Teaching Dance Skills integrates the principles of motor learning and development with dance teaching strategies in order to optimize the learning environment for children, adolescents, and adults ranging in skill from novice to experienced dancers. In 12 chapters the book presents a blueprint for optimal individualized dance teaching leading to optimized learning. Specific topics addressed are: selecting and organizing the dance material, how to select the most appropriate instructional methods, and the role of various modes of demonstration as well as the type of feedback most appropriate for students? age, skill, and developmental levels.

As dance training evolves and becomes more complex, knowledge of motor behavior is foundational in helping dancers learn and master new skills and become more efficient in integrating the skills. Motor Learning and Control for Dance is the first resource to address motor learning theory from a dance perspective. Educators and students preparing to teach will learn practical ways to connect the science behind dance to pedagogy in order to prepare dancers for performance. Dancers interested in performance from the recreational to professional levels will learn ways to enhance their technical and artistic progress. In language accessible even to those with no science background, Motor Learning and Control for Dance showcases principles and practices for students, artists, and teachers. The text offers a perspective on movement education not found in traditional dance training while adding to a palette of tools and strategies for improving dance instruction and performance. Aspiring dancers and instructors will explore how to develop motor skills, how to control movement on all levels, and—most important—how motor skills are best taught and learned. The authors, noted experts on motor learning and motor control in the dance world, explore these features that appeal to students and instructors alike: • Dance-specific photos, examples, and figures illustrate how to solve common problems various dance genres. • The 16 chapters prepare dance educators to teach dancers of all ages and abilities and support the development of dance artists and students in training and performance. • An extensive bibliography of sports and dance science literature allows teachers and performers to do their own research. • A glossary with a list of key terms at the back of the book. Part I presents an overview of motor behavior, covering motor development from birth to early adulthood. It provides the essential information for teaching posture control and balance, the locomotor skills underlying a range of complex dance skills, and the ballistic skills that are difficult to teach and learn, such as grand battement and movements in street dance. Part II explores motor control and how movement is planned, initiated, and executed. Readers will learn how the nervous system organizes the coordination of movement, the effects of anxiety and states of arousal on dance performance, how to integrate the senses into movement, and how speed and accuracy interact. Part III investigates methods of motor learning for dancers of all ages. Readers will explore how to implement a variety of instructional strategies, determine the best approaches for learning dance skills, and motivate and inspire dancers. This section also discusses how various methods of practice can help or hinder dancers, strategies for improving the recall of dance skills and sequences, and how to embrace somatic practice and its contribution to understanding imagery and motor learning. Motor Learning and Control for Dance addresses many related topics that are important to the discipline, such as imagery and improvisation. This book will help performers and teachers blend science with pedagogy to meet the challenge of artistry and technique in preparing for dance performance.

Brenda McCutchen provides an integrated approach to dance education, using four cornerstones: dancing and performing, creating and composing, historical and cultural inquiry and analysing and critiquing. She also illustrates the main developmental aspects of dance.

Why do we dance? Why should we dance? Dance allows people to be more active, socialize and develop creative and physical skills. Just a few of the benefits increased exercise dancing can give you are; reduced stress levels, improved relaxation, stronger bones & muscles, weight control, and a healthier brain! This book reveals how every aspiring dancer can understand how to use dance to develop an awareness of yourself and others. In here, you will discover: -Introduction and Background -Training to be a Dance Teacher -Mindset -Why Take Dance Classes? -Dance and Self-esteem -How We Process Information -... and much, MUCH More! The author also reveals how to know which words will help your students learn more quickly. Never before have you had such a unique opportunity to have this PROVEN dance as a personal development expert explain not only how dance can be used to improve your life, but also how to use dance to develop an awareness of yourself and others!

The Excellent Instructor and the Teaching of Dance Technique

With this one-of-a-kind book, dance instructors will develop the confidence and professionalism to quickly and easily go from being a good teacher to a great one, and gain the skills needed to skyrocket their careers.