Hip Hop Teacher Training - An Alter Ego When Dancing - A Useful Technique to Teach Your Students?

Great Hip Hop dancers and teachers ooze confidence when they dance. Being confident when you dance is integral to giving a great performance. Having an alter ego can dramatically increase how confident you feel when you dance.

Therefore, having been in the Street Dance industry for the last 18 years, and having taught thousands of people worldwide, I believe that you definitely want to encourage your students to create their own alter ego. After all, why wouldn't you want them to be more confident when they dance and to improve as dancers?

What is an alter ego?

Many top artists and performers have spoken in the past about taking on an alter ego when they perform. One of the most famous is probably Beyonce's alter ego 'Sasha Fierce'. When Beyonce wants to go for it and give it her all, she talks about letting Sasha Fierce do her thang! By doing this, she says she is more able to commit to her performance. I say if it is good enough for Beyonce, it is good enough for me!

Why encourage your students to take on an alter ego?

If your students are not giving 100% or they are not throwing themselves into the choreography, you may want to suggest that they take on an alter ego of their own. This will help them liven up their performance of your choreography and feel more confident when they dance.

If you encourage your students to do this, you will find that they dance with more confidence. By stepping into the shoes of someone else, your students let their own inhibitions go. After all, it isn't them dancing, but someone else who is maybe better equipped to give more energy, dance with more passion and generally throw themselves into the choreography with more commitment. In my experience, when students imagine they are somebody else, (somebody more confident, sexy, loud, energetic, bubbly or whatever it is they need), they relax, dance better and give a better performance.

4 steps to creating your very own alter ego

So you may be thinking - great, I now know why I should have one, but how do I go about creating one for myself?

Follow my 4 step process below, to utilise this technique:

Name your alter ego.Dress as they would dress.Ask yourself 'what might they say to themselves in their head?Ask yourself, 'what do they believe about their dancing ability?

For example, a student might say:

Her name is Slick & Sexy SarahShe dresses in the latest street wear and wears it with style - so I will do this.She says "I'm awesome" to herself in her headSlick & Sexy Sarah knows she looks hot and can bang out the moves

Lead your dance students through my 4 step process. Just by going through this process, your students will feel more confident and be able to commit to the choreography even more. If your students do this, you'll see different students appear before your very own eyes.

Have fun with this technique and encourage your students to do it too. You'll be amazed at the results you get!

And now I could like to invite you to claim your FREE audio training called "Avoid the 5 Biggest Street Dance Teaching Mistakes" http://www.StreetDanceTeacherTraining.com/mistakes.php?referrer=ezine%20alter-ego

From Hayley Hall, International Street Dance Teacher Trainer and the Co-Founder of the Street Dance Teacher Training Company http://www.streetdanceteachertraining.com/

Original article

Hip Hop Teacher Training - Classical Music and Street Dance Choreography - Can They Work Together?

Street Dance choreography is primarily created to RnB, Pop, Commercial or Hip Hop music. Having been in the Street Dance industry for the last 18 years and having taught internationally this is my advice; If you are a new Street Dance teacher, I would advise that you use music that your students are expecting to hear, namely RnB, Pop, Commercial or Hip Hop music.

Why should I use music that students expect to hear?

Customers, in general, like to get what they expect. For example, if you turned up to a solicitor's office, with an urgent and important matter that you needed them to address and they were all in casual clothing and they were laughing, joking and dancing around and listening to music in their office, you may question their ability to meet your needs. Why? Because we all expect solicitors to dress in a certain way and to carry themselves in a certain manner. Dressing in such a relaxed fashion and behaving in this way, may not fit with the professionalism you are looking for from a solicitor.

In the same way when your students come to your Street Dance lesson, they will be expecting to hear RnB, Pop, Commercial or Hip Hop music. If you are not playing this kind of music, they may think that you do not know what you are doing. It is important as a teacher that you gain your students trust and respect and give them what they expect. If you don't, you may lose students.

Are there any exceptions?

Having said this, if you have a class that you have been teaching for a while it may be more appropriate (and less risky in terms of losing students) to experiment with the music that you use.

I have seen countless examples of beautiful choreography created to classical music and therefore would strongly advise established Street Dance teachers to experiment with all different genres of music. As long as you are listening to what the music invokes in you as a choreographer and keeping the dance style in line with what Street Dance choreography is, then the two can work perfectly together.

My top tip if you are going to use different genres of music, is to totally commit to using the tracks you choose. You need to love the choreography you create and be totally inspired by it, so that your students will be too. You will have to believe in what you create, so that your students can also believe in it and feel confident enough to really go for it and to enjoy the dance.

If you are willing to experiment, why stop at classical music. Have you considered choreographing to rock music? Country music? Slow ballads - the options are endless. Have fun with it and who knows what exciting and inspirational choreography you might create.

And now I could like to invite you to claim your FREE report called "Teaching Street Dance - Avoid the 5 Biggest Street Dance Teaching Mistakes" http://www.StreetDanceTeacherTraining.com/mistakes.php?referrer=ezine%20classicalmusic

From Hayley Hall, International Street Dance Teacher Trainer and the Co-Founder of the Street Dance Teacher Training Company http://www.StreetDanceTeacherTraining.com/

Original article