TDEA Convention 2017 Recap

Last week, MCDC had the pleasure of attending the Texas Dance Educators’ Association Convention. This year’s theme was “Be The Light”, and boy, did it shine bright this year.

Some remarkable educators and directors were honored, including Distinguished Service Award recipients Jon Fisher and Sandi Hinton, and Karen Searles for Dance Educator of the Year. Acclaimed choreographer Shelly Hutchinson set moving choreography on the All-State dancers, and I could go on about the incredible energy surrounding the place. But, I digress.

MCDC had the opportunity to host at team building activity with over 200 dancers that encompassed the theme and I thought I’d share some takeaways. The activity, itself, required reading directions, taking initiative, effectively communicating, working together towards a common goal, and appreciating each other’s ideas and differences along the way.

They had little to no instruction from us, and about 15 minutes of the activity was in the dark with the exception of glow sticks. They had four tasks that needed to be completed, some in total silence. Oh, and they were on a time restriction.

Intense, right?! That’s not even the half of it.

The dancers could have easily complained about all of the obstacles that stood in the way of their end goal. Instead they took what they had, made something of it, and in the end, created something extraordinary. That’s certainly one way to “be the light”!
It was so refreshing to see these dancers come together, and we hope they each took something away from this that they can use on their own teams.

Cheers to a successful TDEA Convention 2017!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Benefits of Utilizing a Dance Workshop from Masterclass Dance Company

By: Melissa Ann Roberson, Director of Dance Workshops As educators, it is our main goal to enrich the lives of our students by expanding their knowledge and understanding of our subject area. We as Dance Teachers are able to facilitate learning through several methods that allow our students to use their own application of materials in dance and in their lives. One of these methods is through the use of workshops. Master Class Dance Company employs various techniques to provide your students with the finest workshops customized to your needs, requirements, and expectations. Utilizing workshops throughout the year is essential in a student’s personal development, helping them evolve as leaders, and growing your program. Here are some points to ponder when considering a workshop from Master Class Dance Company. Benefit 1: Success Through Personal Development in a Safe Working Environment Our workshops provide a safe and intimate learning environment for brainstorming, and constructively
Read more

At What Point In Your Dance Career Can You Stop Learning?

Image
By Jacie Scott TRICK QUESTION!   You don’t! Take it from me… a 26-year-old dancer who recently got a great reminder of this sentiment. Last week I began my career as a Radio City Rockette, prepping for the 85 th season of the Christmas Spectacular performed at the iconic music hall. (I’m still trying to let all of that sink in, by the way.) Talk about hitting the ground running! New Rockettes had to participate in a “boot camp” where we learned a small chunk of the show before cast rehearsals commenced. Let me tell you. No matter how much I thought I was prepared for those three days, I quickly realized that NOTHING could have prepared me for them!  Yes, I learned show choreography. Yet, I was also reminded of the beauty of corrections and the skill it takes to not only take them, but also apply them the first time around. I learned things about my body and body placement that I hadn’t before. I pushed myself mentally and physically. I learned to properly p
Read more

The Art of Improvisation

Image
“Before we start the combo, you have about six 8’s of improv…” How many of you got anxiety just from reading that statement? Trust me, I get it. I was the dancer that cringed at the thought of improvisation. It wasn’t something that I was used to, and all I could think about was how awkward I felt and probably looked. So, I kept doing it. Sounds crazy, right? It’s actually pretty sane. They say the thing that scares you the most just may be the thing that gives you the most reward. So you better believe I was doing improv every chance I had in class! And I finally got to a comfortable place in my movement. You, too, can get to that point! Take it from a girl who struggled (with a capital S) in that department. Below are some things that helped me out in this dance journey. See if they speak to you, or comment your own experiences! ·       Don’t think. But instead, feel. The beauty of improvisation is that it’s YOUR piece. It’s YOUR movement. There’s no righ
Read more