09/07/2026
Hello to all of the new followers to 519 🫡👋
It's back to school / studio season and this is worth a revisit as we think about how intentional we need to be to have the most uplifting impact in the lives of everyone entering these dance spaces! 💡🫶🏾
I'm not suggesting that none of these values exist in every dance space.. but with 20 years in Hip Hop & dance education, I recognize a pattern when I see one. 👀
Culture
Creativity
Community
Conversation
Collaboration
Let's dive in as we swipe 👉
S.2 cul·ture /ˈkəlCHər/
the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.
CULTURE is the foundation to every artistic practice, especially when it comes to dance.
And yet, there's Commodification overload, non-stop chase for Commercial success as the Industry Hype continues to grow. 🎯
Dance educators, please lead with the Cultural Foundation when teaching, including history, socio-political circumstances that sparked this movement as well as the current state of the movement ✨️✔️
S.3 cre·a·tiv·i·ty /ˌkrēāˈtivədē/
the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.
CREATIVITY plays such a key role in shaping one's confidence and character, especially for children and youth (adults, too). Once we know how to unlock someone's creative confidence, the learning journey reaches a whole new level. 🔑🔓
Instead of just passing down a complete picture of the choreography, let's try sharing with our students the art of freestyling, so they (students) can tell their own story through movement. 💎🌱
S.4 com·mu·ni·ty /kəˈmyo͞onədē/
a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
COMMUNITY has easily become a buzzword, especially within the dance world without recognizing the potential harm it causes when there's no accountability for the leaders as well as members. I'd love to see people that are willing to BUILD instead of just showing up when things are popping. ⚒️
Ask yourself, are you showing up to spaces to contribute your authentic self to the community?
Or are you just showing up to offload your choreography onto others/pick up someone else's combo to look/feel good? 🤔
S.5 con·ver·sa·tion /ˌkänvərˈsāSHən/
a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged.
CONVERSATION is a two-way street and so is music and dance. It's a communicative tool to express something that words just cannot capture. But I've found at times (I've done this too) that dancers will avoid using words to either av oid conflict/accountability and just "focus on their craft" 🚫
Real maturity comes from hearing other's perspectives, learning about your own shortcomings and achieving a higher level of understanding & empathy. If you're in the position of shaping the culture of a dance community, I invite you have conversations with your members on things beyond the surface level!🗣
S.6 col·lab·o·ra·tion /kəˌlabəˈrāSHən/
the action of working with someone to produce or create something.
COLLABORATION is not so simple and easy when working with new ideas, people, parameters. But I think social mediahas created the illusion that it's as easy as just shooting a DM and hoping for a fire result. 😬
Not saying it's impossible, but can we try being more considerate of one another's intention and be more courteous when approaching someone new? 🙏🏽
