in a different room, if possible.
The television should not be on during class. If someone needs to watch tv, then your dancer should be in a different room. Again, this wouldn't happen at the studio, so try to keep it from happening at home.
Of course, if your dancer is really getting into dancing at home, you might want to invest in a portable barre and/or portable dance floor. You can read my reviews here and here.