I’ve been teaching for over 15 years (longer than I danced professionally!) and today I’m sharing ten things your dance teacher really wants you to know.

These are truths we wish every dancer understood, the ones that can completely change how you show up in class and how you grow as an artist.

1. We are on your team. We want you to succeed.

I see dancers get really frustrated when their teachers correct them, or push them or challenge them. We need you to know, it’s not because we’re against you - it’s because we genuinely care about you. We truly believe in your potential, sometimes even more than you do.

As a teacher, I never walk into the studio with a preconceived idea of who’s going to “make it.” My job is to give every single dancer the tools they need to pursue a professional career if they choose - and even if they don’t, I know those same skills will serve them in any path they take.

So when you feel frustrated, remind yourself: “My teacher is on my team.”

2. Your energy affects the entire room. Be a light, not a black hole.

Energy is contagious. When you walk into the studio, your attitude, curiosity, and focus set the tone. Not just for you, but for everyone around you.

If you bring openness and positivity, you lift the entire class. If you bring disengagement or negativity, that affects everyone too.

This isn’t meant to be toxic positivity - everyone has bad days and I am not saying that you have to be sunshine and rainbows all the time. But you can work on regulating your emotions and using what you’re feeling in your dancing. If you have the attitude that because you’re in a bad mood, everyone else should be in a bad mood you’ll bring the energy of the entire group down. What if instead you fed off of the dancers who are in good spirits and let their contagious light bring you up?

A simple shift that always helps me: instead of thinking “I have to go to dance today.”, flip it to “I GET to go to dance today.” and notice how your entire energy changes.

3. We can tell when you haven’t gone over your choreography.

We see it instantly. We can tell when you know what you’re doing and just made a mistake (happens to everyone!) and when you truly didn’t do your homework or put effort into retaining your choreography.

Knowing your choreography is the bare minimum - it’s just the cake. The artistry, the technique, and the confidence are the icing and decorations that come after.

ALSO: IT IS NOT YOUR TEACHER’S JOB TO RETEACH CHOREOGRAPHY IF YOU MISSED CLASS.

Would you walk into your triginometry class and expect the teacher to take the entire class time to reteach the entire lesson on cosines because you missed a day? Probably not. But that’s exactly what you’re doing when you miss a class or don’t review and expect your teacher to reteach the choreography. It’s your responsbility to get with a friend to learn what you missed ahead of time so you can show up prepared.

Rehearsing outside of class isn’t just about memorization - it’s a sign of respect for your teachers, your teammates, and your craft. It says I care enough to come ready.

4. We don’t just see where you are now. We see your limitless potential AND we see the work we need to put in to get you there.

Your teachers are basically superheroes - we can see into the future and recognize not just your present ability but your future capability. We see the small adjustments, details and habits that will unlock your next level.

When we lesson plan we start from the end goal and work backward to create a curriculum that will get you to where you want to be. That’s why classes sometimes feel repetitive. The work is repetitive. That’s how dancers grow.

Even at the highest levels, professionals start their day with pliés, tendus, and dégagés. That never changes. The sooner you can embrace the ritual and trust your teacher’s plan, the better off you’ll be.

5. We are way more interested in effort than outcome. We don’t care if you’re perfect. We do care if you try.

Nothing inspires me more as a teacher than working with students who give their all. I don’t notice perfect feet, 180 degree turnout or naturally flexibility even close to as much as I notice effort.

If you’re willing to walk into the classroom and WORK - then we can get somewhere.
But all the natural talent in the world won’t make a difference if you’re not willing to do the work

A few tangible ways to do the work:

When your teacher is giving a correction, show us! We of course appreciate your full attention when we’re showing a correction - but once we’re done, don’t just stare at us. Try it! We don’t know as teachers if the correction is clicking for you until we see you try it. If one explanation doesn’t work, I have 50 more ways of explaining the same concept. But I don’t know unless I see you try.
If something isn’t working, try it again on the side. If you didn’t get the combo, go again with another group. Somedays are just really off days - I get that. But if you accept defeat everytime something doesn’t go perfectly, that’s the way you learn to approach class, rehearsals and performances and that is not an approach that is conducive to growth. Be more concerned with not progressing than you are with looking like you’re bad at something.

Show up, give it your all, and stay resilient through frustration and you will be shocked what you can accomplish.

6. Being present and respectful in class makes you stand out more than any trick.

So many dancers think that being “the best” means being able to do the biggest leap or the most turns. But teachers remember the dancers who are engaged, focused, and respectful.

Your body language says a lot: how you enter the room, how you listen to corrections, how you stand between combinations, how you act when another group is dancing.

Are you watching and learning, or are you checked out?

Respect, attentiveness, and maturity will carry you far beyond the studio. Pretty much every choreographer or director I’ve ever spoken to has expressed a similar sentiment:

“I’d rather work with a dancer who is professional, kind, and hardworking than someone who can do the most turns.”

7. We are humans who have off days just like you. Your teachers are not perfect people.

I used to think my teachers (and basically all adults) were perfect people who knew everything. At this stage in my life, I can definitively say that we’re all still figuring it out. Behind every teacher is a human being who has doubts, stress, and hard days. It’s our first time living life too!

Teaching is emotional work. We think about our students all the time - how to help you, how to support you, how to get you where you want to go.

When you can approach your teachers with the same empathy you hope they show you, it strengthens the trust in the room. The best classes happen when both teacher and student give each other grace and bring our best authentic selves to the space.

8. We’re not just teaching you dance technique. We’re teaching you life skills that will serve you no matter what path you take.

Discipline, teamwork, resilience, humility - dance training shapes far more than your physical skills. It shapes your character.

Dancers are certainly a special breed of people. We don’t shy away from hard work and we’re willing to put in the time to reach our goals.

The lessons you learn as a dancer will show up later in your relationships, your career, and your confidence. Whether you stay in dance or not, what you learn in the studio becomes part of who you are.

9. Our job isn’t to tell you what you want to hear. It’s to tell you what you need to hear.

Growth rarely happens inside comfort zones. When we push you or hold you accountable, it’s because we care.

And telling you what you need to hear doesn’t always mean that it’s going to be harsh. Sometimes I can tell what a dancer needs to hear more than anything is that they’re doing a good job. There are days when a confidence boost goes so much farther than any correction I could give.

And there are some days when you need to be called out. We’ve all been there - I appreciate the people in my life who care about me enough to lovingly call me out when I’m not being my best self.

What you need to hear is going to vary every day, and our job is to be a role model who believes in you enough to support you in the way you need.

10. We were once exactly where you are now. Trust me - we see you.

Every teacher was once in your shoes. We remember being the student who doubted, struggled, compared, and dreamed. We remember how hard it was to balance dance, school, friendships, family and all the other important things in life.

That’s why we recognize your highs and lows so clearly - we’ve lived them. When we say “We see you,” we mean it.

We know how hard this life can be - and how incredible it feels when all your hard work pays off. There’s nothing like that moment when everything clicks.

We want that for you.

Choosing this life isn’t easy, but if you love it, it’s worth it.

So keep showing up, keep putting in the work, and remember: Your teachers are in your corner, always.

**Meet the Author**

**Caitlin Sloan** is a Dance Educator and Career Mentor based in Madison, WI.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri.
She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). Caitlin has taught at schools all over the Midwest, most notably serving as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and Youth Company Director for Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the School of Madison Ballet.
Caitlin founded **The Brainy Ballerina®** in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Follow **@thebrainyballerina** on Instagram for your daily dose of dance career guidance and inspiration.

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