Last summer, I shared an article about how to make the most of your summer teaching schedule as a dance educator. If you missed it, you can read it here: How to Make the Most Out of Your Summer Teaching Schedule.
My core belief hasn’t changed. I still think summer should be a time to prioritize rest, reflection, and refilling your cup. We all know how easy it is to fall into the trap of overcommitting and burning out by the time fall rolls around. That’s why I constantly remind myself of the importance of self-care for dance teachers: Why Self-Care Is Essential for Dance Teachers.
This year, I’m taking a slightly different approach, and I wanted to share some of the summer dance teaching resources that are helping me evolve my classes and curriculum. Whether you’re deep into teaching intensives, juggling a lighter summer load, or planning for the fall, I hope this gives you a few fresh ideas.
Setting Boundaries for a Balanced Summer
Last summer, my schedule was wide open because I had just finished teaching in the public school system and had the luxury of a full summer off. This year looks a little different. I’m still working my arts administration job, caring for my nine-month-old, and keeping up with my daughter’s busy summer activities. That means I needed to be very intentional about how many teaching hours I took on.
Currently, I’m teaching ballet, yoga, and dance history at Ballethnic Academy of Dance’s Dance Diversity Camp, as well as continuing my weekly classes at Dance Academy West (ballet/lyrical and Tap & Twirl). I’ve scaled back, and it’s been the best decision. Having fewer classes gives me time to focus on quality, creativity, and bringing new life to my lessons, without feeling stretched thin.
If you’re on the fence about how much to take on, remember: burnout doesn’t serve anyone. I always revisit my own advice in The Ultimate Dance Teacher Survival Guide, and I encourage you to do the same.
Refreshing My Dance History Curriculum
One of my biggest goals this summer is to revamp my dance history curriculum. Last year, I realized that while I was passionate about the material, it wasn’t as engaging for my younger students as I wanted it to be. Kids need to move, create, and interact, not just sit and listen.
This summer, I’m adding hands-on activities, skits, and more movement-based storytelling to bring history to life. I’m leaning on Dance Ed Tips for inspiration, and if you want to see more about how I approach this subject, check out my article: Teaching Dance History at Summer Camp: How I Bring Legends Like Katherine Dunham and Bojangles to Life.
Some of the new elements I’m incorporating this summer include:
- Character Skits: Students act out scenes inspired by the lives of iconic dancers like Katherine Dunham and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
- Dance Artifact Stations: We explore costumes, photos, and videos to connect past to present.
- Movement Breakdowns: After learning about a dance style, we get on our feet to try it out.
If you’re rethinking your own history lessons, I highly recommend building in more active learning. Not only does it deepen understanding, but it also keeps students energized and curious.
Infusing SEL into Yoga Classes
Another big focus for me this summer is making my yoga classes for kids more connected to social-emotional learning (SEL). While I’m comfortable with my ballet curriculum, I realized my yoga classes could offer even more value beyond just movement.
This summer, I’m using games and activities that help students recognize and manage their emotions. For example:
- Emotion Charades: We practice yoga poses while expressing different feelings, then talk about how movement can help us process emotions.
- Breathing Games: We explore breathwork techniques for calming down or boosting energy.
- Reflection Circles: At the end of class, we share something we felt or learned during our practice.
As dance teachers, we’re in a unique position to help students build not only physical skills but emotional resilience. Adding SEL into my yoga classes has been a refreshing way to support the whole child.
Tools and Resources I’m Using This Summer
If you’re looking to evolve your own summer teaching, here are a few of the summer dance teaching resources I’m finding especially helpful this year:
- Dance Ed Tips — Great for activity ideas, teaching strategies, and classroom management tips.
- SEL-Focused Yoga Games — Pinterest is full of creative ideas for integrating SEL into kids’ yoga.
- Interactive History Lessons — I’m gathering materials from YouTube, virtual museum tours, and dance archives to keep my history lessons fresh.
- Curriculum Mapping Tools — Even a simple Google Doc or spreadsheet helps me track what I’ve taught and what’s next.
The key is to keep learning and experimenting. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean we can’t stretch our teaching muscles in new ways.
Final Thoughts: Evolving with Intention
As dance educators, it’s easy to feel like we need to be “on” all the time, constantly adding new classes, camps, and commitments. But I’ve found that when I give myself permission to scale back and evolve with intention, my teaching becomes more joyful, and my students feel that energy too.
This summer, my focus is on:
- Protecting my time and energy
- Deepening my curriculum
- Adding more SEL to my classes
- Staying open to new ideas
Whether you’re teaching a full load or just a few classes, I encourage you to explore new summer dance teaching resources that light you up as an educator. When we continue to grow, we inspire our students to do the same.
And remember: it’s perfectly okay if this summer looks different than last summer (or the summer before that). We’re all on our own path, and every season brings new opportunities for growth.
Looking for more tips to inspire your teaching? Be sure to check out:
- The Ultimate Dance Teacher Survival Guide: Tips for Avoiding Burnout
- Teaching Dance History at Summer Camp
- Why Self-Care Is Essential for Dance Teachers
Here’s to a summer of inspired teaching and renewed creativity!
Happy Dancing!
Taylor B.
