When I first stepped into the world of teaching in the school system as a dance educator, I never imagined how much my teaching space or lack of it would impact how I taught, connected with my students, or maintained classroom culture. Over the years, I’ve taught dance from a cart, in multipurpose rooms, and finally in a proper dance studio. Each setup came with its own challenges and small wins, and I want to share what I learned with other educators navigating similar journeys.
Whether you’re wheeling your lesson plans down the hallway or finally hanging your “First Position” posters in a mirrored studio, classroom setup matters and not just for aesthetics. It affects how your students move, feel, learn, and behave.
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Teaching Dance from a Cart: Making Movement Mobile
For two years, my “classroom” was a rolling cart with speakers, scarves, and a binder full of seating charts and behavior plans. I floated from classroom to classroom, often squeezed between desks, chairs, and coat hooks. It wasn’t ideal, but I made it work.
Here’s what helped:
- Compact Storage: I used stackable bins on the cart labeled with the essentials—scarves for locomotor movement, laminated dance visuals, small whiteboards, and speaker cables. Every tool had a designated spot.
- Behavior Expectations On-the-Go: I clipped a small chart with classroom rules to the side of the cart. Since I was entering another teacher’s space, I had to be consistent and clear. My rules were visual, simple, and student-centered.
- Transitions Are Everything: Moving from one room to the next required tight transitions. I used call-and-response cues and breathing exercises to reset students quickly.
While I wouldn’t wish the cart life on anyone forever, it forced me to be efficient, organized, and intentional about every single minute of class. For teachers in the same position, I shared more tips in my post on dance class management.
The Multipurpose Room: Dance Class on Borrowed Time
Eventually, I graduated to teaching in the school’s multipurpose room, a space used for everything from P.E. to assemblies to rainy day lunch. It had four walls and some space to move, but it also came with echoes, distractions, and daily setup battles.
What worked in this phase:
- Zone the Space: I used painter’s tape to section off a dance “stage” area. That simple visual helped students understand where we danced and where we listened.
- Portable Storage Station: I found a rolling shelving unit with drawers that stayed against the back wall. It held props, small mats, and extra dance shoes.
- Clear Visual Expectations: On the side of the wall nearest our space, I posted rules and expectations along with pictures of students that looked like them. Representation matters. When students see themselves reflected in the classroom visuals, they show up with more confidence.
- Floor Seating Routines: Because chairs weren’t guaranteed, we practiced how to sit in audience position, rest position, and how to respectfully enter or exit the dance space.
The multipurpose room taught me how to command attention, no matter the environment. It also emphasized how important it is to have a place for everything, even if that place has to be set up and taken down each day.
A Real Dance Studio: The Power of a Purpose-Built Space
In my final year of teaching in the charter school system, I had a designated dance studio. It changed everything. The studio had mirrors, a sound system, cubbies, and my favorite feature walls I could decorate with intention.
Here’s what made the biggest difference:
- Everything Had a Home: Each student had a labeled cubby for dance shoes, water bottles, and jackets. I added a shelf for yoga mats and a storage cabinet for props. This minimized the clutter and maximized learning time.
- Culturally Responsive Decor: I filled the walls with posters and photographs of diverse dancers. Alvin Ailey, Misty Copeland, Fatima Robinson, and students from our own school community. Students lit up when they saw dancers who looked like them.
- Posted Rules and Routines: A large chart near the entrance listed expectations: “Respect the space,” “Be safe with your body,” “Listen to learn, move to express.” We reviewed these often, especially after breaks.
- Centering Student Ownership: I let students help decide what we kept in our “calm corner”—a mat and mindfulness basket for students who needed a reset. Giving them ownership made the studio feel like theirs, not just mine.
Having a dedicated studio allowed me to fully embrace the 5 Elements of Dance, give students space to grow, and finally create lessons that weren’t limited by the shape of the room or what I could roll down the hallway.
Key Takeaways for Dance Teachers Setting Up Their Space
No matter where you’re teaching dance on a cart, in a cafeteria, or in a full studio there are a few non-negotiables that will help your classroom run smoothly:
- Organization Is Everything: Every prop, visual, or material should have a clearly labeled home. Students thrive on structure.
- Expectations Must Be Clear and Visible: Whether on a bulletin board or clipped to your cart, post your rules and routines and review them regularly.
- Representation Matters: Include images of dancers who reflect the diversity of your students. When kids feel seen, they engage more deeply.
- Create Routines for Entry, Exit, and Transition: These are your golden minutes. How you start and end class determines everything in between.
- Adapt and Reflect: What works one year may need tweaking the next. Give yourself space to evolve.
Final Thoughts: Every Space Has Possibility
I didn’t always have the studio I dreamed of, but I learned how to teach dance with heart and structure—no matter the environment. Whether you’re rolling in on a cart or locking up your own dance room at the end of the day, your setup is more than logistics. It’s about giving your students a space to move, express, and belong.
If you’re navigating classroom management, check out my post on affirmations for preschool dancers to help your youngest students start with confidence. Or if you’re working on curriculum planning, you might like How to Use the 5 Elements of Dance to Create Engaging Lesson Plans.
Let’s keep building better spaces one square foot, one routine, one student at a time.
Happy Dancing!
Taylor B.
