Ep 19: Training Through Body Awareness with Kelsey Nelson

What if the biggest technique breakthrough your dancers need has nothing to do with more hours… and everything to do with deeper body awareness?

In this episode, Cara sits down with educator and movement strategist Kelsey Nelson, whose Pilates-inspired, mind–body conditioning approach has helped dancers strengthen smarter, train safely, and unlock technique they’ve been chasing for years.

This conversation is packed with practical strategy, alignment insight, and simple shifts you can bring straight into your classes, starting today. If you want more intentional, effective, and strategic training for your dancers, this episode is a must-listen.

Cara and Kelsey talked about:

• Kelsey’s journey from performer to educator and how body awareness completely shifted her teaching and her dancers’ results.
• Why body awareness is the missing link behind so many technique plateaus — and why dancers improve faster when they understand their bodies.
• How to reverse-engineer conditioning by identifying gaps first, then creating progressions that directly support the final technique goal.
• Using props and Pilates principles with purpose to help dancers engage the right muscles instead of gripping or forcing movement.
• The difference between gripping vs. true engagement and how this single distinction transforms turns, balances, and extensions.
• Core awareness + pelvic alignment as the foundation for every technical skill — and why most dancers haven’t been taught how to access it correctly.
• Red flags that a dancer’s training is out of balance from chronic taping to stretching-as-a-warmup to bodies that never truly feel “ready” for class.
• How to design intentional warmups that actually prepare the body, prevent injury, and close technique gaps quickly.
• Why dancers don’t need more hours — they need more strategy and how awareness-based training gets better results in less time.

This episode is all about training dancers in a way that is smarter, safer, and aligned with how the body was designed to move. Dance teachers, studio owners, and educators will walk away with clear tools they can apply immediately.

✨ Connect with Kelsey
 Instagram: @kjindance
Email: kjindance@gmail.com

To dive deeper into strategic training, alignment, and technique growth, join the waitlist for Total Technique Academy at: therelativemotionexperience.com/technique

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