The Casual Dance Teacher's Podcast

Maia
Welcome to the Casual Dance Teachers podcast. I'm your host, Maia. And today we have a very special guest with us, Laura Ward Moran. She's a passionate and experienced individual who's dedicated over 26 years to her career in dance education and business ownership. Laura has a background in ballet, modern dance and authentic Pilates and has established multiple successful businesses and dance programs. She's the founder of the College Preparatory Dance Program at the John Carroll School, where she guides college-bound dancers. All of these diverse experiences and her dedication to dance education make her a valuable asset in mentoring and coaching roles for her business Unparalleled Pursuits. So you can see she has such a rich background throughout a variety of topics in dance. I'm sure there is so much that we could talk about.

But today, I'm really going to be talking about one of the most important topics in dance. And I'm going to really excited to talk to Laura about specifically her background with the College Prep Dance Program and her work with college-bound dancers. So without further ado, welcome, Laura.

Laura
Hello, thank you for having me.

Maia
Yeah, thanks so much again for being here. As I mentioned, we'll be talking a little bit about the sort of college-bound dancer and how you've worked on the program for college-bound dancers. So can you tell us a little bit more about your background and your work in that field?

Laura
Sure, absolutely. So as you mentioned, I have been in dance education for a really long time. I spent time in public and private education as a dance teacher, as well as 15 years of owning my own dance studio.
And after I sold the dance studio, I had more dance left in me, so to say, where I just really wanted to continue being involved in dance, but wanted to take it on a different angle. And what I really wanted that we didn't, currently have in our area was a place for dancers to go if they wanted to pursue dance beyond the high school setting in a college dance program specifically. But I wanted them to still be able to have an academic experience in high school. So basically not take away any of the academia component for an arts experience, but basically take an academic setting and then add to it a full arts experience. So we started a program at John Carroll School about eight years ago, where I implemented a dance curriculum that is heavily based in modern and ballet dance.
It started out with just myself, but now I have a faculty of eight different teachers that work within the department. And in that program, we also have a special course that I teach called Dance Seminar, which is basically like a little mini dance program in a college setting. So what I do is I give them a little bit of information about dance science, dance history, arts administration, we even talk about, you know, what dance looks like in a social dance setting and how that has transferred into different academic subjects and how you can learn history through learning about social dances of various decades. So it's a full comprehensive course, but it's a little bit of everything.

So basically, if you look at some of the college curriculum, one might have as a dance educator, you would have a year-long course in dance history where they're getting a unit, maybe they're doing four to five weeks of dance history. So it's more of an exposure course. And I do it specifically because I want them to see all of the different pathways that one can take beyond the stage or being a choreographer in a college setting. So the whole purpose is that through this class, not only do they help to understand their technical training better through like the anatomy and kinesiology component, but they're getting all of this different information. So maybe where they once thought that going to college for dance meant that they were going to be a performance and choreography major, which would be great as well.

But maybe they still want to dance in their life, but they had other interests. So this class has been really helpful because it sparked an interest in those kids who maybe came to our school as part of our STEAM Academy, and they had a desire to pursue science in college. But then they learned, oh, wait a minute, I can actually still pursue dance and science in a college setting and, you know, basically get the benefit of both. So along with giving them that information of what dance is, they can also get the benefit of both. So the other thing that makes, you know, the program special is when they're joining our dance program, they're taking multiple technical classes over the four years, plus the STEAM seminar, and all of them hold academic fine arts credit within our school.
So they're getting a grade that goes toward their GPA. It's not a club or an after-school activity. I mean, it's a legitimate part of our school program. And additionally, they have, you know, we have our own auditorium in the school. So they're doing multiple programs. So they're doing multiple programs. So they're doing multiple performances while they're there, which they really enjoy. They have an opportunity to work with guest artists. We attend the regional and national high school dance festivals, which is a huge perk to the program because it exposes our students to various college dance programs. And they're just really getting a full, you know, performing arts experience that one might receive at a performing arts school, but yet they're also getting the full mission and values of the academic experience of our school setting.

Maia
Wow. That's so cool. I have questions just bubbling up from what you just said. So I'm just going to start with what's fresh in my mind, which is, how are you finding guest artists to work with your students?

Laura
You know, it's actually not as hard as one may think. I have always believed, and I still believe, you know, even when I have my dance studio, when people believe in what you're doing, they buy into it. So what I mean by that is, if you're very clear about what you're doing, what your program is, who you are, and you just make it known out there, you know, so all of the various Facebook groups there are now for dance educators, or even just in my network, having been in this business for 26 years, there are people that say, you know, hey, that's really great what you're doing.
I want to be a part of it. So as long as you can afford to bring in the guests to meet their budget of what they need, you can pretty much gather the individuals based on having the very clear mission statement. That is something I talk about all the time. I think if you're having trouble finding somebody to come support a program by way of being a guest artist, it boils down to two things. Either you don't have the funding to support it, and I can give you some tips about that too, or it's unclear what you're doing, so it's hard to attract the right person. So back to the funding, you know, we get a lot of local people. You know, the Maryland area in general has a pretty robust organization. There are a lot of people who grew up in this area, went on to pursue their dance education, performing careers, and have come back to start families. There are a lot of people who are transfers into this area because we have, you know, great universities and college programs in our area, Goucher, Towson, you know, that have wonderful dance programs. So sometimes it's a matter of having faculty members from those schools or their guests participate. But no matter what your budget is, if your mission is clear, you can usually, you know, you can have a lot of people that are coming in as guests. So that's pretty much how I've handled it and even built our faculty.
A lot of the faculty that I have that I have brought on, you know, some of them drive over an hour and a half to literally come teach for two hours, you know, but they believe fully in the mission that we're providing.

Maia
Nice. I guess I will start by looking at this more on kind of the macro level. So I'm just thinking about my own experience. I grew up in a rural area, going to what I would call more recreational studios. And I just had teachers that believed in me and saw that I kind of wanted more out of my own education and gave me additional resources and recommendations of summer programs to go to and things like that, so that I did have the opportunity to go into a college dance program.
So I'm curious if in my situation as a dance teacher, where most of my students are going to go to a dance program, students are just coming to me one hour a week, maybe two hours a week, and are pretty casual dancers, but I have that one or those two that really have that spark that I see the potential in to continue on with it. How could I foster that without having a full-fledged program specifically for college-bound dancers?

Maia
Excuse me for one quick second while I interrupt myself to tell you about the Casual Dance Teachers Podcast first sponsor, the brand new Dance Teacher Director. So this resource just launched for dance teachers, dance schools. It's for customers/venues, you can book dance classes on there, you can put out a call for teachers to cover you or to hire as you grow your team.
It's really a one-stop shop for all resources, dance, which of course is a perfect marriage with the Casual Dance Teachers Podcast. So I'm really happy that I get the help of the dance teacher directory. And the nice thing is, you can get listed on the dance teacher directory for five pounds, which is $6.35 a month. So super budget-friendly, even for us casual dance teachers. It's great that everyone can be a part of it without breaking the bank. So if you want to be part of it, please join me on the dance teacher directory. It's just www.danceteacherdirectory.com.

Laura
The first thing I would do is ask the student what their goals are. Because it’s interesting, you know, sometimes the most talented of dancers purely utilizes dance for physical activity, stress relief, it’s what they do for enjoyment, but they may have completely different plans and desires for the college setting of what they want to do happily.
So you know, it's not like somebody's telling them, oh, you can't go to college and major in dance. But maybe that's not their desire. I say this, because on the flip side, you can have somebody who maybe you're viewing as not necessarily a dance teacher, but you’re not necessarily a dance teacher. And so you can have somebody who’s not necessarily the most talented one in the room that wants nothing more than to go to college for dance. And what I like to shed light on and encourage is there are so many college programs that have dance programs now, that literally anyone, even that person who wanted to, you know, start dancing for the first time when they get to college, there are programs for that as well.
So I would basically pull all of the students you you work with, you know, when they're ninth graders, 10th grade, just start having conversations with them, start asking them what their goals are for the future when they go off to college, if they plan on going to college, you know, see, see what they say. And if they say, gosh, you know, I can't imagine not having dance in my life. You know, what I would do if I were you is just start gathering the information from all the colleges and universities about their requirements and what they specialize in. And yes, of course, there are going to be colleges that you have to have trained and have a, you know, rigorous, strong ballet background, whatever the case may be.
And they're more conservatory level type programs where you're going to probably be pursuing a BFA more of like a professional type of degree where the goal is to be a performer. So you know, those are going to be harder for one to get into, they're going to require an audition, but they're going to be other programs that you can, you know, as I said, even start in college with your dance training, and pursue that. Through college. So I think the best thing for you to do is to talk goals. And then one thing that any high school student can do when they're interested in pursuing dance in college is start attending their summer dance programs. That's one thing that I always tell my students, you know, it's easy to get lured by, you know, some big fancy names in terms of conventions, or, you know, summer programs that one might be able to take.
But really, what you want to do is start thinking ahead of where may I want to go to college and then check that college to see if perhaps they're offering a summer dance program. And that's kind of how I encourage my students to look at the summer experience for dance. So ideally, you know, when they're going to these summer dance programs, they're having the opportunity to feel out what what living in the dorm is like what taking with college professors is like, what are the studios like, because all of that's going to likely be new compared to the summer experience. So I think that's going to be a big thing. To what they've been doing already.

Mia
Yes, I tend to preach to my students myself of like, I never was cast in anything because of being flexible or my feet pointing or any of that, like my skill is not above anybody else's really, but I just have developed a skill for listening and taking direction and being able to give a choreographer what they ask for. And that's really the only reason I've ever been cast in anything. So I definitely preach that to my students. It's not just about, you know, being able to put your leg up over your head or anything like that. There's a lot more to it. And, and carrying off of that. I'm curious, if you can maybe give, let me cheat a little bit before I look into it further.
If you can tell me what college dance programs might be looking for outside of just, you know, can they do x, y, z, steps? Are there certain academic concepts that you find students should have some familiarity with before going into a college dance program or anything that we should be trying to incorporate besides just technique?

Laura
The ability to speak, they're going to have to have an interview. So you want to start training them how to show interest, genuine interest, because I think one of the things that, you know, COVID and, you know, the, you know, the, you know, the, you know, the, you know, the, you know, just society today with electronics has sort of taken away is that ability to be an effective listener, but also someone who can communicate your needs.
So I have no doubt that anyone who meets a student for the first time and is viewing that student as a prospective candidate for their program, if that person can look them in the eye, engage, smile, have valuable meaning conversation and show genuine interest in the program, then I think that's a great way to start. program, that's going to go a long way. So that is something that will set you apart from somebody else. So what you can do with your students and similar things that I trained my students with, there are all these quotes that I say to them all the time, I have hanging in our studio, you know, your energy introduces you before you even speak.
And I tell them that because I like to explain that people are watching you from the time that you walk in the door, you know, be a positive force when you walk in, don't come in negative. Things like that go a long way. Also, just speaking to people saying hello, you know, so, so many kids are quiet, which is fine. You know, there's a lot of value in being quiet. But at the same time, being quiet can be perceived if someone doesn't know you as being rude. So I try to help them learn the difference of how to be, you know, subtle and keep your composure that nice, genuine, quiet person that you are. You don't have to be loud and aggressive, but just your facial expressions and how you welcome yourself into a room and how you make someone else feel welcome.
And of course, the old, you know, don't cross your arms, think about how you're standing. But they will have the opportunity in the process to put themselves in front of people. So even if they're feeling a little bit insecure about a technical aspect, maybe their ballet isn't as strong. Maybe their ballet is very strong, but they also need to have modern dance. So they need to have modern dance. So they need to have modern dance. And maybe they've never taken modern before. So everybody's going to come into an audition with a shortcoming in some way. But if they can speak well, and, you know, make themselves known in the room in a positive way, I think that's something if you can help them with that, that goes a long way in and out of dance studios, that'll help them get any job down the road, you know, dance or not.

Maia
Oh, yeah. I'm just processing everything you're saying. I'm thinking I've got to move on to it later when I listen back. But this is so great. And then the one other thing that I wanted to ask you about, Laura, if you have any tips, again, not being set up in a program where we have like a separate dance seminar, but with me teaching my weekly classes, I have certain ways, I think that I try and throw in a little bit of dance history, a little bit of kinesiology, these things. Do you have any tips of how a casual dance teacher in a regular weekly class might be able to throw in and make sure that our students have a little bit of background on those topics that can serve them without making it the whole entire class?

Laura
Sure. Yeah. And the first thing I would say, because you are limited in your time with them is don't take away their technical time. You know, I mean, if they're already getting limited time to physically be moving, that's what they're there for. That's what they want. That's what they need. And you want to still value and give them that time for their technique class. I am in that situation where I'm able to have a separate course that they take that's purely just for those dance seminar components. But in your situation, it may be something like you have written on a whiteboard, a quote of the day that's from a dance pioneer. Maybe you have something up there from Martha Graham or Agnes DeMille or somebody, and then you can explain a little bit about the person, but then move on.
Or maybe it's a situation where you have a handout for them that describes the difference between a Bachelor of Arts program or a BFA program, you know, and you're just giving them some information with some college dance programs that have various majors. And maybe you just give a little bit of information in that document that describes a little bit with a link to maybe point them in the right direction if they want to explore it further. So in your situation, you wouldn't want to take away that valuable technical time that you already have limited time with them anyway. And likely they're not in a place to receive that information. They're there to move, you know, my kids are kind of different because they're still getting their technical classes, they're still getting a boatload of choreography throughout the week, they're still getting their performance, I don't have to take away that time that they want to do this additional work.
Believe it or not, they love this additional work. But it wouldn't work if I was trying to do all of that while still give them valid technical time. So keep your keep your classes, your classes, but find you know, nifty ways to put things on whiteboards, send them out the door with handouts. I had a ballet teacher, who was actually one of my teachers, and then she ended up working for me phenomenal, phenomenal woman. And without ever asking her to do so, she just was an academic as much as she was a ballerina. And I don't think she ever didn't have some kind of handout or something to go along with what she was teaching. You know, when we would leave the room, we always left with something that supported whatever we were working on in class.
Usually, it was something that had to do with a technical anatomical component to the work, you know, or she would be explaining the physics behind a pirouette or something. She was just a highly intelligent woman that I was grateful to have in my, you know, dance training. But, but that's what you can do, you can hand out the information, but not let it take away from your time in class. Yeah, awesome. Thank you so much for that. Is there anything else that you wanted to share around this topic? Any final parting wisdom for us? No, I think it's wonderful what you're doing. I think that there is a need out there for those who are teaching in pure recreational settings.
And when I say that, what I mean would be like a rep council situation where the students literally are getting maybe one hour of training for a set period of weeks. And there is a space and a place for all of that, as you know. So I think that that better educates you can be, in the environment that you are in, no matter what environment that is, that's when you're serving your students best, meaning you shouldn't ever think of yourself as less of a teacher, simply because you work in an environment that doesn't cater to the serious dancer, because serious has different meanings as well. You know, the person coming to that recreational class, in the rep council setting, if they have a teacher who knows and loves what they do, and is very well educated, you can give them a chance to be a part of that.
And I think a valuable experience that will last in their brains and bodies for the rest of their life. So it all boils down to the person doing the work.

Maia
Hi, again, it's Maia just hopping on real quick post interview to share a couple of thank yous. I do want to thank GB Mystical for my theme music that you'll hear at the very beginning of the episode. And again, just thank you so much to Laura for sharing all of this wisdom and insight with us on today's episode. I don't even feel like I have to add a new quote because there was so much wisdom shared just in this last 20 minutes or so on the interview. But let me reiterate the one quote that Laura shared that really struck me: 'Your energy introduces you before you even speak.'.