🤩 From Ballerina to Scientist: How to know if your Pedagogy is open-minded toward Modern Science

Apr 1 / The Dance Scientist

I get it. When we cling tightly, it's comforting and it feels like something strong and stable we can rely on. But what if told you that if you keep clinging to the way you've always taught, your pedagogy isn't going to improve?

I'm gonna walk you through an example that may put things into perspective for you. Imagine you are trying to get one of your dancers to try a new way of performing their arabesque that you think will really help them, but they've gotten stuck into only doing it one way. Their 'door' is shut and you have a hard time getting through to them. You've tried multiple strategies to try to help them, but they just don't want to hear it.🚪You keep knocking and knocking at the door but there's no answer.... You've been knocking for hours on end and no answer yet. You begin to become upset and give up. Guess what? This is exactly what it's like when your pedagogical door is shut. You're not open to feedback because you cling so hard to the way you've always done it.

The reason why I ask this overarching question is that this singular question tells me a lot about how open-minded you are to the idea of advancing or evolving your pedagogy. Because when it really boils down to it, to me, the definition of being an educator is being an eternal learner. And an eternal learner has their door swung open. They're like a sponge. They take constructive feedback, they learn about modern science, and they're constantly challenging themselves in a new way.It's great that ballet is so tradition-based, but at some point, we have to stop ignoring the fact that maybe some of those traditions have been demystified through modern science. If we expect our dancers to improve their technique, then we should expect ourselves to improve our pedagogy.By shifting to a more scientific blend in our pedagogy, we aren’t watering the art form down. We’re actually supporting it. This means that the art form will not change, it will only advance.And guess what? For every piece of advice I give out, I include myself in the same group. For example, when I talk about not clinging too tightly to the way you've always done it, this is something I still challenge myself to do every single day.

These are questions I continue to challenge myself with, even though I would already consider my door to be wide open.🤔 What type of answers do you get when you ask yourself these questions?

(1) Are you open to feedback?
(2) Are you open to modern science?
(3) Are you an eternal learner?
(4) Do you have a growth mindset?
(5) Are you willing to challenge yourself?

🔍It's okay if the answer is no right now to these questions. It's better to be honest with yourself and really check in with where you think you fall on the spectrum. This is also why I'm here to help you on this journey of becoming a more informed, more evidence-based Dance Educator.

With much love,
❤️ Maria, CEO of The Dance Scientist, L.L.C.

7596 Macomb St, Grosse Ile Township, MI 48138
maria.thedancescientist@gmail.com
@the.dancescientist

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