Returning back to class! September tips!

Back to Class: The September Reset 💜

September is here, and it’s time to get back into the studio! In this episode, we’re talking all things returning to dance after the summer break — from those first-day nerves and getting back into routines, to finding your motivation and remembering why you started dancing in the first place.

Whether you’re a dancer, teacher, parent or dance school owner, September can feel like a fresh start. New classes, new goals, new friendships and a whole new year of possibilities!

So let’s chat about how to make the most of that first term, embrace the wobbles, enjoy the process and step back into the studio with a positive mindset. 🩰✨

It’s time to turn the music back on… September, we’re ready for you!

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hello and welcome back to the Real Dance Chat with me, Amy Grews. Welcome to today's episode. Today we are going to be talking about September. So I am super excited to return back to dance, but it can also be a nerve-wracking time as well. A lot of us have had six maybe even longer weeks off, and you naturally might be feeling a little bit apprehensive or nervous about returning. And if I can let you into a little secret, so are the teachers. I always am super buzzing for September, but I'm also a little bit nervous, a little bit anxious. Like, do I actually remember how to teach? Will everyone turn up? Will it run smoothly? So I totally get it. And on top of that, many of you will be returning back to school or signing college or university. So there's a lot going on in September, and as exciting as that may be, I also get that it can be a nerve-wracking time for both students and also parents. So today's episode is some top tips of how we can alleviate that nervousness and what we can do to prepare ourselves already for back to class. Now some of them are a little bit obvious, so I don't want you to feel like I'm patronising you, but you would actually be surprised how many times I see them pop up in September. So I'm just going to say them all out loud, and if you don't do them, then that's fine. But some of you might be like, Oh, yeah, that's a good thing to check. So let's jump into it. Number one is check your dance bag. So your dance bag may have just been laid in the corner of your room over the summer. So you need to go in, check it, make sure everything's in there that you need. Normally, what happens is a random ballet shoe is missing. It's always the ballet shoe. I don't know why, but it's always that seems to be the ballet shoe that goes missing. You might need to replenish it, you might like to have a towel in there, or you know, you have spare hair bubbles, hair grips. So just have a look. Um, make sure there's no like half-eaten bananas left from before the summer, and just check that you have everything. But most importantly, is try those shoes on. We have so many students in September that when they come into class they put their dance shoes on and realize that they don't fit, and that can be a little bit annoying, um, especially if you're doing like a tap class, you can't really do tap without the tap shoes. Um, but it can also be a little bit unsettling for people as well, especially maybe younger students. It can really unsettle them if they haven't got the right shoes, so yeah, you have to do back to school shopping for your normal school shoes, and yeah, try on those dance shoes as well. Don't forget those. So, number two, this is really obvious, but just check the time and dates of your class because a lot of dance schools this time of year will probably have a new or slightly different timetable, they might even be in a new venue or a different studio, and that again for a dancer, if you're late, walking in when everyone's already dancing is is quite difficult. And then also, if you are nervous and you arrive too early for your class, then that can also be a little bit anxious, like waiting for the flash to start. So, yeah, so just double check that you know the times, the dates. Some of you might have moved up into a new age group, so yeah, check that out, just make sure you know what day where you go in, and if you have a new teacher, maybe just let your child know that. And if your dance school has something on socials where you can go on and look at the teacher they're gonna have, that's a really good way of just preparing them. So they're not walking in not knowing what's going on, they have a little bit of information, which is always um really nice for the dancer to know. Number three, you may want to think about moving your body. So, I'm not saying we need to do like some hardcore fitness regime before we return back to class, and I should imagine all dance teachers we don't kind of launch into hardcore lessons in the first week, we kind of build it up naturally. Um, but yeah, just moving your body, some gentle stretching, you know, just put your music on and dancing around, maybe going for more walks outside, just just getting your body moving a little bit more so it's not quite so much of a shock when you return. Um, because the last thing you want to be doing is you're excited about class, but then you return, and all you're thinking about is how hard it is. Um, so yeah, just start moving your body around, just put your favorite music on, dancing in your bedroom, some gentle stretching, um, and you'll just find it a little bit easier when you return. And also, if you're dancing around your house, you'll just start remembering little things about technique will come back, you'll start thinking about your posture. Um, and if you do go for a walk, like make it quite mindful. So instead of just walking, like think like, What is my posture? How am I presenting myself? It might sound silly how you're presenting yourself on a walk, but those little things just kind of help you get your mind back in the dance mindset, um, which is quite nice to prepare yourself ready, but back to class, and then number four, this one is for when you return and you're in class. Don't get upset if you feel like you've either forgotten something, if your flexibility isn't what it was at the end of last term, if you can't pick things up as quickly as you did at the end of last term, or if you make or if you feel like you're making a few extra mistakes and what you would normally, that is absolutely normal because you've had a break. So your body will take a little bit of time um to just get back to normal and back to where it is. If you think about it, if you're used to dancing three or four times a week, and then you've had six weeks off, it's not your body's not gonna be the same as it was when you were dancing, so just don't beat yourself up about that, and just remember that it will all come back, and it takes time. So, I would say to every dancer, take September as your warm-up month, as your preparation month, as your getting back into it month. Please don't come on the first day and think everything is just gonna be back to normal. It takes time to get into it and to get back into dance mode, and that is the same for your teachers as well. Like, I always feel like my first lesson back is always a bit like all over the shop, and I've been doing this for 20 years because you you just you your movement memory is just not in ingrained because you've had that period of time off, and no matter how much you prepare for it, it's just the way it is. So, yes, so just be gentle with your teachers as well because they'll be going through the exact same thing that you are. Um, and then I'd say the next thing is in your class there probably will be different people. So, some people might have moved up into your class, um, some people might have changed classes, you might have moved up into a new class. So let's just all look out for each other. Um, you know, if you see someone struggling, ask them if they need something. If someone hasn't got a partner when you go and do corner work, just say, hey, come with us. You know, let's let's make everyone take those are easy things we can do to just make sure someone has a nice class. Um, and I always say, yeah, it is the teacher's responsibility to make sure everyone's included, but it's also dancers' responsibility, like we need to look after each other and be that community within class, and I think that can really make a difference, especially if someone is in a new class, um, that can be quite daunting for them, and then the last one is just have fun. We're going back to dance. I'm super excited, and no matter what dance school you go to, I'm sure you've got loads of things to um look forward to um and work towards. Um, so yeah, so I'm super super excited. However, I did have an email today, and this is just the way life is. We've planned all of 26-27, super organized. I've even written all the letters, dates, everything in the diary, everything's good to go, and then my um winter recital venue said we can't have our show there on the day we no longer hire it out, so I've got to find a new theatre for December. But where there's a will, there's a where there's a will, there's a way. Where there's a way, there's a will. Whatever the saying is, it will get sorted, I'm not gonna worry about it. It will happen. So, yeah, so things like that can pop up. I'm sure dance teachers have it like all the time, no matter how organized you are, things will pop up, and that might happen for you as a dancer as well. Things will pop up, and you might not have you think you've got this like plan and everything's gonna turn out like X, Y, and Z ready in September, but some things just change, and it's about adapting to that. So, yeah, I feel like I've gone off on a tangent here, so I'm gonna stop. And I wish everyone a smooth transition back to September. Dance parents. I hope you enjoy the transition back to um normality back to routine, and good luck to all the dance teachers. I will see you in the next episode. Bye everyone.