The adult dancer's journey - more than just keeping up

Teaching a choreography workshop at Dragonfly Dance Contemporary Intensive. Photographer: Kevin Taylor

As a teacher of adult dancers, I think a lot about what it really means to improve as a dancer.

Many adult dance classes take a one-size-fits-all approach. Beginners and advanced dancers are often thrown into the same class, expected to find their way. The result? Beginners feel like they’re drowning, trying to copy steps they don’t fully understand. More experienced dancers are often bored and understimulated. To be really engaged, dancers need to be challenged, but still able to manage the demands of the class.

A mixed-level class can work—it just has a different purpose. The focus is on energy, on working hard, on repetition. The movement is simple but fast-paced. You follow along rather than having time to break things down and truly understand. And sometimes, that’s exactly what people want and need. This kind of experience is important.

But it's not the focus of how I teach.

There’s a difference between giving class and teaching class.

✨ Giving class means leading dancers through movement, letting them experience the joy of dance in the moment. It’s fun, it’s freeing, and it’s about keeping up with the flow of the music.

✨ Teaching class means breaking things down, explaining why and how things work, and giving dancers the tools to actually improve—not just to get through the steps, but to master them.

I teach because I love the process of learning. I love helping dancers reach that moment when everything clicks.

I think there is a lost opportunity when an adult dancer has to struggle through a combination or routine that moves too fast—never getting the chance to actually learn the sequence of basic steps that make up a more complicated combination, the weight shift, the transitions.

This is why I teach the way I do. I break things down. I let dancers practice small, simple chunks that come together piece by piece. I believe that adults deserve the same detailed, structured learning that kids get in their training—because progress isn’t just for the young.

And then—there’s that moment. The magic moment.

When a dancer gets it. When a step that felt impossible suddenly clicks. When they feel in control instead of just keeping up. When they leave class not just having done the movement, but truly having learned it.

And from there? That’s when they start to reach the sweet spot.

When they know a movement so well that they no longer have to think about what comes next. When the sequence of steps, the technique, and the rhythm are coded into muscle memory. That’s when real artistry begins.

💡 First, they learn the steps.

💡 Then, they learn the rhythm.

💡 Then, they feel it in their body.

And finally—they can focus on the magic.

✨ The articulation of the feet, spine, arms.

✨ How the breath influences movement.

✨ The subtle play of tension and release.

✨ The intention behind the dance.

When this happens, a dancer shifts from just doing movement to actually dancing it. And that’s why I teach the way I do—not just so dancers can keep up, but so they can reach this moment of mastery, no matter their level.

Have you ever felt that shift in your dancing? When a movement becomes second nature, and suddenly, you’re free to dance it? I’d love to hear your experience.