Let's Get Certified!

This post will be all about my experience getting my ABT teacher training certifications.

All during my last semester in college, I badgered on about working at the new ABT school in Costa Mesa, CA. I knew there would be an opportunity, just had to wait for the right one. Sure enough, March of 2016 rolled around and I had my chance! They were in need of classroom assistants and I accepted the position!

After I graduated from college, I would go into ABT a few times a week to assist ballet classes for Pre-Primary and Primary age groups. For those unfamiliar with the structure of ABT Curriculum: Pre-Primary is for ages 3-4 years and Primary is for ages 5-7 years. I’d help demonstrate classes, and attend the needs of the students and lead instructor. 

I grew fascinated with the school as I never trained in a ballet conservatory. It wasn’t just technique we were teaching the children, but respect, etiquette and proper demeanor with everyone in the school. I was raised and trained in a cutthroat commercial dance environment, so this was a nice change of pace. I loved getting to know the kids and learning more about the ABT curriculum everyday.

Come spring semester 2017, I get my chance to FINALLY go to a training course to learn the curriculum, take the exams, and hopefully become certified. I went to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Pre-Primary to Level 3 course. I did not expect to learn as much as I did while I was there. Disclaimer: I did take the Levels 4 & 5 course the following year, but will focus mostly on my first course for this post.

First day there, the nerves are stirring a big ‘ol pot in the pit of my stomach. Our teacher trainers walk in and give their introductions, let’s call them Bill and Frank (forgive me as I’ve been very into The Last of Us on HBO). They give us a friendly welcome with their confident and well-poised demeanors, something I quickly became self-conscious of, and explain the nature of the course we’re about to take. This would be nearly 10 days with 8-hour seminars, discussions, presentations and of course exams. I felt confident enough that I would at least be able to make it to the end for exam day, but as I looked around me for the other trainees, I felt as if I didn’t belong and had to prove my worth at the same time. 

We had the same structure for every level we covered: discuss the curriculum, watch a class, take a class, and present an exercise. This allowed us to get a full range of understanding for each level, and helped prepare us for the classroom. I felt most intimidated by the presentation aspect. While I kept reminding myself it’s all for the learning process, my insecurities bubbled up and I began to overthink everything. Bill and Frank would alternate for the exercises presentation as there were so many of us, and very little time to give everyone the feedback we all deserved. Out of the two, I felt the least comfortable with Bill. I’m not completely sure why. At first, I thought it was his blunt and ruthless nature, but Frank had those qualities as well. Perhaps I’ll never be able to pinpoint the exact reason, but I digress.

One exercise presentation did not go well. I had inconsistent timing, the sequence was messy and the intent was unclear. Bill did not hesitate to tell me these sentiments with his own direct feedback. I felt embarrassed as I didn’t know what to say or do. He was not wrong in giving me these criticisms, but I had already low self esteem as a teacher, it began to emotionally and mentally affect me. I worried all night long I wouldn’t be good enough to get certified and teach students of my own in a ballet setting. While these feelings carried into the next day, I didn’t let them defer me from going on with the course. 

Getting close to exam day and I am feeling all the stress! The oral exam would trigger my anxiety more as I struggle with speaking in front of the exam proctors, but it would only help me in gaining my confidence and comfortability as a ballet instructor. I studied hard and made sure I knew how to approach the oral exam to a T.

EXAM DAY!! Cue the nerves! I walk in with a similar pit in my stomach knowing today will decide my certification status. But at this point, I can only do what I know and show what I have learned over the past 9 days. The written exam was administered and easy breezy for me as I finished it in less than 10 minutes. Now, I get to wait around and go over my oral exam answers. My time slot is up and I’m in the room. Going through each step of my exam I felt ok. The proctors are also there helping me out along the way, and making it less of an intimidating environment. Before I know it, 30 minutes is up and I’m out of there. I felt like a solid 7 out of 10 on my performance. Not the best, but I came in prepared ready to go. I could leave Salt Lake City with a clear head knowing I gave it my best shot. Now comes the waiting game.

A few months go by, and I get a large manila packet in the mail. It’s arrived! My exam results and OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION! I couldn’t believe I had done it! It felt extremely validating to know my work had paid off, and I had shown I learned enough to start teaching the ABT curriculum to my own ballet students. 

Reflecting on this crash course of ballet pedagogy, I learned so much that I carry into my classroom today. One of the biggest lessons I took away is not necessarily the ‘what’ to teach the student, but how to teach them. With slow and steady progress, comes good results and a boosted confidence of the dancer. I’ve also learned a lot about the characteristics of young students in different age groups. What they’re capable of, and what they need of me to help them grow. But while I was more stressed than I should’ve been during this course, I’m forever grateful it helped catapult my teaching career. 

Would you partake in a crash course for the purpose of dance education advancements? How would you have handled a course this intense? What are the catalysts of your own teaching career? 

Give your 6-7 year old the perfect introduction to dance with our meticulously designed ballet-tap combo classes at Just Dance. Spanning 90 minutes, each session offers a harmonious blend of ballet and tap, ensuring a comprehensive and well-rounded experience for beginners and budding dancers alike. Led by experienced instructors, our classes focus on technique, rhythm, and expressive movement, nurturing your child's passion for dance and laying a strong foundation for their future.

Dance Education

Hello! Welcome to Namunye where we teach children; How to play instruments (Cultural and modern), How to dance (cultural dances + Other genres), Education (formal and informal) and dance education, Sports ( Rugby, football, netball, basketball), Computer skills (introduction and basics), Camera operations and photography. Our director is a well trained and learned Dance Educator, Dancer,…

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As a former child dancer and a dance fan, I relaunched my Zazzle side hustle to open the site’s own branch, TFBSAADE Dance Ed. Personalizables & Treats. The meat and veg of the content is safe, healthy dance for youth and others.

2 of the topics I covered in my merch are safe pointework and taming overzealous dance parents. In the latter, my Dance Parent Reminders collection focuses on having them control their emotions.

Building on that when it comes to their kids performing and/or competing is audience etiquette. The collection - Dance Parent Audience Etiquette - is inspired by a Dance Informa article that asks, “Is it okay to shout, ‘Werk it,’ at a student performer?”

Dance Parent Audience Etiquette Green Notebook, made by me via TFBSAADE Personalizables & Treats.

“In general, cheers/affirmations can be interpreted as reinforcement of a behavior or, in the case of dance, a movement," Youth Protection Advocates in Dance panelist and psychologist Dr. Christine Donaldson explained.

“In the field of psychology, we call this process ‘operant conditioning’. Operant conditioning is a learning process through which the strength of an individual behavior is modified by either a reward or a punishment. Typically, if something feels good (reward), we repeat the behavior, and when it doesn’t feel good (punishment), we avoid the behavior.”

"To be completely honest, most people cheer dancers on in competition in order to help them win awards," Dr. Steven Karageanes, sports medicine specialist, added.

"Because these dance conventions include a competitive element, parents, friends and fans take sides. In competition, you have winners and losers, and nobody enjoys losing. Parents and friends can get caught up in the winning and forget to show sportsmanship and class toward other dancers and studios.”

And not to mention audience etiquette.

Sadly, a small minority (my estimate) of the parents who each holler at their 10-year-old, “Werk it,” as she does an especially hypersexualized jazz solo went to see an in-person performance of a major ballet company’s production of Swan Lake. It would be a ridiculous - as well as RUDE - thing to scream the EXACT SAME thing as Odile does 32 fouettes en tournant in the coda of the Act II pad de deux.

Dance Parent Audience Etiquette Pink Flyer (great for studio registration packets), made by me via TFBSAADE Personalizables & Treats.

The coda of the Act II pas de deux from Swan Lake popped in my mind reading the Dance Informa article. Hence, the Dance Parent Audience Etiquette collection was born.

Katie Gatlin, a former studio owner, advised, “When cheering, I would stick to the basics: ‘Way to go!,’ or, ‘Great energy!’ Shy away from comments regarding physical appearance or body performance. Simply clapping is also a great way to remain positive!”

Better yet, save those cheers AFTER the solo or group numbers. Treat every recital or performance just as if you’re watching a major ballet company’s production of Swan Lake.

SEX EDUCATION (2019-2023)

A couple of youngsters ice dancing. The difference is the young lady is blind. 🤔

My first thought was... "Never let anything make you think you're a quitter in life because YOU have the power to conquer your own demons." 💫

Man i wanna study everything and nothing at the same time like god gimme the strength of chosing a career path ffs

There is psychology and then there is navy and im already a diploma deep into the education field also i wanna be a tech genie and a creative af person somebody kill the perfectionist inside me so that ill stop expecting to build a career in every hobby of mine from myself without exploring anything 😀

Had some more random ideas for the Accidentally God Queen of Clones Elle and her Amnesiac Knight Champion Kon AU (which really is a prompt a swear, ignore all the details/too many ideas I don't know enough about DC to be able to write this, so I'd anyone sees anything they like in any of this go wild ❤️)

- Tim doesn't take his mask off while in Elle's lair so Kon doesn't put together the fact that Tim is the mystery boy he kinda remembers. Leading to Kon saying that he hopes to one day find the boy he was in love with while Tim is trying to help him get his memories back, which then has Tim spiraling that Kon had a secret boyfriend that he never told Tim about before going missing.

- Elle and the rest of the Clone Club realizing immediately that Tim has to be The Guy and deciding to run with this chance for chaos and matchmaking. They lie about being able to send Tim back immediately and that he's gonna have to stay for awhile, but hey he can room with Kon! Ignore the fact that there are hundreds of rooms in this place, Kon has a big bed and is great at snuggles!

- When Kon became Elle's Knight, he started getting trained by Fright Knight & Pandora. He gets really good at fighting with just about every weapon (baring firearms) imaginable as a result.

- Fright Knight also insisted on teaching Kon all the other stuff outside of fighting a knight must know including the code of chivalry and the "Seven Points of Agilities" which sounded fine to Kon (learning how to ride horses/Night Mares and how to joust were both cool & expected) up until he was learning how to waltz with the giant ghost of fear as his partner. And don't get him started on having to both be able to recite and write love poetry (Elle, at least had fun, though that really came from laughing at his expense).

- He has tattoos now, some sentimental or just because he likes them, but he also has an ornate sword going down his back, and a shield split across both firearms that appears whole when he holds them together. The sword and shield are actually his (magical/ghost made) weapons that disappear from his skin when he summons them and return when he's done with them.

- Baddass and beautiful ornate (but practical and very comfortable!) Knight armor! It has filigree! And a cape!

- Instead of his sword sending people to the Nightmare Dimension, instead his shield can reflect attacks back at people (it's made to be used for ectoplasm based attacks, but can be used to deflect lazers).

- When Kon surrenders to the Justice Leage, he is wearing his armor, though sans helmet (which Pandora & Fright Knight are gonna kill him for later, helmets being a key features in the whole not dying portion of fighting has been something they've been yelling at him about for ages) and seeing Kon in ethereal knightly armor makes Tim bluescreen for a bit because damn.

- Kon falling in love with Tim and feeling conflicted because his mystery boy is out there somewhere, while Tim is just agonizing over the fact that Kon never told him about mystery boy and oh god did Kon not trust him with that?

- Elle gets Fright Knight in on the match making by telling him it'd be a good way for Kon to practice chivalry. Fright Knight takes this as an opportunity to make Kon recite his bad poetry (written about Tim both in terms of Kon writing about mystery boy and writing about Red Robin). It's truly awful. Tim loves it.

Like I said zawe is lucky and Tom hiddleston is the best and hes sexy you need glasses

Ahhh them. I'm gonna answer this nicely in hopes of maybe helping with growth? Love isn't "luck". What is initially physically attractive to many? Is often determined by what society tells you is.

I've been fortunate enough to have lived long enough to see "beauty standards" change. I remember when people didn't want BBLs or curves. I've seen the cute TikToks where moms would show their teen daughters the "hot guys" from back in the day and the girls would just go "Eww!". Figuring out what you really want, or don't, often comes with experience; the variety of people you get to be around and care for in life, and how open you are. Often "pretty" people become ugly through their actions, vice versa, and everything in between...

It's a whole package thing. In my deep MCU days, Tom didn't cross my radar because he came off as feeding on the attention and fame. I mean he was cute back then but in a twinky way, IMO. Boyishness makes me want to mother you, not think you're hot. But for the younguns I get it. The housewives? My lip is curling up and I'm side-eyeing a bit... at least for back then. Plus his fandom came off like too many I've encountered that treat white men and their characters like they are infallible, but need protecting somehow?.... Again it added to that little boy sense of him. Since then, (in my parasocial speculations), he's acquired some wrinkles and wisdom and learned that what he thought he had in all that Hollywood attention, wasn't "real" and now he actually does seem attractive because he's a grown man, now. Now, it's if Gene WIlder and Lee Pace could have a middle-aged baby, it would be Tom. All those things that drew such a following back then came off as performative and people-pleasing to me. The lack of boundaries, the talking over people, and going on and on... My grandma would have said he was smelling his upper lip. He was academically intelligent but often came off as socially naive, IMO, and I think most could infer the most naive stumbles he made in that era...*ahem* Zawe was one of many Black women from before I knew of Tom who I rooted for in the industry. ... Many of whom, you don't see much anymore, sadly. But the difference in their journey IMO & her accomplishments w/o the money, gender, and racial privileges her partner has, says a lot about the kind of character Zawe possesses. Again, parasocial! ... but I see a man who encountered a grown woman not enamored by or deeply entangled in the industry but had carved out her own path despite lacking all those things the industry demands you have to have, to succeed. A smart person would be impressed by that and her authentic kindness, sense of humor, intelligence, and joy in what she does...on top of being what he likes physically (we not gonna act like that man does not always ping or have the best onset chemistry when a leggy woman is around).

He's a leg-locked king (apologies or you're welcome for the imagery). He seems to be a gentleman and Zawe is not one of his little fangirls. They come across as equally enamored, and grown, and I would like to think they have a healthy loving partnership. Which makes them both extremely lucky.

Grand Slam Opera (1936)

Top Hat (1935)

dance dance revolution

The teacher who broke me

As a teacher, I draw my inspiration from my instructors growing up. And for me, a lot of that inspiration came from what NOT to do in the studio. I’ve had wonderful instructors who have left a great impression upon my teachings, but so many that didn’t. There’s one in particular who sticks with me to this day. Let’s call her Rita. 

She came into my life when I was around 13 years old. She would come into our studio every now and then to set some choreography and travel back to LA afterwards. After about a year, she moved down to Austin and joined the faculty of our studio. We started to take regular classes from her, as well as perform her choreographic pieces. My first impression of her was that she’s tough, but tough was what I thought I needed for my training. And for some reason, she took a liking to me. 

I had some natural charisma at this point, and proved to be a hard worker in class and rehearsals. Perhaps that’s why she took a liking to me. My 2nd year at the studio, she choreographed a piece for our small Teen company, and she made me the lead. I had a nice little solo in the beginning part. That’s how it was for a bit, getting leads and special parts in almost every piece, and proving to be a strong and reliable dancer at the time. 

A few years later, Rita decided to leave and open up her own studio in Austin. As I was approaching my junior year of high school, I needed to start thinking about my training and goals for post high school. Seeing as I wanted to do more concert dance, and Rita was offering more Ballet and Modern classes at her studio, I figured this was the best move for my dance career.

A small group of us had migrated over and became her first pre-professional dance company in Austin. We had more than half of our classes with Rita, and she also choreographed a majority of our routines for the year. This is where I began to see more of this ugly side of her. 

The first thing I noticed was how she phrased certain corrections given to me and the other students. For me, she had a “special” one for my ballet technique. Anytime she wanted me to engage my core, she’d point to my stomach and say, “pork chops!” Insinuating that my belly was hanging out as if I had just eaten pork chops. I heard this everyday in Ballet class for 5 years that she taught. Slowly this would eat away inside of me, and begin to plant seeds of negative body image that would last all the way into my mid 20s. Of course, these weren’t the only comments made to us regarding our bodies. 

I recall a time where a bunch of us were at a dance workshop of hers in Tampa Bay, Florida. It was one Summer and we were taking classes all day for one whole week. We all stayed at a Best Western hotel, with a continental breakfast every day. One morning, we were down in the dining area grabbing food. I was well on my way to the waffle machine, my favorite breakfast staple. I had grabbed a banana on my way there when Rita stopped me. “Caitlin, you look so thin today!” She said with a pleasant grin on her face. “Oh thank you very much.” I replied. She glances down at my banana and asks, “Is that all you’re going to eat?” I look up and gesture towards the waffle machine, and before I can say anything she pats my hand holding the banana and says, “Oh no, I think that’s enough for you.” She walks away leaving me in a state of shock. Now being a 14 year old girl with low self esteem, I take her word as is, and eat only the banana for a full day of dancing. These instances happened far too often where I wanted nothing but to please my dance teacher, and believe what she has to say will help me make it into the dance industry. I truly believed she cared for me when she made comments like this, but I see now that it was wrong.

Another thing to know about me, is I have a ridiculously great memory when it comes to choreography. I can even recall some choreographic routines from when I was 12 years old. It is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I know what I’m doing and can help my fellow peers out while working on a piece. A curse to me because of Rita. This means that I’m held to a higher standard of knowing every detail, and can’t fall anywhere below that. If I did fail, I would be susceptible to several repercussions. I’d be in more trouble than my peers if I couldn’t remember every little piece of choreography. That’s how it worked for me. These criticisms would translate into attendance too. If I missed one class to stay home and finish overdue homework, I would be reprimanded and threatened with different consequences, such as being dismissed from certain routines. 

One semester, Rita noticed I had missed some classes due to a multitude of reasons including homework, physical therapy, familial obligations etc. One day she pulls me aside to let me know I have an ‘outstanding’ amount of absences and unless I can get to the 4:30 PM ballet classes on time to make them up, I would be removed from an upcoming dance, set by a professional choreographer coming into town. This would become a logistical nightmare! At the time, I got out of school at 4:10 PM, and to get out of our high school parking lot took 15-20 min, and to get to the studio took another 10 min roughly. Even if I got out of there right on time, I’d still be late to class, which isn’t tolerated with Rita’s standards. One day, I get there late and Rita asks me why I’m running late. Before I know it, I’m breaking down in tears from all the accumulated stress of trying to be the perfect student for her. I couldn’t take it anymore. She sees me crying and consoles me to let me know it’s ok and ‘of course’ I don’t have to stress about making it on time to a make-up class. She gives me a hug and we move on from there. As I looked back on this exchange years later, it bothered me immensely. I had come to realize the emotional manipulation that took place from being under her authority. She stresses how important it is for me to get to class on time, and once I break down, pretends it doesn’t matter. No apology. No accountability. Nothing. It’s almost as if she enjoys the power of bringing me down, just to be the one to build me back up again. 

I stayed with this instructor all the way up until I graduated high school. I went off to college, one she recommended to me, and began to undo a lot of the damage she had done to me for years in training. By the end of my tenure with Rita, I was mentally, emotionally and physically burned out. I thought I had lost my passion for dance after being beaten down day after day under her leadership. I rediscovered that passion again in college. I thrived in a more encouraging environment, and saw great strides in my technique and personal growth throughout those 4 years. I didn’t know it was possible to feel good about myself and improve my dancing at the same time. Years later when I began therapy, I begun to unpack a lot of the trauma inflicted by Rita, and came to terms with the emotional and mental abuse I faced from her. I allowed myself to start healing, and recognized I don’t have to let her teachings and words weigh heavy upon me for the rest of my life. I could be happy and live free once again. I can successfully say I’ve been able to do that for the past 5 years. I have been healing from those wounds. I live a better life knowing she has no power over me. I can use this motivation to help build a nurturing environment for my students, something Rita could never give me. 

What about you all? Do you have someone who negatively influenced you? How did you overcome it? What are some hard lessons you’ve learned in the process?

The beautiful and talented Debbie Allen. She's so beautiful and talented.. in my own words. Role model 🖤🖤🖤

I think people overestimate how feminist team black is. If someone brings up how Baela should be the heir to Driftmark, it's always "she would've been Queen if not for the Greens!", ignoring that 1, she would be Queen consort, not a Queen in her own right, and 2 she has a legitimate claim in her own right to Driftmark. Team Black's goal is to crown Rhaenyra, but Rhaenyra becoming Queen isn't a win for feminism because it does nothing to dismantle the rest of the patriarchal system that exists in Westeros. From what we've gotten so far, it reads that Rhaenyra wants to be the exception and not the rule. Rhaenyra has made a lot of bad political decisions, which means she can't acknowledge Baela's claim because it would weaken her own claim (blatantly admitting her eldest sons are illegitimate would not end well for her to say the least). So she betrothes Jace and Luke to Baela and Rhaena to kind of atone for that, like as a consolation prize Baela will be Queen and Rhaena will be lady of Driftmark, neither of them would hold either title in their own right. It's good matches because the kids like each other and will treat each other well, but it's not a feminist win or a feministic liberation. It's usurpation, usurpation that takes place because Rhaenyra has to do damage control after having illegitimate children and after a serious of bad political decisions (both hers and her fathers, Viserys is the arbiter of this entire mess). To me, Rhaenyra is very reminiscent of Mary Queen of Scots, I can see a lot of elements drawn from Mary's history in Rhaenyra's story and character, down to their sons eventually taking the crown they failed to claim/keep.

Footloose and Free✨