5 Mistakes That Dance Fitness Instructors Make (and what to do instead!)
If you want to be a dance cardio instructor or teach dance fitness like a pro - or if you’re already a dance fitness instructor, then you’ve probably already realised there’s more to teaching classes than making up cool routines.
“I started teaching dance workouts for beginners back in 2003,”, says Elle Kealy, CORIO creator, “And I made a lot of mistakes before I figured out what makes a successful teacher!”
Here we’re sharing them with you so that you can skip straight past the dance fitness class disaster zone and go directly to awesome:
Mistake #1: Teaching a fitness class like a dance class
“I was really into dance back then, so I kept creating routines that I thought looked cool, and instead they were just really difficult to learn! I would stop and start the class and help my students really get the moves slo-mo, which meant we were only covering a few phrases of music in each class and they weren’t really getting their sweat on.”, admits Elle.
Instead of teaching dance workouts like a dance class, keep it simple and make sure that everyone will be able to follow along while keeping their heart rate up. Including active rest movements and having a system to break down dance moves will help keep your students in the zone.
Avoid turning the music on and off and stopping and starting the class, as it will break your flow and feel awkward.
Mistake #2: Teaching to music you don’t know properly
Sometimes, your tune comes on you’re like “HEEEELLLO Dance Floor!!!” - and that’s how confident you want to be with your music in class.
If you don’t really know your music, the tempo, the chorus, verse and bridge timing, and any of those weird breaks that almost all dance and pop music has post 2010, then it’s tough to make the track flow, or recover, if you mess up the steps!
Never assume that because something works when you run it in your head, that it will work in the studio. Instead, run your choreography to the music a few times and make sure you really know the track you’re teaching to.
“I use commutes to get familiar with my playlists. I listen in my car, when I’m in the gym, I’m listening to my CORIO Dance™ playlists constantly!”, says Elle.
Mistake # 3: Not paying attention to your class enough
If you’re used to dancing into a mirror then it’s tempting to treat your class like your own workout and keep your eyes on yourself.
“I don’t think instructors make this mistake intentionally”,says Elle. “When we’re training new instructors we find that looking at the mirror is most commonly an unconscious way to avoid looking at their students, because actively connecting with the room is really a confidence thing.”
But if you don’t use that mirror to look at your students you don’t know if they’re getting the moves, breathless in a sweaty puddle on the floor, or having the time of their life with you.
Instead of looking at yourself, try looking around the room, or, turning around and facing your class from time to time. (Yes, you’ll have to learn to mirror your moves too, which is fun!).
Mistake #4: Not having a class plan and playlist prepared
Nothing screams ‘Amateur!’ more than an instructor who seems like they’re winging it. And not only that, not having the class mapped out from start to finish means that you run the risk of running out of material, or going over your class time if you don’t get through everything in time.
CORIO Dance™ classes are designed to follow a specific format so that instructors always know what’s coming next and can carefully pre-plan their class run time.
“Try to have your playlist pre-planned in one place before you teach so that you don’t have to stop and scroll through your music to find the track you want. If you’ve got a class plan, you’ll know exactly which track comes next at all times and you won’t need to break the flow.”, Elle advises.
Mistake #5: Doing moves that you can’t really do - because they look good on someone else.
“I want everyone in my classes to feel sexy, confident, alive and energised,”, but I’ve found over many years of teaching that when dance moves are highly stylised, they can go really wrong! That’s why I try to include moves in CORIO that make people look good, even if they aren’t a dancer.”, Elle says.
You don’t have to include anything in class that you don’t feel confident doing yourself, so don’t be afraid to modify and switch up steps.
But remember, this is your student’s class, not yours! So think of them when you’re creating moves. (If you’re the queen of hip-hop and they’re more disco-diva’s then save the locking and popping for another class.)
When we start out it’s impossible to avoid making mistakes, but with the right training, preparation and with experience, your classes can be effortlessly easy and fun to teach! Pinkie swear.
If you want to teach dance fitness, grab our CORIO Dance guide to being a certified dance instructor and we’ll send you a sample routine as well! It’s totes free >> Get it here.
