As a teacher catering primarily to teenagers, this particular educator has a resume that could knock the socks off any dance aficionado. But with that, she has a humble spirit and a killer work ethic. In the studio, she pushes her students to be their best. But out of the studio, without them knowing it, she's shaping who they'll be for the rest of their lives.
When I was a teenager, I didn't see this gift for what it was to my peers. I guess it takes a certain level of maturity to see what is right in front of you. But when I became an adult, it was staggeringly clear. Finally, a dance teacher choosing songs with pointed lyrics. Finally, a dance teacher that is pushing for the best PEOPLE and not just the best DANCERS in the studio.
This year, one of the songs she chose for a lyrical piece was "Try" by Colbie Callait. Lyrics like "you don't have to try so hard, you don't have to give it all away," and "wait a second, why do you care what they think of you?" blasted each week to beautiful choreography. I'm not sure about the girls who were in the studio, but to an onlooker, those lyrics in conjunction with the beautiful movement made ME think. Imagine, if at 13 years old, you too had someone who said to you each week, "Stop trying to be who THEY want you to be and be the best YOU there is." Imagine if you had constant positive reinforcement instead of negative criticisms. Imagine how great an influence like that in your life could be.
This dance was not an isolated incident. Every dance, every lyric cut, and every artist, is pointedly chosen to inspire her students. I can only imagine that her Google search history contains "lyrical songs with words that would uplift my students at their most fragile points in their lives" or "songs that help teenage girls be themselves and accept who they are" because that is just how on point her choices are. Where I, as a dance teacher, picked a song I thought my students would find fun, she chooses songs that would resonate with her students and form who they are as humans, not just dancers.
In a world of mean girls, I cannot express how much respect I have for anyone trying to make a change. I'm so blessed to have such a person as a positive role model in my life, and I hope anyone who has danced for such an educator sees the gift they have been given. Being a dance teacher, as she has taught me, is not always about pliés and pointed toes... It's about how you've impacted those students even long after they leave the studio.