In the three months that most studios across the country have been shuttered due to COVID-19, teachers and students alike have grown increasingly adept at teaching and taking class online.

By encouraging your students to treat their home studio like the real thing (and doing the same for yourself!) you can optimize the virtual class experience.

SET THE SCENE

Harlequin Floors offers a multi-purpose and slip-resistant dance mat (and a smaller practice mat, if you’re working with limited space!) that can be used for everything from pointework to tap classes. Paired with a sturdy countertop or one of Harlequin’s freestanding ballet barres (and maybe even a mirror), teachers can properly demonstrate, and students can return to the familiar.

Supplemental studio tools, like a Harlequin Turning Board, can encourage more independent studio time for young dancers. And if there were ever a time to install a sprung floor at home, it’s now.

NAIL THE ROUTINE

The most important thing parents can do for young dancers is to encourage them to act as if they were back in the studio environment. That means refraining from talking with passing family members or snacking while in a virtual class. Finding a routine or regimen can also create a meaningful get away from the stress of quarantining or sheltering-in-place.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Parents might be tempted to put their dancer’s mini-studio in the kitchen or move aside furniture in the living room, but Burklyn Ballet Theatre artistic director Joanne Whitehill warns against this. “Dancers don’t need to have a huge space,” she says, emphasizing that taking class in more public spaces can actually lead to more distractions.

DON’T FORGET TO RECHARGE

Once you’ve finished with your day of Zoom classes, put your home studio equipment away (both Harlequin’s dance mat and practice mat can be rolled up, and the practice mat comes with a carrying bag), or go to another room where you can recharge.

Dance Teacher | How to Make Your Home Studio Feel Like the Real Thing