A Day in the Life of a Dance Instructor
They say if you love what you do, then you’ll never work a day in your life. This is the case for dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor, Chloe Milton. Milton is a dedicated dance instructor who loves to help dancers of various ages develop technique and artistry in multiple styles of dance. What many people do not know about the dance instructor profession is how much work is put into it. Milton puts her blood, sweat, and tears (literally and figuratively) into her work as a dance instructor every single day to give her students the best training possible.
Milton goes above and beyond to create a special bond with her dancers. She builds trusting relationships within her students to help them reach their goals not only in dance, but in their every day lives.
Each day when Milton, gets to the studio, she looks over what she has planned for the day. Each class has a variety of students with unique talents and goals. She creates a syllabus for every class to ensure the students are working on their technique, as well as exploring personal artistry with choreographed combinations.
“I love teaching multiple styles of dance. The dancers help me learn and grow just as much as I help them. It can be difficult at times, but it is an extremely rewarding job,” said Milton
Part of Milton’s job as a dance instructor is to break down dance steps and explain movements as thoroughly as possible. When teaching, Milton makes it a point to engage with her students by encouraging them to ask questions, and testing their knowledge about what they have learned over the course of the class. Her ultimate goal is to make sure her students understand the movements, and understand why proper technique will make them stronger. She provides feedback and gives corrections to students as needed.With each student possessing unique qualities, constructive criticism has been a useful teaching tool.
“Some of these kids have more experience than others, which is why it’s important to recognize when they do well at something. Corrections are part of dance in general, but constructive criticism is key in order to improve,” Milton elaborated.
As a dance instructor, Milton experiments with various genres of music for class warm-ups, combinations, and performances. She admits to searching for music using different media, such as Pinterest and YouTube.
Another important part of Milton’s job is making sure the students are wearing proper dance attire for technical, and sometimes safety purposes as well. She must also choose costumes for recitals and other performances that appropriately fit the theme, music, and choreography of each dance.
The podcast link below digs deeper into Milton’s process of finding music, and preferences for costumes and dance attire:
Dance instructors take on a large role in order to produce well-rounded, successful dancers. Milton wakes up every morning ready for another fun-filled day of teaching.
Teaching is so much more than a job for Milton. This is her passion, and a career that will continue to fulfill her dreams of dancing for many years to come.
Milton hopes to take teaching into her own hands by opening a studio of her own in the future. Her dream is to share her love of dance with the world and continue to train and educate dancers of all ages.
