My Dance Learning Style

      I didn’t know about different dance learning styles until I became a teacher. My dance learning style was to follow along in the back. Is that really a learning style? Actually, it is. I just thought that I was shy, but later learned that I am a kinesthetic learner and therefore my memory is not that great when it comes to learning choreography. It doesn’t mean that I can’t get better at it but I have to work harder. This has been a big eye-opener for me working with students. I have had teachers previously use exercises where the students in the back come forward and dance in the front. I have used this exercise a few times thinking that I am pushing my students to practice out of their comfort zone. I have now learned that that is not helpful for kinesthetic learners. To be the best teacher that I can be I need to teach to their learning style. I think back on this particular time when I was assisting another teacher who was sick and she asked me to come in and do all the movement parts of the class for her and she would just tell me what to do, this was for a ballet class, and I enjoyed it so much surprisingly. There were a few combinations that she had me do and as she spoke the combination, I just did it. Afterwards, I could not remember what I had done, but as this teacher was speaking the combination, my body kept up with it. It even felt like a fun dance game. I was surprised that I could not remember the combination fully and now I know why that is. I want to bring awareness to teachers and students about learning styles. If I had known when I was younger about my learning style, I believe that it would’ve helped me to feel more confident in my ability to dance instead of feeling insecure because I felt way more comfortable in the back. It took until college for me to move on up to the front of the class and there were still times that I would revisit my old spot out of habit.

By Eliza Kellberg

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